September 27, 2021 BY KANE HARRY WILLIAM
2020 was not a vintage year for sport. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent social distancing protocols, many top competitions were cancelled completely, leaving fans with tickets extremely upset to be missing out. Some sports were able to carry on but without any crowds which meant there was a real lack of atmosphere. While there were periods where some fans were welcomed back into grounds and arenas, often it was at a limited capacity, which meant the players couldn’t perform to their usual high standards as they weren’t feeling the love from the limited number of fans. It was a weird time for all of us, but thankfully now most sports seem to be operating at full, if not nearly full capacity.
Golf was one sport that was hit particularly hard. Even though it isn’t a team sport, with most players observing a level of social distancing throughout their time on the course, the fact that players weren’t able to travel around the world, let alone their own country, meant that logistically it was difficult to organise events.
Many of the PGA tour competitions were cancelled altogether, including the Open Championship, the Wells Fargo Championship and the Jone Deere Classic. Some did go ahead, but much later than originally planned. The Masters, which normally takes place in the first full week of April, instead of happening in mid-November. The PGA Championship was scheduled in for the middle of May but ended up occurring during early August. And the US Open was originally on the calendar for mid-June but was rearranged to the middle of September. This meant that all four of the majors were affected, but thankfully for the sake of the fans, only the Open was cancelled altogether.
Despite these cancellations and postponements, a lot has happened in the world of golf over the last year. And, with the Ryder Cup, there is a lot going on right now, as well as things to look forward to in the next few weeks and months. Once all these tournaments are underway, fans will be frantically searching for the best bets for today for their favorite players.
Who’s won what in 2021 so far?
As is tradition on the golfing calendar, the first major contested of the year was The Masters. It was the shortest gap between two editions of The Masters ever, as it was only November 2020 when Dustin Johnson romped home to finally secure a green jacket. In April this year, it was the Japanese player Hideki Matsuyama who lifted the trophy in Augusta. This was his first major tournament victory, and he became the first Japanese male golfer to win a major, holding off Will Zalatoris by one stroke, in what was a truly gripping final day.
In the PGA Championship, it was a very familiar face that emerged victoriously. Phil Mickelson has been playing on the tour for nearly 30 years, winning five majors along the way. His victory in South Carolina, finishing two shots up on Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen, meant that he became the oldest ever player to win a major.
Oosthuizen came close again the following month at the U.S. Open, where he finished one shot behind Jon Rahm. Rahm went viral in 2020 when he skipped a shot off the water into the hole whilst on a practice round for The Masters, but would probably be happier with his first major title, becoming the first Spanish player to do so.
Then finally there was the Open Championship, this year held at the Royal St George Club in England. The winner here was Collin Morikawa, an American who won the PGA Championship in 2020. At only 24, it is likely that Morikawa sees victory again in a major tournament in the not too distant future.
So much to look forward to
Where else to start bt the Ryder Cup? It is one of the most eagerly anticipated sports competitions in the world, let alone in the world of golf. It sees a team of US players take on the best from Europe, in a three-day tournament consisting of fourballs, foursomes and singles matches. Europe is the current holder, but as it’s being played on US soil, expect them to be fighting all the way to win back the trophy.
While there are no other majors to look forward to this year, there are still some great tournaments on the PGA tour to look forward to, including the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, and the Houston Open, where Carlos Ortiz will be defending his title after winning the competition last year.
Whichever way you look at it, now is a great time to be a golf fan!
