Golf's 2003 PGA Tour regular season was odd, as older players won more than younger, and that's reflected in 2004's first event in Hawaii.
By BOB HARIG
Published January 8, 2004
A victory on the PGA Tour comes with many perks in addition to the fat paycheck. One of them is an invitation to the season-opening, winners-only Mercedes Championships, where only 30 players begin play today at the Kapalua Resort on Maui, Hawaii.
The field is dotted with players you would expect, including Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Davis Love, Mike Weir and Jim Furyk, all of whom had their share of success in 2003.
Then there are the surprises, those who made it to Hawaii, and those who didn't.
There is 50-year-old Craig Stadler, who will tee it up with the youngsters, while Phil Mickelson searches for his game.
There is Peter Jacobsen, 49, who gets to take on the young guns a few months before senior eligibility, while Sergio Garcia continues to work on swing changes.
There is Kenny Perry, 43, who will see if his incredible success of last season will continue, while Charles Howell wonders why he is not in Hawaii.
Certainly, there are a lot of questions entering a new season, including whether or not Woods can stop his six-major winless streak and whether Mickelson can win again.
But a trend to ponder during golf's brief offseason - the regular season officially ended Nov. 9 when Chad Campbell won the Tour Championship - is whether golf's older set was making some sort of statement in 2003, or if it was one of the many cycles that come and go in the game.
A year ago, the Mercedes Championships was filled with 18 first-time winners, suggesting fearless newcomers would take on the elite. This time, there are seven first-timers, including British Open champ Ben Curtis and PGA winner Shaun Micheel.
So last year's big story could turn out to be a one-year deal. Maybe not. If 2003 was any indication, the "older" players will still be a force.
Including Stadler, there are 11 40-somethings in this week's field but only six in their 20s.
Throw in strong performances by a few other 40-somethings who did not win, such as Jay Haas, now 50, Nick Price, Jeff Sluman and Brad Faxon, and the old guys had quite a 2003.
"The younger kids definitely have a disadvantage when we got to a course that I've played 17 times," said Perry, whose career year increased his victory total from four to seven. "It's hard to beat a guy when he's been out here 17 years. You can't put a price on the experience factor. It's huge. I've been out here a long time, and I know these golf courses."
In addition to Perry, Singh, 40, had a career year, claiming the tour money title and winning four times. Scott Hoch, 48, Fred Couples, 44, Bob Tway, 44, Kirk Triplett, 41, J.L. Lewis, 43, Tommy Armour, 44, and Clearwater's John Huston, 42, all won tournaments.
The winners in their 20s: Woods, Ben Crane, Rory Sabbatini, Adam Scott, Curtis and Campbell.
"It's still a shot-making game," said Price, a three-time major championship winner. "That's the one thing the 40-somethings still have, they've got a lot of shots in them."
So are the younger players doomed? Hardly.
It's just that they are not making the quick impact expected. The leap from college stardom to pro success is huge and not guaranteed.
And, perhaps, it has something to do with all the expectations. The pressure to perform combined with awareness by older players that they better gear up has led to a tougher existence.
Howell failed to win in 2003 and has just one PGA Tour victory despite big credentials. Long-bombing Hank Kuehne had a strong season to earn his PGA Tour card for 2004, but he has found getting into contention as tough as getting in the fairway.
Campbell, the PGA Championship runner-up to Micheel, has been said to be destined for stardom, and maybe his Tour Championship victory will lead to many more. Australia's Adam Scott won the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston and gave Woods a scare at the Match Play Championship. Howell, Campbell and Scott are still the best bets to have a profound impact.
Trends come and go in golf. It could very well be that a slew of younger players emerge this year to challenge.
But it won't be easy. What the older players lack in limberness, they make up for in guile.
Jeff Sluman went eight years without winning but has four victories since turning 40. Hoch has eight consecutive $1-million seasons. Loren Roberts was winless until age 38 but has knocked off six wins since his 40th birthday.
"There are a lot of reasons, but I still think if a person has got a desire, I think your body can only start giving out when you get to your mid 50s in golf," Price said.
All of this makes Woods' success even more remarkable. The winner of 39 PGA Tour events, including eight majors, Woods, 28, began his first full season as a pro seven years ago, spawning the supposed age of the fearless young player.
But for every Howell that comes along, there are far more Bryce Molders, an All-American at Georgia Tech a few years ago who was unable to make it out of the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school last fall.
For most, surviving, let alone winning, takes time. And the "old" guys know what it takes, how good they've had it. And they aren't quite ready to step aside.
