Golf is often billed as one of the purest meritocracies in sports. Play well, shoot low, and you’ll move up the rankings and into the biggest events. There is no head coach to woo for extra playing time, no front office to appease. No long-term playing contracts, either.
But even in a system where players are judged by the scores they write down, perception can still seep in. Often times names are sorted into any number of categories: elite, overachiever, journeyman. And during an eventful 2018, several notable players experienced a seismic shift in how the rest of the sport views them.