We've launched the new forums! Read more here

A Great Year Without Winning?

JB

JB

Follow @THPGolf on Social Media
Albatross 2024 Club
Staff member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
283,977
Reaction score
437,086
Location
THP Experiences
Interesting thoughts coming in a different thread made me ponder this question quite a bit. Can a PGA Tour player call a year a great year without any wins? Is it more telling about how deep the fields are now and how hard it is to win? Or is it more telling that we classify something as greatness without victory? Obviously there is no right or wrong answer here, but genuinely curious what others think.
 
Fowler has had a very good year. Tough to call it great w/o a win.
 
I think that in the here and now that one can have a great year without a win. Years down the road though with no wins you may not be well remembered.
 
Good topic, I'd say Ricky is having a damn good year without any wins. The fields sure are deep but I'll agree with others that I think it would be considered great with a win
 
Yea, I'd stop short of labeling the year great if there's no win.
 
I think it depends on where you are at in your career. If you a rookie and you have numerous top tens and a limited number of missed cuts then it would be considered a great year. Give that same season to a 5-10 year vet and they would be making swing changes and firing their support staff.
 
I think so in golf more than any other sport that one can be viewed as having a good year without winning a tournament. However, like other sports, it depends what the expectations are around that specific golfer going into the season are. If it is Tiger or Phil, the media would generally view any season without a win as a disappointment - much like a yankee fan views any season without winning the world series as a disappointment. Thus, depending on the golfer, a season without any tournament wins can absolutely be viewed has a great season.

I also believe it is possible to win the Fed Ex cup without actually winning a tournament.
 
Depends on the player. Think if you're a guy inside the top 30 in the world, you're probably expecting to win each and every week. If you're a guy say in the 50-125 in the FedEx Cup rankings and secure your card for next year with a couple of top 10's, it's a great year.

So, player dependent IMO.
 
I think most PGA pros would take 1 win over a handful of top 10s. I think you can have a great year without winning, especially prize-money-wise. But a win is definitely icing on the cake.
 
I took a look at the latest money list. There are quite a few guys that have made over $2million without a win. If that were me, I would say that I am having a wonderful year thus far.
 
I think you can have a good year without a win....but it takes a win to make it a great year.
 
I think it is possible to have a great year without winning. The guy I would point to is Jordan Spieth. Not just this year, but last year. Yes I know he won last year, but bare with me for a minute.

Say Spieth did not win last year at the JD. However after the tournament in Tampa, he had earned enough money in the limited amount of exemptions to gain status on the tour. At that point, even though it was March, I would have said he had a great year, because he accomplished something that needed to be done.

Fast forward to this year, does not have a win, but has moved up to 11th in the world rankings and 7th in the FedEx Cup standings. No wins, 2 runner ups with 7 top 10's. Keeping in mind it's his 2nd year on tour and just turned 21, I'd say he is having a great year.
 
I think if a player plays that kind of year, they'd describe it as disappointing. Played good, but not good enough.

However, I think if a player has that kind of year, consistently in the top 10's and such but doesn't win - he'll feel good that he played well all year, but be disappointed he didn't make the best of one of those opportunies.
 
I think it really depends on the player. Any big name player and it really isn't a great season without a victory...but if a newcomer to the PGA tour gets himself a bunch of great finishes (i'd say top 10 or better), that might qualify.
 
well if you look at the fedex cup standings, there are 3 guys in the top 10 without a win (Furyk, Spieth, and Garcia). I think it's a stretch to say a great year...but i'd certainly take their year over some of the guys with a tour win further down the fedex list.
 
JB said:
Interesting thoughts coming in a different thread made me ponder this question quite a bit. Can a PGA Tour player call a year a great year without any wins? Is it more telling about how deep the fields are now and how hard it is to win? Or is it more telling that we classify something as greatness without victory? Obviously there is no right or wrong answer here, but genuinely curious what others think.
Click to expand...

Well, Phil has no wins but he will still be in the top five in earnings for the year in golf. The guys just don't have to win anymore to have a great year, at least money wise. I'm old school and like to see people earn their money. Nothing like the days when Arnie was young in a time he says he had to win to feed and put shoes on his children...........
 
I think to call it great you don't necessarily need a win. I'm sure there are plenty of guys having good years in their own minds without getting a W. Someone struggling to keep their card who has a year with a couple top 10s and maybe a runner up could qualify that as a great year.
 
I don't think you can call it a great year without a major unless you have 7+ wins and top 5 in the majors. I think you can have a good year without a win. The tour is filled with a lot of players with equal abilities and other than a few players like Phil, Bubba, Rory and a healthy Tiger there aren't to many players that have the ability to go out and dominate the tour.
 
emart2173 said:
I don't think you can call it a great year without a major unless you have 7+ wins and top 5 in the majors. I think you can have a good year without a win. The tour is filled with a lot of players with equal abilities and other than a few players like Phil, Bubba, Rory and a healthy Tiger there aren't to many players that have the ability to go out and dominate the tour.
Click to expand...

Do you think when Jimmy Walker sits down at the end of the 2014 season he will say it was a great year for him?
 
ddec said:
I think it is possible to have a great year without winning. The guy I would point to is Jordan Spieth. Not just this year, but last year. Yes I know he won last year, but bare with me for a minute.

Say Spieth did not win last year at the JD. However after the tournament in Tampa, he had earned enough money in the limited amount of exemptions to gain status on the tour. At that point, even though it was March, I would have said he had a great year, because he accomplished something that needed to be done.

Fast forward to this year, does not have a win, but has moved up to 11th in the world rankings and 7th in the FedEx Cup standings. No wins, 2 runner ups with 7 top 10's. Keeping in mind it's his 2nd year on tour and just turned 21, I'd say he is having a great year.
Click to expand...

I dont disagree, but hear me out for a second. And this goes along for a lot of the posts in here I think. I think people are viewing it in a weird way saying it depends on who does it. This is not "great personal feelings" type of great. Its about "having a great year". Have we been programmed that greatness is now good or above average due to popularity?

A great year is just that, a great year. The only example I can think of where winning was excluded from a great year (and its arguable) is the year the Patriots went undefeated and then lost in the Super Bowl.

Jordan Spieth choking (some would argue that) at Augusta and hanging around on leaderboards is not a great year. Its a solid year. Maybe even a good year. But a great year?
What does greatness even mean anymore, if a player does not have to be great to get the title?
 
JB said:
I dont disagree, but hear me out for a second. And this goes along for a lot of the posts in here I think. I think people are viewing it in a weird way saying it depends on who does it. This is not "great personal feelings" type of great. Its about "having a great year". Have we been programmed that greatness is now good or above average due to popularity?

A great year is just that, a great year. The only example I can think of where winning was excluded from a great year (and its arguable) is the year the Patriots went undefeated and then lost in the Super Bowl.

Jordan Spieth choking (some would argue that) at Augusta and hanging around on leaderboards is not a great year. Its a solid year. Maybe even a good year. But a great year?
What does greatness even mean anymore, if a player does not have to be great to get the title?
Click to expand...

Absolutely and it takes into account expectations. Everyone was selling low on Rickie before this season. Totally agree.
 
The fields are deeper and harder to win, but at the end of the day I still measure greatness by wins. Sure a guy can play well all year, hit a few top 10's, contend in majors, etc., but that's progress to me not greatness.
 
All you hear from the pros is that they want the win(s), so a season for them without a win cannot be considered "great" in their minds. I agree
 
JB said:
I dont disagree, but hear me out for a second. And this goes along for a lot of the posts in here I think. I think people are viewing it in a weird way saying it depends on who does it. This is not "great personal feelings" type of great. Its about "having a great year". Have we been programmed that greatness is now good or above average due to popularity?

A great year is just that, a great year. The only example I can think of where winning was excluded from a great year (and its arguable) is the year the Patriots went undefeated and then lost in the Super Bowl.

Jordan Spieth choking (some would argue that) at Augusta and hanging around on leaderboards is not a great year. Its a solid year. Maybe even a good year. But a great year?
What does greatness even mean anymore, if a player does not have to be great to get the title?
Click to expand...

I think "great year" varies from player to player. I don't think necessarily what is great for one, is great for another. I just don't see it as black and white. Now for it to be a historically great year, then yes wins and wins in big events are needed.

I'm thinking of a golfer right now who would be a good one to ask about it, and that would be Kevin Na. 2014 by the numbers has been his best year on tour. He's moved up to I think his highest ever World Golf Ranking(we can argue the system is flawed), has won more money, and is currently 17th in the FedEx cup points. 12 Top 25's in 22 starts, with 5 top 10's. No he does not have a win this year, he lost in a playoff at The Memorial. Only 1 win on tour and that came in 2011(Fall Series Event). I would venture to guess that for him, 2014 would be looked upon as a great year. Perhaps even better than 2011.

I look back at some discussions we have had in the past about HOF stuff and the value put on majors nowadays. So shrink it down to a calendar year. Does 4 days of winning golf make a great year?
 
Fowler is they only player who has finished in the top 5 in each major this year. That's a pretty dang good year, but I agree with others, it's not great without a win.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top