In a year brimming with fierce competition and golfing excellence, Scottie Scheffler emerged as the undisputed titan, clinching the most victories on the esteemed PGA Tour in 2023. With an astonishing tally of four triumphs, Scheffler etched his name in the annals of golfing lore, leaving an indelible mark on the sport.
Scheffler’s remarkable journey began with a resounding victory at the WM Phoenix Open, where his unwavering determination and impeccable shot-making propelled him to glory. Fuelled by this initial success, he carried his momentum to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, captivating fans with a display of unrivalled skill that earned him another well-deserved triumph.
The PLAYERS Championship bore witness to Scheffler’s unwavering brilliance as he conquered the challenging TPC Sawgrass course, leaving his competitors in his wake. With each swing, he defied the odds and etched his name onto the revered list of champions.
However, Scheffler’s conquests did not cease there. The pinnacle of his extraordinary season came at the Tour Championship, where he once again showcased his mettle and sheer golfing prowess. The culmination of a year filled with victories, this triumph solidified his status as the FedExCup champion, standing tall amongst the finest in the sport.
Scheffler’s reign extended far beyond his tournament wins. He demonstrated remarkable consistency and tenacity, finishing within the top 10 in an astounding 19 out of 23 starts. Each event bore witness to his unwavering commitment, as he battled valiantly, leaving an indelible mark on the leaderboard and capturing the hearts of fans around the globe.
As the sun set on the PGA Tour’s 2023 season, Scottie Scheffler emerged as a symbol of excellence and determination. His four tournament victories served as a testament to his unwavering spirit and relentless pursuit of greatness. In the tapestry of golfing history, his name will forever be woven alongside the legends who left an indelible mark on the sport.
In a thrilling spectacle that left golf enthusiasts breathless, Jon Rahm emerged as the glorious victor of the enchanting 2023 Masters Tournament. Like a maestro conducting a symphony, Rahm’s every swing resonated with a touch of divinity, captivating all who beheld his artistry.
With a score of 276, Rahm defied the bounds of possibility, painting the fairways of Augusta with strokes of brilliance. His club became an extension of his being, guided by an otherworldly force that propelled his shots with precision and finesse. Spectators watched in awe as he wove his magic, rewriting the rules of the game with each masterful stroke.
Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, both formidable contenders in their own right, valiantly pursued Rahm’s ethereal trail. Yet, like shooting stars fading against the night sky, their efforts fell short, unable to match the sublime heights reached by the virtuoso from Spain. Rahm’s lead, a formidable four strokes, stood as a testament to his unwavering resolve and unyielding spirit.
This triumph marked Rahm’s second major championship, a resplendent jewel adorning his already illustrious career. The echoes of his victory reverberated throughout the golfing world, as he ascended to the pinnacle of the sport, claiming the esteemed title of the world’s number one ranked golfer.
In joining the pantheon of Spanish Masters champions, Rahm’s name echoed alongside the luminaries who had come before him. The spirit of Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal, and Sergio Garcia coursed through his veins, inspiring his journey and fueling his passion for the game. Their legacy became his, a torchbearer of Spanish golfing brilliance.
According to Guinness World Records, the longest drive recorded on the PGA Tour since the introduction of ShotLink, which employs survey-grade lasers to precisely measure yardage, in 2003, was 476 yards. That distance was achieved by American professional Davis Love III on the seventy-second and final hole of the Mercedes Championship on the Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii on January 11, 2004.
However, in the history of the PGA Tour, there have been several longer drives, before and during the ShotLink era, that could not be officially confirmed, have been expunged from the record books or deemed unofficial for one reason or another. American Dustin Johnson, for example, hit a 489-yard drive from an elevated tee on the twelfth hole at Austin Country Club during the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March, 2018. Compatriot Tiger Woods likewise recorded the longest drive of his career, 498 yards, on the same downhill par-five on which Love III set the official record at the Mercedes Championship in January, 2002.
Although no longer recognised by Guinnes World Records, in September, 1974, the late Michael Hoke ‘Mike’ Austin hit a 515-yard drive on the fourteenth hole at Winterwood Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada. Notwithstanding the fact that he had the assistance of a tailwind, estimated at 25mph, Austin was 64 years old at the time and achieved his feat with a steel shafted persimmon driver.
The grandaddy of them all, though, was the 787 yards achieved by journeyman American professional Carl Cooper on the third hole at Oak Hills Golf Club, San Antonio, Texas during the 1992 Texas Open. Cooper, 31, let fly on the 456-yard par-four, only for his ball to land on a downhill concrete cart path, which eventually carried it 300 yards or more beyond his intended target and, rather unfairly, cost him a double bogey.
For readers unfamiliar with the subleties of golf club construction, cavity back irons are, as the name suggests, irons that are hollowed out behind the clubface. Their design allows manufacturers to remove weight from behind the clubface and distribute it around the perimeter of the clubhead. Thus, cavity back irons typically have a wider sole, a lower centre of gravity and a larger sweet spot than the competing ‘blade’ style of iron.
The history of cavity back irons can be traced back to 1959, when Norwegian émigré Kartsen Solheim, working in his garage in Redwood City, California, discovered that by redistributing weight from the back of the clubhead of a putter to the heel and toe reduced rotation of the club and produced a cleaner, more consistent strike. Indeed, the sound of the clubface striking a golf ball was the origin of the ‘Ping’ brand name.
One of the earliest cavity back irons, the Ping Ballnamic 69 – a traditional, forged iron, with two cavity slots behind the clubhead – was introduced in 1961. In 1966, Solheim resigned from his job at General Electric to establish Karsten Manufacturing and continued to experiment with peripheral weighting. The first recognisably modern cavity back iron was the Ping Karsten 1, which was introduced in 1969. Investment cast – that is, created by pouring liquid metal into a hollow ceramic mould – from hardened stainless steel, rather than forged, the Karsten 1 featured a single, deeped cavity, positioned close to the heel than the toe of the club, barrel hosel construction and peripheral weighting.
Generally speaking, cavity back irons are more forgiving than blades. The lower centre of gravity makes it easier for beginners and higher handicap players to get the ball in the air sooner, while the perimeter weight makes it easier to hit the ball straight.
Born in Orlando, Florida on January 5, Shaun Micheel turned professional in 1992 and joined the PGA Tour in 1994. At the time of writing, he has made 401 appearances on the PGA Tour – albeit that his last full season was in 2011 – but won just once. Indeed, his improbable victory at the 2003 PGA Championship, played on the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, came after 163 previous, unsuccessful starts on the PGA Tour, at a time when he was officially ranked number 169 in the world.
Reflecting on his triumph two decades later, Micheel said, ‘Leading into the tournament I hadn’t played very well. I figured just making the cut would have been adequate.’ Despite his modest expectations, Micheel shot 68-69 in his first two rounds to lead by two strokes at halfway. On the Saturday, he bogeyed his last three holes but, even so, his one-under-par total of 69 was sufficient to remain tied for the lead with Chad Campbell.
On the seventy-second, and final, hole, Micheel lead Campbell by a single stroke. His approach shot, a 174-yard seven iron from the semi-rough on the left of the hole, was judged perfectly, landing softly and rolling to within inches of the hole. The resulting ‘gimme’ putt gave Micheel a final round total of 70 and a two-stroke victory over Campbell.
Micheel later fondly remembered his memorable approach, saying, ‘For it to come off, to have a walk off putt where I didn’t have to think about it for my first win was pretty spectacular’. However, he did express a tinge of regret when he added, ”I think winning a major changed my expectations to a degree that it almost derailed my career. Winning a major as my first win proved to be so difficult, I just couldn’t get over the hump again.’