Alvaro Quiros Is Golf's New Gimmick

CHASKA, Minn. -- It's amazing how fast you can become a cult figure. On Wednesday, Alvaro Quiros was nobody. On Thursday, Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and Rich Beem were on the 11th green at the PGA Championship, a 606-yard hole, uphill, that happened to be into the wind.

And while they stood there, a ball rolled up onto the green.

Quiros' ball. He had reached the green in 2, not thinking he could get there even though he took a driver to his ball in the fairway.

"I was trying to finish the ball on the fringe, and sadly, probably the ball bounced more than we were calculating and we finished on the green,'' Quiros said. "But I apologized to them.''

Woods told him this: "Nothing to apologize for. Just stupid long, though.''

In golf terms, that's a nice thing to say, like "just ridiculously long.''

And just like that, Quiros was a cult figure. It created a buzz around Hazeltine, not only with the fans, but also with the players.

"We were like Holy .... '' Beem said.

"That's got to be two of the biggest hits ever in golf,'' Harrington said.

Quiros is the newest young long-bomber in golf. He was already doing it on the European Tour, but it takes a moment like this for it to sink in.

So now Quiros is the latest thing to marvel over, the latest gimmick.

That's right, gimmick. Somehow, these big bombers take a bad rap, as if they really aren't golfers, but instead street hustlers performing some sort of card trick.

Golf has an odd relationship with length, and I think it has something to do with the beer-bellied boys who play only on weekends, not the pros. The longer the better, but that's considered more about boys being boys, machismo and stuff like that than about golfing skill.

Meanwhile, Hazeltine is set up at 7,674 yards, the longest major in history, as the PGA decided to join in on the macho thing. It's a perfect mix for Quiros, the perfect time for his emergence.

"Length has always been a wonderful asset to have,'' Colin Montgomerie said. "I played with Alvaro Quiros (on Tuesday) and a terrific advantage he has.

"So does Andy Roddick serving at Wimbledon, a terrific advantage. That doesn't mean we are taking it away. We are not making the tennis court any smaller or bigger. He just has an advantage. Hitting the ball a long way is an advantage in the golf game, and all the credit to the people who have found a way of hitting it farther.''

See, in golf and tennis, like no other sports, somehow some of these guys are looked-down on for having the big power, as if it's not an actual skill to be perfected.

Well, Quiros is 26 and from Spain. He's 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and he played in the other three majors this year, failing to survive the cut in each one.

He needs work on his short game, but actually pulled into a tie for lead with Woods Friday for a while. He spent the day on the leaderboard.

He's going to make the cut here.

He said that he grew up playing golf with adults, and never realized he was hitting farther than someone his age should have been.

Sergio Garcia said that if Quiros could figure out how to hit straight, he will be golf's next star.

Is he the biggest hitter in the world? Yes.

Sorry Bubba Watson fans.

"I've never played with him,'' Watson said. "But everyone tells me he hits it farther that I do.''

Watson said that long-hitting is a natural thing, like Michael Jordan somehow having the ability to jump high. I'm not sure, but I think Watson just put down big hitters, too, saying it's not something you work to do.

"Some people hit long, some people hit straight,'' he said "I hit long. I would rather hit straight.''

Sorry Bubba, but Quiros is now The Man.

"To hit it that far into the wind if phenomenal,'' Woods said, still talking about No. 11 on Thursday. "It's just absolutely phenomenal. I used to be able to move the ball. Not anymore.

"I just plod my way around, shoot 67.''

OK, maybe Woods is The Man. But Quiros is The Gimmick.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com