Sports Then and Now

Tiger Woods is aiming to win at St. Andrews for the third straight time.

Tiger Woods is aiming to make history this weekend as he attempts to become the first ever player to win three successive Open Championships at St Andrews.

After his opening round, online betting odds believe he still has a chance of achieving this and remind people that he can make the headlines for his golfing ability rather than his personal life.

Woods finished day one four shots behind early leader Rory McIlroy after a five-under-par round of 67. It was a solid round from the World No.1 and one that will encourage him as the tournament progresses.

Conditions were certainly favourable for early starters like Woods on Thursday and it was important that he stayed in touch with the leaders at the very least. Had he been further back that tied for 8th, golf betting pundits would have probably written him off considering his form since returning to the sport.

The American is still very much in with a chance of making history though and it will be very interesting to see how things develop for him on Friday and then over the weekend.

One positive from his opening round, according to the man himself, was the new putter he selected for the tournament. Woods said that he was ‘very pleased with it because the balls come off faster’.

Another encouraging moment for him was the reception he received from the crowd in Scotland. He described the galleries as ‘respectful and enthusiastic’, something which will help him along as he bids for yet another British Open victory.

Tom Watson celebrates his chip-in on the 17th hole during the 1982 U.S. Open

Though the U.S. Open has a history of turning previous unknowns into champions, when the best golfers in the World tee it up this week for the U.S. Open Championship at the storied Pebble Beach Golf Links, you can expect that the eventual winner will be a well-known superstar, rather than a previous unknown who came from nowhere to win the title.

This will mark the fifth time that the U.S. Open has been played at the famous Pebble Beach Course. The four previous champions represent a “who’s who” of all-time golf greats.

No golfer has won more major championships than Jack Nicklaus, who claimed his third U.S. Open the first time the tournament was played at Pebble Beach in 1972. Nicklaus finished with a three-stroke victory over Bruce Crampton and four strokes ahead of another all-time great Arnold Palmer.

When the championship returned to Pebble Beach a decade later, Nicklaus was aiming for his fifth U.S. Open title. A final round charge put him in contention, but Tom Watson swiped the title with a chip-in on the 17th hole of the final round to seal his only U.S. Open title and sixth of his eight major titles. Read the rest of this entry →

Competition Founder John Mamoudis Determined to Buck the Odds and Succeed Once Again

The 2009 Big Shots Titans at the Tee included many sports legends including Marcus Allen, Goose Gossage, Eric Dickerson, Jim Rice, Bruce Jenner and Joe Theismann.

Since 2008, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average pinballed from over 12,700 points to 6,443 back to 9,756, the sports business landscape has tilted: General Motors, Home Depot, FedEx, Sony Ericsson and Re/Max have all downgraded or completely forsaken long-running sports sponsorships, the Texas Rangers have gone bankrupt and the Arena Football League and the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs have folded.

Yet, despite the most inhospitable business climate in 70 years, a bold new sports start-up, “Big Shots Titans at the Tee,” has flourished. The astounding success of this long-drive power golf tournament is due entirely to its founder, John Mamoudis.  His determination, passion and pocketbook have enabled Big Shots to buck the economic odds and — even without a major sponsor — soar beyond everyone’s expectations.

Since its debut in 2008, the event has become a favorite among competitors and fans alike, garnering outstanding television ratings and generating grassroots and media buzz.

Mamoudis, a resident of Virginia Beach, is a passionate golfer and former long-drive champion himself.  After years of hearing “oooh,” “aaah” and “I’ve never seen anyone hit a ball that far,” he decided to try a long-drive competition.  Mamoudis won the first tournament he played in, the 2004 Long Drivers of America regional qualifier.  He snagged the regional, then the state, and was invited to the World Finals in the Senior Division in Las Vegas.  After competing through the ranks, he returned to the World Finals for the next three years. He was hooked.  (Unsurprisingly, his twitter user name is @longdriveman.)
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Phil Mickelson dominated the final round to win the 2010 Masters.

With all the hype entering the Masters about Tiger Woods, it turns out that the final glory went to Phil Mickelson, the era’s other great player, who has also spent this year dealing with off-the-course issues.

While Tiger has been dealing with issues brought on by his own decisions, Mickelson and his family have spent the year dealing with the indiscriminant foe of cancer.

The contrasts between Woods and Mickelson are certainly glaring, but this is a time to celebrate the greatness of the lefthander and not to continue the now familiar lament against the talented righthander.

For years, Mickelson has dealt with the criticism that even with three major titles he had never reached his full potential. Indeed, every time it has seemed that he was poised to break through and serve as a true nemesis for Woods, he would do something to derail his chances.

That is why it seemed very improbable that Mickelson would be a serious contender at the 2010 Masters.

After being a clear number two to Woods for the last several years, Mickelson was only a shell of his former self for the first part of 2010. Read the rest of this entry →

Because he didn't give many details and may not have been telling the complete truth, the public statement by Tiger Woods on February 19 has not stopped the media frenzy around the golfer.

After months of receiving headlines on the tabloids, Tiger Woods is hopeful that returning to professional golf at the Masters will shift the focus from his personal life back to his golf prowess. Unfortunately, it is my belief that until Tiger completely defuses the situation, he will never truly be free of his past.

Let me start by saying that while I don’t agree with Tigers’ actions, I don’t believe it is any of my business or that I as a fan and consumer am “owed” anything by Woods.

However, because Tiger has built an empire based on the perception that he is an average guy with super-human ability, his handlers have tried to temper the collateral damage of his actions.

Their first attempt was a 13-minute public statement given by Woods in front of a small group of friends and business associates and watched by millions of people on television. Read the rest of this entry →

Billy Casper

It was 40 years ago that the April Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month put an exclamation point on his distinguished professional career by claiming the prestigious Green Jacket at the Master’s Championship.

When Billy Casper entered the 1970 Masters, he had won 44 PGA Tour events, including the 1959 and 1966 U.S. Open titles.

Having finished tied for second at the 1969 Masters, the 38-year-old Casper was again in contention in 1970. After four rounds was tied with Gene Littler with a nine-under-par score of 279. Read the rest of this entry →