Who is the biggest underachiever in golf?
In Fourball, I’m joined by Steve Carroll, Joe Hughes and Alex Perry to discuss the achievements of the world’s top 10 where, strangely, four of them have yet to win a major. Who do the team think is the biggest underachiever in golf?
To remind you, the current leading lights are Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler and Francesco Molinari.
We’ll get to the biggest underachiever in golf, but first, who’s the biggest OVERachiever in the top 10?
Steve: Koepka has five PGA Tour wins and three of them are major championships. He’s done that without any of the fanfare that someone like Spieth has enjoyed and he’s also done it while spending a decent portion of the first part of last year out injured. The guy is phenomenal.
Joe: Everyone is deserving of their place in the top 10 at the moment. Koepka is an unbelievable talent and what he’s achieved is crazy. There’s more to come but looking at his time to this point, with three majors he’s ahead of the trend.
Alex: Molinari is a wonderful player and a wonderful person but if you go back a few years would you really say he was a major champion in waiting? I don’t think you would. Also Koepka, obvs.
Mark: Overachievement is a silly word to use, sorry, but the biggest surprise would have to be Schauffele. He’s a brilliant player but you might not have him down as the World No. 7, he’s only played in seven majors. Then again three of those are top 10s and he very nearly won The Open…
Here we go then – who’s the biggest underachiever in golf?
Alex: At this moment in time, and in terms of majors, the biggest underachiever in golf is Rory, DJ and Fowler. Each should have at least two more than they have.
Joe: With the game that Fowler has, five PGA and two European Tour victories is way less than he should have. Until he wins a major, I think this is always going to be the case.
Steve: Remember the last time someone said Fowler was overrated? He went and won The Players the following week. It’s a pretty packed list of talent. I’d be thrilled with any of their careers, to be honest. People diss DJ for only having a single major but I’m pretty sure he won’t end his career on that number. In fact, I think he’ll win the US Open.
Mark: When Johnson is on song, which he often is these days, then he’s the one who can make Rory look almost ordinary in comparison. People talk about his winning run but he should have maybe five majors by now.
He’s 34 and he could look back at his career as very underwhelming, relatively speaking, how he’s able to dismantle both the courses and the field.
If, god forbid, The Match re-occurs, who would you like to see paired up and how would you spice it up?
Steve: Just dump it. If Tiger and Phil can’t save it, nothing can.
Alex: It just needs to be made more fun and inclusive. Get a few more people involved, get some team matches going. Please can I have the biggest underachiever in golf, DJ, vs. the biggest overachiever in golf, BK. The winner gets to take home… Well, you can finish this one yourself.
Joe: Let’s take JT and Rickie who are obviously great friends. Get rid of the whole idea that its a big head-to-head match and play in in a light-hearted way. Mic’d up, relaxed dress code, whoever they want on the bag.
Mark: Just for my own amusement then one of them would have to be DeChambeau who would be mic’d up from the second he woke up, he would have to talk us through every shot and I’d like there to be mathematical riddles every few holes. In the other corner would be DJ or Koepka.
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Mark Townsend
Been watching and playing golf since the early 80s and generally still stuck in this period. Huge fan of all things Robert Rock, less so white belts. Handicap of 8, fragile mind and short game
