Include this writer in the outrage.
Rory McElroy, 2019 PGA Player of the Year? He did not win a major. He did not finish in the top five of any majors.
Bill Kennedy, Golf Columnist
Yes, he won the FedEx Cup playoffs and $15 million. Yes, he won the Players Championship, earning $2.25 million, and the Canadian Open. Three titles puts him in the Player of the Year conversation, but does not give him the title.
Not when Brooks Koepka won a major (the PGA), was runner-up iN two others (Masters and U.S. Open) and took fourth at the British Open. That is one championship and three top five finishes in majors. He should have been a shoo-in for the Player of the Year title.
Granted, McElroy won the most money on the 2019 PGA Tour, but Koepka clearly was the tour’s most decorated player.
If Pete Alonzo of the New York Mets had received $15 million for winning the home run contest at the Major League All-Star game, would that make him the National League’s Most Valuable Player? No way.
And if this was a popularity contest, Tiger Woods and his triumph at The Masters also would have put him into the Player of the Year race.
Sports talk radio is having a field-day with this. Maine officials had no opinion, so one will be offered by the author of this column. Rory did not deserve being elected by his fellow PGA Tour players, and Brooks did. But being the tour’s top money-winner apparently meant more to the electorate than what was done in the four majors.
The results of this vote indicates that the players think money earnings are more important than majors finishes. From this standpoint, that is shameful.
*****
Maine won its first Tri-States competition since 2013 on Sept. 14-15 at Sunday River by scoring 31.5 points to 24.5 by New Hampshire and seven by Vermont. New Hampshire had won the past five years.
On the 14-man Maine squad were: Joe Alvarez, Webhannet; Brian Angis and Joe Hamilton, Biddeford-Saco; Craig Chapman and Jeff Cole, Martindale; James Frost Jr., Val Halla; Ricky Jones, Samoset; Jason MacDonald, Brunswick and Scott Sirois, Woodlands. Seniors were Tom Bean, Salmon Falls; Len Cole, Falmouth, and Mike O’Brien and Keith Patterson, both of Biddeford-Saco.
*****
Fifteen Maine golfers were in the 119-man field of the New England Senior Amateur Tournament held Sept. 17-18 at Biddeford-Saco. Only three finished in the top 20.
Mike Nowak of Augusta (72-78—150) and Mike O’Brien of Biddeford-Saco (74-76—150) tied for 16th place, while David Falcone of Riverside (73-78—151) tied for 19th.
*****
The Maine State Golf Association will conclude its two-day Mid-Amateur Championship on Sunday at Fox Ridge. The rest of the week includes a Senior Tour event Sept. 25 at Cape Neddick and the Weekend Tour at Waterville Sept. 27-28.
For the women there will be best two balls of four at Belgrade Lakes from Sept. 23-24, with a quota points event Sept. 24 at Sugarloaf.
Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor, now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is in his seventh season as Sun Journal golf columnist.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
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