Navy man Billy Hurley III captured his first PGA Tour win Sunday at the Quicken Loans National. How much did his story grab the sports world? And will the Olympic golf exodus continue among elite-level players?
Our experts tackle these topics and more in this week's edition of Monday Four-Ball.
1. How believable is the script Billy Hurley III wrote Sunday at Congressional?
SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: It is one of the most incredible stories I have ever seen. Peter Kostis said it best: story of the year. Hurley deserves it if anyone does. The trembling emotion was so real and something that was a pleasure to watch.
ESPN.com senior golf analyst Michael Collins: If you pitched this story as a movie, no one would buy it unless you sold it as fictional. How he was able to stay so focused and committed to the game after his tribulations during this event last year is the stuff psychology teachers use in their classrooms.
ESPN.com senior golf editor Kevin Maguire: The script would have gotten tossed in the garbage long before it found its way into a Hollywood bigwig's hands to read. How many golfers after 100-plus starts earn their first PGA Tour win, and at their hometown event? That's only a small part of it after suffering through the tragedy of his father's suicide nearly a year ago around this same exact tournament. Not to mention all the time he had to take off from golf while serving his country in the Navy. I'm half-expecting him to win a major in the next few years just to add the fairy tale aspect to it, too.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: This was an improbable journey to the winner's circle at a bunch of different levels. First, less than a decade ago, he was navigating a Navy ship through the Persian Gulf. Then, he had to rise through the mini-tour ranks. Last year, his father committed suicide, which obviously had a profound impact on him. He wound up losing his card and was 607th in the world entering this past week, where he was playing in front of family and friends. If this was a Hollywood movie, you'd think it was too far-fetched.
2. More surprising: 21-year-old Jon Rahm's T-3 or 53-year-old Vijay Singh's solo second at the Quicken Loans National?
Coachman: This is easy. Singh is a major winner who is in his 50s, so he knows what it takes. But Rahm came out with all the pressure of the golf world on his shoulders, knowing he has a very short period of time to make money to avoid the dreaded Web.com Tour -- or worse. That's hard to do, when you have to do it.
Collins: Vijay for sure! How much have we been talking about this "shift" in professional golf, for both men and women, to an under-25 demographic? For a 53-year-old man to stay in contention for four days against those youngsters should inspire every pro over 35 for at least the next two years!
Maguire: Rahm's T-3. A golfer of Singh's caliber can get hot for a week even at his age, but for Rahm, it's his first week as a pro. And this is no short, easy track where a bunch of birdies will shoot you up the leaderboard. Congressional Country Club is a major championship-type course that saw Rory McIlroy win on a softened version of it at the 2011 U.S. Open. Singh's week was spectacular, no doubt, but Rahm's could be the first of many.
Sobel: I think it says a lot about the state of college golf and the readiness of young players to compete against the world's best that Rahm's finish was actually less surprising than that of Singh. Rahm had a PGA Tour-built game that is going to lead to a ton of success in coming years. Singh proved he can still hang with the flatbellies at an age when most players are enjoying three-round, no-cut events on the senior circuit.
3. Can anyone challenge Lydia Ko for most dominant golfer on the LPGA Tour?
Coachman: No. This young lady is starting to do what Tiger did. She has such a sweet personality, but make no mistake about it: She is ruthless. Her talent is so much more than anyone else's, and her putting and short game are as good as it gets. I like seeing a dominant player, because consistent greatness is awesome. No other player on the tour can or does make it look as easy as she does.
Collins: Nope. Eighteen-year-old Canadian Brooke Henderson will come the closest. She showed the world she could beat Ko in a major, but doing that once and doing that on a weekly basis are two massively different things.
Maguire: Right now? No. Her third victory of the year came Sunday in Arkansas. Her only real challenger is Brooke Henderson (although Inbee Park would be if it weren't for injury). Yes, Henderson stared down Ko at the KMPG in a playoff, but I'm talking over the course of a season. Ko's game is simply too solid in every aspect to give up that most dominant title any time soon.
Sobel: Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that we were asking whether Ariya Jutanugarn was ready overtake Ko? Maybe, but the 19-year-old once again asserted herself as the game's best player on Sunday, with her third win of the year. As far as anyone challenging her, though, we've found in recent years that dominance on the LPGA Tour doesn't seem to last as long as it does on the PGA Tour. We'll see if she can break that mold.
4. If our unofficial over/under on top-10 male golfers competing in Rio is five, which way would you bet?
Coachman: Over. I can't imagine at this point any big names would back out with just weeks to go. The only one I can think of is Jason Day because he has two small children. For Americans, as long as Jordan Spieth goes, I think that that will save it for the fans of the red, white and blue. I keep thinking that if the Zika virus was so deadly to the masses then the Olympic committee wouldn't let anyone go. Those who do skip it will regret not going.
Collins: Over. Looking at the current world rankings, I see three top-10 golfers who potentially could pull out of the Olympics but I believe only two of those three will -- unless some new medical revelation occurs in the near future. Including those already out, that would leave six of the top 10 in the field.
Maguire: I'll take the under, so four or fewer top-10 male golfers playing at Rio. Right now Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott are out for sure. Bubba Watson says he's in 100 percent. That leaves quite a few "maybes" in there. Considering that guys down the list such as Graeme McDowell and Branden Grace are passing on the chance, I suspect more people will follow McIlroy and Scott's lead than Watson's.
Sobel: Well, it depends exactly who's in the top 10 when we reach the cutoff point, but if I have to pick one, I'll take the under. Let's face it: Professional golfers have major championships to prove their worthiness on a global scale, and the Ryder and Presidents cups to play for their countries. Unlike other Olympic athletes, this was never a dream for them. It's tough for the powers that be to manufacture that desire now.
