Justin's big win

Justin Rose added another dimension to his golfing exploits last week by winning the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio. 

It is a significant victory, and not only because it’s his first victory in the USA.

The Memorial is Jack’s event and because of that it carries a somewhat bigger victory stick with it.  It’s not a major and it’s not The Players but it might be the next best thing after that. 

It’s a big ticket event and the win is a big feather in Justin’s cap.

The way Justin won is also significant.  Justin shot a bogey free 66 on a blustery day where the next best score was a 68.  He started 3 shots behind the overnight leader and won by 3 shots.  That’s called getting the job done.

Who Justin beat is also significant.  Justin started the day 3 shots behind the new American superstar-to-be, Rickie Fowler, who has been knocking on victory’s door of professional golf even before he turned pro. 

Fowler plays a wonderful brand of golf.  He doesn’t fuss over his shots as he prepares to hit them and he doesn’t fuss over them after he has hit them.  Rickie just gets on with it and it is fun to watch him play.  Granted, his clothing is somewhat questionable but it no doubt provides him with a bit of extra beer money.  Puma must be as happy with Fowler as Nike was with Tiger.

What is also significant is that Rose and Fowler are both still in their twenties.  Rose will soon graduate from there but what seems to be happening in the big wide world of golf is that the twenty something’s finally seem brave enough to challenge the status quo.

There are now several professional golfers under 30 playing some seriously good golf, and winning.  There seems to be a genuine shift taking place towards the younger generation and it should make for some exciting television.  The twenty something’s are hitting it further, straighter and bolder than ever before, and their holding their nerve as they do it.

There’s even one twenty something in Bermuda stepping up and achieving results never achieved before by a Bermudian. 

The achievement by Jarryd Dillas of qualifying to participate in the final qualifying event for the 2010 U.S. Open is nothing short of exceptional. Last Monday, just outside of Atlanta, at one of 15 sites across the USA, Jarryd Dillas participated in the final 36-hole qualifier and came within just a few strokes of qualifying to play in the 2010 U.S. Open to be played at Pebble Beach later this month.  It is an achievement that has no equal in Bermuda golf thus far.

There are several other twenty something’s in Bermuda who need to step up and keep pace with Jarryd.  It’s time they stopped talking about how good they think they are and start delivering some results. After all, talk is cheap and the only thing that matters is results.