Another week and several great performances with which to choose.
I am picking Stewart Cink and Tom Watson. With the sport’s biggest attraction not making the cut, something special had to make people spend their Sunday watching British Open. Cink and Watson made it possible. Cink’s 12-foot birdie on the final hole seemed like a case of a little too little, a little too late. Yet, the door was left opened, and he stormed through it.
Many will doubt Watson’s decision to use his putter on the 18th. Far be it from me to question him.
Cink’s domination of the four playoff holes sealed the vixtory, the Claret Jug, and my POTW.
Who gets your POTW?
I’ve got to go with Tom Watson first, and then Cink. I know Watson “blew it” on the 18th in regulation … he was in perfect position on the fairway to make it into 2 putt position and everyone was yelling for him to play it short because of the wind and downward roll past the hole. His approach shot was good but pretty unlucky, huh? BUT … for an “almost 60 year old” to be that close to winning one of the major golf tournaments is truly historical and a testament to the character and drive of one of the greatest golfers ever, which Watson is. With 8 major championships to his credit, he’s in the top 6 of all time. We all wish he would’ve won his 9th!!! Hats of to him, though, and Stewart Cink … the beneficiary of Watson’s misfortune and winner of his his first major.
Right after a memorable British Open, I have to nominate the Philadelphia Phillies for honorable mention. The Phils had a GREAT week and are currently enjoying an 8 game winning streak having vaulted to a 6.5 game lead in the NL East. Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez are having terrific seasons. J.A. Happ (7-0, 2.68 ERA) has been a very pleasant surprise on the mound.
Wait, so forgive my ignorance, but Watson almost won the whole thing. It wasn’t the seniors division, or whatever it’s called? That’s got to be the POTW.
Chas, you are a true baseball fanatic. Your unawareness of The Open is akin to me thinking there were NO sports last weekend because NASCAR had the week off. My POTW is Watson hands down. What else could any almost -60 year old say! Cink was hanging around all Saturday and Sunday, so it was not a spectacular charge at the end, but just steady play and not choking. Watson, on the other hand, just fought off his age so spectacularly. He steeled himself to play 72 holes of golf and he did (well, maybe 71.6), but how he fell apart in the 4 hole playoff is testimony to what a great job he did to put those first 72 holes together. It would have been one for the ages, or more aptly, one for the aged. So Tiger didn’t make the cut? I must have been looking for NASCAR schedules on Thurs and Fri. I was sick last week/weekend, but it did allow me to spend a lot of time in front of the TV watching The Open. Even without Woods I was riveted. Don’t usually watch that much golf (need to watch things go in endless circles, not finite straight – more or less – lines) but being sick gave me access to one of the better sporting events and performances that I have seen in a long time.