I have been very busy during the first quarter of this year expanding our global footprint and extending our data offerings with Simfund Global Pro. I made a very quick trip to London last Sunday to present at an SIIA industry event that focused on innovation. I spotlighted our London team’s development process for Simfund Global Pro. Regardless of my business travel schedule, I could not let the Masters weekend pass without a column.
Back in New York City, I looked at previous Masters columns. In April of ’08 I wrote, The MastersTradition: “There is one weekend every spring that I clear my calendar from early afternoon until early evening, the weekend of the Masters. I find myself seduced by the beauty of the course, particularly Amen Corner, combined with the challenge it holds for the world’s best golfers and its unique traditions. There is something special at the end of this tournament when the prior year’s winner puts the Green Jacket on the new champion.” Trevor Immelman won in ’08 and Zach Johnson, the winner in ’07, had the honor of placing the Green Jacket on him. I also wrote, “Tiger Woods did not disappoint us on Saturday and played himself back into contention at -5…If anyone could close the gap of 6 strokes on the final day at the Masters it was Tiger, who has continued to play at a level and with a focus this year that clearly separates him from all the others on the Tour. With every new win we have the privilege of watching history being made. This Sunday he had his opportunities but could not capitalize on them and finished second.”
Since ’08 when his personal life spun out of control and he took a break to put it back in order, Tiger has returned to the tour but has not been able to win another major. His last major victory was the U.S. Open in ’08. Once it seemed inevitable that Tiger would catch and eventually surpass Jack Nicklaus’ majors record of 18 victories. At this point in time, with Tiger withdrawing from this year’s Masters because of back surgery, it is becoming clear that because of his age and the wear and tear that his body has undergone on the PGA Tour, Nicklaus’ record will remain intact for now. Phil Mickelson, who has won 3 Green Jackets and 5 overall majors (Mickelson has never won the U.S. Open but was the runner-up 6 times!), did not make the cut this year after two poor rounds.
We started this weekend without Tiger or Phil playing. I am certain that CBS and the sponsors were concerned about the number of people who would tune in on Sunday afternoon. I am confident that Tiger and Phil were missed but golfers would watch and the audience would be very significant as it watched to see if Bubba Watson would continue to lead and repeat his 2012 victory at Augusta. Saturday ended with 35-year-old Bubba tied at 5 under with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth.
On Sunday Jordan led at one point by 2 strokes through the first 7 holes. Holes 8 and 9 were turning points and Bubba, with his booming drives, went into the challenging back 9 with a 2-stroke lead, going on to win his second Masters in three years. At his age and as one of the longest drivers on the tour, Bubba is clearly someone who will compete for Majors, particularly when the course lines up well for a left-handed golfer as Augusta does.
We are witnessing a generational transition and it remains unclear if any of the young professional golfers will emerge in the near term to dominate as Tiger or Phil did in their prime. At this point, we should continue to respect and continue our Traditions, but it is time for a transition and a new generation of golfers will eventually emerge, most of them having never seen Nicklaus win his last major at The Masters in 1986.
In our day-to-day business life we will continue to respect traditions and I trust that we will watch transitions to new global winners as we move forward into the rest of this year and 2015 as well.
Let’s end with a wine tip. Pax Mahle was known for making some of the finest Rhone-style wines in California. In a falling out with his partner, he lost the rights to use his name, so for a number of years Pax and his wife produced excellent wines under the Wind Gap label. He is now, once again, Pax and has just established a new list with his first Syrah releases. You can email punky@paxmahlewines.com to get on their list and experience Pax wines. I am looking forward to trying his Griffins Lair Syrah, which just arrived, later in the week!