The Year Golf Quietly Evolved
1998 was the year the modern game of golf was quietly assembled — and almost nobody remembers it.
No single tournament defined it. Instead, 1998 set the framework every season since has been played inside. A 41-year-old with no majors on his résumé, Mark O'Meara, suddenly won two. A 20-year-old rookie named Se Ri Pak took off her shoes, waded into a water hazard on live television, and changed women's golf across three continents. A 17-year-old amateur named Justin Rose holed a 45-yard chip on the final hole at Royal Birkdale — and turned pro the next day. And the USGA drew the equipment line, the 0.822 COR limit on the "spring-like effect" of titanium drivers, that every Callaway, TaylorMade, Ping and Titleist has been built beneath for 27 years. Meanwhile, Casey Martin beat the PGA Tour in federal court for the right to ride a cart.
This is the full story of the 1998 golf season — the majors, the money, the rule changes, and the careers that launched (and stalled) that year.
In this video:
Casey Martin vs. the PGA Tour and the Americans with Disabilities Act
The USGA's titanium driver ban and the COR rule still on the books today
Mark O'Meara's Masters and Open Championship — two majors at 41
Payne Stewart's four-shot collapse at the Olympic Club U.S. Open
Se Ri Pak's barefoot shot and the U.S. Women's Open that ignited Korean golf
Justin Rose's chip-in at Royal Birkdale — with Sergio García ten shots back
Vijay Singh's first major and the International team's only Presidents Cup win
Chapters:
Next: our 1999 and 2000 season recaps — Payne Stewart's redemption at Pinehurst, Sergio's arrival, and the start of Tiger Woods' greatest run.
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Chapters
- The year golf forgot
- Casey Martin sues the PGA Tour
- The USGA bans the titanium driver
- Mark O'Meara wins the Masters at 41
- Payne Stewart's collapse at the U.S. Open
- Se Ri Pak, barefoot, changes golf forever
- Justin Rose's chip at Royal Birkdale
- Vijay's PGA Championship Win
- Vijay, the Presidents Cup, Winners
- 1998 The Framework For The Future