After discussing Morikawa’s record year and his ineluctable rise to the heights of world golf, barely two years after his professional career, here are four key figures for 2021.
50 : Phil so good
Everyone still has in mind the feat achieved by Phil Mickelson who became the oldest player to win a major tournament when he won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island at age 50.
The California left-hander’s 45th victory on the PGA Tour, 30 years after his first title at the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson in 1991 while still an amateur.
Apart from the moving victory of Mickelson, it is interesting to note that the 3 other major tournaments of this year were won by players under 30 years old:
Hideki Matsuyama, The Masters, 29 ans
Jon Rahm, US Open 26 ans
Collin Morikawa, The Open, 24 ans
513: Sungae Im, le stakhanoviste du birdie
Sungae Im played 17 more rounds than any other player during the 2021 PGA Tour season but also set the record for most birdies or better with 513, breaking the previous 20-year-old record held by Steve Flesch. The latter had recorded 509 in 2000.
6: Louis the cursed
World number 10 in the last world ranking of the year 2021, South African Louis Oosthuizen has had an exceptional season. Especially in major since King Louis spent 6 nights at the head of a major without succeeding in winning. He finished 3 times on the podium (2nd in the US Open and PGA Championship, 3rd in The Open).
He is undoubtedly the most regular player in these major events, but there is no doubt that “Shrek” (the nickname of his debut) would have exchanged his 3 runners-up for a second victory in major, more than 10 years after his coronation. St Andrews in The Open 2010.
In total since his success in the “Home of Golf” Oosthuizen has been on the podium of a grand slam tournament 8 times but never on the first step…
His other major podiums:
2nd of the Masters in 2012
2e de The Open et de l’US Open en 2015
2nd of the PGA Championship in 2017
3rd de l’US Open and 2020
15: Cantlay the cold hand
After 6 epic play-off holes against Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay won the BMW Championship at Caves Valley playing 27 moves under par. His putting performance was truly breathtaking, as in 4 laps he gained 14.58 strokes over the rest of the field in this compartment.
Cantlay notably returned 21 putts over 3 meters during the 4 laps he has all completed under the 70s. The Californian winner of the FedEx Cup at the end of the season reached his peak of form at this time of the year since he again chained 4 cards in the 60s in the Tour Championship the following week, establishing a series of 15 consecutive scores under 70 (ongoing series). The last player with a longer streak (16) to end the season was named Charles Howell III and it was 2002.
