posted August 24, 2009 at 15:48 EST in Golf Articles
History Making - Moore’s Wyndham Victory One to Remember
Ryan Moore’s victory in the Wyndham Championship on Sunday will be one to remember not just by Moore but by golfing fans as well. In beating Jason Bohn and Kevin Stadler in a playoff on Sunday to take him his first PGA Tour trophy, Ryan Moore became the first person to win a PGA Tournament without a sponsor since Phil Mickelson won the Northern Telecom Open in 1991 as an amateur.
It’s a pretty interesting fact as word was out on Phil Mickelson during his amateur career. Mickelson was talked about and discussed as a potential great player well before he took home the Northern Telecom trophy in 1991. Ryan Moore? No such discussions ever took place regarding Moore when he turned pro in 2005, but that wasn’t because of Moore.
Moore had one of the greatest single years in golf amateur history in 2004 when he won the U.S. Amateur, the Western Amateur, the U.S. Amateur Public Links and the NCAA Championship. Even with those accomplishments, Moore didn’t find a sponsor when he turned pro in 2005.
He almost certainly will find a sponsor now as the Wyndham Championship victory comes on the heels of a 10th place finish in the 2009 U.S. Open. Then again, Moore hasn’t been as consistent as most sponsors would expect him to be. During his first 16 tournaments in 2009, Moore made the cut only 8 times. Until his fantastic finish in the U.S. Open this year, Moore was pretty much an afterthought to most golfing fans but since that U.S. Open finish, Moore has been doing very well.
He missed the cut in the Buick Open, but he finished 4th in the Traveler’s Championship, 11th in the AT&T National, 34th in the John Deere Classic and now comes the victory in the Wyndham Championship.
Could this be a sign that sponsors are ready to finally jump on board a slowly increasing in speed Ryan Moore bandwagon?
I believe so. If such well sponsored golfers like Anthony Kim and Adam Scott continue to disappoint, sponsors will have no choice but look to guys like the 26 year old Ryan Moore to help them sell products. Moore’s phone could be ringing off the hook as I write this.
Hey, Ryan, I live in L.A. Lookin’ for an agent?
In any case, Moore’s accomplishment is quite impressive. Not only is he the first golfer to win a PGA Tournament without a sponsor since Phil Mickelson did so in 1991, he’s only the 5th golfer to do so in the history of the PGA.
That’s a short list and Moore should be proud of the fact that he is on it.
