Cink in sync
Good morning, all. I hope your week is going well!
It may have flown under the radar screen in some sports corners, but how about what Stewart Cink did over the weekend? The professional golfer not only notched his 8th career PGA Tour victory at the RBC Heritage, he made it two wins this season. And he has done it at the age of 47, joining Sam Snead, Julius Boros and Kenny Perry as the only golfers to win two tournaments in the same season at that age on the regular tour.
Cink not only won but was victorious with his 24-year-old son Reagan as his caddy. And to think his first win on tour was in 1997 at the Canon Greater Hartford Open, and I covered it. Where does the time go?
It was during that tournament, when the great Ben Hogan died and his career elicited numerous comments from the golfers. But back to Cink.
Golf sometimes gets downplayed as not being “athletic” enough, but what Cink has done this season is a remarkable, athletic achievement, beating a field that includes golfers decades younger than he is. It will be interesting to watch, if he can keep up his remarkable momentum.
Golf making mistake
Were you aware that the PGA Tour has created a $40 million bonus pool? And that the golfers eligible to win money from this pool don’t even have to be rewarded for their on-course success. It is being called the “Player Impact Program” and only 10 golfers qualify.
And how are those qualifications determined? You guessed it, the proverbial algorithm, i.e. website hits, Nielsen Brand Exposure, the amount of times a player is mentioned across media outlets, etc.
At first I thought this was an April Fool’s joke, but the story was published on the Golf Digest website on Tuesday.
In other words, the aforementioned Cink, who is one of golf’s great stories this season, probably would not qualify. There may be more stupid ideas out there, but this one ranks right up there with, well let’s say starting a super soccer league. In other words, it is an idea whose time has not come and a slap in the face at the rest of the golfers on the PGA Tour.
And speaking of slap in the face
In a matter of 48 hours, the soccer elites have been given a kick in the teeth. The root cause of this issue is the usual suspect, greed. International soccer was shaken to its foundation on Sunday, when it was announced “elite” soccer clubs from England, Italy, Spain and elsewhere would automatically qualify each season for that summer’s European tournament, regardless of that team’s record in its home country. They would be part of the European Super League.
Well, a funny thing is happening on the way to the Coliseum, the crescendo of protest from the fans is so loud, the plan is collapsing faster than the New York Yankees. Already, teams from England - where Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a tweet opposing the move - are withdrawing from the ESL. Arsenal even released an open letter to its fans.
Have we become so greedy that now if a player or team has a “name,” they are automatically rewarded regardless of their on-field performance?
Fortunately, soccer fans are seeing through this charade. Hopefully, golf fans will do the same. The competition belongs on the field of play without any contrivance from the board rooms.
Continue to have a great work and thank you for your support.
SPORTSCASTER DAN