The Woods Shootout (2021)

The final round of the AT&T Bryon Nelson is being played today (May 16. 2021) and I thought that BJG should name one of our matches with the spirit of one of the greatest golfers of all time.

Of course, the trick is to look at the greatest golfers and then figure out which fits best with Broken Joe Golf.

Here is a look at the 10 Greatest Golfer of all time and some of their history.

10. BYRON NELSON - Byron Nelson, played between 1935-1946 and won 52 times, including five major championships. He was a two-time winner of the Masters and PGA Championship, and only the absence of the Open Championship prevented him from completing a grand slam. His legacy remains untouched thanks to the Byron Nelson Championship, which took place annually in Dallas. Until his death in 2006, he attended this tournament almost every year.

9. TOM WATSON - Tom Watson, a Kansas native, was one of the most dominant players in the world from 1970-1980, winning eight majors, including five Open Championships. As a golfer, he never finished the season better than second in the PGA Championship. Watson also climbed the heights of golf thanks to Byron Nelson. Nelson showed interest in young Watson in 1974 and became his mentor, and it was under his tutelage that Watson’s career took off, as he won his first major within a year of working together.

8. ARNOLD PALMER - You might have expected to see Palmer higher on the list, because when you start to name some of the most famous golfers after Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, Arnie most likely goes next on the list. And rightly so, as this working guy ultimately became one of the greatest and most popular golfers of all time. Arnie’s Army of fans grew with every round he played. He won seven majors, including four Masters titles, but he never won the PGA Championship and, ended his career without completing the Grand Slam.

7. BOBBY JONES - Bobby Jones is the only amateur to make the top-10 list. Jones won four US Opens and three Open Championships in seven years. He is also a five-time champion in US Amateur and even won British Amateur in 1930. And then, at the age of 28, he stopped playing in tournaments. However, his influence on golf did not stop there; he participated in the organization of Augusta National. And, after retiring from the game, he co-founded the Masters. He played until 1948, and he had to abandon the game due to poor health.

6. SAM SNEAD - Sam Snead has managed seven majors throughout his long and brilliant career; most of his career victories were on the PGA Tour. Between his many victories, Snead also fought in World War I. During his career, he won three Masters, three PGA Championships, and one US Open, which happened a year after returning from the war.

5. GARY PLAYER - South African-born Player, who earned the nickname ‘The Black Knight” because he often wore black from head to toe, is perhaps the most successful non-American golfer in history. He was a contemporary and rival to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. He ended his career with nine major victories, including three Masters and three Open Championships. He is also the only non-American to complete his Grand Slam career and win 165 victories on six continents over the past 60 years.

4. WALTER HAGEN - One of the greatest players in the first half of the 20th century, Hagen won 11 major championships in his career. A native of New York, Hagen became a national hero when he first brought the British Open title to American history and continued to win four other Open titles. At the end of his career, only the Masters’ title was missing from his resume.

3. BEN HOGAN - No player practiced as much as Ben Hogan. He spent a lot of time training, developing a technique and this led to the fact that he is the legend of golf. He won the four major championships, and from 1938 to 1959, he won 63 professional tournaments, despite serving in the army and surviving a car accident from which he received many serious injuries.

2. TIGER WOODS - Some may find Tiger Woods to be in the second place unfair, but we can tell why. His list of victories begins with 15 Major victories, he won 82 PGA competitions and 41 European tournaments. He is the youngest Grand Slam winner. After a back injury, he walked away from the game, underwent surgery, and is now undergoing rehabilitation to continue full-fledged competitions in tournaments.

1. JACK NICKLAUS - Nicknamed the Golden Bear, Nicklaus had 73 victories in his career, including 18 major golf championships. Nicklaus, at 46 years old, is the oldest player to win the Masters. He has five US Open titles, which he won from 1963 to 1980. He was one of the first to enter the Hall of Fame in 1974. And he is rightfully considered the greatest golfer of all time.

I had originally thought about going with Arnold Palmer because “Rosey Palmer” just seemed to fit. The Byron Nelson is finishing up on Sunday so I thought maybe “Bridget Nelson” or “Full Nelson”. But then one night it came to me, the Broken Joe Golf tournament should be named “The Woods Shootout”.

First of all, Tiger Woods has been the most dominant player for most of our lives, much like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordon, and Wayne Gretzky, just to name a few.

Tiger Woods, for most, if not all of us, is the embodiment of who each of us, as a golfer, strives to be during each round of golf.

Some of us are like the young Woods, wanting to crush the competition each and every week.

Some of us are like a troubled Woods

Some of us are like a broken Woods.

But most of us are just "In The Woods"… a lot.

The "2021 Woods Shootout" will be played on May 23rd, 2021 at Agawam Municipal Golf Course and will serve as the practice round for our 2nd Major, “The Fathers & Uncles Invitational”

In the spirit of Tiger, we should all wear his signature Sunday outfit - Red Shirt with Black Shorts or Pants.

Tee Times and Random Groupings:

Group One: 9:36

Cart One - Bryan & Dan

Cart Two - Jake & Joe

Group Two: 9:44

Cart Three - Tim & Juan

Cart Four - Chris & Adam

Group Three: 9:52

Cart Five - Matt & Matt T

Cart Six - Nic & EJ

Group Four: 10:00

Cart Seven - Rock & Joe T

Cart Eight - Dustin & Cody

Group Five: 10:08

Cart Nine - Dave & Rey

Cart Ten - Harry & Jon

Joe T will be collecting money ($5.00) for Closest to the Pin (Hole 5, par 3 at 122 yards) and Longest Drive on the 7th hole. I will drop off the equipment at the 5th green and 7th fairway. Harry and Jon will bring it back to the club house and give everything to Joe T.

Since the CDC has made some changes to COVID, I have decided that it is time to finish every putt and get rid of the COVID putter length rule.

Good luck and try to stay out of the "woods".

Respectfully,

Broken Joe

Commissioner