Posted by Jason Sobel
Those of you who have read my recent rantings on Henrik Stenson's place in the current
Official World Golf Ranking know I think it's hogwash (not sure I've ever used that word in a piece before!) that's he's No. 5. Nothing against the guy. He's got a couple of big wins recently -- at Dubai and the Match Play -- and is rapidly climbing up the charts this season, both literally and metaphorically.
In my "Honesty Game" column on Wednesday, I once again panned the OWGR, writing that it's tough to consider a guy who's played in only seven career majors -- and never finished better than T-14 -- the fifth-best player in the entire world. Of course, Stenson followed by shooting a 5-under 67 at Doral on Thursday to close the CA Championship as opening-round co-leader along with Robert Allenby. Well played and well-timed, Henrik. Thanks so much.
Calling out Stenson as something below the world's top-five isn't a knock on his talent level; rather, I just think he has yet to approach that status. Even so, it didn't stop a wave of Swedish folks from e-mailing me (very politely and eloquently, I may add) their disagreements with my assessment after the Match Play. And I received some similar responses from readers following this most recent column.
One such e-mail came from reader Travis Boone, who wrote, "The Official World Golf Ranking [is] not a career measurement. [It is] a measurement of NOW (well, NOW-ish -- last two years, time-weighted)."
A cogent point and well said. But one to which I countered with, among other things, "It comes down to using common sense about who the best golfers in the world really are. Case in point: If you had to pick five golfers, right now, to post a score if your life depended on it, would Henrik Stenson be one of them? Not me."
I think you know where I'm heading with this. From here, the conversation evolved (devolved?) into a discussion about "Five Golfers to Post a Score If My Life Depended On It," with Boone adding an addendum that "Picks [are] chosen on the fact that they know my situation. That is, they know a bad score will result in my death."
A frivolous, absurd, illogical query? Yep. And you know you want in.
So here's your chance. Click on this "feedback" link (not the one at the top; those won't instantaneously show up) and tell us all which five golfers you'd choose in this situation. And yes, I know it's next to impossible without knowing the venue, course conditions and recent form of all players, but let's assume the most generic circumstances: A warm, dry day on a 7,200-yard, par-72 course with medium-width fairways and medium-speed greens.
For the record, Boone's fivesome included Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Geoff Ogilvy, Retief Goosen and Adam Scott. Mine? Well, I won't give it away just yet, but it's pretty similar.
Now it's your turn. At the risk of sounding like a cell phone commercial: Who's in your five?
Let's see how many Henrik Stenson choices there really are.
