Saturday, June 6, 2015,was a remarkable day in
sports history. At the one end of
the greatness spectrum in the sports world American Pharoah joined the celebrated ranks of horse-racing immortals by winning the final leg of racing's Triple Crown, the
Belmont Stakes, by 5 1/2 lengths in convincing fashion. Pharoah finished strongly, posting a winning
time that was second only to Secreteriat's all-time Belmont record that was set 42
years ago and likely will never be broken.
On the other end of the sports immortality spectrum
Tiger Woods recorded one of the worst rounds of his professional career in the
Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus.
Woods shot an 85 and found himself at the end of the third round in dead
last place. For the first time in his
storied professional career Woods teed off on the morning of the fourth round first
and played by himself. Playing a
tournament fourth-round as a onesie is a dubious distinction for any golfer, let
alone a golfer considered by some (but not this space) as the greatest
golfer ever.
Woods spoke as many words after his round of 85 Saturday
as American Pharoah did after his historic conquest of the horse racing world . There the similarities between the two
athletes ends, as Pharoah will be favored in every race in which he runs from
this day forward, while Woods will be
lucky to make cuts in the tournaments in which he plays, never mind win another tournament. Bye bye,
catching Jack’s record; even Slammin’ Sammy is breathing easier in Heaven's Clubhouse. The
era of American Pharoah has begun; the era of Woods, who once strode the golf
world like a colossus, is now as
relegated to history as are the ancient Egyptian dynasties.
AMDG
No comments:
Post a Comment