Golf history made in 2006
As we say goodbye to 2006, history will reflect that it was a very good year for the sport of golf. The male and female athletes to be named Associated Press Athletes of The Year, are golfers. Tiger Woods and Lorena Ochoa will be the athletes honored for their dominant years, but they are also great role models for other golfers and athletes.
When I heard the announcement, I thought it was incredibly unique to have both athletes come from the sport of golf. You have to look back to 1945 for the only other time it has happened. Byron Nelson and Babe Didrikson Zaharias each won the award.
Hopefully these awards end the debate over whether or not golfers are athletes. Think about this… Zaharias won the award in 1932 for track and field and would then win the award in 1945 for golf. She went on to win it five more times for her golf excellence, the last one in 1954, twenty two years after her first award.
In the case of Tiger Woods, this is his fourth award, and if you go back to 1995, he is the only athlete in those eleven years not to be accused of using some sort of illegal substances to enhance their performance. Prior to Tiger, to find the last male golfer to win the award, you have to go back to 1971 for Lee Trevino. Prior to that, back to 1953 for Ben Hogan, and way back to 1932 for “The Squire”, Gene Sarazen. It’s surprising that Jack Nicklaus never won the award, nor did Bobby Jones. The award began in 1932 and Jones was about done with competition at that point in history.
I know the argument that statistics can be read and interpreted anyway you want, but let’s take a further look at some facts. Women have won the award twenty three times with twelve different recipients, compared to seven men’s wins and four different recipients. I guess the difference may be the strength of the men’s team sports and how golf is a major sport for women?
You might ask if Michelle Wie has won the award? She has not, but Virginia Van Wie has. It does not appear that they are related. Virginia Van Wie won the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1932, 1933 and 1934.
It’s fun to look back at awards like this. Tiger Woods has been chronicled as possibly the best athlete ever, in any sport. When you look at how he has dominated so many events in so many different situations, it’s hard not to put that argument forward. You can also look at how little he has done wrong. Possibly the only item for discussion is not staying to finish his college education. I saw an old Tiger interview recently where he said education was very important and he would stay in school. But I guess any of us would be swayed by the potential of $100 million being “available” to you.
Lorena Ochoa hails from Mexico and was very dominant as a junior and amateur player. She appears to be the heir apparent to be the best female player in the world. The LPGA tour is indeed on a roll with strong young American players competing now and coming up, as well as the contingent of existing and emerging foreign players who have been trained to win.
It may not be another 61 years for us to have the athletes of the year both from the sport of golf. Oh, and please make no doubt about it, golfers are athletes!
