Each week, GolfChannel.com takes a look back at the week in golf. Here’s what’s weighing on our writers’ minds.
On what we learned from the West Coast swing:
If the job of the West Coast swing is to set the table for the rest of the season, consider that mission rather accomplished this year.
After all, what more do you want? Dustin Johnson is a newly christened world No. 1, and fellow top names Jordan Spieth and Hideki Matsuyama immediately preceded him in the winner’s circle. Justin Thomas won twice, and Jon Rahm established himself as one of the newest rising stars.
It’s been a strong start to the calendar year from golf’s upper echelon, even with Rory McIlroy on the disabled list and without much from the newly dethroned Jason Day.
Now the scene shifts east, where one question will inch closer to the forefront of everyone’s mind: How many days until the Masters? – Will Gray
On the power of parity:
News last week that Tiger Woods wouldn’t be playing this week’s Genesis Open, an event that benefits his foundation, or next week’s Honda Classic nearly broke the Internet.
If the buzz on social media is to be believed, without Woods the game’s not worth watching. Never mind that Dustin Johnson lapped the field at Riviera Country Club by five strokes to overtake Jason Day atop the world ranking, or that Jordan Spieth marched to a four-stroke romp at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, or that Rory McIlroy’s return is just two weeks away.
Parity, as opposed to individual dominance, may not be everyone’s favorite, but it’s certainly entertaining. – Rex Hoggard
On Ha Na Jang’s showmanship:
Ha Na Jang is a natural born entertainer. If she was nervous coming home Sunday at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, you wouldn’t have known it. She seemed to relish the spotlight with her name moving to the top of the leaderboard. She played to the crowd and played to the cameras, and she put on a hell of a show winning her fourth LPGA title.
The return of Jang’s showmanship was a freshening breeze. – Randall Mell
