I’m often asked what it is about golf that attracted me to covering the game. The answer is easy. For me, it’s the perfect blend of old and new. I get wrapped up reading stories about the history of the game and I love hearing tales of golf’s greats. The sport has roots so deep there are always legends to learn more about and accounts of events from years past that have shaped what the game is today.
I love that it is steeped in tradition. But on the other side, I love that this sport is still so relevant. No matter what your position is on Tiger Woods, he is the world’s first billion dollar athlete, and is the most universally recognized athlete still competing on the planet (even if it has been a while since he’s lifted a trophy). However, golf doesn’t rise and fall with Tiger. Every week we have a budding Tour star, a rule re-visited, technology advances in equipment, and ground broken for new courses to conquer. There are fresh stories to tell and the game continues to evolve.
Sunday Yani Tseng became the No. 1 women’s player in the world. The men’s side of the world rankings also had potential to reshuffle on Sunday with Lee Westwood, Marin Kaymer, and Woods all in the field in Dubai. Who, even ten years ago, would have imagined that the Dubai Desert Classic would be more relevant in regards to the top of the world rankings than the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (an American classic operating today with roots as the Crosby Clambake)?
With every new story in golf, there is an old one. And that’s another thing about this game. Whether you play at the highest level, with your buddies at your local muni, or as a child through the First Tee, golf is a game that thrives on stories – both on the course and at the 19th hole, remembered from times long ago and inspired in this instant.
