Parity rules at golf's major championships

SAN FRANCISCO ? Golf isn't what it used to be. Get used to it. It's getting like a lot of other sports.

The era of parity continued with Webb Simpson's win at the U.S. Open. He was the 15th different winner in the last 15 major championships.

Padraig Harrington went back-to-back at the British Open and PGA after Tiger Woods shut it down for the year following his last win at the 2008 U.S. Open ? who could have imagined then that he would have not added to his 14 trophies since? Starting in '09, everyone was getting into the act, from young (Rory McIlroy) to old (Darren Clark) with 58-year old Tom Watson coming close. Americans, Europeans, South Africans, a Korean and an Argentinian. Twelve were first-time winners and 12 came from outside the top 10 in the world at the time.

"I think the game's changing," Simpson said at his victory press conference. "My caddie (Paul Tisori) and I were talking this week: the 14 year old kid (China's Andy Zhang) was here. Beau Hossler was playing so well. I couldn't imagine playing in even a qualifier for this tournament when I was in high school.

"But I think the Tiger effect of inspiring people to play at a younger age, and I think the access to golf has gotten so much bigger that the game is changing. Even in college, I would have been scared to death to play in a U.S. Open. And these guys are playing like they're trying to win the tournament."

That was Hossler. He got a little ahead of himself after he was sitting near the top of the leaderboard Saturday but it was just an example of how much confidence these kids have. Hossler he wasn't thinking about just winning low amateur but winning the whole thing. It turns out that Jordan Spieth, his future Texas teammate, caught him for low amateur honors by shooting 1-under for the weekend, tying Woods and others at 21st. And he's 18.

All of this, of course, is making it much more difficult for the guy Simpson says brought this on. Woods has been stalled on 14 since he won on one leg at Torrey Pines. With each major that he doesn't win, the chances that he'll catch Jack Nicklaus' record diminish. This one seemed to be in his grasp until a free fall weekend that was contrary to everything that made him dominant.

It used to be automatic that once he seized the lead in a major, he wouldn't let it go. But as one pundit put it, he's enigmatic now. If everything had gone according to the old script, he would have 16 titles by now. But Y.E. Yang stared him down and cracked his air of invincibility at the '09 PGA followed by this week. They are the only two times he's failed to close the deal the 10 times he's held a lead at the halfway point. But they are also the last two times.

Meanwhile, all these other young guns have been able to stay in the moment. They have no scar tissue. The 26-year-old Simpson, for instance, said his legs were shaking on most of the back nine Sunday. But he wasn't afraid to win, that's for sure.

There are still a couple of great players who aren't closers. World No. 1 Luke Donald can't seem to get anything going in the big events while Lee Westwood's record went to 0-for-56 even after he had another sniff Sunday, his fourth round unraveling after his ball was lost in a cypress tree.

But they seem to be the exceptions now. It's everybody into the pool.

"I'm lucky, Simpson said, "Because I feel like we're playing at a time where golf is at its best."

Make that "level" best.

?

The last 15 major championships have been won by 15 different players:

2012 Webb Simpson U.S. Open
2012 Bubba Watson Masters
2011 Keegan Bradley PGA
2011 Darren Clarke British Open
2011 Rory McIlroy U.S. Open
2011 Charl Schwartzel Masters
2010 Martin Kaymer PGA
2010 Louis Oosthuizen British Open
2010 Graeme McDowell U.S. Open
2010 Phil Mickelson Masters
2009 Y.E. Yang PGA
2009 Stewart Cink British Open
2009 Lucas Glover U.S. Open
2009 Angel Cabrera Masters
2008 Padraig Harrington PGA

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