DUBLIN , Ireland — With Shane Lowry having captured the British Open Sunday at Royal Portrush and all of Ireland not nearly finished celebrating, this brings an abrupt and jarring close to golf’s 2019 major championship season.
So it’s our duty to remind you that 261 days remain until the next major, the 2020 Masters, which takes place April 9-12.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the reconfiguration of the majors this year, with the PGA Championship, usually played in August, moved to May. At the time, with the Masters in April, the PGA in May, the U.S Open in June and the British Open in July, it seemed like the month-to-month rapid fire might be fun.
But now, without the PGA to look forward to next month and the Masters so far away, there’s a late-summer void in golf — with all due respect to the FedExCup Playoffs, which simply aren’t the same.
So, upon further review, I’m not crazy about the condensed schedule. But, of course, no one asked me.
With that, here’s a look at some of my most memorable snapshots from the ’19 major championship season:
THE MASTERS
Family Affair: I sat one table over from Tiger Woods’ mother, Tida, his two children, Sam and Charlie, and his girlfriend, Erica Herman, as they nervously watched TV in the Augusta National grill room while Tiger was trying to close out his 15th career major championship and fifth Green Jacket. The kids fidgeted, mowing through countless Jolly Rancher candies and Tida appeared to drink five pots of tea. The moment, of course, got even more emotional as they waited for Tiger just off the 18th green after he’d won.
Parking lot: In the quiet of the Augusta National parking lot about an hour after Woods’ win, his caddie, Joe LaCava, loaded the 18th pin and flagstick into the back of Woods’ courtesy car and chatted with a small group of reporters. He was wearing the Saquon Barkley Giants T-shirt he wore proudly under his white caddie overalls. LaCava spoke about Woods yelling to him after the final putt dropped, “We did it.’’ LaCava, always quick to deflect credit and attention from himself, was quick to tell Woods, “You did it.’’
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bullet-proof Brooks: Brooks Koepka built a seven-shot lead entering the final round and, despite some Sunday stress as he wobbled and Dustin Johnson made a late charge, he won his fourth major in the past eight in which he’s played. He pummeled the usually-stout Bethpage Black.
Poor Harold: I was following the final group Sunday with Harold Varner trailing Koepka with little chance of overcoming the huge deficit. But this was Varner’s first time in a Sunday final group at a major, and it turned out to be a nightmare as he lost a ball on No. 4 and his round became unglued. He shot 81 and finished tied for 36th.
“Man, it’s just rough,’’ Varner said. “It was really hard. I just didn’t play well enough. It’s just a hard golf course. It was just really hard. I don’t know what else to say.’’
U.S. OPEN
The worthy winner: Gary Woodland had this U.S. Open triumph coming to him. Seven times entering the final round at Pebble Beach, Woodland had owned a 54-hole lead and failed to convert it into victory. He would end that streak on the Monterrey Peninsula.
“I kept hearing about my 54-hole record and I kept telling myself that records are made to be broken,’’ Woodland said after his win. “A lot of hard work went into this and I’ve surrounded myself with a lot of great people who’ve helped me get to this moment.’’
BRITISH OPEN
Rathmore Golf Club: My favorite moment of the week was sitting in the small clubhouse where Graeme McDowell grew up playing, chatting with McDowell’s dad, Kenny, and older brother, George, over a couple of pints of Guinness at 11 in the morning. The pride buzzing in that place was palpable.
Pure class: I was moved by David Duval stopping to speak to a handful of reporters after shooting a nightmare 91 in the first round.
“You have an obligation as a professional athlete if you play, you post your score,’’ Duval said. “Am I happy about that? Is there some, I don’t know, embarrassment to it? I don’t know. But I teed off in the Open and I shot 90 (91) today, so put it on the board.’’
Fear the beard: Lowry became the first fully-bearded British Open winner since Bob Ferguson in 1882. Ferguson also won in 1880 and 1881.
See you in 261 days.
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