One Heckuva Show at the Phoenix Open

That was quite a show we were treated to at the Phoenix Open.  It may not have been the result the majority of the fans were looking for--it wasn't the result I was hoping for--but it was one heckuva show.  Rickie Fowler was temporarily gutted by the playoff loss.  Matsuyama learned once again that he has the right stuff.  And we all should be awfully grateful to have such bright new stars in the game.

While Rickie may have nightmares about the seventeenth hole, where he saw his hopes dashed by finding the water twice, he once again put himself in the position to win.  In this game that's all you can do.  Golf is the one game where, as Jack Nicklaus once said, you can win twenty percent of the time and be the best player in the world.  Jack should know, with something like 19 second place finishes in the Majors.

Rickie was gutted, not because he's a sore loser, but because he wanted to win for his friends and family who had made the trip to Phoenix.  I daresay his friends and family could not be more proud of this fine young man.  He's simply a pleasure to watch, win or lose.

As for Matsuyama, he's maybe going to be the first player from Japan to become a bona fide star on the PGA tour.  He's definitely proven that he can handle the heat on one of golf's biggest and craziest stages.  It's great for the game.  

Those boys put on one helluva show.  Both of them will likely come back even stronger.  It's all good.