Sports Then and Now

The PGA Championship is here and the top brass in the golfing world are all set to go at it and make history. In the past years, Tiger Woods used to dominate the PGA Championship tournaments. However, a wave of new faces of young golfers has risen to take that spot. In this year’s PGA championship in Quail Hollow things are set to be different as anyone among the top 10 best ranked golfers can win it.

Jordan Spieth

He is currently ranked at the number 1 in the PGA tour, and number 2 best golfer in the world. His statistics have been great this year and he is favored to win the PGA championship. Having come second in 2015 PGA tournament, he might come on top. Since this is the PGA championship which is different from any other tournament in golf, Spieth is the favorite to take the day on this.

Rickie Fowler

He has been doing great at the PGA tour in the last could of years. He has beaten the best in big tournaments like Rory McIlroy. As a professional golfer, Fowler is among the 12 who have averaged at least 71 in scoring for the past 5 years. His PGA tour ranking is among the top five. Read the rest of this entry →

Journeyman golfer Rob Oppenheim made a crucial putt at the 72nd hole of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am to earn the highest finish of his PGA career.

With Jordan Spieth holding a three or more shot lead throughout the final round, the final outcome of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was generally anti-climactic. However, for one golfer the final holes of the tournament were quite dramatic and significant.

Unless you are a die-hard golf fan, the name Rob Oppenheim is likely not significantly familiar. However, Oppenheim is the embodiment of what life is like for all except the top few professional golfers.

After playing the best golf of his 15 year professional career during the first three and a half rounds of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Oppenheim found himself near the top of the leaderboard reaching as high as fourth place with just seven holes left to play.

Considering that Oppenheim entered the weekend with only one career top 10 finish on the PGA Tour (tie for 10th at the 2016 Quicken Loans National), it was very new territory and had the potential to provide a payday matching his entire career earnings.

Though like all professional golfers Oppenheim is no stranger to pressure, you have to wonder if looking up and seeing his name listed on the same leaderboard as golf superstars Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day eventually started to get to him.

After a birdie on the 11th hole put him at 12 under par, Oppenheim then got a tough bounce on his tee shot at the par-3 12th hole and he eventually made his first bogey of the day. Given that Oppenheim had only one bogey per round through the first three days, it seemed possible that the 12th would just be a blimp as he finished the best performance of his career. Read the rest of this entry →

Thomas Bjorn claimed the Omega European Masters in a playoff.

Thomas Bjorn has had impressive two weeks, securing two titles and enhancing his reputation in the process.

The vastly-experienced Dane won a five-man play-off at Gleneagles to win the Johnny Walker Championship and followed it up with securing the Omega European Masters in Switzerland.

The 40-year-old showed his coolness under pressure in Scotland a fortnight ago, with five great playoff holes and sent a message down to the other players vying for a Ryder Cup place.

The qualifying for next year’s event started this week and a nine-under-par 62 not only saw him shoot the lowest round of his European Tour career, but also ensured he made strides for the race for the major tournament.

His feat in Switzerland was all the more impressive as US Open champions Rory McIlroy and former number-one ranked players Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, who he beat by four shots, were both in contention heading into the final day before Bjorn blew them away with some influential strokeplay and immaculate putting. Read the rest of this entry →