The die-hard golf fans will be tuning in this week regardless of who happens to be in the lead, but here are 10 storylines that just might draw in golf’s casual viewers and give the regulars something to talk about.
10. “Easy” does it . . . again: The US Open last came to Congressional in 1997, when Ernie Els turned in a pair of weekend 69s to win by one shot over Colin Montgomerie.
Always a fan favorite, the opportunity to see Els win another major, particularly on a course where he is the defending major champion, would be an excellent story to get people talking.
Unfortunately, The Big Easy hasn’t been in the best of form lately, finishing inside the top 15 just once this year, at Doral.
9. Orange crush: It is not only the TV commentators that are waiting for Rickie Fowler to pick up his first win; his fans can be seen week-to-week throughout the galleries wearing can’t-miss colors and flat-brimmed Puma hats.
Fowler’s performance at the Ryder Cup and the WGC-Match Play showed how exciting his game can be, but his final-round scoring average (71.6; 104th) and the fact that he hasn’t scared a Sunday lead this year shows that it’s not there yet.
Whether he wins or not, having Fowler in the hunt on Sunday is sure to draw some youthful eyes to the telecast.
8. Bubbalicious: Think about the emotion that we saw from Bubba Watson during his three Tour wins and his attitude toward and during the Ryder Cup.
Bubba’s transparency and theatrics on the course make for great television and the opportunity to watch him earn his first major title would be a gift that not even Bubba Claus himself could come up with.
7. Slim-chance Slam: If someone told you in January of this year that a guy named Charl Schwartzel would be the only player on the planet with a statistical chance to win the Grand Slam, you may have kindly told that person that you were not a tennis fan and moved on.
Is Schwartzel going to win the Grand Slam? Very likely not. However, it would be fun to at least talk about over the next month, and in order to do that, he needs a win this week.
6. Amateur hour: Perhaps it’s the smell of the Walker Cup in the air, but something about the idea of an amateur in contention at a major is enough to get the imagination going.
Last year, Georgia’s Russell Henley and Illinois’ Scott Langley finished T-16 to share low amateur honors. Henley, who recently won the Nationwide Tour’s Stadion Classic at UGA, is in the field again this year after topping Jason Dufner in a playoff at sectional qualifying.
Joining Henley are a pair of other college stars capable of holding their own – U.S. Amateur champion Peter Uihlein and undisputed freshman of the year Patrick Cantlay of UCLA.
5. More McDowell magic: After the year he put together in 2010, it’s tough not to be disappointed in the play of defending champion Graeme McDowell this season.
Granted, it is nearly impossible to back up the resume he put together last year – major champ, Tiger slayer, Ryder Cup hero, etc. – but McDowell is a player that gained gobs of worldwide fans overnight and if he’s in the hunt on Sunday, there will be plenty of fans there to cheer him across the finish line.
4. Great Scott: Adam Scott’s is a story that already leaves you scratching your head. Despite his seven PGA Tour wins, the 30-year-old Australian had never been in a major discussion prior to his close call at this year’s Masters.
With Tiger’s caddie on the bag, what better time to break through?
(On a side note: I can think of no better storyline to help the female viewership of this event.)
3. Staking their claims: Lee Westwood is the current owner of the unfortunate “Best Player Without a Major” tag.
With all of his close calls at the recent majors (a pair of seconds at last year’s Masters and British Open), it would be nice to see Westwood finally close the door on his most haunting goal.
In related news, no player has been more solid in 2011 than Luke Donald. With his wins at the WGC-Match Play and the European Tour’s BMW PGA Championship, Donald has risen to No. 1 in the world.
As Woods continues to struggle and the golf world continues its search for his replacement, a major title from either of these Englishmen would make them the front-runner for the job.
2. Lovable Lefty: People love to watch Phil Mickelson play golf. It’s really as simple as that.
1. Heartbreak Kids: Who could forget Dustin Johnson’s final round at last year’s US Open. . . or Nick Watney’s 81 at the PGA Championship. . . or Rory McIlroy’s 80 at this year’s Masters?
If there’s one thing the television loves, it’s the comeback story and odds are, plenty of them will be relevant on Sunday afternoon.
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