Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/17/2022

Another week, another trophy for winning a major British tournament.  This time, The Open Championship held at the Old Course in St. Andrew's, Scotland.  Not just any Open Championship, the 150th Open Championship.  With a field full of the world's best golfers (now across two major tours), it was a first-time major winner that stole the stage.  Cameron Smith surged on Sunday from the second-to-last group to overtake the two Saturday clubhouse leaders clear by two strokes.  Turns out, his biggest competition was from his pairing partner, Cameron Young.  The two Cameron's surged past former Open Champion and four-time Majors winner Rory McIlroy and his pair Viktor Hovland to win first and second.  But it was the Australian Cameron who took the Claret Jug.  Smith posted his second 64 in the last three rounds to finish an astounding 20 under par.  This was after his putter largely abandoned him on Saturday or it would have been even more of a runaway.  The 28-year-old smallish Smith with the wispy mustache and Joe Dirt hair showed he can play with all of golf's big boys and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 2/6/2022

The Olympics is off to an interesting start at least (in the backdrop of COVID and international tension) as the world comes together for the quadrennial tradition of winter sports.  This time in Beijing, China, which has now hosted the Olympics twice in the last 14 years counting the summer games of 2008.  And this is the second Olympic games in six months since the 2020 Tokyo Games were postponed to 2021.  But nevertheless, Jakara Anthony delivered a dominant performance in women's moguls to earn her native Australia its first Gold Medal in 12 years (2010 Vancouver games).  Her gold medal performance followed a disappointing (from a medal perspective) fourth place finish in 2018 just off the podium.  It's a proud effort for the entire country and a wonderful Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 7/11/2021

What a fortnight in England for the number one seed in a dominant effort to take home one of Tennis's most prestigious trophies.  Ashleigh Barty stormed through her seven matches and three seeds to win her second major, but first Championship of the All England Club also known as Wimbledon.  Barty stumbled out of the game needing a full three sets to win her opener, then didn't drop a set until the finals.  She jumped out to an early lead against 8 seed Karolina Pliskova then didn't look back, taking the first and third sets 6-3.  The Australian Ash notched her second Grand Slam tournament adding to her 2019 French Open victory.  I'm going on a limb to say it won't be her last, and she is a dominant Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week! 

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 6/23/2019

Another week, another first time major golf winner.  This time, the ladies.  Hannah Green leaped from obscurity to snap the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota.  The most surprising thing was how close the more experienced and close to the lead competition was, that the 22 year-old Green fended off wire to wire.  Shooting a steady 68-69-70-72 to win by one stroke (despite hard charges from Sung Hyun Park and Mel Reid who shot 66 and 68 respectively in the last round).  The Australian Green won by one stroke.  Mainly by posting a Top 2 score each day the first two days.  Is this her first big splash on the scene of a long career or an alignment of stars never to be replicated?  We'll see over the next couple of decades.  But Green is the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/27/2018

It's a tradition of this Blog to recognize a driver on Memorial Day Weekend, which is one of the top weekends in motor sports.  This year one of the greats just broke through on the biggest stage.  William Power has been one of the best drivers in Indy Car, but the Indianapolis 500 had always alluded him.  In what turned out to be the least predictable race, Power was able to outlast the few cars ahead of him that ran short on fuel, while keeping an aggressive fuel strategy himself to win the race without much challenge.  The Penske Racing Team driving Australian held off Ed Carpenter who finished second place but he was distant.  Like many athletes who achieve their pinnacle milestone later in their careers, the whispers of "greatest to never win the [big event]" are abated, and Power goes down in the annals of this Blog as Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/6/2016

The Masters is arriving soon, and we may have an early 2016 favorite to take the Green Jacket.  Adam Scott of Australia seems to be in top form by winning the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship in Miami, Florida, this week, to go with his win at the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the week before.  Both were well attended by PGA elite and each was won by one stroke.  Noting that Scott was one of those who used to use an anchor putter that is now banned, he seems to have no issues taking the money club in his hand and winning.  Twice before the second weekend in March, he looks to get his second Green Jacket after his first in 2013.  Good enough to win Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/16/2015

The PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin wrapped up the PGA's "major" season and this week's sportsman set it on fire.  Australian Jason Day notched the best scoring tournament in a major ever.  Better than Tiger ever did, better than Jack, he Golden Bear, Jones, you name it.  Finishing at 20 under par, Day seemed to never miss a shot.  With two-time 2015 major winner Jordan Spieth breathing down his neck all day Sunday, he continually kept he (and other significant challengers) at bay.  And many remember Day's challenges at the U.S. Open, where he battled vertigo over the weekend, collapsing to the ground at one point, and eventually finishing and impressive 9th when many thought he would have to withdraw.  Day had completed six of the last 19 majors in the Top 5.  This time, he finished number one.  Golf has another deserving major winner, our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/14/2013

Amazing finish to The Masters on Sunday, and this blog always loves new major winners, let along the biggest of the majors (says me).  Adam Scott nailed two key puts to earn his first green jacket, and cement his legacy among the PGA elite, and, of course, Australia.  Almost single handedly redeeming Aussie great Greg Norman and his coming up short in majors over his career.  Adam Scott nailed a key 20-foot birdie putt on 18 to seemingly win the tournament, only to be forced to a playoff when Angel Cabrera answered with an approach and tap to match Scott's 4-day score.  After the first playoff hole at par for both, Cabrera missed a birdie putt by an inch, then Scott nailed an 12-footer under pressure to win the major.  He epitomizes what this blog considers, Sportsman of the Week!