Golf’s ‘silly season’ features favorites for fans and families
Join the Club by John Patrick
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I’ve always enjoyed golf’s “silly season.”
It is the time of the year between the end of one season and the start of the new one. I’m old enough to remember when the Skins Game was a silly season Thanksgiving tradition, but more on that later.
Oddly, there are a few more events during the silly season than there used to be. We’ve had two in the last week.
Last week, we had “The Showdown,” a made-for-television event featuring Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler paired against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. The media billed it as the PGA vs. LIV and I guess on the surface, that was true. But the best part of the event was that it highlighted, arguably, four of the best golfers in the world. The format these days is a gimmick, and it’s now always played somewhere out West for a couple of reasons. The weather is usually good, and the event can go into prime time on the East coast.
Rory and Scottie didn’t seem to have too much trouble with Bryson and Brooks, winning, I believe, all three of the 6-hole matches. I’m sure money went to various charities and a good time was had by all.
Then, last weekend, it was the PNC Championship. It’s the feel-good event of the professional golf season. The event features major champions playing with their sons and daughters over a couple of days in a scramble format. It’s 25 years old and through the years has modified a bit to include Annika Sorenstam playing with her son Will and Nelly Korda playing with her father Petr.
The event received a big shot in the arm five years ago when Tiger and Charlie Woods started to participate. They’ve now finished runner-up on two occasions, with the latest being last weekend, losing in extra holes to the “ageless one” Bernhard Langer and his son Jason, despite Charlie’s first-ever ace on the fourth hole. It’s still fun to see the legends in this environment.
That brings us full circle to the Skins Game. Growing up, it was must-see TV for me – Jack, Arnold, Gary, and Lee. Over the years, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Fred Funk, Annika and more would join in the fun. There was even some controversy when Tom Watson accused Gary Player of cheating. Ah, the good old days. Well, the good old days might be returning. It was announced last month that a sponsor is considering bringing the Skins Game back for another run.
In these days of social media, when the professionals in the game think they’re providing us with all the content we need, it’s still refreshing to see them in situations to which we can all relate. Fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters playing the game that lasts a lifetime.