2017: Golf's Most Underrated And Overrated Stories

I enjoyed the nominations by the SI/Golf.com gang in discussing the most underrated and overrated stories from the past year.

I'm not entirely sure verdict is in on Donald Trump's golf impact, as Bamberger notes in his most overrated category, but I certainly agree with his most underrated:

The most underrated story was Spieth's Open win. In a lifetime of watching golf, I never saw anything like it, and the aftermath — how he and Kuchar handled it — was every bit as good.

Sens: I don't know if it was overrated but it got more play than warranted. Four young Tour pros go on a spring break trip together and film themselves yucking it up in the tropics. Sorry, but I couldn't have been more bored. You could take your pick of underrated stories from the women's game, because the women's game rarely gets the attention it deserves. But the ups and downs of Lexi Thompson's season — her run-ins with the rules; her rise up the rankings — have been compelling theater.

Passov: I'll nominate Bernhard Langer's performance on the PGA Tour Champions circuit as the most underrated story of the year. He posted 16 top 10s in 22 events with seven wins and three majors — at age 60!

A more complicated case of overrated/underrated is raised by Joe Passov in suggesting the Erin Hills criticism was overrated. But I think we are talking about different things here (venue vs. scoring).

For overrated, I'll go with the incessant second-guessing and criticism about Erin Hills as a U.S. Open venue. So it played easy. That's what the weather dealt and how the USGA set it up. Honestly, it was a terrific, thought-provoking modern design, whether or not it played precisely like a links. There were no controversies with the greens, except perhaps the tiny, tilted putting surface at the short par-3 9th.

I'd agree the second guessing of the scoring is overrated given that in the long term, few will remember the final number posted by Brooks Koepka. Unless...the narrowing at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 was a response to Erin Hills and backfires.

Comments

[Truther]

Langer cheated in every single event so he is undeserving of any mention.

[BDF]

I think the largest story in golf that gets talked about here on this blog but rarely in the mainstream media is the eroding of the rules at the professional and elite amateur levels. This game has always been a self officiating sport, where players are expected (and by and large have) to know the rules and abide by them, and call penalties on themselves when necessary. Now, we can debate the factors that have caused this erosion, but it is obvious that Professional golf is (now) not very far removed from the other sports where the mantra is to get away with what you can. I feels this is far more concerning than the equipment discussions.

[Adamup]

Langer and Lexi!? Yikes, more like worst stories.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Well said BDF. Sadly i doubt the “governing bodies” are finished trying to ruin the great game.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

TOL, I don't think BDF was suggesting that the USGA/R&A are responsible. Rather, the PGA Tour pros (LPGA, etc.) are responsible for the erosion we've seen lately.

[BDF]

Eric, I am not hanging this on PGA pros, they just happen to be the ones on TV. I play local tourneys with younger players, and in my observation, many under the age of 25 or so think that if a rule is "unfair", it should be changed rather than followed. I think the governing bodies are trying too hard to appeal to those who want to change a game that has existed for over 500 years.

[Jocko]

Rules are treated the same in other sports without reverence. That is young people in general.

[Thinking Out Loud]

BDF can clearly speak for himself. I will just add that there is little hope for the game “as it should be” if the R&A and the USGA keep wandering around their respective hallways trying to figure out ways to make spoiled, entitled, bratty PGA TOUR and European Tour players like them.