It's hard to imagine that
it's been two years since Justin Leonard's last PGA Tout victory. Actually, his
win at The Players Championship in March of 1998 was the last time Justin raised
his hands in triumph, to be exact.
With Tiger Woods and David
Duval firmly established at the top, and with the game being besieged by younger
and younger would-be stars (most notably Sergio Garcia and Aaron Baddeley), there
seems to be little fanfare paid to the 27 year old Texan these days.
Perhaps a win or two would
change all that.
It's been said over and
over that Tiger's dominance the past year has changed the game of golf, and it's
certainly true. He's disavowed critics who thought him overrated; supplanted
David Duval as the premier player in the world; made a run at the most fable
record in golf history; and has even rekindled talk of the once unthinkable Grand
Slam.
And that doesn't even begin
to mention Tiger's broader impact, such as larger purses, more fans and TV viewers,
greater youth involvement - heck, he's even compelled the Powers-That-Be at Augusta
National to grow rough for the first time.
Tiger's success, however,
has also produced some unintended consequences - things few could have predicted
prior to the fact.
For starters, by winning
approximately 23% of his starts, Tiger has - as a simple matter of mathematics
- made it de facto more difficult for others to win on Tour. Obviously, this
comes as no revelation, but it's not just the Matt Gogel's and Omar Uresti's
who are deprived of titles - it includes the Leonard's, Love's, Norman's and
other hotshots accustomed to center stage. Stars need wins, and it's hard to
accumulate victories with Tiger in the field.
And by raising his profile
- as well as that of anyone who competes against him on a given week - Tiger
consumes most of the media's attention, leaving little for anyone else - particularly
slumping stars.
With earnings in excess
of $2 million dollars last season, and only one missed cut this year, it's hard
to claim that Justin Leonard is actually slumping. The stats aren't as impressive
as they appear, however - particularly for someone who captured his first major
prior to his 26th birthday.
Of his seven top-10 finishes
in 1999, three came in January and only one after July. This season, he hasn't
recorded a top-10 finish yet, earning just under $200,000 in eight starts - hardly
the numbers of a superstar.
Not much has been made of
Leonard's dry spell recently. There's been occasional talk here and there about
a winning drought, but the same was said of Tom Lehman and Phil Mickelson before
they broke through again. Perhaps it was assumed that Leonard was too young and
good to stay winless for long.
The Tiger Challenge has
impacted different players in different ways. It clearly has inspired Phil Mickelson
and Hal Sutton to turn it up a notch, while David Duval has physically bettered
himself (although it hasn't shown in his game yet). Davis Love III and Colin
Montgomerie have all but admitted to being intimidated, while Fred Couples and
Greg Norman - both of whom were on the downsides of their careers to begin with
- seem more at ease with semi-retirement now.
As for Justin Leonard, he
appears flat out overmatched by Tiger, although they haven't actually competed
head-to-head in any of Tiger's victories the past year. While players like Mickelson,
Duval, Love, even Sutton are physically capable of trading shots - for the most
part - with Tiger, Leonard seems outclassed by Tiger's strength and distance.
With average length at best, Justin Leonard has always relied on precision ball
striking and flawless course management to compete at the highest levels. To
win against someone with the physical gifts of Tiger Woods, it requires a level
of perfection from Leonard that is hard to duplicate for four rounds.
That's not to say that Justin
Leonard will not win again on PGA Tour, or is incapable of defeating Tiger. He
can certainly do both, although it will likely come on demanding courses during
stressful situations such as the Majors, when strategy and precision count for
more than strength and bombast.
Whether or not Justin Leonard
can remain a 'super-star' on par with the likes of Mickelson, Duval, Singh, Els
etc, or is simply considered a very good player similar to a Lee Janzen or Mark
O'Meara, depends on his ability to rise to the Tiger Challenge. So far, he hasn't
answered the bell.
