Golf has long suffered from an obvious deficit of cool. While Tiger Woods may have changed this for himself with his dramatics, that hasn’t shifted the landscape for all the rest of pro golf.

So what are golf’s best doing to be hip?

Breaking out big, hulking, garish belt buckles of course. This trend’s been going on for a while, but Rocco Mediate brought it to the forefront with his peace sign belt buckles at the U.S. Open. With Rocco, the journeyman battling his sports’ great unmovable force shot for shot, it was sort of cool. Mediate wasn’t trying to promote himself with his buckle. He was just being himself, the same wise guy who’d dress up in Tiger red for that Monday playoff with Tiger.

That’s the rare exception though. For there’s Annika Sorenstam sporting AS belt buckles with small 59s on them at the U.S. Women’s Open. You know to remind all those youngsters in the field that she once shot a 59 (newsflash Annika, they still don’t care) while pimping her own brand. And as classy as Sorenstam is, you haven’t seen a seller this determined since a QVC host.

Anthony Kim - the new IT golfer of the moment because of a few largely meaningless Ws - one ups even Annika with his country music singer-worthy, hunking belt buckles though. The ones that Tiger himself has made fun of.

This is how pro golfers have decided to try and show some personality? Through belt buckles?

Golf can now give up on ever being cool. Even the cricket players are laughing now.

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