Sibling rivalry at peak in golf - a new entertainment
Golf is becoming increasingly popular with every passing day, as an overwhelming number of young players are joining golf as their profession. The situation becomes even more interesting when a player's family member, especially, a sibling is also a golfer.
In addition to golf, there are dozens of other sports in which one can see siblings as rivals.
Some of the best examples of sibling rivals are Venus Williams and Serena Williams (tennis stars), Leon and Michael Spinks (boxers), Michael and Ralf Schumacher (formula 1 drivers).
The sibling competition in golf is also getting attention these days. There are many professionals and amateurs players who compete against their brothers or sisters on the course.
Now if we look at the top sibling stars in the sport of golf, then Nicholas and Lexi Thompson are on the top. Both of them are professionals, but have different career ratings and achievements.
The 29-year-old Nicholas turned professional in 2005, and plays on the Nationwide Tour. Previously, he had also played on the Professional Golf Association, but has not won any titles there.
He has won only one title since 2005. It was HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship where he recorded his first and only win in 2007.
On the other hand, his sister Lexi is a 17-year-old rising start at the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour. She displayed some major golfing skills and plays well.
She turned professional in 2010, five years after his brother. According to her stats, Lexi is more successful than Nicholas. She also showed her magic form at the Ladies European Tour and won a number of events.
Lexi won the title of LPGA’s Navistar LPGA Classic, LET’s Dubai Ladies Masters and TPC February Shootout. She is more competent than his brother and played well as an amateur as well.
They both play golf with different tour organisers, but at the same time, they are in a state of competition against each other.
Lexi's popularity is mostly appreciated by his brother, but he likes to take her as his rival as well. There can be many factors for Nicholas' mediocre performance compared with Lexi.
Men’s golf is tougher than women’s. There are many tournaments staged by the PGA, European Tour and other organisers in a year.
Among all the events, there is always a heightened degree of competition. Nicholas has faced many competent rivals in the past.
Some of his rivals have been titans like Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker and Martin Kaymer.
On the other hand, women’s golf is not that tough. All the tournaments organised by the LPGA and LET are less competitive than PGA or European Tour events.
However, there are some amazing players like Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie, Tiffany Joh, Lee-Anne Pace, Stay Lewis and Amy Yang.
If we compare the top-ranked professionals of both the genders, then men’s are on a potential lead.
Their strokes, swings, putting, covering fairways, performance on greens, driving distance and accuracy are far better than that of the women’s.
Now, one can easily understand the fact why Nicholas is behind Lexi in golf competition. But they are professionals, they appreciate the work, rather than criticise.
The old adage fits well here: "practice makes perfect". Nicholas can compete well against his sister by spending more time on the course and learning from good caddies and players.
Whereas, Lexi is delivering her best and can also improve further by following a player like Yani Tseng or by training hard on the practice range.
The culture of sibling rivalries is flourishing at a fast pace in golf. It will bring more interest and charm to the game.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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