Golf: Not an old man’s game anymore
For many, the common stereotype of a golfer is old men with wrinkly skin walking slowly and hitting clubs.
If these people check out the current leader boards, the reality is quite the opposite. On April 10, 2011, 26-year old South African golfer, Charl Schwartzel, won The Masters. A little later, Matteo Manassero, who is just seventeen, lifted his second European Tour trophy at the Malaysian Open.
Not only that, the 2011 Valero Texas Open, part of the PGA circuit, was won by 28 year old Brendan Steele.
There was a time when most of the golfers needed to reach their 30s in order to be at great heights in their golfing career.
However, the interesting thing that comes up is that a player in his 30s has not won a tournament since Rory Sabbatini at the Honda Classic in March 2011.
And coming to players in their 40s, this year Michael Bradley won in Puerto Rico and American golfer Phil Mickelson won the Shell Houston Open.
The Valero Texas Open won by Steele was actually his first PGA victory. The player had to face strong winds and tough rivals, as he went into the final round only leading by a stroke.
Fellow Rookie Kevin Chappell was really breathing down Steele’s neck as him and Steele landed in a playoff. The golfer managed to win the intense playoff and hence claim his first victory.
Manassero gave himself an early birthday present by winning the Malaysian Open, as the young Italian turns 18 on April 19, 2011. He fought off Rory Mcllroy to win the European Tour event by one stroke. His win this weekend has confirmed Manassero’s entry in the three remaining major championships.
“I just missed out on Augusta (this month's U.S. Masters) but playing the other
three majors will be fantastic", said Manassero.
"I am really proud of that and the next target will be winning another tournament and keeping the momentum going. It's a great achievement after just 11 months of professional golf".
Leaving the wins aside, the highest ranked player, Martin Kaymer, is just 26 years of age. This talented generation of golfers is surely making golf a much younger game.
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