It seems that every time a player has a hot streak, it is incumbent on golf pundits to make comparisons about their future play. Like a fly drawn to a bug sapper, it is a compulsion that drives needless scuttlebutt about the golfing world. Personally, I applaud players like Scottie Scheffeler and Cameron Smith who are burning up the 2022 golf season. Their current great play does not in any way set the foundation for forecasting their play over the next three years. Their play right now is fantastic and they will ride the wave of success. But starting to compare them the proven greats is a bit premature.

The first comparison I noticed was this:

It is a great statistic, but I a very confident that Scottie Scheffeler will not dominate the world of golf like Tiger Woods or past greats like Sam Snead or Jack Nicklaus. These legends proved their skill over the test of time. Yes, I will admit that there must be a starting point, however there are 10 players with eight wins or more in a season; with four players with more than one 8-win season. My point is that it is far too early for you young lions to be compared to greats of old.

Golf is not the same as in years past. The demands on the players now appears to be much greater than in years past. Electronic media has changed the face of golf. Everything is instanteous and a player must perform all the time or the attention from the media moves on. Hence, a change in money and status for the players and those associated with them. The pressure to excel must be crushing, hence a falling star analogy comes to mind.

If you look at the many shining stars in the recent past who had a year or two of fantastic play and then seemed to struggle. Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy just to name three. In my view, before outrageous comparisons are made about future play, let a player establish themselves over a few years vice 8 weeks of unbelievable play. Once the have proven they can sustain the elite level of play over three years, then I am ready to listen to comparisons about how great they will be in years to come.

Golf comparisons are definitely a way to sell copy. It is important in today’s media circus to be the first to report something in the hopes of being right. It does not matter to the masses that it is crazy to compare a Scottie Scheffeler to a Tiger Woods because it is something to talk about and hopefully create a buzz. One great season does not match 10 years of domination.

Well, that is my rant for today. You can see that I am not really a fan of comparing young guns to old lions in the short term. There is so much more to golf and focusing on the rabbit hole is like chasing a rainbow.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!