If your TV was tuned to last weekend’s U.S. Open for more than 2 hours, you either fell asleep and left it on accidentally, or you’re Ricky Barnes’ mom. The ever-rain-delayed tournament was stretched out over what seemed like weeks, causing television ratings to tank. Last year’s Open was as good as it gets, as an injured Tiger Woods battled relative unknown Rocco Mediate for the title in an epic 19-hole playoff on Monday. But, that’s the exception, not the rule. In 2007, even the highest rated golf ranked below every game of a Red Sox World Series sweep, several NASCAR races and regional NFL action in November. The problem with the PGA is the lack of interesting, different and diverse athletes. Any two guys are basically the same. We, all know Tiger’s the best, but golf needs a few players that can get viewers and create compelling action even if its raining or, God forbid, Tiger isn’t there. Golf at its core is a great game that can be enjoyed by anyone, but for some reason its traditionally marketed to rich white people, and there’s no reason we can’t change that. Here are the four guys golf needs to make things a bit more interesting:
