Would You Rather?

I get bored at work and think about stuff, which is usually detrimental to myself and those around me, but in this particular case, it gave me something to write about. Golfers love to spin their performances and their seasons in a way to make themselves look great, and it got me comparing certain golfers to others, whether it be their seasons or their futures. Let's play a little "Would You Rather?"


Whose Season Would You Rather Have?
Paula Creamer (1 win, but only two top 10's) or So Yeon Ryu (nine top 10's but 0 victories)

Normally, I would take take trophies over anything, but this is a very interesting case. No one has been more consistent without closing the door on a win than So Yeon Ryu, while Paula Creamer finally broke her four year winless streak and did absolutely nothing since then. Creamer has fallen to 12th in the Rolex Rankings, where she was the top American for a number of years until Stacy Lewis, Michelle Wie, and Lexi Thompson all passed her. Ryu, meanwhile, has the longest winless streak of anyone in the top 10, having not won since 2012. While Ryu's winless streak frustrates me, I think I'd rather have her season, where she's always part of the conversation, than Creamer's, who is taking on water and sinking fast.

Whose Season Would You Rather Have?
Mo Martin (1 major victory) or Rickie Fowler (3 top 5's in majors)

Give me the major. Rickie's season has been great, something very few people saw coming entering this year, and it will go a long way to giving Rickie the confidence to become a top player in the game and win a few more tournaments, but no one can ever take away Mo Martin's major. If neither makes a cut on their respective tours, who will be remembered at the end? Always side with the major victory.

Whose Season Would You Rather Have?
Michelle Wie (2 victories, with 1 major) or Stacy Lewis (3 victories, but no majors)

Again, give me the major, though the last two weeks doesn't give me a lot of hope that Wie will be able to continue her incredibly hot season. I felt better about this question until last week, when Wie missed the cut. Ask me again after the LPGA Championship, where Lewis may win her third major title.

Who Will Be Better Over The Course Of The Next FIVE Years?
Michelle Wie or Inbee Park

This is probably the toughest question I posed for myself, and I honestly don't know. Part of me wants to go with Wie because of the season she's had, but then I had to sit back and just ask who the best player of the two is, and there is no question that it's Inbee. Sure, Inbee has had a down season, compared to Wie's extraordinary season, but you can't convince me that Inbee is going to be a one win a season type player of the next five years, and you also can't convince me that Wie is going to be one of the best players on Tour over the course of the next five years. Will she be great? Sure. Will she win a few more tournaments? Absolutely. But Inbee is going to start winning majors again.

Who Will Be Better Over The Course Of The Next TEN Years?
Lydia Ko or Jordan Speith

The argument for Lydia Ko is that it's "easier to win on the LPGA Tour." I don't agree with that statement. I see the players who have been winning on the LPGA Tour, and they have all been the top players on Tour. To me, that makes Lydia's season that much more special. If the competition to her was the same as the competition facing Jordan Speith, Ko would have 8 wins so far. We don't know how good Speith is going to eventually be as he develops on Tour, but we DO know that Ko is one of the best players on the LPGA Tour, and therefore you HAVE to give the edge to Lydia.

Who Will Get Their Next Victory First?
Tiger Woods or Yani Tseng

I posed this question on the Seoul Sisters site, and almost everyone there thought Yani would win before Tiger. I couldn't disagree more. Will Tiger ever win another major? Maybe not. But you can't convince me he's not going to win ANYTHING for the rest of his career. I don't know with Yani. I understand that she's still young, but something happened with her. She's lost her confidence or something. If I'm putting money on either of them, I'll take Tiger.