I made the mistake of turning on the internet Monday morning to gauge public reaction to Scottie Scheffler’s running away with the Masters. I should have known better.
The 27-year-old had just solidified his role as the world’s greatest golfer, with whomever we rank at number two a considerably distant second. Yet, for some, that wasn’t enough for some folks.
One Tweet from a major sports outlet stood out in the crowd of already unnecessary blather. It complained that Scheffler “didn’t move the needle.” I’m not sure what needle these people are talking about, but I can assure you it doesn’t know much about golf. Once again, our increasing need for instant gratification has turned us sour.
Every experienced and amateur golfer I’d texted over the weekend watched along in awe as a cool, collected Scheffler went about his business. They had nothing but the most complimentary things to say. They didn’t care about any “needle.”
Machine-like. Unflappable. Automatic. Determined. Filthy. These were some of the adjectives my friends threw back at me when describing Scheffler’s game and demeanor as he left no doubt heading into Augusta’s “second nine.” Their words were 100% accurate.
We literally just witnessed one of the most dominant performances we’d seen at Augusta National and some of us still sat complaining. While every other professional golfer imploded under the pressure right before our eyes, the ever-steady Scheffler proceeded to birdie six out of nine holes down the stretch leaving no doubt as to who’d be donning this year’s green jacket. I guess you can’t please all the people all the time.
LIV golfers are no longer competing, the field is watered down, the haters sounded like the same people who questioned every opponent Mike Tyson knocked out during his early run at dominance, forever making excuses that such a run couldn’t be so.
Here are some numbers for you.
As of this year’s Masters, Scottie Scheffler has competed in nine tournaments. He has yet to miss a cut or shoot a round over 72. He has eight top ten finishes, six top five finishes and three wins.
Yet instead of finding Tweets about his brilliance, some complained that he wasn’t enough of a draw. I guess without a steroid or sex scandal, we can’t just write about golf. Even when there’s nothing to complain about, we find something to complain about.
I remember watching Ivan Lendl come up through the tennis ranks. It was only a matter of time before he dominated those he competed against. And yes, people complained. He wasn’t the soundbite that was John McEnroe, nor did he display the brazenness of Jimmy Connors. Lendl would just go out and outperform you. This didn’t mean he was any less entertaining to watch. He just didn’t have the cult of personality that others before or after him had. He was, in a way, like Scheffler, machine-like in victory, on his way to eight major championships in six years and the most dominant tennis player of his era.
Sports outlets crave dirt. They want the next Tiger Woods so badly they can taste it but look how that ended up for Tiger: drug addiction, a crumbled marriage and an automobile accident that almost ended his career, never mind his life.
On the flipside, Scottie Scheffler openly admitted that if his wife, who is nine months pregnant, was to give birth during the tournament, he’d leave the greens of Augusta to rush to her bedside so as not to miss the birth of his first child. How is that not a story worth telling and how does that not move the needle?
Sometimes I wonder why I listen to these sports TV and radio shows who struggle more and more with the ability to fill three hours of programming with quality content, opting for nonsensical drivel to move their own needle.
As someone who not only golfs but can respect the willpower it takes to compete at Augusta National, watching Scheffler incise that golf course Sunday afternoon was the ideal form of entertainment.
As for the sports reporters who critiqued it, I have just the place they can stick their needle.
People love a scandal and you know how I feel about most of these sports news outlets…all they want to do is scream and yell (often literally) about the same nonsense with little to no material value. As I said while sitting next to you during the final round of the Masters, Scheffler rarely shows even the slightest bit of emotion during his play and the only question I wondered was, does he actually enjoy playing anymore bc of it. Honestly, since he was immediately back out on the next RBC Heritage Championship, with a still very pregnant wife, I can only assume he loves every minute of it. I will still to getting my news from SC.
Golf is a great game but, I’m still waiting for the rest of Piano Man.
Oh, the irony…the very same SportsChump who piled on with those bemoaned the lackluster nature of baseball now defending the “doesn’t move the needle” guy. Well, aren’t the clubs in the other bag now? This is exactly the crap I have to listen to about 1-0 “pitcher’s duel.”
So what if he has the excitement of a stryrofoam cup swinging a seven-iron? He’s a golfer for golf fans. You of all people understood what he did in Augusta even if the casual fan lacks youy level of appreciation for it. We know sports media is a sewage treatment plant fed by the endless supply of social media toilets. Stop concerning yourself with the meaningless opinions of the mentally bankrupt, and enjoy your foam-cup golf.
You got me wrong, Dubs.
The reason I know longer watch baseball (at least with the frequency I used to) has nothing to do with low scoring games. I love a good pitcher’s duel.
I don’t watch baseball because the sport is utterly and hypocritically full of shit.
Pingback: Scottie Scheffler, Part Deux: “Gambling” on the Champ - Sports Chump