ESPN Golf Online: Talent showcase on display


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Talent showcase on display

By Steve Melnyk
Special to ABC Sports Online
August 1 10:27am ET

Let's face it, The Motorola Showdown at Sherwood should not be confused with anything other than what it really is--a chance to showcase Tiger Woods and David Duval, the two best players in the game of golf today in a match, the outcome of which, will determine nothing. That's not to suggest that the event will not be competitive, which it will, but like the Senior PGA Tour, this match is set up to bridge the gap between entertainment and competition.

ABC golf commentator Steve Melnyk.

It's interesting to listen to the comments of other players, fans and officials of the game, all of whom have differing opinions on the relevance of the match. To players on the PGA Tour, they are almost unconcerned about the outcome, other than the fact that the sport will be showcased during prime time.
That, plus the fact that the prize money is real, as is the difference between first and second! Golf fans are really fascinated by it all, as if Tiger and David are going to duke it out on the fairways. They are expecting to see golf played that may exist only in fictionalized form. They need to be prepared for ordinary golf played by extraordinary players. Seldom does the execution live up to the hype. On the other hand, given the stage that has been set, we may witness something special.
From a television perspective, we have the enviable chore of delving into the players in a way that typical network broadcasts do not allow us. As an announcer who, for eighteen years, has had to speak in terms of "snippets" of information, it should be fun to hear Al Michaels, Mike Tirico, and Curtis Strange enjoy an unhurried chance to develop personalities, tendencies and traits during a broadcast. And, for the hard core golf viewer, I expect that we will develop the intricacies of each player's swing in an always informative and hopefully instructional manner.
With superb on-course reporting from "The First Lady of Women's Golf", Judy Rankin, the Showdown at Sherwood promises to entertain the golfer as well as non-golfer alike.
Perhaps the ones least affected by all this are the players themselves. What you have are two players with distinctively different personalities, who go about their business on and off the golf course in equally unique ways. Tiger has been in the public's eye since his appearance on the Mike Douglass show as a pre-schooler. Rarely has one so gifted been so packaged and promoted as he. Best of all, he has lived up to the billing at each level of his career.
Duval's personal life and the attendant family complications and tragedies, were little known outside a small circle of friends--until recently. More was known about his junior titles, his great collegiate career, and his early frustrations and failures in getting on the Tour. Unlike Tiger, whose grand arrival on Tour was marked with immediate success, David had to be content to apologize and accept more second place finishes than he thought imaginable. But once he got the hang of winning, well, the rest is history.

“ Each great era in the game of golf has been marked by even greater player rivalries. ”

— Steve Melnyk, ABC Golf Commentator

Personally, I have witnessed David grow from a precocious, and somewhat arrogant teenager, into a remarkably mature person and golfer. While Tiger plays the game with a combination of strength and flair, David is content to play a game that can only be described as a relentless and brutal attack on par, as if par is never good enough. It takes a certain mindset to win as often and quickly as David did. Just as it takes something special to eagle the last hole of the Bob Hope Chrysler tournament to shoot a 59!
On the other hand, Tiger has matured on the golf course in a way similar to Nicklaus. I foresee Tiger always being a factor in majors. During one eight-year stretch of majors, Nicklaus never had a finish worse than 13th. I see the same from Tiger. His recent play at the British Open is further testimony to his ability to perform at the highest level in major championships.
There is really no rivalry between the two--yet. Duval has yet to win a major, and Tiger has only won the l997 Masters. But you can rest assured that between the two, that the coming first decade of the new millennium, will be marked by an ongoing battle for major titles. Each great era in the game of golf has been marked by even greater player rivalries. There is absolutely no reason to think that the same will not occur in this case. As for the Motorola Showdown at Sherwood, it is merely a preliminary bout. The two have never been paired in the final round of a major. But get used to it. This is the first of many. Enjoy it for what it is. Two young, enormously talented players performing in prime time.

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