I don't know about saying great players weren't in contention. The leaderboard most of the day today had the #4 (Matsuyama), #9 (Fowler), #13 (Thomas), #22 (Koepka), #33 (Fleetwood), and #50 (Harman) players in the world hovering around most of the day, with the #22 guy winning it. There wasn't anyone contending today who would have been a completely fluke winner, not even Harman who was playing well heading into the tournament. Matsuyama is now #2 in the world after today's tournament, and if that doesn't establish yourself as a star in your particular sport, I don't know what does.
The days of Tiger, Phil, and Ernie are over, and golf hasn't really been able to establish superstars yet to replace them who transcend the entire sports world. A little bit of the problem golf is having is that the "great" players of this generation haven't really established themselves yet. We'll be hearing plenty more from guys like Matsuyama, Fowler, and Thomas before long, and Koepka is probably not going to be looking like a fluke winner before his career is over.