Comments from the 115th U.S. Open, played in the beautiful North Pacific Coast, ranged from the very positive to the very negative, and rightfully so. Everyone has the right to an opinion. Most
of mine will be quite negative for a number of reasons, beginning with the fact that this national championship is a MAJOR. You can get away with uneven tees, hard slanted fairways, fescue up to
your "kahunas", bunkers everywhere. But what today's professionals will not accept, nor should they, are absolutely brutal greens. Not only were they bumpy with variable speeds throughout,
they were just plain ugly. The Golf Channel and the USGA can put on any brave face they want, but deep inside they know damn well this was a gamble that didn't pay off. Hall of famer Gary
Player said it best, this course is ridiculous.
Superstar in waiting (some say he's here already), Jordan Spieth, won his second consecutive major (only the sixth to ever do it from the start of a season) and he'll be gunning for his third at the British Open next month. You have to feel for Dustin Johnson who once again choked in another major (3 putting the 72nd hole), but don't worry, with his unbelievable talent, many more golden
opportunities await him.
Tiger Woods didn't fair very well in his attempt to "find his game", finishing well back at +16 and missing a cut for only the fifth time in his career. Many are saying he will not win another major
(he's three back of Jack who has 18), but I'm saying right here and now that he will not win any PGA tournament ever again. How one can go from the front of the pack in a major individual sport to the back so fast is amazing, but if he thinks changing his swing mechanics on a ongoing basis is going to help, he is sadly mistaken.
The biggest news coming out of the NHL meetings held in Las Vegas this past week is that: a) overtime will now be 3 on 3 hockey for 5 minutes; and b) there will now be a coach's challenge for 2
situations: i) goalie interference; and ii) if a coach thinks a play is offside and a goal is scored.
Today is NHL Draft Day in Florida and is there any doubt that the Oilers will take Connor McDavid and that the Sabres will welcome Jack Eichel?
But after that, look for trades with teams moving up and down all day long.
The Virden Oilers (5-7) had a rough week, dropping four in a row, but all is not lost as they still have a few games to make up some ground, with their next two home games being tonight vs the
Reston Jays followed by the Deloraine Royals on Tuesday. Hartney and Boissevain are tied for first place but it's very tight after that, so things could change very quickly and the playoffs will/
should be a crapshoot.
The MSBL leader board is also very close with the Oak River Dodgers (8-3) holding a one-game lead over the Neepawa Farmers and sit two games ahead of the Brandon Marlins. With only two
weeks left in both the senior leagues’ schedules, look for every game to be intense and fought to the bitter end.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers begin their CFL schedule tomorrow night in Saskatchewan as they take on the "Green Machine" at Mosaic Stadium. The Blue and Gold are banking on QB Drew Willy to take them to the Grey Cup, which they are hosting. Now that he is an established veteran, it's time to perform.
The Blue Jays Yo-Yo season continues, their streaks are either high or low, or hot or cold. Just when you think they have put it all together (winning 11 in a row), they stumble out of the gate
at a home stand, losing games only because they don't have a consistent quality closer.
Until next time…
