The PGA Tour is on hiatus for the next five weeks from its 2021-22 wraparound season. The LPGA Tour and the Champions Tour have concluded their 2021 seasons. With just Silly Season events remaining with scramble formats for the professionals and parents-children, now is as good a time as ever to spend the next few weeks reviewing the world of golf in 2021.
The golf calendar was back to its traditional schedule after a 2020 season that included tournament cancellations and spectator-free crowds. There were some tournaments that were relocated from Asia to North America. Because of limited 2020 seasons, the Champions Tour and the minor league Korn Ferry Tour combined the past two years when it came to earnings, points, standings and end-of-the-year awards.
The four major championships on the PGA Tour in 2021 brought out some noteworthy storylines with a first-time Masters champ from Japan, an aging six-time grand slam winner at the PGA, just shy of his 51st birthday, another first-timer in the U.S. Open who is from Spain, and an American victor at the British Open who has collected two majors in just 11 months.
The Masters returned to its traditional early April date after holding the 2020 Masters in November. Hideki Matsuyama of Japan became the first male golfer from his country to win one of golf’s four majors. Japan is a golf-crazed country and the latest owner of the green jacket will be a national sports hero for the rest of his life. Xander Schauffele was in position to win but had a negative watery experience on the 16th hole and ended up in a tie for third place with past Masters champ Jordan Spieth. Tour rookie Will Zalatoris finished one shot behind Matsuyama. Hideki took advantage of superb play on Saturday afternoon following a weather delay to post a 7-under-par 65 and take a lead that he would never relinquish. Following the completion of play, Matsuyama’s caddie made a traditional bow to the Augusta National Golf Course. It was a most memorable Masters for Matsuyama and the Japanese nation as well as a coming-out party for Zalatoris, who would win rookie of the year honors in November.
The PGA Championship returned to Kiawah Island in South Carolina in May. A former Ryder Cup site as well as the 2012 PGA won by Rory McIlory, Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course is a typical Pete Dye design. It is a long, difficult and oftentimes windy test of golf. Past PGA champion Phil Mickelson took the lead after 36 holes and played inspired golf to stay atop the leader board for the rest of the tournament. Whenever Phil seemed to get into trouble at Kiawah, his brilliant short game saved the day with up-and-down pars and even hole-outs from the numerous bunkers. South African Louis Oosthuizen was in position to capture his second major, 11 years after his British Open triumph at St. Andrews, but he stumbled down the stretch. Brooks Koepka stayed close to the lead, but it wasn’t enough as Phil finished at 6-under-par to win by two strokes. The PGA Championship was the golf tournament of the year as the 51-year-old Mickelson not only won his sixth major, but also got himself into the record books as the oldest major champion, eclipsing 48-year-old Julius Boros, the 1968 PGA titlist.
Public-access Torrey Pines hosted the United States Open for the second time in its storied history. The last time the National Open visited Torrey, Tiger Woods won in overtime on a broken leg back in 2008. This time around, a top-notch leader board seemed to change constantly during the course of 72 holes. Oosthuizen was a co-leader after the first round with Koepka lurking close behind. Scotland’s Richard Bland and Russell Henley shared the second-round lead, one ahead of Oosthuizen and Matthew Wolff. Henley, Oosthuizen and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes led after 54 holes with Rory McIlory and Bryson DeChambeau just one back. Father’s Day Sunday would prove to be a classic. Harris English and Daniel Berger would card 68s to move up the leader board, Brooks Koepka would post a 69. Others would falter. The eventual champion, Spaniard Jon Rahm, would make back-to-back birdies on the last two holes with curling putts to finish with a 67 and win his first major title. Rahm would secure the top spot in the world golf rankings with his victory at Torrey Pines. Rahm finished at 6-under with Oosthuizen finishing runner-up once again. Harris English finished third.
The final major of the year was the British Open in July held at storied Royal St. Georges. It was one of those rare Open Championships in that the wind never blew along the links located on England’s southeast coast. Louis Oosthuizen continued his solid play with an opening-round 64, one better than Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman. Oosthuizen posted a 65 but a 64 by 2020 PGA champ Collin Morikawa put him in second place two strokes back. Oosthuizen and Morikawa shot matching 69s as did Jordan Spieth. Sunday at the British Open had all the makings of a great shootout as the wind remained benign.
Collin Morikawa made sure it wasn’t. The University of California-Berkeley alum played precision iron golf and shot a 66 to finish the Open at 15-under-par for a two-stroke victory over a fast-charging Jordan Spieth, who also finished with a 66. Oosthuizen finished in third place alongside Jon Rahm. It was quite a year for the 24-year-old Morikawa, who won a World Golf Tournament, played on the winning American Ryder Cup team, and won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai as well as honors as the European Tour’s golfer of the year.
In other PGA Tour golfing headlines of 2021, Patrick Cantlay won the last two Fed Ex Cup playoff tournaments to win the $15 million bonus pool as well as secure player of the year honors on the PGA Tour based on a voting from the circuit’s members. Jon Rahm was the Associated Press golfer of the year. The United States beat Team Europe to win its first Ryder Cup since 2016 with a resounding victory at Whistling Straits along the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. Native son Steve Stricker was American team’s captain. Team USA was decidedly young and the inclusion of the new breed of 20-somethings spells future success.
Of course the PGA Tour and its four majors, the Fed Ex Cup, and the Ryder Cup wasn’t the only golf that was played in 2021. Next week we’ll feature the other tours, major amateur golf, and some of the more colorful golfing moments of the year.
