From the fragile psyche of John McDermott to the sustained excellence of Jack Nicklaus And Tiger wood – or wood and nicklaus; No spoiler here on which is n ° 1 – This countdown of the best golfers is less a list than an index of insightful and animated profiles grouped with anecdotes centered on their happiest and most miserable moments.
“Golf 100: a fiery ranking of the biggest players of all time” is the 16th title of the author Michael ArkushMost of them in the sports kingdom, including the New York Times bestsellers “The last season” with Phil Jackson And “The big fight” with Sugar Ray Leonard. This one is all Arkush and displays its narration – a little soft, a little salty, a little bitter – in pieces of the size of a bite.
It includes adults from the beginning of the 20th century. It includes adults from other countries. He includes women. For what? Because their stories are convincing, even if the rankings have become messy.
So, yes, there are 100 in all, spread over 366 pages.
The lists of the greatest golfers are not a new vanity. Golf day published one year ago. Golf digestion has his. People have concocted lists on Reddit. Stand took a swing. There is even the website Thealltimegreatestgolfers.com.
Time sports editor Houston Mitchell obtained more than 12,000 readers to respond in 2009 to A golf poll. The first five are among the first 10 of Arkush, but not at a distance in the same order.
Most of the rankings are based on punctual systems, allocating weighted numbers to categories such as total tournaments won, the first 10, the prices of the players of the year, career longevity and performance in the four majors – The We open,, Masters,, British Open And PGA Championship.
Arkush prioritized the majors, writing in the foreword that they “include the strongest fields and, most often, are staged on the most demanding lessons. When the story is at stake. “
However, Arkush allowed himself to bond after having covered professional golf course for 30 years (he was an entertainment journalist for Times from 1988 to 1995). Once the figures have been tamed, it mixed the bridge using subjective criteria such as the impact of a golfer or contributions to sport.
“I was similar to a juror who, despite a severe warning from the judge not to let the evidence deemed inadmissible to be a factor in the verdict, could not help his thought in one way or another,” wrote Arkush.
An example is his inclusion of Francis OuimetA name unknown to all lovers of golf history except the most serious. He won the US Open from 1913 at the age of 20 Harry VardonA British Golf Titan credited to have invented modern handle and swing. Bobby JonesThe embodiment of the class, then came, and the pendulum quickly swung on the American side of the Atlantic.
Like so many writers, Arkush was repugnant to let figures hinder a good thread, starting with the McDermott ranking at No. 100. The cheeky son of a factor became the first American to win the United States Open in 1911 – at 19 – a year after having finished second after the Scottish immigrant Alex Smith, said to him, ” big goalkeeper. ”.
McDermott's penchant for bursting quickly caused him to trouble, and this was followed by a steep fall. He embarrassed the most distinguished from his compatriots by boasting of his open victories in the presence of Vardon. Then he was saved by a rescue canoe after being the victim of a sinking. He then lost a fortune on the stock market. Then he embarked on a sanatorium in 1916 and was never the same.
Arkush concludes the profile describing a fortuitous meeting between an elderly McDermott and a graceful Arnold Palmer This provides a poignant link between the childhood of professional golf course in America and its elevation of stature with the “Army»Level in 1970.
Only 99 to go.
The list includes 15 women, pioneers and champions such as Mickey WrightIncluding the 82 tour victories Ben Hogan.
The pioneers of sport, firmly planted in the source of the 19th century Scotland, were due. While the Union and the Confederate armies were preparing for war across the pond, Willie Park Jr. And Old Tom Morris has exuded kindness and competence on green, dominating the British open since its creation in 1860 at more than a decade.
The old Morris transmitted his Mashie Niblick – an end of the end of the iron – to his equally talented son, Young Tom Morriswho won the British Open four times from 1868 to 1872. They are the only father-son combo among the 100.
The Americans began to take the blows in the 1920s, and professional golf course increased in popularity as a spectator sport to date. It is also a business that almost anyone can try and many be passionate.
One hundred is somewhat arbitrary number to cap excellence, impact and irresistible narration. It's a lot for Arkush for mine, and tell the story of golf through the best golfers.
As for the thorny task of comparing golfers through generations and even centuries, Arkush relies on the wisdom of Jones, whose words can be extrapolated fairly to include women as well as men:
“I think we have to agree that everything that a man can do is beat the people who are there at the same time.
