Michael Arkush

Dulles

West Coast Contributor at The New York Times

Writer at Freelance

Articles

This author ranked the top 100 golfers of all time. Here's who landed on top

3 weeks ago | golf.com | Michael Arkush

In my new book, The Golf 100, in which I ranked the top 100 golfers of all time, men and women, I ranked — spoiler alert! — Jack Nicklaus No. 1 over Tiger Woods. Yes, I know peak Tiger (2000 U.S. Open at Pebble, 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, etc.) was more dominant than peak Nicklaus, and if I were forced to bet on one over the other in an 18-hole match, I might very well pick Woods. But greatness is about a lot more than one match or bursts of dominance.
Phil Mickelson's place among the all-time greats? It's complicated

3 weeks ago | golf.com | Michael Arkush

Editor’s note: In the new book, The Golf 100, veteran golf writer Michael Arkush took on the daunting task of ranking the best golfers of all time from 100 to 1. In the excerpt below, which has been lightly edited from the original version for context and clarity, Arkush explains how and why Phil Mickelson landed 13th on his list.
The secrets to ranking the top 100 golfers of all time, from the writer who just wrote the book on it

3 weeks ago | golfdigest.com | Michael Arkush

I don’t recall when the idea first came to me. Only that it did. And that I would be obsessed about The Golf 100 until the day I was done, if not beyond. That’s how I am wired and I can’t do a thing about it. Believe me, in prior books (this is my 16th) I’ve tried as hard as possible to maintain some sense of balance, to have a life. To no avail. Frankly, it’s a miracle I didn’t call the printer once the book left the publishing house. Not yet, anyway.
Five Events That Stood Out

Nov 13, 2024 | nytimes.com | Michael Arkush

Another year on the DP World Tour is about to go into the books, filled, as usual, with heroics and heartaches. Which leads to this week's finale, the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the 50 players who accumulated the most points will compete for the title. There will also be a winner - either Rory McIlroy, who has a big advantage, or Thriston Lawrence - in the Race to Dubai that will award 10 golfers a total of $6 million.
Five Players to Watch

Nov 13, 2024 | nytimes.com | Michael Arkush

The DP World Tour Championship, which starts on Thursday at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United Arab Emirates, isn't lacking in familiar names. The contenders include the major champions Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Shane Lowry. A winner will also be crowned in the season-long Race to Dubai. It will either be McIlroy, who enjoys a substantial lead, or Thriston Lawrence.
THE GREAT BLACK HOPE

Sep 24, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Louis Moore |Scottie Pippen |Michael Arkush |Jeff Benedict

A piercing look at racial politics on the gridiron. A history of Black athletes who crossed the color line that kept them from playing quarterback. “Being a black quarterback,” wrote a Los Angeles Times sports columnist, “is like being a member of the bomb squad.” Make a mistake, in other words, and Boom! you’re done.
Tommy Fleetwood's International Success Has Not Carried Over to America ... Yet

Sep 18, 2024 | nytimes.com | Michael Arkush

The season might be over on the PGA Tour, but there are still some important events in Europe, beginning with this week's BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England. Among those participating will be England's Tommy Fleetwood, 33, who won the silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris and finished 20th in the Tour Championship in Atlanta earlier this month.
To end his career, Mark O'Meara picked the place that's been so magical in his life-Pebble Beach

Sep 17, 2024 | golfdigest.com | Michael Arkush

Nothing against the 20-foot birdie putt he knocked in on the 72nd hole to win the Masters in 1998. Or the victory three months later in the British Open at Royal Birkdale in a four-hole playoff over Brian Watts.
GLOBETROTTER | Kirkus Reviews

Aug 16, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Mark Jacob |Scottie Pippen |Michael Arkush |Jeff Benedict

Basketball fans will enjoy Pippen’s bird’s-eye view of some of the sport’s greatest contests. The Chicago Bulls stalwart tells all—and then some. Hall of Famer Pippen opens with a long complaint: Yes, he’s a legend, but he got short shrift in the ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan and the Bulls, The Last Dance. Given that Jordan emerges as someone not quite friend enough to qualify as a frenemy, even though teammates for many years, the maltreatment is understandable.
As Brian Harman Defends His Title, He Reflects on His Career

Jul 17, 2024 | nytimes.com | Michael Arkush

In 2023, Brian Harman came out of nowhere to win the British Open by six strokes. Harman, a left-hander, had won only twice on the PGA Tour since turning professional in 2009 - the John Deere Classic in 2014 and the Wells Fargo Championship in 2017. And in the majors, he had posted just two top 10s: A tie for second in the 2017 U.S. Open and a tie for sixth in the 2022 British Open.