The First Call Inbox

Who are golf's top showmen?

Golf has always had players who displayed a bit of flair, whether it be Walter Hagen, Chi Chi Rodriguez or John Daly. But which golfers carry that title these days? The First Call readers offer their choices

Question of the week [September 9-15]: Every era in golf seems to have its share of showmen — for example, Walter Hagen, Sam Snead, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino, John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez — but who are this generation's?

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Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson,  Rickie Fowler and Rory Mcllroy.  

Christopher Gates
Medina, Ohio
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Today’s top golf showman is Bryson DeChambeau. He loves to celebrate good shots and good golf. And now he combines that with fan interaction. And that’s just on the course. That doesn’t include his social media stuff that I hear about, but have not actually seen. 

Jordan Spieth is also fun to watch, but his showmanship is purely reactionary to the shot at hand, as is Tyrrell Hatton. Watch all three, and you never know what you’re going to get. Unfortunately, two of the three are mostly invisible except for a few tournaments a year. 

Barry Duckworth
Knoxville, Tennessee
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Sadly, there are few personalities on tour. Phil Mickelson is one. Early in his career, he had videos of hitting wedges backwards or over the head of his coach, who was standing only a few feet away. His interactions with fans also showed his style.

Tiger Woods is essentially fan averse and somewhat sociopathic despite the media’s decades long attempts to humanize him. The rest are robotic and always surrounded by their teams of coaches, etc. Pretty dull bunch.

On the LPGA, Charley Hull has flair. The rest? Not so much.

Vinny Mooney
Poughkeepsie, New York
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Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler.

Pete Kellos
Okatie, South Carolina
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The First Call invites reader comment. Write to editor Stuart Hall at shall@buffalogroupe.com. Your name and city of residence is necessary to be considered for publication. If your comment is selected for publication, The First Call will contact you to verify the authenticity of the email and confirm your identity. We will not publish your email address. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity.

Front: Bryson Dechambeau during the opening round of LIV Golf Washington 2023 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C.. 

Photo: Mateo Villalba


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