– It’s not going to happen, but just in case: the time, era or day when the Majors even begin to consider the possibility of eliminating the cut from their tournaments will probably coincide with the time, era or day when a fool understands that it’s time to cover golf courses with mega structures, at least at major events, lest someone miss the air conditioning.
(We said: it’s not going to happen… But is it really not going to happen? We put ourselves in the hands of Our Lady of the USGA, patron saint of tough causes, and we pray to St. Royal & Ancient, guardian of customs, so that this line is not crossed).
Just as the fact of eliminating marathon playoffs in the majors was not a conquest of Civilization, but a very civilized capitulation, which is not the same. Like the tie-breaks. Like penalty shootouts.
Yesterday, a whole World Number One had to wait a few hours to certify that he would be part of the game on Saturday. Yesterday, Brooks Koepka still had to sink a three-foot, six-inch (106 centimeters) putt to save a bogey on hole 9, the last of his round, and make the cut. Can you think of anything purer? Sporting beauty can be raw and certainly also runs at ground level.
– There is still a certainly popular club, that of those who are convinced that Tiger Woods still has a penultimate charge in a Major. Contrary to what it may seem, the courage he has shown in Pinehurst reaffirms the statutes of this club. All are advantages: there are no membership fees, it’s free, and life is more bearable while considering that Tiger will come out again on a Sunday with chances of victory. Afterwards, of course, to sit at the table of the club’s rectors, it is also necessary to prove the conviction that Tiger will add the Sixteenth, that this penultimate charge will lead him to victory. But it is not mandatory to aspire to the rectorship to join, it is enough to have fun in the bulk of the troop.
– Speaking of Majors and aspiring to win one when you are no longer expected: after the second day of this US Open the registration to the club of those who consider that Sergio García still has a few cartridges left in the chamber is open. It’s not just the game, but also his reading of his current moment.
Allow a somewhat stupid association of ideas: yesterday, his 8 iron on hole 9, impaled “as much as it gave”, as the player said, made the same distance (about 174 meters) in flight, meter up or down, as in the 15th of Augusta National that glorious Sunday, more than seven years ago, April 9, 2017, when he almost burst the cup and procured the option of an eagle, ultimately decisive…
Yesterday’s thing, on the 9th, had little significance, as he couldn’t even sink the birdie putt. But a few minutes later, after signing the card and contrary to his custom, he remembered how well he had hit the ball with the 8 iron in his hands and not so much the missed putt. That’s where, suddenly, the image of a Major-winning Sergio reappears.
When some of us had already written him off in the big events and enjoying a well-deserved active and millionaire retirement in LIV Golf, the Kid turns around and winks at us: “I told you so”. Very typical of Sergio. It will be this week, or maybe not. But it will be. Maybe we visualize it more at Augusta National. Or maybe on a British links: legend has it that the Claret Jug sighs from time to time for not seeing the name of the boy from Borriol written on its base…
