Is McDowell the next multiple major winner?

First topic message reminder :

Been impressed with his attitude on the course of late, and of the euro's, other than mcilroy perhaps, i have a feeling he seems best equipped to deal with the pressure coming down the stretch. How far could he go though - i think he's capable of equaling harrington with 3 - especially if he can pull it out of the bag tomorrow.
Thoughts?

GT350 wrote:The way things are shaping up, the next multiple major winner (from today) looks like being Tiger Woods.
If you're really only referring to new blood then I'd have to go with McIlroy. He's good enough and more importantly young enough to be hitting his stride as Woods retires and leaves the door open again.

Yeah, because he's not won one since 2008, all of a sudden he's going to win multiple ones despite choking again on Sunday.

Errrr..... Isn't Tiger already a multiple winner....

So he can't be the next one anyway.... He can add to his tally but unless i'm being dumb doesn't the original question relate to someone that either has one or none as to becoming the next multiple. E.g Simpson, McDonut etc..

anyway gonna through in donald. because i think he is gonna win the pga.

I hope its a tough set up from day 1..

Reckon Zach Johnson might be first of the one-time winners to add to his tally.

So, Els with major wins in 3 decades. Not too bad. Let's see if Tiger can follow.

Fader wrote:Errrr..... Isn't Tiger already a multiple winner....

So he can't be the next one anyway.... He can add to his tally but unless i'm being dumb doesn't the original question relate to someone that either has one or none as to becoming the next multiple. E.g Simpson, McDonut etc..

Errrr.....Yes he is, but I don't see why that excludes him from also being the next. (I did say "from today" in that post and also offered McIlroy as my choice for a truly new multiple winner). As for your second point, no it does not define any restriction, so I guess the answer is yes, you are.

True, Woods hasn't won a Major since 2008, but then Els hadn't won for 10 years and Westwood and Donald never have in their 74 years combined, but that doesn't stop people from thinking they might.
Woods certainly seems more likely to win a major than anyone from England or Scotland. Time will tell.

Sorry GT but I can't accept I'm being dumb simply based on the math, he can't be the next multiple! He can add to his already multiple tally, and seing as the original question was based on the singular winner McDowell it refers to someone adding a title to become a new (next) multiple winner.

Based on Woods play I think he will had to his 14, but he needs to take a look at his strategy in majors to do that.

OK Fader, let's agree to differ on whether a new multiple or an additional multiple amounts to the same thing, i.e. the next multiple.
As for Woods strategy, again, time will tell but I think he is right on track to achieve what he wants. He may not be the warmest or wittiest personality on the planet, but he is currently the best golfer and is the most focussed individual I have ever seen. Whether or not that is an admirable trait depends on your personal views, but I think that piece by piece he is getting back to a point of dominance. When his personal confidence returns, so will the next phase of his career. Of course, many things could change that, but for now it does not look good for the rest....or S_R.

Woods has no personality, he about as charismatic as a prune. That said i would like to see him win more majors than Jack so I can say I saw him do it.

He may have it right for regular tour events but imo nowhere near in majors where set ups are longer, tigher and more punishing.

Maybe Woods will be the next Westwood

I honestly sometimes wonder if people understand what charisma is. Woods is easily one of the most charismatic sportsman in history, he gets crowds excited, he creates a buzz. people who don't like golf talk about him. That is charisma, it's nothing to do with personality.

Diggers imo the man has no charisma at all. People talk about all great sportsman doesn't mean their charismatic just means they excel in their chosen field.

Just to confirm why I don't think he is diggers.

i was taught charisma can mean 2 things

1. a magic like charm that can cause the devotion of others to follow or be enthralled by what is said and done

2. a divine like talent that causes others to be in awe

based on your comment then under definition 2 then Woods could be charismatic. Personally I don't see that as a charismatic trait, just as a talent he has.

Option 1 is what I class as charisma and why imo he has none! He shows no personality, when he gives interviews he doesn't hold the room captive with his words or presence, generally he just irritates and causes friction which then gets reported.

Don't really want to turn this into yet another TW-based thread but read the article below the other day:

http://thesandtrap.com/b/thrash_talk/tiger_and_the_media_time_to_cut_their_losses

Thought this is quite a perceptive piece and I've thought for a long time that the sports media ask the most banal questions imaginable - across all sports. I don't much care for Woods' persona and I don't think he helps that image but he's been under the most ridiculous microscope for a long time and, TBH, if I was asked the same bloody inane questions time after time after time I'd probably go mono-syllabic and lose my ready grin.

I haven't seen the mentioned fan Q&A or the Google+ thing but I sort of like the idea that TW is a huge golfing nut underneath all this PR rubbish and actually likes talking about golf itself. It's hardly his fault if the media are scheiss (and they are) and keep asking him the same rubbish is it?

As a follow-up, we've seen something similar in a way with Westwood. Constant rubbish about "When are you going to win a Major?" or "Is the pressure of being the best player never to have won a Major getting to you?" is triggering some slightly gruff responses from him and he's got more PR in his replies to media questioning.

How can you possibly say he doesn't fulfill the first criteria? Audience ratings go through the roof when he plays, people would queue up to touch him or just see him. He may not engage you, nobody born engages everyone. But he certainly instills the devotion of millions of fans and it's not just because of his talent.
And just for the record he got a lot or plaudits in the press last week for giving interesting and thoughtful press conferences.

All fair points nbs, can't argue with that, good link btw

Diggers I can say it as its my opinion

Diggers wrote:I honestly sometimes wonder if people understand what charisma is. Woods is easily one of the most charismatic sportsman in history, he gets crowds excited, he creates a buzz. people who don't like golf talk about him. That is charisma, it's nothing to do with personality.

true

Fader wrote:All fair points nbs, can't argue with that, good link btw

Good article indeed. I was going to point out how inept, biased and generally unprofessional the media is in the US, but with Leveson et al, it's clear it's no better here. That said, the article tends to be very black and white about reporting Tiger only in the context of being a golfer, but he's much more of a marketing machine than a golf pro, so a lot of bleed over into the mainstream is bound to change the nature of his relationship with the press.

Bob_the_Job wrote:...That said, the article tends to be very black and white about reporting Tiger only in the context of being a golfer, but he's much more of a marketing machine than a golf pro, so a lot of bleed over into the mainstream is bound to change the nature of his relationship with the press.

True but wouldn't you expect to be asked about golf if you're giving a press conference at the start, or during, any given tournament you're taking part in? Excepting his divorce/playing away from home at the time it happened (and I could argue that should be off-limits at a golf tournament conference), what grounds to the media have for asking off-topic questions?

navyblueshorts wrote:
True but wouldn't you expect to be asked about golf if you're giving a press conference at the start, or during, any given tournament you're taking part in? ...

I would..but then I don't earn millions from endorsements and advertising that has nothing to do with, but just leverages off my golf talents. I'm not saying it's right, but it's not unexpected or that surprising either. I do agree with the article though - the poor relationship the press has with Tiger is as much their own fault as anything else.

Diggers - Well put! No professional in the games get more ratings and more gallery support than Woods. People are confusing charisma with personality more than teenagers confuse cynicism with sophistication.

I'll let McDowell speak for himself on his emergence as a golfer: http://www.golfchannel.com/media/feherty-mcdowell-mc-move-061112/

Super - Why Rory over Gmac? His bounce back from his loss at Augusta to win at Congressional was one of the most dominating performances I've ever seen in the professional game. With all that talent bubbling under the surface I suspect it's soon to show itself again.

Mysti - Difficulty at Kiawah to be determined largely by the weather, but Dustin Johnson, I'm sure, happy to get this news:

The PGA released a special notice Tuesday to inform players that all bunkering at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course will be considered “sandy areas” and will be played “through the green.” For all practical purposes, the sandy areas, even when they look like traditional bunkers, will be played like waste areas, where players will be allowed to ground their club, remove loose impediments and even take practice swings. In essence, the PGA is declaring that there will be no bunkers at the Ocean Course.

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/all-bunkers-to-play-as-waste-areas-at-pga-championship/

“It’s the same conditions we played the Ocean Course during the 1991 Ryder Cup, the 2005 PGA Professional Championship, the 2007 Senior PGA and it’s the same conditions played daily at the resort,” Haigh said.

no bunkers- so dead cats can be removed then?

I'm pretty sure dead cats can be tossed, but remain unclear about used condoms?

Played this course years ago -- too long and narrow for a sprayer like me.

Navy

Thank you for the link to the tiger article.

Sadly the golf media produce output intended for gossip columns and not for us golf geeks. I for one, would rather read about the technicalities of tigers game or what courses/holes he really likes but it seems it will never happen unless the journo’s stop asking stupid questions.

I suppose nike would rather not see a tiger article about his driver spec languish somewhere only us geeks would read it when they can have a back page story about when he might overtake jack.

Nice Tiger article.

At Lytham he was the top drawer most days but the crowds were just as big for Rory and Westwood on the Thursday and Fridays.

As for the next multiple major winner I would say McDowell, Z Johnson and Oosty are all playing well enough to maybe take the PGA.

Conehead,
Hope you enter the Fantasy Game for the Bridgestone and PGA - thread for Bridgestone up in a couple of days.

Will do Kwini.

Golf is near impossible to predict at the moment but I always have fun trying to do so.
In reality i only bet 4 times a year on Golf and I'm just about even for the Majors this year due to geting Oosty at 66-1 for The Masters on a decent EW amount.

I'm sick of backing Westy and Donald to win and getting burnt. Gonna leave them out for the PGA so no doubt one of them will win it!

Coney,
I doubt it! Am similarly disillusioned until they start to demonstrate some consistency.
Big thing about the PGA is that Kiawah will be new to almost all of the players, Americans and Internationals alike; and it's a non-traditional course also, so a little like Whistling Straits in that respect.

World Cup there in 1997: Harrington and McGinley won.
And in 2003 when Immelman and Sabbatini led SA to victory.

Kiawah holds a special place for me as its one of my first memories of golf.

I remember my Old Man explaining how important the Ryder Cup was and subsequently being gutted when Langer lipped out in the last match. I was only about 8 or 9 at the time but i've loved the Ryder Cup ever since.

Still my favourite Ryder Cup even though Europe lost. There was a lot of class knocking about on both sides that day although I remember my Dad loathing Azinger!

Not sure who would be at an advantage the most if the course is unfamiliar to the majority of the players? It's not a course i'm familiar with but I've heard it's a tough set up.

Either way i've heard plenty of this course is set up for so and so or this is a straight hitters dream or you need to be long to win on this course and like my betting history the predictions almost never turn out to be true!

kiawah island was so fiercly faught wasnt it- it is still the ryder cup i remeber most. there was almost real hatred between team usa and team europe

I think Seve and Azinger were responsible for most of the animosity that took place that weekend!

Attended all three days of the '91 Ryder Cup and was never aware of the apparent undercurrent of ill-feeling until reading about it in the Press later. If it was as bad as it was cracked up to be, you'd think Gallacher would have rejected the sick-note from Steve Pate.

But what WAS clear at the time was discord in the European ranks surrounding Faldo, especially, and his partnership with Woosnam which misfired and the behaviour with David Gilford.

Was right behind the tee during the Seve / Zinger incident and it was never really clear exactly what was going on! Animosity between Zinger and Faldo + Seve had started at The Belfry in 1989, but Zinger was actually a breath of fresh air to the US Team which had been duffed up in 1985 and 1987 so perhaps he was injecting some needle. He succeeded, but Seve caught him, just as he had been called by Azinger in 1989!

So near and yet so far during those three days, unlikely heroes for Europe, and some improbable let-downs.

... which kind of reminds me that I witnessed Paul Lawrie and Davis Love III playing together last week. Some stuff has been said about possible bad juju between them in light of DLIII's comments following The Open 1999, but they seemed to be perfectly happy in each other's company for the short time we saw them - chatting away as they strolled down the fairway.

Shotrock wrote:I'm pretty sure dead cats can be tossed, but remain unclear about used condoms?

Played this course years ago -- too long and narrow for a sprayer like me.

Tossed and condoms in the same sentence? Dodgy...!

Mcilroy and mcdowell both have a chance this week. Nice to see immelman on the leaderboard of a major again. Would be good to see a multiple major winner emerge once again this week - feel like that might lead to others taking the step more quickly too, which would be good for the sport i think.

So the answer to the original question is Rory, but I guess we can still ask who will be the next multiple major winner?

Will McDowell be spurred on to another major by his little buddy?

I'm inclined to think that we'll continue in the main with '1st time' winners along with the occasional win by Rory (2+ in the next 3 years), and a Phil / Ernie / Cabrera type winner, who've already got 2 or more in the bag picking up the odd major each year. I'm going to stick my neck out and predict that over the next 12 majors:
- 3 will be won by McIlroy (including a masters and an open championship to complete the quartet by end of 2015),
- 2 will be won by players who already have 2 or more in the bag,
- 1 will be won by a player with only 1 in the bag,
and
- 6 will be won by 1st time winners....

Having said that, i think if Simpson / Bradley or Mcdowell could bag a second soon then we'd see the floodgates open a little for the guys with only one in the bag picking up the odd 1 or 2 each year. (revising my above prediction of 1 with 1 up to 3, taking away from the 1st time winners).

Any predictions for major winners over the next 2-3 years?

Next first time,major winner- luke donald.

next multiple major winner luke donald.

Next 5 time Major winner - Rory Mcilroy.

Next first time top 4 player -Ian poulter.

Fed ex cup winner - justion rose.

Next rookie PGA tour winner- Harris english.

Not gonna get into any argument as to wether luke will do it or not. But he just is!!