Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/24/2025

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.  No more.  The best player to never win a PGA event has won one and it was the literal Tour Championship.  Tommy Fleetwood had too many runners up to count, including Majors.  Including recent events.  Playing the best golf on the tour by a duffer not named Scottie.  This week.  He did it.  Finished three shots clear of the field and an elite field at that only the 30 best that qualified.  Nobody nailed an impossible putt against him.  He didn't get the shanks on the last couple of holes.  Closed.  With ease.  By all counts one of the best gentlemen and sportsmen on the tour, and now the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/13/2025

One of the greatest feats in golf is the career grand slam.  Only five golfers have every done it since World War II and it's a who's who of modern golf.  Actually, many before the more competitive era.  Nicklaus.  Hogan.  Player.  And more recently, Woods.  But most recently, Rory McIlroy.  After a decade of trying to win his first green jacket at The Masters, McIlroy finished the job.  Coasting with a comfortable lead most of Sunday (which he earned with near flawless play the first 54 holes), things got sticky when fellow Briton Justin Rose posted a 66 including six Birdies.  Meanwhile, McIlroy flubbed three holes for bogeys plus a double.  On the 72nd hole, McIlroy just needed a par, but bogeyed.  As criticisms of "can't finish the job" echoed over Augusta National, the Northern Irishmen nailed his second shot on the 73rd hold in easy birdie range.  Rose couldn't hole the birdie and Rory won it.  The Masters.  The Career Grand Slam.  And Legend.  Rory McIlroy is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

This is the second Sportsman of the Week for Rory McIlroy the last coming over 10 years ago (which is probably a record).

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/19/2024

Winning your first Major Tournament in Golf is always exhilarating but probably more so when you've been close on multiple occasions.  Xander Schauffele went wire to wire, opening the tournament with a sizzling 62 and finishing with a must have birdie to hit the clubhouse at 21 under par, a record for a major.  And the tournament wasn't without course challenges, with a lot of rain over the early rounds causing the course to play uneven.  But steady as Valhalla played, Schauffele tamed her, and held off hard charging and fan pumped Bryson DeChambeau who was warming up for a playoff before Xander knocked down a 6+ footer for birdie to render BDC at second place at 20 under.  After 12 Top 10, and five Top 5 Majors finishes, Xander Schauffele is finally a major champion and the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/14/2024

He's a machine.  Best player in the world and proves it.  Again and again.  And for the second time in 730 days he's wearing the Green Jacket of The Masters.  Scott Scheffler has the amazing consistency we haven't seen since Tiger Woods and reminiscent of Jack Nicklaus and his peers and before.  He doesn't have to play his best round on any given day.  He just needs to do what he's capable of and not make mistakes.  At The Masters this week, Scheffler took a crowded field into Sunday and made it academic on the last four or five holes.  No mistakes.  Making putts.  His four under par was the best round by anyone in the Top 29.  We're watching greatness and appreciate.  Scott Scheffler is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/21/2024

An amazing sports weekend with Australian Open tennis, NFL Playoffs, NBA and NHL action had perhaps the most shocking result in the third PGA tournament of the year.  For the first time in over 33 years, an amateur won a PGA tour event.  20-year-old (barely) Nick Dunlap shocked a pretty deep PGA field to win the American Express in La Quinta, CA.  Dunlap torched the courses for a -29 total, including a 60 on moving day Saturday.  He held on a shaky tee shot on the 72nd hole to par out for the win.  And this was no watered-down field.  Justin Thomas.  Xander Schauffele.  Scottie Scheffler.  Jason Day.  Patrick Cantlay.  All the big names were distanced by the sophomore from Alabama.  A name to remember as only the third amateur victor in a PGA event since 1957.  Dunlap is a worthy Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/11/2023

72>69.  No this isn't a math blog.  That is 72 feet greater than 69 years, or at least writes a name in the history books that will never be forgotten.  Canadian golfer Nick Taylor did what no one has done since Louis St. Laurent was Canada's Prime Minister.  He died when Nixon was President.  That is, win the Canadian Open as a Canadian.  But it wasn't without drama.  Having fallen back in the middle of the back nine, Taylor birdied the 17th and 18th to put himself in the Clubhouse with a one shot lead.  But Tommy Fleetwood, who had been near the leaderboard all afternoon, finished to tie Taylor at minus 17.  Hole after whole Taylor and Fleetwood battled.  Birdie on 18.  Par on 18.  Par on 9.  There were rough saves. Pitches.  Putts.  And the fourth playoff hole was looking like Taylor's with maybe a 2-putt birdie.  He just needed one.  72 feet away, he landed a perfect speed/perfect lie putt dead center on the flagged hole to win it with Eagle.  Fleetwood would have needed to make a low percentage putt just for Birdie.  The crowd went wild.  Canada had its Canadian Open Winner.  Nick Taylor, the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/21/2023

The month of May is a syzygy of sports not the least of which is golf and specifically, the second major of the year.  The Professional Golf Association Championship.  This year fighting some tough weather through the weekend, with Sunday clearing up for a beautiful day of golf at the highest level and a crowded leader board.  While a familiar former three-time Sportsman of the Week won the Wanamaker Trophy (that being Brooks Koepka), it was a player more like the rest of us who stole the show with his level of play.  Golf Pro Michael Block was already a fan favorite as the only Pro to make the cut and surge into Sunday.  Not only that, he was hovering around the Top 20 eventually finishing 15th.  But it was his shot on the Par 3 15th hole that sent the crowd into a frenzy.  The 46-year-old hit a 7-iron and dunked it straight into the hole.  Not even believing it, he turned to his playing partner Rory McIlroy (also former Sportsman of the Week) who was high fiving him like no tomorrow.  Love a sports where your competitors cheer your success and love our Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/9/2023

A rain slogged weekend wound up with the best current player in golf surging to an easy victory that wasn't so easy.  After fighting through a rough 1st hole on Thursday, then chasing Brooks Koepka through delays and cold rain, Jon Rahm eased through The Masters last round as the best player in Augusta (okay, second best if you include Phil Mickelson that day).  Rahm put himself in position with a seven under 65 the first day then never looked back at least not out of the top 2 or 3.  His twelve under was clear of the field by a full hole.  It was a solid all-around game, but especially hitting fairways and greens.  Very little did he need to make a crucial put, it was just solid all around.  It's Rahm's second time as the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/14/2022

After weeks of being in the last few groups and teasing victory, our Sportsman of the Week finally got his first victory on the Professional Golf Association Tour.  Will Zalatoris won when it counted, the Fed Ex Playoffs.  In the Fed Ex St. Jude Championship in Memphis, TN.  Will Z had seven Top 6 PGA finishes in 2022, including three of the four majors (Masters 6, PGA 2-playoff, US Open 2).  Sniffing his first win, he almost came up bridesmaid again as his tee shot on the third playoff hole was spared the water but lodged unhittable with a probably drop-penalty coming.  Sepp Straka couldn't hold the green either and Zalatoris didn't flinch again in getting a drop, pitch, and putt for an oh so good bogey.  The racous crowd roared in approval, and Zalatoris emerged as our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 5/23/2021

What a week in sports.  But rarely is there a story of a legend of the sport doing things well beyond one would think his age would allow.  Phil Mickelson.  Fifty.  Never a Sportsman of the Week winner until now.  His last major was the 2013 Open Championship (commonly called the British Open) in July 2013 but he was edged out by first time Tour de France winner Chris Froome. Taking the back seat no more.  At age 50, Phil Mickelson won the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship for his sixth major.  His first was 17 years ago (when literally at 33 some thought he may never win one).  He's won all four majors, this was his second PGA to go with two green jackets.  Mickelson was the only golfer with three rounds at 70 or better the first three days (runner up Brooks Koepka was the only with 3 at 71 or better).  Sunday of the PGA Championship weekend seemed more like match plays as lower placed golfers surged but Mickelson and Koepka battled down the stretch with Mickelson holding on for the win.  What a weekend and what a golfing legend, and a first time Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/9/2020

The first men's professional golf major of 2020 and in over a year did not disappoint.  At one point on Sunday, seven big name and emerging players were atop a crowded PGA Championship leaderboard.  But in one shot, our Sportsman of the Week ended it all.  California phenom Collin Morikawa burst ahead of a crowded leaderboard with a near impossible tee shot off the 16th hole on a par four to get within a few feet of the hole.  One putt.  Match.  The two shots gained on that hole gave him the margin he needed for his first major championship in only his second major start.  He is only 23 years old after all.  Morikawa has been right at the top of the leaderboard weekly since the PGA restart, losing a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge, then beating current World Number One Justin Thomas in a playoff at Workday Charity Open to win his first championship.  The combination of amazing technical skills and precocious poise have Morikawa as someone to watch.  A deserving Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/19/2020

Greatness is measured by being best in your sport.  Winning one of the elite tournaments in your sport to propel you to that is also a great way to demonstrate greatness.  Both were achieved by our Sportsman of the week.  John Rahm distanced himself from the field enough at The Memorial to make the back 9 nearly irrelevant.  With up to a six stroke lead at times, Rahm proved he was at the top of his game.  On a Sunday when the course was bringing players to their knees (only one player in the Final Top 9 finished under par), he managed to mitigate damage with a 3 stroke win.  With the win, the Spaniard is now Tops in the World.  Plenty of golf to play in 2020 including deferred majors, but he is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/21/2020

We're going to go back to back on golf, but there have been two great finishes the past two weeks.  This week, Webb Simpson surged ahead of a crowded field to win the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, South Carolina by one stroke at an incredible 22 under par.  Down the stretch is when he specialized, with birdie on 5 of the last 7 holes as well as a bogey free round with par or better on the last 29 holes.  The victory on Father's Day was special for Simpson, a father of five and someone who lost his father less than 3 years ago.  The American Simpson notched a tournament record by two strokes and continues the return to sports as a worthy Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/14/2020

Another week, another American sport returns.  Golf.  No fans of course, but most of the top players in the world gathered to compete at The Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Club in Ft. Worth, Texas.  And through a thrilling back nine with as many as 8 golfers in contention, our Sportsman of the Week emerged.  Daniel Berger had been one of the hottest golfers before the 13-week hiatus with several Top 10 finishes.  Add a championship.  Berger outdueled young phenom Collin Morikawa in the first overtime hole (at 17) to secure the victory with a par.  Several golfers had a chance to join the playoff at the 18th hole with birdie putt after birdie putt being missed.  The American's steady hand on the last few holes and on the playoff secured his third PGA tour victory, but his first since 2017.  After a devastating wrist injury that nearly derailed his career in 2018-19, Berger is back, Baby.  And our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/21/2019

In the last major golf event of the year (which is early for me, considering it's not August), a (relative) hometown favorite won.  Ireland's Shane Lowry won The Open (known New World as the British Open) for his first major of his career and first Tour win since 2015.  After two positioning rounds of 4 under par the first two rounds, it was his third round of 63 (-8) that sealed the victory.  He played an even +1 round on Sunday as he still won by six strokes (none of the Top 5 finished under par in the last round either).  Lowry has been trending up, with a number 2 finish at the Canadian Open, and now the biggest victory outside of the United States.  The 32-year-old Lowry will not be forgotten, and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 3/3/2019

In the calm before the March Madness and baseball storm, a new PGA Tournament Champion emerges on the sports scene.  Keith Mitchell beat some heavy hitters to win the Honda Classic.  Mitchell birdied 4 of his last 7 holes to hold off Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka.  That Koepka that won the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 2018 and is poised to be a force in all majors this year.  Sergio Garcia and Justin Thomas could be seen further down the leaderboard.  The 27 year-old Mitchell had nary a win even on the Web.com tour, but now he registers as a legit PGA champion.  And that can be said by few.  Our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/22/2018

First time major winners are what we love.  First time major winner from an entire country is even better.  Francesco Molinari fits the bill.  Having not won a PGA tour event since 2010 before a win just three weeks ago, the Italian may be the hottest golfer on the planet.  In The Open Championship (a.k.a. British Open), Molinari held off prior major winners such as Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and yes, some veteran named Tiger Woods with whom he was paired on Sunday and at one point had a shot lead.  Steady was his hand, as he finished the last 37 holes at par or better.  Meanwhile, rivals succumbed to a missed shot here, sand trap shot there, three putt bogey.  Molinari just plowed clocked consistent shot after consistent shot and built a 2 shot lead in the clubhouse.  Rivals couldn't match.  Molinari seems to be getting better with age (now 35) and with this Claret Jug, has stamped his name in golf's elite forever.

Sportsman of the Week Ending 6/17/2018

Winning one is nice.  Defending a championship is golden.  Especially the United States Champion.  But Brooks Koepka held back a talented field over tough (some might say impossible) conditions to defend his 2017 United States Open Championship with a second title.  And he did it without much drama, needing only a bogie on 18 of Tommy Fleetwood who had been in the clubhouse for hours.  As the field faded on the back nine where birdies were scarce at Shinnecock Hills, Koepka remained poised, driving long, hitting greens, and saving putts and par.  And is now the 2018 United States Open Championship.  Still only 28 years old, he may have several more majors in his future.  But he is our Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 4/8/2018

Another Masters and another first time major winner.  And we can't get enough.  After what had seemingly set up as a match play final, the top of the leaderboard was crashed by a former champion and another major virgin and drama on the last three holes.  But it was Patrick Reed who leveraged his 3 stroke lead coming into Sunday into a 1 stroke victory.  And his first major.  The incredibly likeable pro was bidding to go four rounds under 70, but did just enough to hold off Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler to secure his place in history.  Simply hitting par on the last four holes with a fury of birdies by Spieth and Fowler was enough to win his first green jacket.  Finishing under par for all four rounds, and a total of -15 on a week which saw low scores, Patrick Reed secured his place in Augusta lore, and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 8/13/2017

There's a new era of golf, and the young guns are taking over.  With the abrupt collapse of Tiger Woods career, with the aging of current legends like Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, a crease was opened and the likes of 2017 British Open Champion Jordan Spieth, U.S. Open Champion Brooks Koepka, and now Justin Thomas are busting through.  The latter put together a masterful four days at the 99th Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour Championship, to capture his first major win at age 24.  This follows British open winner Spieth who is also 24, and Koepka, also born after 1/1/1990.  Thomas was the only golfer who finished under 70 the last three rounds.  Coming home in the second group, he only needed bogey to win.  By two strokes.  Lack of drama fits Thomas personality, his stoic, surgical approach to hitting fairways, making putts, and keeping pressure on rivals should suit him well over the next three decades.  Thomas is our Sportsman of the Week, and will be a golfing force for years to come.