Jordan Spieth is a remarkable young man and phenomenal golfer. In light of his recent performance on golf’s grandest stages, The Masters and The Players, the 20 year old PGA Tour member is garnering comparisons to the greatest player of our generation, Tiger Woods.

Conversations on golf talk radio this week have centered on the question, “Is Jordan Spieth the next Tiger Woods?”. Many are claiming the desperate need for the game of golf to find a dominant superstar to fill the void that Woods has left as a result of his inconsistency and inability to stay healthy.

To follow in the footsteps of the greats, regardless of sport, is a difficult task. It’s taken years for the NBA to find a personality and talent in the form of Lebron James to replace Michael Jordan. As great as Kobe Bryant was, he still never fully filled the shoes of the greatest to play the game of basketball.

The comparison to Michael Jordan and the NBA’s struggle to replace his legendary status is appropriate when considering what we’re asking the “next” Tiger Woods to do and be. It’s one thing to seek out a dominant player on the golf course who can consistently be found atop weekend leaderboards. But it’s an entirely different task to find someone capable of capturing the attention of sports fans worldwide at the magnitude Tiger Woods did as he ascended on the golf scene.

We may never have another Tiger Woods and that’s going to be alright, regardless of how desperate the PGA Tour or industry of golf feels they are to find a replacement. That being said, we may find someone who is capable of consistent top 10 finishes, multiple major championship victories while dawning a perfect smile and endearing personality. But interestingly enough, Tiger Woods wasn’t exactly all those things himself.

To expect a player to achieve a win percentage as Tiger Woods had during his heyday is unrealistic. But is it good enough, will it be acceptable if the games best player in the post Tiger Woods era is able to consistently contend for titles? Unfortunately, society celebrates winners and champions not solid finishes on the weekend.

Tiger Woods reinvented a brand in Nike in the golf industry. Nike has forever been aligned with sports greatest athletes but until their relationship with Tiger Woods Nike struggled to penetrate the golf category with the same dominance they enjoyed in football, soccer and basketball. In our search to find the next Tiger, are we expecting this person to have the same influence on Wall Street as Woods did?

Tiger’s accomplishments made the front page of the paper, not just the Sports section. When Tiger won a tournament it ascended the newsworthiness of the story to the headline on SportsCenter. Even if the event wasn’t a major championship, it garnered major championship type media coverage when Tiger held the trophy. I just don’t see a victory by Spieth or McIlroy or Fowler at the HPT Byron Nelson receiving the same consideration.

Tiger introduced many of us to what the number 18 means. Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major championships and Tiger’s pursuit to break that record became a topic of conversation early in Tiger’s career. Is it likely we’ll hear Spieth or McIlroy declare publicly their ambition to win 20 major titles and assume the spot as the game’s greatest ever? If we’re looking for the next Tiger, aren’t we seeking someone with the confidence and focus to set that lofty goal?

Many an NBA star fell short of filling the shoes of Michael Jordan. Great players and their accomplishments were diminished because they didn’t live up to the arbitrary expectation set by the media and fans hungry for the next MJ. Let’s not do the same thing with this generation of golf’s superstars.  They are just too good for us not to enjoy them for who they are.

Kansas City is the new home of the Mid-America Junior Cup trophy as the team representing the Kansas City Golf Association defeated Team St. Louis 6 & 2 in the 2013 Mid-America Cup matches to take back the trophy for the first time since 2010.

Taylor Black and Andy Spencer of Team Kansas City faced off against Mia Schroeder and Crimson Callahan in the first match of the day. The match was up and down through the first six holes, but Black and Spencer had their eye on the prize when they took the lead on the 7^th hole and left Team St. Louis in the dust. Spencer and Black would make par on the 9^th hole to stand at 3up and would birdie the 12^th hole to stand at 4up. Black and Spencer would finish out their match on hole 15 when Black made a putt for par to win the match 4&3 over Schroeder and Callahan.

The second match to finish was the team of Mariah Peters and Luke Henke of Kansas City who faced Emily Goldstein and Scott Schaeffer of St. Louis. Goldstein and Schaeffer pulled out the sole win for St. Louis today when they defeated Peters and Henke 3 & 2. The match was head to head through much of the day, with St. Louis leading 1 up to start off the round but Peters and Henke would pull it back to All Sqaure on the 2^nd hole. The match would continue in this sequence until Goldstein and Schaeffer pulled ahead on the 10^th and closed out their win on the 16^th hole with a 3 & 2 victory.

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Mickelson, age 43, proved to himself and the rest of the golfing world that you can teach old dogs new tricks. For a player who despised the challenge presented by links golf, Mickelson sure has figured something out winning in consecutive weeks at the Scottish Open and Open Championship.

Only two players were able to post rounds in the 60’s during two of their four rounds at Muirfield. Mickelson posted rounds of 69, 74, 72 and 66 in route to capturing his 5th major championship. The other player to post two rounds in the 60’s was Brandt Snedeker with splits of 68-79-69-72. It’s safe to say Snedeker, a former Fed Ex Cup Champion, is on the cusp of winning a major championship.

Tiger Woods has now played 17 major championships without a major win since he won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008. Tiger is still slightly ahead of the pace set by Jack Nicklaus on his way to winning 18 career majors, but if he were to miss on the upcoming PGA Championship, he and Nicklaus would essentially be in a dead heat. Is time running on Tiger?

Lee Westwood is now 0-62 in major championships, the longest running streak in professional golf. It would be a shame if Westwood falls into a category with Colin Montgomerie as a world class player to never break through and win a major title.

If you missed Golf Channel’s Feherty Show on Monday night featuring David Duval, find a way to watch it as a re-run or online at www.golfchannel.com. People forget Duval reached the height of World #1 during an era when Tiger Woods was dominating professional golf, something very few people can actually say.

Muirfield offered a dynamic test for the best players in the world this past week. The weather created an interesting course set-up situation for the R&A, but you have to appreciate a links style course where tee shots can actually stay in the fairway and not ricochet left or right after hitting the middle of the fairway like other Open venues.

Rory McIlroy missed the cut at Muirfield marking the first time the 23 year old, #3 ranked golfer in the world, missed a cut at The Open Championship. Rory’s come under extreme criticism as he’s juggled life under the spotlight as one of the world’s top golfers. Like athletes in other sports who sign a huge off season contract extension, much of McIlroy’s criticism centers around his decision to switch from Titleist equipment to Nike in favor of what is believed to be a deal worth over $20M. At this week’s Open Championship, Nick Faldo was again voicing his opinion when asked by the local media, critical of McIlory’s focus towards his golf vs. the extracurricular activities in his life.

As a golf fan, it’s natural to want to see Rory McIlroy dedicate himself towards being excellent in the game of golf. But how dedicated Rory McIlroy wants to be, or how he goes about realizing his amazing potential has to be totally up to Rory McIlroy. So for all of us on the sidelines, including Nick Faldo, it’s time to let Rory figure out this funk he’s in and just let him be. Golf will be better for it and more importantly Rory McIlroy will be better for it.

Fortunately for Adam Scott he won his major championship earlier this year at Augusta National. If not for that victory, Scott would be dealing with excruciating scrutiny after four consecutive bogeys once again derailed his efforts towards winning an Open Championship. Last year it was Ernie Els benefiting from Scott back nine collapse. This year, Mickelson took home the Claret Jug that could very well have been Scott’s if he didn’t fall apart Sunday at Muirfield.

Realizing Westwood once again missed out on capturing his first major title, is he still the best player to never have won a major title?  Ian Poulter’s final round 67 sure caught people’s attention on Sunday ensuring Poulter be included in this conversation, especially given his affinity for rising to the occasion in the pressure packed environment of the Ryder Cup. So when answering this question, you have to ask whether it’s the best player (based on his career) or the best player (factoring in current form and potential) when discerning who to put on top of the list.

If considering best player (based on career), Westwood has to be #1.  Sergio Garcia would have to be in the top 5 along with Brandt Snedeker (Winner of Fed Ex Cup), Hunter Mahan (Winner of multiple WGC Tournaments) and Matt Kuchar (Fed Ex Cup Champion and WGC Champion). Luke Donald was once World #1, despite never having won a major championship and should probably complete our top 5 players to never have won a major title.

Phil Mickelson is the third consecutive player in his 40’s to win @The_Open joining Ernie Els (2012) and Darren Clarke (2011). Apparently @The_Open is the event the geezers need to circle on their schedule.

The final round of the 2013 Normandie Amateur was destined for a dramatic finish from the moment the final scores were posted on Saturday. A four-time champion, Skip Berkmeyer carried a one shot lead into the final round with last year’s champion, Andy Frost one shot back. Alex Cusumano, a recent qualifier out of U.S. Open Local Qualifying at Aberdeen Golf Club started the day 2 back.

Entering the final day, one wouldn’t be surprised if the winner came from outside of the final group with other top players in pursuit like Phil Caravia (2012 East Side Amateur Champion), Bob Hanneken (2013 Publinx Open Champion), Ted Moloney, Jeff Johnson, Tom Barry, Chad Niezing, Dustin Ashby, and past Normandie Amateur Champions, Buddy Allen and Justin Bliss.

As the leaders made the turn, Skip Berkmeyer stood at 4-under for the tournament. Dr. Andy Frost was having a hard time getting anything started on the front side and turned at 3-over for the day and 1-over for the tournament. Cusumano was also struggling early with a bogey on the first and double bogey on the par 3, 5th hole. He made the turn at 4-over for the day and 3-over for the championship.

Leaderboard After 27 Holes

Berkmeyer     -4
Allen     -1
Caravia    -1
Choate    +1
Hanneken     +1
Frost    +1
Johnson     +2
Cusumano     +3
Moloney     +3
Ashby +4
Fann     +4
Callahan    +4
Barry    +5
Niezing    +5
Seibert    +5

As the leaders made their way through the extremely difficult par 4, 10th and 11th holes, the pack pursuing Berkmeyer began to dwindle. At the same time, Frost made birdie on 10 and another on 12 to get back in red numbers for the championship at -1.

Leaderboard with 3 holes to play:

Berkmeyer     -2
Allen    -1
Caravia    E
Choate    E
Johnson    +2
Moloney    +2
Hanneken    +3
Barry     +3
Cusumano     +4
Niezing    +4

As the leaders made their way to the final stretch at Normandie Golf Club, the wind was starting to wreak havoc. This was especially the case on the par 4, 14th hole. Playing the lower tee box, the shot called for a left to right ball flight to a landing area sloping dramatically from right to left. It was on the 14th hole where Berkmeyer would drop 2 shots with a double bogey and all of a sudden a handful of players were back in the mix.

The final three holes at Normandie Golf Club could be considered among the most difficult finishing stretches in St. Louis. A par 3 playing just 180 yards with wind swirling, followed by a par 5 with out of bounds down the entire left side and trees right. The final hole at Normandie is legendary. A par 3 at 246 yards with wind hurting the players.

Corey Choate and Jeff Johnson experienced firsthand how difficult the final three holes were on Sunday. Choate strung together 3 bogeys to finish the championship at 3 over par.  Johnson also made bogeys on 16, 17 and 18 to finish at +5.

Tom Barry entered the final three at 1-under par and needed at least another birdie to have any hopes of a playoff. He would make 3 straight pars and finish at +3, tied with Choate.

Ted Moloney handled the 17th and 18th holes but unfortunately the par 3, 16th did him in. Moloney made a triple bogey and would finish at +5.

After making birdies on 10 and 12 to get back into the hunt, the defending champion Andy Frost would make double on 16 followed by consecutive bogeys on 17 and 18 to end his chances of a repeat. Frost finished at +4 for the championship.

Of all the players vying for the 2013 title, only Phil Caravia was able to truly make up ground over the difficult final three holes. Caravia made birdie on 16 and pars on 17 and 18 to finish at -1 and tie the clubhouse lead of Buddy Allen’s.

Allen posted a final round 69 to go with his first round 72 for a -1 36 hole total.

Berkmeyer’s been in this position before, needing a par on 18 to win the Normandie Amateur. On this occasion he would make bogey meaning the trio of Berkmeyer, Caravia and Allen would go extra holes.

For the second time in less than a week, Berkmeyer would make a birdie in a playoff to win. Earlier this week he birdied the 3rd playoff hole at Aberdeen to capture one of the final two qualifying spots at U.S. Open Local Qualifying. In this case it only took one playoff hole, as Berkmeyer would make birdie on the difficult 1st hole. Only four birdies were posted on No. 1 for the entire tournament before Berkmeyer ended the 2013 Normandie Amateur with one of his own.

To view a complete list of scores for the 2013 Normandie Amateur – Go HERE.

Photo – Courtesy of Curt Rohe (Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association)

Thank you for registering to win the National Car Rental ticket giveaway.  To view the contest rules – Go HERE.

Earlier this week at Quail Hollow Golf Club, PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem took to the podium and finally ruled on the situation involving World Golf Hall of Fame member, Vijay Singh.

It’s been such a long drawn out process, let’s quickly review the timeline.

In a Sports Illustrated story on January 28th, Vijay Singh admitted he had taken a substance known as deer-antler spray, which contains a growth hormone, called IGF-1. Per the PGA Tour’s anti-doping program, IGF-1 is a banned substance. For that matter, the PGA Tour specifically defined deer-antler spray as being outlawed in an email sent directly to members of the PGA Tour.

On Tuesday, Finchem shared the Tour’s ruling on the Singh situation. Shortly after Singh admitted to using the substance, the PGA Tour made a statement regarding the apparent violation by Singh of the Tour’s anti-doping policy. Singh quickly appealed the decision which put us in this evaluation period. During this time, Finchem sought out the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose guidelines serve as the basis for the PGA Tour’s policy. It was determined Singh’s admission to using the deer-antler spray was not enough alone to sanction him.

WADA told the PGA Tour it does not consider deer-antler spray a banned substance and that only a positive (blood) test for IGF-1 should result in penalties. Ingesting any form of IGF-1 orally would not produce a positive test anyway; it needs to be injected.

Currently the PGA Tour doesn’t conduct blood tests on its players, rather relies on urine samples predominantly collected randomly at tournament sites. Had there been a blood test in the case involving Singh, there would have been a better chance he would have been caught, and possibly suspended.

During a time when Allied Associations such as the PGA Tour, PGA of America, United States Golf Association and R&A are bickering over a proposed ban of the anchored putting method, decisions made such as the one involving Singh are under increased scrutiny.

Throughout the 90 day comment period provided by the USGA, pertaining to the proposed rule change, several players on the PGA Tour and members of the PGA of America questioned the need for the United States Golf Association.

Robert Garrigus told ESPN’s Michael Collins in an interview, “They are amateurs who are making rules for a professional game.”  Garrigus wasn’t the only professional golfer to speak out on the subject.  Several players questioned why the PGA Tour just didn’t make it’s own set of rules and be done with the United States Golf Association and R&A.

The Vijay Singh debacle goes to prove the PGA Tour isn’t capable of governing the game. The Tour leadership structure doesn’t lend itself to good governorship. Commissioner Finchem is an employee of the PGA Tour which is comprised of members. These members are the same people who are competing in tournaments and will be subject to any rules decisions. Unfortunately, tough decisions are required to be made by golf’s governing bodies and it’s to be expected certain decisions won’t please the entire population. Nevertheless, the decisions must be made to protect the game and it’s clear the PGA Tour isn’t prepared to make these tough decisions.