Parity On The PGA; Miernicki Makes Pro Debut

Well, the golf world of writers had it right this time, right? On the eve of the 112th U.S. Open, the media had Webb Simpson as their favorite, didn’t they? Sure, Tiger was in the conversation but could anyone look past Webb’s breakout season in 2011? I mean, the guy had two wins, three runner-up finishes, and twelve top ten finishes. How could they not have him as the favorite?

Turns out, no one had Webb as their pick to win the U.S. Open. Except for, well, Webb Simpson. That’s exactly how the golf world has worked the past couple years. No one really knows who’s going to win each week. Parity was a term that was rarely used in the conversation. From 2000-2008, during Tiger’s dominance, players played for second and third place. Phil Mickelson won two Masters and one PGA Championship. Vijay Singh dethroned Tiger Woods as the number one player in the world. It was the Tiger, Phil, and Vijay show for many years.

Now, it’s the “who’s going to win this week?” show. There was more parody in a Weird Al Yankovich album than there was parity in golf. Dare I say, golf almost became–boring? Ok, maybe it wasn’t boring but it was missing some good ‘ol competition. Today, the competition is better than ever. Fields each week are deeper than before and guys like Webb Simpson, Johnson Wagner, George McNeill, and John Huh became a part of the conversation. Huh? In the last fifteen majors, there has been, yep, you guessed it, fifteen different winners. Could Weird Al write a parody on parity? 

All the aforementioned names have won this year on the PGA Tour. That’s right, they’ve won, and weren’t just weekend contenders. It’s tough to find parity in sports. Everybody wants it except for the teams and/or players that are winning. We forget how important parity is to each respective sport. Parity, is what makes teams and players better. Players will spend an extra hour on the range each day so they won’t fall behind their peers. Saturday at the U.S. Open, Woods played a guessing game on the greens at Olympic Club. Guess who was on the putting green until dark that night?

Tiger, of course, boosted ratings and brought more sponsors to the game. Prize money went through the proverbial roof, and golf was “cool” again. Just like baseball, chicks dig the long ball. Why else do you think Gary Woodland plays golf?

Parity has found its way back onto the PGA Tour and it isn’t going anywhere. Tiger may be back in the conversation, but he’s not entirely “back.” He needs to win a major before we go there. Keep the channel tuned and we’ll see where that saga goes.

From the never-ending saga that is Tiger Woods, to a new saga, local talent Daniel Miernicki tees it up this week in the Travelers Championship on the PGA Tour. Son to PGA Director of Instruction at Twin Oaks, Paul Miernicki, Daniel looks to start off his virgin career with a good start. This will be his first official event as a pro. The Oregon Duck star was one stroke from qualifying for the U.S. Open, only to get beat by rival player from Oregon State, Nick Sherwood. Daniel’s coach, Casey Martin, also topped  him in the sectional qualifier. Coaches are so mean today.

Finding a lot of success during college, Miernicki faces a new battle on tour. A rookie with no status, he will look to sponsors exemptions to keep making starts and hopefully, making money. The equation is pretty simple: play well, make cuts, and keep your head on straight. Daniel kept his head during his college career winning five times and was ranked eighth in the nation with a scoring average of 70.70 as a senior.

Daniel will sport Nike at the Travelers Championship. He also hopes to follow in his fellow competitor, Patrick Cantlay’s, footsteps. Only a short year ago, Cantlay shot 60 in the second round to record the lowest round by an amateur. Cantlay also makes his pro debut this week in Hartford. I guess the Travelers Championship is a good place for college kids to make their pro debut. Miernicki hopes that history will repeat itself. So does his father.

 

 

Hit ’em straight!

Eddie