McDowell is a no-name

Jimdagym

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/wall-street-journal-questions-why-noname-graeme-mcdowell-is-at-big-tournaments-14915807.html?r=RSS

Wall Street Journal questions why 'no-name' Graeme McDowell is at big tournaments

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/wall-street-journal-questions-why-noname-graeme-mcdowell-is-at-big-tournaments-14915807.html?r=RSS#ixzz0x4UVsuX1

If the renowned Wall Street Journal had its way, Tiger Woods would win two Majors a year and Graeme McDowell’s amazing US Open triumph would never have happened.
In arguing that the fields for golf tournaments are too big, Journal reporter Matthew Flutterman noted that McDowell’s US Open win and Louis Oosthuizen’s triumph at St Andrew’s wouldn't make any headlines outside of golf.
“Despite the obvious nature of the problem, nobody seems to be asking: Why are these no-names being invited to the party in the first place?” he wrote.
Likewise Martin Kaymer’s win on Sunday at Whistling Straits but his and McDowell’s potential for success has been evident far beyond these shores for quite some time.
McDowell was, after all, Collegiate Golfer of the Year in the US, a title held before him by that other no-name, Tiger Woods.
He underlined that potential by winning in just his fourth start as a professional in 2002.
Undoubtedly one of the stars in defeat in the last Ryder Cup, this year he’s on course to be crowned Europe’s top golfer.
And he’s been a permanent fixture in the world’s top 50 for much of his career — the top 50, that is, who are automatically in the field for all four Majors.
One wonders, how many players the Wall Street Journal wants to trim from the field — just a play-off between Woods and Phil Mickelson, perhaps.
McDowell has no intention of being one of the game’s one-hit wonders, and the history of golf is littered with them.
Back after ditching Butch Harmon as his coach, Woods went through a serious dip in form around 2003 when a series of unheralded players seized their chance.
Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton were Open champions; Shaun Micheel won the US PGA. None of them have exactly gone on to set the world on fire.
Perhaps they weren’t branded no-names because, well, the other thing they have in common is they are all American.
Part of the beauty of the Open — here and in the US — is that they are just that, open to everyone to enter if your handicap is low enough and some 2,500 around the world do every year.
Everyone knows that television ratings go down when Woods doesn’t play but that doesn’t mean the entire sport should revolve around one man, especially one whose appeal has been devalued so spectacularly of late.
To dub a player like McDowell a no-name is to misunderstand the nature of the sport.
Either Manchester United or Chelsea will win the Premier League this season. They invariably do.
In contrast, the climax to the US PGA on Sunday, with a host of the game’s brightest young stars battling it out for the prize, was just absolutely compelling.
The manner in which McDowell held his nerve to win at Pebble Beach was one of the most enthralling finishes of the year. And if the American public had never heard of him before that march to victory down the famous 18th, they have no-one but themselves to blame.
You only have to hear the boy from the North Antrim coast speak these days to know how much time he has spent in the States over the years.
He played on the America Tour for years, but returning to Europe has proved to be his salvation.
He reinvented himself as a golfer, dedicated to winning the game’s biggest prizes.
His story should be an inspiration to all — not something to be derided as somehow bringing the game into disrepute.

Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/wall-street-journal-questions-why-noname-graeme-mcdowell-is-at-big-tournaments-14915807.html?r=RSS#ixzz0x4UNdzSC

Aidric

It sounds like it was written by a bitter hack with limited knowledge of the game.

dvemail

Sometimes you just have to laugh

Trampas

You got to love the americans.

durkadurka

Absurd. Now that tiger is human we need to get all these unworthy people out of the way so he can win again every week and the ratings can go up.
Why not keep all the untelegenic africans out of the olympic 5000metres so eamonn coughlan can win for the tv cameras?

Goes against anything i know about sport and competition.

thelongfellow

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704164904575421461750256060.html?KEYWORDS=golf

Read the real article. The guy obviously knows nothing about golf.

Jimdagym

Today, the "cut" is an accepted and wholly unquestioned part of golf. The PGA Tour says it has had no discussions about doing away with the practice.

From the WSJ article.
I'm confused. Conno said they were talking about doing away with the cut, but this is saying the opposite????

G1032

What an idiot. I emailed him about the article and am awaiting a reply. I know I won't get one but we'll see............

JerryHandbag

The balance of power in the majors is starting to swing swiftly away from USA and towards Europe, along with all those heavy Ryder Cup defeats...this just sounds like a bitter lash out from the guy tbh.

MacDowell a no-name....LOL gimme a break

durkadurka

Virtually every statement is wrong, ludricrous or seriously selective in its statistics.

It's written by a marketing [EMAIL="w@nkstain"]w@nkstain[/EMAIL] by the look of it, definitely someone who has no interest in or knowledge of sport

The following statement is a statistical gem.

"If any major has weathered the storm better than the others, it's the Masters. That's the most selective major, with a field of 90 to 100 players in most years, who must receive an invitation to compete—and who mostly are ranked among the top 50 in the world."

I would say 50 into 100 is about 50% , not mostly.

Notwithstanding the fact Mcdowell is and was in the top 50.

The real subtext is 'WE NEED TIGER TO WIN, EVEN IF HES PLAYING AGAINST A SELECT BUNCH OF CLUMSY CACKHANDED RETARDS!!!!!!'

Absolutely nothing to do with competition.


Ignores the fact that even when he's on the ball he barely plays every other week.

too angry about this for words.

durkadurka

Jimdagym wrote: »

From the WSJ article.
I'm confused. Conno said they were talking about doing away with the cut, but this is saying the opposite????

d'you know I think conno may have made this up! I do get the impression though that they will find a way to get Tiger on the leaderboard on a sunday even if he's actually changing his youngest's nappies at the time....

dvemail

Im just wondering was there actually a point to this article or is it all just a load of name bashing to get himself recognised?

thelongfellow

ronaldochokes wrote: »

What an idiot. I emailed him about the article and am awaiting a reply. I know I won't get one but we'll see............

You emailed conno?

Davidth88

Yes the article is written by someone who does not know or appreciate golf.

But its possible this guys is from a marketing/TV background, all they care about is TV figures ( to make money ).

What is obvious here is that a large proportion of the viewing public in the US also don't know or care about golf. They care about watching their latest ' demi god ' winning. In this case Tiger Woods.

Go back to the say the JP Pro Am in Adare , what was the biggest crowd draw there ? Who did everyone want to see , who were they talking about ?

Did those people care that presently TW isn't playing well ?

See the article for what it is , written by a person who only cares about the bottom line of viewing figures , and thats it.

On a personal note I say ALL HAIL to McDowell , Oosthuizen and anyone who can win a Major ( or any comp ! )

What they don't want , and I imagine this guy would change his tune also , is one person winning everything , because then the TV ratings will drop again.

G1032

thelongfellow wrote: »

You emailed conno?

LOL.
No I mailed the guy who wrote the original article, Matthew Futterman.

Just checked my mail. He is out of the office, on vacation until August 30.................

stockdam

If Tiger isn't winning every event then we'd better do something about it.

Who is this no-name guy MacK Allroy (sci)?