Image via WikipediaEven with Tiger out of the picture, there were still great story lines in play--something the PGA Tour needs in the wake of Tiger's off the course issues.
Everything seemed to be going well.
Dustin Johnson coming back after shooting himself out of the U.S. Open with a final round 82 and hitting shots from all over the course.
Bubba Watson making all the 'good ole boys' back home feel like it was their time to shine.
Rory McIlroy reminding us of the iconic Danny Noonan from Caddyshack with the mop top and picture-perfect follow through.
Australian Steve Elkington thinking it was 1995 again and trying to become the second oldest major champion in history.
Martin Kaymer making us all figure out just who the heck he is and then becoming only the second German ever to win a PGA Championship (Bernhard Langer being the other).
Then, the tour decided to make what should have been a three-way playoff between Watson, Kaymer, and Johnson into a duet because of a somewhat questionable ruling.
Johnson hit his tee shot on number 18 wide right. When he approached his ball, the marshals and fans alike all crowded around like normal in order to get a glimpse of the man who could win the PGA Championship.
Apparently, that bit of barren sand that everyone was standing in (while Johnson was preparing for the shot, mind you) was actually intended to be a sand trap, thereby categorizing it as a hazard.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
In golf, hazards have special rules, and one of those rules is that you cannot ground you club under any circumstance. Unfortunately for Johnson, he did just that.
After missing a put that he thought would have given him the victory, he headed into the tent to sign his card and prepare for a playoff or so he thought. Instead, tour officials questioned him about his approach shot on 18 and ultimately decided that it was necessary to asses the two stroke penalty.
I know the tour was in a tough spot here, considering that you can't just arbitrarily decide not asses a penalty because a tough break. Yet, I do think the marshals and event management people should have done a better job Sunday and throughout the week on keeping fans out of that bunker.
If it's supposed to be a sand trap, treat it like that. Rake it, and don't allow spectators to walk through it.
I feel horrible for Johnson, especially after his well-noted struggles at this year's U.S. Open. Hopefully, he is strong enough to shrug it off and use it as a positive experience. He certainly has the game to be something special one day.
Now, despite all the hoopla surrounding the Johnson situation, good signs for the future of professional golf could be found all around Whistling Straights.
The PGA Tour should have been taking a collective breath of relief in knowing that it could still generate great entertainment even without Tiger in contention on Sunday.
It didn't matter that Tiger fell out of contention while still trying to figure out his swing amidst his widely noted off the course issues. Prior to the PGA Championship today, golf had seemingly taken a backstage in the sports world as a result of Tiger's troubles.
Ratings at the British Open were nowhere near as good as they would have been had Tiger been around on Sunday.
The PGA Championship had a bunch of guys out there winging it. Mostly players who had something to prove, playing to win the tournament that could define their respective careers.
So, despite Tiger's struggles on and off the course, the PGA Tour is finding out that it can succeed through other means.
Another thing to keep in mind--all these guys are getting great experience while Tiger is struggling. When he comes back and is ready to compete, these young guns won't be afraid of him and Y.E. Yang-esque comebacks won't be a shock to the system.
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