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There is still some disagreement on whether or not the Tiger Era is over, but mainly because there is no definition of what the’Tiger Era’ actually means in terms of professional golf. ‘Era‘ is a period of time marked by distinctive character, events, etc. according to Dictionary.com. (Hard not to make a tiny joke about the distinctive character in question.) There is little denying that since the 1996 “Hello World” announcement by Tiger Woods, that professional golf as we knew it, changed. Whether measured in terms of the increase of golf fans, the change in television coverage or the sky rocket in tournament purses, the landscape was different than it had been before. The reason… Tiger Woods dominated golf in a way that no one had before. Unlike Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson before him, none of Woods’ contemporaries seemed up to the task of taking him down at the big moments. In fact, they all seemed to fall away when his name even cast a shadow on a leader board.

That’s how I define the Tiger Era and we’re clearly not in it right now, nor have we been since that Thanksgiving two years ago. I will say, that it would not shock me to see Tiger return to good form or even to eclipse Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors. But if he does, I would see it as the Phoenix Era (rising from the ashes). Many are still hoping for Tiger’s return, and that would be exciting for golf fans. But in the meantime or just in case, how do we recover from the Tiger Era?

There are so many great players, but no one is dominating. Will it be Luke or Rory or Keegan? What if none of them emerge as the guy who contends for every major championship? The reality is that many people just won’t be as interested in watching golf. For me though, my interest has shifted as I’ve learned more about all of these other amazing talents. Before, Tiger got most of the attention and we didn’t learn much about the other players. As it turns out, some of them have terrific personalities and aren’t afraid to engage the press or the public. They are worth watching and they are worthy of having great fans. If you want to rekindle your love of professional golf after the ‘age of Tiger’, I suggest signing up for a Twitter account and start following some of these guys as they go through their daily lives. They’re fun and funny and you get a sense of their character. Yes, social media may be the thing that tides us over until the next great era in professional golf or maybe we’ll all learn to love great rivalries between a few good men!

Of course it’s no big surprise that Phil Mickelson has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. The guy has won 39 PGA Tour events and he’s only 41 years old. Only eight others have more PGA wins and hopefully we’ll see many more victories before Phil’s career ends. Most golf fans are pretty familiar with his story even though it’s often overshadowed by the most dominant player of the era. (Yes, of course I’m speaking of Tiger Woods). Phil’s is a story worth noting and maybe someday if he adds a few more victories, his story would even make a good movie.

Why? Because he’s a guy who knows what he stands for, he’s endured some serious hardships, he’s far from perfect and most of all, because he keeps showing up, talking to the press and giving his all. Phil Mickelson at any other moment in time, might have been the most dominant player on the PGA Tour… but at this moment, he has only been a distant second in that race. His creative shot-making puts us in awe, yet his struggles with weight, fitness and the discipline for both, make him one of us. We scream at the TV when he makes “bad” decisions, but quietly think of our own golf failures and smile that someone so talented isn’t so different after all. We say he’s too honest in press conferences, but then criticize him for seeming a little phoney. We judge him for tinkering too much, for equipment changes, for swing coach changes and even for the way he dresses.

In the end, or the middle, or where ever you think we are, aren’t we really just getting the privilege of watching Phil Mickelson, an exraordinary talent and a gentle man, grow up and grow older and correct his course along the way. He does much of it with the public watching and to my mind, he’s done it fairly gracefully. In the last three years, he has been dealt some of life’s more difficult blows and if his perspective on golf needed any adjusting, it surely has been adjusted. With his victory at The Masters a year after his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer, Phil showed that he has the mental toughness to overcome the very real distractions that life provides. He’s even won since being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis last year. It’s a disease that can be extremely debilitating and we’ve seen Phil take it on with new discipline in his diet and as an advocate thru his website OnCoursewithPhil.com.

We’ve seen him go from being a young man who had nothing except golf on which to focus, to a middle-aged man with much on his plate. He’s continued to rack up achievements on the golf course through it all. We’ve already laughed at him and cried with him, but the end of this movie could still be better… Wouldn’t it be something to see him achieve the grand slam or his goal of 50 wins or even somehow climb to the #1 spot in the world for the first time, at 40-something?

So Phil, Congratulations on this achievement, but please don’t rest on your laurels. There’s a movie to be made, but the ending can get even better. Your stock will likely only go up no matter what you accomplish, but just so you know, you’ve got some fans who want to see more!