By Shivani Gupta
Golf
AWAY FROM ALL THE CRICKET
Mar 3rd
While India and England were busy sharing the spoils on Sunday in their world cup match in Bangalore, some very important, significant changes were happening elsewhere in other sports.
Let’s start with tennis.
Novak Djokovic eyes the No.2 spot
Novak Djokovic, world number three and ‘heir-in-waiting’ (for long), has probably crossed an important milestone in his career. Continuing with this tremendous phase of his career (Second grand slam title at Melbourne, following the US open final in 2010), Djokovic won his second straight title in Dubai, extending his winning streak to 14 matches.
More importantly, he beat Roger Federer again, thrice in three matches now.
Not only is this victory testament to the fact that the ‘Djoker’ is a bigger, better player, it’s also a crucial step forward towards finally and actually being able to break the ‘Rafa-Roger’ stranglehold at the very top of tennis.
And who better to do it than Nova.
He has worked extremely hard to stay in the position of number three, that he has done for most part of the Rafa-Roger decade. He has consistently challenged the two men on all surfaces. And he has been the most consistent of all the other contenders.
Any other time in tennis and Djokovic would have stayed number one for a few long weeks.
While that is out of anyone’s control, Djokovic has done the one thing in his control right. Keep improving.
This time he’s done it with a new improved serve and it has made him a controller rather than just a challenger.
Now he’s served up the perfect platform to leave Federer behind and finally take over the number two position in world tennis. Just 80 points behind. I don’t think Fedex can hold-on any more.
Will Rafa be next?
Over to golf now where the shifts have been equally telling.
Another change in the No.1 spot
Martin Kaymer lost at the WGC Match Play in Arizona, but he is the new world number one.
In one sense, these are turbulent times in golf after such a long time, what with the number one position changing hands twice in three months.
But don’t we just love it? Actually it depends. You decide.
The thing is that as much as the PGA tour hates it, Europe has now taken over most of the attention and headline-capturing players.
Kaymer is No.1, Lee Westwood is down to second and Graeme McDowell is fourth… Luke Donald with his win in Arizona has climbed to number three.
So Europe now holds the top four spots in the world rankings for the first time since 1992, when Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo, Jose Maria Olazabal and Seve Ballesteros were at the top.
And would you believe it - Tiger Woods is down to fifth for the first time since 1994.
In this constant push between the PGA and European tour, the balance has firmly tilted in favour of the eastern side. So maybe we should expect more squirmishes between top European players and the PGA (Often the PGA has tried to control where and when European players play). Or will the PGA be ready to accept that they are not ruling the roost anymore?
But back to the question of whether we like it.
I’m not sure if I do. But I do know it’s not because I’m on one side of the divide. It’s just that there’s no longer a man to catch up with. I don’t like this constant shifting. I like to have a level that everyone is trying to achieve. Tiger provided that for many years. While a bunch of equally potent players is also good to have, but isn’t it nice to have a ‘Ruler’ looking down upon the schemes and battles below to overthrow him with glee.
Sigh.
Tiger in the Woods? New winners emerge
Aug 17th
Martin Kaymer has joined a growing club of first-time Major winners. The interesting part is that most members here have been entrants in the last two years.
Just this year, three Majors have gone to first-time winners. Louis Oosthuizen won the Open and Graeme McDowell triumphed at the US Open. Now Germany’s Kaymer has won the PGA Championship.
Last year, out of the four majors… again three went to new faces. Stewart Cink at the Open, Lucas Glover at the US open and of course Asia’s first-winner YE Yang at the PGA championship.
Yang’s win was historic also because it was the first time anyone had beaten Tiger Woods after he was leading the final round of a major.
Which brings us to the reason why this is happening.
It is Tiger’s form or the lack of it, that’s making the difference.
Since the start of his real domination in 2000, he has won 12 majors in 8 years. His last despite his knee trouble at the US open in 2008.
But a measure of his dominance comes from these figures. In 2000, he won three consecutive Majors. Between 2000-01, he held four consecutive majors. And since then there have been three years when he won at least two.
Also, this is the second time, ten majors have gone without Tiger winning even one. The last time it happened was between 2002-2004, when he was changing his swing and had fallen out of his winning ways. And guess what? In those those ten majors again, there was the same pattern. Seven majors went to first time winners, including Phil Mickelson’s first at the 2004 masters.
So clearly, the Tiger in the woods, for whatever reason, turns out to be a golden opportunity for many others. Since his knee reconstructive surgery and now after the expose on his controversial extra marital affairs, Woods has hardly been the same. And suddenly there’s no one to dominate anymore.
Sure, there is Mickelson, but his temperament is hardly that of a dominator.
And the result is evident. Six of the last seven Majors going to first time champions. And these aren’t the names one had expected to grab the opportunity. These are men way out of the top 10 or even top 20 in the world.
Most of these havnt gone on to win a second major. But I’m sure, they are not complaining.
Master Magic all over again!
Apr 12th
It’s amazing how normal it was. This being the Augusta National with all it’s finesse and restrictions, you expected it to be better than anywhere else. But just how quickly things were as good as old when it came to Tiger Wood’s comeback after an unprecedented scandal, was truly brilliant.
At one level it showed I think, how many of us had become fed up of all the drama and ‘masala’ and just wanted good old pure golf back again. And did the Tiger oblige or what!
So unrepenting in some ways that it was a little unnerving at times. He wasn’t going to have the scandal linger on anymore. He wasn’t going to be a different golfer because of it. The on-spot commentators and 18th-hole interviewers tried and tried. But it wasn’t going to happen. Tiger didn’t make any excuses. After that fabulous record first round for him, he didn’t play very well. Infact struggled with his golf all along.
But Woods wasnt going to be okay with it. Ahh… How good it is to have him back untouched in some ways! His yardstick for measuring his own performances hasn’t changed. This wasnt going to be a different tournament for ‘different reasons’. And nothing less than perfect was good enough. He was here to win it. Plain and simple. So if he wasn’t happy, it meant he wasn’t. No new perspective to golf, life and blah blah.
For us onlookers though, there is a new perspective. I wasn’t quite sure how this week would go for him, golf and otherwise. But then I saw his game face on. And I wondered how he was doing it. Regardless of which side of the debate you’re on – put yourself in his shoes – and think how you’d be able to do it (and play good golf at the same time). Suddenly his position is unenviable.
But there has been a growth in how you look at Tiger as an athlete, a golfer at the world’s top. Appreciation that is. It’s not easy and he did make it look so easy.
The sweetest fairytale this week would have been Tiger winning. But we got the second best isn’t it?
And that brings me to the lovely Phil Mickelson. Aggressive, unrelenting and brilliant! When you see him playing the way he does, it’s not hard to understand why he so often is the people’s choice. The people’s champion. Lefty’s frustating struggles and endearing wins on the course are so out there and so close to you, one can almost feel it (even on TV!).
Soon you find yourself associating with him, backing him, urging him on. And then when he pulls off one of the most satisfying major campaigns, you can feel his joy.
His 30-minute run on the back nine on Saturday was perhaps one of the best half-hour of golf you’d ever see (Two eagles on the 13 and 14th and nearly another on the 15th). Almost a major decided before the final day. So even though he entered sunday with a one shot deficit to someone like a Lee Westwood, who till then had not shown any signs of letting up, you knew there’s no stopping Mickelson. He was going for it!
And what better shot to punctuate that than the one on the 13th sunday! On the pine straw, behind the tree and onto the green for another eagle chance. Again! I thought to myself, “Oh c’mon Phil. Dont play with us!”
But then, who’s complaining!
Leave the Golfer alone now!
Apr 8th
Tiger Woods cheated, it made the world mad. Him choosing to be quiet about it made it worse.
When he finally spoke, it wasn’t good enough. Then he decided to get back to what he knows best (its still golf!) and he was blamed for being too self-centered for choosing the Masters. Even though, everyone knows the choice is a no-brainer.
All that may have been justified, but now that he is back on the course, can we atleast leave the ‘golfer’ alone?
This is not to say that all that he did doesn’t matter. But the very public that loved the sports-star despite the outbursts on the course shouldn’t hate him for what he did off it.
Wasn’t it because he was a winner then and anything ‘went’ but not so much anymore. So if he started winning again, will all be ok again?
Heck don’t even expect him to have completely changed but then, if his golf remains the same, does it matter?
Despite all the horrible things he’s done and the price he’s paid, the golfer in him is back in just five months! Given everything it’s no a long time. And that’s probably where our attention should be as well…
Again people have been quick to say – what a terrible personal choice. Doesn’t the word ‘personal’ mean anything?
So hate the man and don’t make a role model for your kids anymore (even your husbands) but if it wasn’t golf you loved him for, then now is the time to shut up!
PS – Enjoy the Masters
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