American Brooks Koepka, 28, won the PGA Championship on Sunday at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
I say that first because, unlike Sunday, Koepka should not be overshadowed by the runner-up. It was Koepka's third major victory and the second major in which he has won after repeating as the U.S. Open champion in June.
Count me as one of apparently the only sportswriters not desperate for Tiger Woods, 42, to complete the redemption narrative on which many outlets focus most of their golf coverage. Woods finished second behind Koepka on Sunday, but coverage of the actual winner was dwarfed by the oh-so-close nature of a narrative a decade in the making.
The effect Woods has on the sport of golf was on full display Sunday. He is the most popular and interesting player the sport has ever seen.
And yet, somehow, it still feels as if the coverage he receives far outweighs the general public interest in his story. I'm even contributing to it here by discussing the topic.
It has to be said Woods' popularity is undeniable. He was the top trending topic online at the end of the tournament ahead of Koepka, but I was still floored by an admission from an ESPN writer.
"Tiger IS golf," the writer wrote on Twitter. "No way around it."
A user on Twitter questioned the media focus on Woods instead of Koepka.
"Tiger is the story though," the writer added. "He's why we watch."
In my opinion, this is lazy, false and misleading. I am not a fan of pushing narratives. Sports play out on the field, the course, the court, etc.
There is a difference between being the most significant story and being the only story. Anyone who thinks Woods is the only story in golf has not been paying attention, and that is probably the point.
American Dustin Johnson, 34, is currently ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Koepka moved from No. 4 to No. 2 with his win on Sunday. Fellow American Justin Thomas, 25, is ranked No. 3 after finishing eighth at Bellerive.
Golf has been buoyed by a talented crop of young American players in recent years. Perennial contender Jordan Spieth, 25, is ranked No. 8. Rickie Fowler, 29, is No. 9. This year's Masters champion, Patrick Reed, 28, is No. 12.
Other top-ranked players include England's Justin Rose, 38, at No. 4; Spain's Jon Rahm, 23, still at No. 5 after finishing fifth on Sunday; Italy's Francesco Molinari, 35, at No. 6 after winning The Open Championship last month; and, of course, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, 29, at No. 7.
Again, I feel I have to reiterate no one is denying Woods' popularity. The "Tiger Effect" is real and golf viewership is at its highest when Woods is involved.
According to research by FiveThirtyEight's Greg Guglielmo, Woods' first two Masters victories in 1997 and 2001 "produced the highest Sunday ratings in event history -- about 50 percent above the long-term average." He moves the needle, as did Jack Nicklaus. The next three highest-rated Masters rounds were in 1975, 1972 and 1966, three years in which Nicklaus won.
"In fact, since Tiger burst onto the scene in 1997, the five lowest-rated final rounds have coincided with his three Masters absences and two worst finishes," Guglielmo wrote.
Overnight ratings for CBS' final-round coverage of the PGA Championship showed a 69 percent increase with Woods in contention. The 6.1 rating was the highest overnight since 2009, when Woods last finished second in a major.
Still, there seems to be a disconnect.
"The majority of people don't care unless he's interesting," the ESPN writer tripled down on Twitter. "Until he either retires or someone starts to duplicate his success we don't care about golf unless he's relevant."
The dismissive tone toward the other players and fans who watch every week is off-putting. A major story can be a major story without being the only story.
Woods was dominant in his prime. He won 14 majors between 1997-2008 and seemed to be well on pace to overtake Nicklaus' haul of 18 majors over a 24-year period between 1962-86.
Woods' fall from grace was mostly self-inflicted. His story is not one of Kurt Warner, Monica Seles, Paul George, Nancy Kerrigan or Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who overcame real catastrophic injuries and circumstances. Back injuries and subsequent surgeries have greatly affected Woods' career, but his slide from world No. 1 was as much due to a lack of sharpness from problems in his personal life.
Even Phil Mickelson, 48, and Sergio Garcia, 38, had to overcome the pressures Woods now faces to win their majors. Mickelson and Garcia are currently ranked No. 22 and No. 25, respectively.
Woods is ranked 26th. He was No. 50 before the PGA Championship. He has not won a tournament since 2013.
When Woods does win again, it will probably be the biggest story in sports, but it shouldn't be the only one.
Sports on 08/14/2018