If you were impressed with Phil Mickelson's short game, wait until you see his calves.
For better or worse, you won't have to wait much longer.
The PGA Tour announced Monday it will allow golfers to wear shorts during practice and pro-am rounds. The new rule starts immediately and will really kick in when the Florida swing begins next week.
That means if we're lucky, Tiger Woods' "chicken legs" will grace us with their presence at the Arnold Palmer Invitational Pro-Am.
But for the love of Harry Vardon, let's pray we never see those legs in an actual tournament.
In case you're not up on golf or fashion history, Vardon was the world's greatest golfer at the turn of the 20th Century. He was also the sport's most influential fashion plate.
Before he came along, golfers were pretty much required to dress as if they were going to a royal coronation. Vardon, a Jersey guy, wore a coat and a tweed cap. But he junked the Englishman's trousers for knickerbockers.
They were a big step in the right direction. Casual, but still classy.
Golf fashion evolved and relaxed over the ensuing 100 years (see: former Arkansas Razorback John Daly). That was a good thing, even if it led to the dreaded Sansabelt Era where billions of polyester plants were harvested to dress golfers in six shades of green.
Allowing shorts is another step in the right direction. Women have been allowed to wear them for years, and the PGA Championship has allowed them in practice rounds for the past two years.
It makes sense, since that tournament is played in the dog days of August when everyone would rather be in the shade. Practices and pro-ams are casual affairs, not unlike the millions of rounds played by amateur hacks every year.
As a major hack, I'm all for letting pros show some leg. That's been a growing sentiment, and Tuesday's news was greeted as an emancipation proclamation by Mickelson.
We always knew the guy must have muscles somewhere. We just didn't know they were all located in his calves.
The shorts rule is overdue and legs everywhere should join in the celebration, but we've got to draw the hemline somewhere.
That place is on the first tee Thursday mornings when tournaments begin. Golf may be a game, but is not basketball or skateboarding.
Decorum has been part of the sport's DNA since the first well-dressed Scottish sheep herder hit a Titleist rock with a stick. Golf can be stuffy and officious and way too expensive, but it has an element of class.
Fans don't boo, cheating is taboo, players don't preen and the word "etiquette" is still commonly heard.
So frankly, as much as I'm impressed with Lefty's calves, I don't want to see them traipsing around Amen Corner on Sunday afternoon.
He's given no indication he does, either. But the old slippery slope scenario always comes into play, especially when the guy greasing the slope is Eldrick T. Woods.
During a Facebook Live chat with Bridgestone Golf last year, Tiger said he'd be all for players wearing shorts during Tour events.
"I would love it. We play in some of the hottest climates on the planet," he said. "We usually travel with the sun, and a lot of our events are played in the summer, and then on top of that when we have the winter months here, a lot of the guys go down to South Africa and Australia where it's summer down there.
"Also, a lot of the tournaments are based right around the equator, so we play in some of the hottest places on the planet. It would be nice to wear shorts. Even with my little chicken legs, I still would like to wear shorts."
Tiger's views tend to carry more weight than Xander Schauffele's. At an exhibition match against David Duval in 1999, Tour officials told Tiger's caddie, Steve Williams, he'd have to change out of shorts into pants.
Williams refused and was told if he didn't change he would be banned from caddying on the Tour.
"Guess I'll be playing in Europe next year," Woods chimed in.
Williams kept his shorts and the PGA Tour changed the rules about caddie attire.
Tiger has not threatened to take his act to Europe if the Tour doesn't allow players to wear shorts in competition. Let's hope it stays that way and the idea never gets legs.
Golfers should be able to relax and fully enjoy the sun before tournaments begin.
But I don't know if the sport would survive if Tiger won the Masters and his chicken legs were sticking out of the bottom of a green jacket.
Sports on 02/21/2019