What's the Fuss?

Here’s how all the golfers in today’s District 2-1A golf tournament held out at the Bay Point Meadows course fared.

Par was 72.

Girls
Samantha Bates, Arnold 90 - Medalist
Kali DeBerry, Arnold 108
Lura Edge, Arnold 110
Joslyn King, Freeport 111 - Advanced to Regional
Olivia Stein, Arnold 114
Kayla Frost, Arnold 117
Booke Sneed, South Walton 117
Krista Tuta, Marianna 125 - Advanced to Regional
Claire Deville, South Walton 134
Aisha Scott, Walton 149 - Advanced to Regional
Amanda Laird, Freeport 152
Rebecca Cantrell, South Walton 157
Katarina Sykes, South Walton 165
Taylor Christmas, Marianna 196
Kendra Bennett, Marianna 207

Boys
Paul McClure, Walton 72 - Medalist
Tyler Chavira, Arnold 76
Heath Morgan, Walton 79
Devin Patridge Walton 80
Billy Davis South Walton 81 - Advanced to Regional
Clay Cawthon Walton 83
Bronson Hill, Arnold 85
Brandon Chavira, Arnold 86
Hudson Meeks, Arnold 86
Jared Kane, Arnold 87
Chase Arnold, Holmes County 88
Dakota Melo, Holmes County 90
Shawn Howard, South Walton 91 - Advanced to Regional
Curtis Miller, Walton 91
Dylan Smith, South Walton 92 - Advanced to Regional
Rodney English Holmes County 94
Cameron Oliver Marianna 97
Luke Rowell Chipley 98
Tyler Harris Marianna 98
Justin Chamber Chipley 99
Jordan Rudd Chipley 99
Ben Palkowski Freeport 100
Trevin Howell Holmes County 100
Aaron Miller Holmes County 102
Coty Porter Freeport 103
Ethan Ellerbee, Marianna 105
Austin Woodard, Freeport 105
Alton Stone, Marianan 107
Brett McDaniel Chipley 109
Samuel Taylor, Chipley 109
Harrison Fuqua, Marianna 109
Shane Schofield, Freeport 110
Bryce Gerber Wewa 111
Tyler Whitten Wewa 111
Matthew Fleming Wewa 113
Ryan Leaman Wewa 113
Derek Fannin, Freeport 117
Jake Vermillion, South Walton 120
Charlie Horton South Walton 122
Benjamin Smith Wewa 132

The Ladies Professional Golf Association has implemented a new policy that requires all its touring pros to speak English within two years of joining the tour.

Is this racist? Especially when there are 121 foreign players on the tour, including 45 from South Korea?

I don’t think so. Of course this topic will have its supporters, who will say that if they live, play and get paid in America then they should respect this country and speak the most common language. Opponents of the policy could come right back and say English isn’t the official language of America, and isn’t this a melt-ing pot of a country to begin with?

Both sides are right and yes, the LPGA does have the right to do this.

Now, here’s why I think it’s smart. Sports at the touring level are a business. To support that business, the athletes and the LPGA itself have sponsors. If these sponsors can’t communicate with the athlete(s) they’re giving sometimes millions of dollars to, why should they keep emptying their pockets into those of athletes.

Then there’s the media coverage. The LPGA is like the WNBA, it’s on the bottom of the media food chain. They NEED the exposure. And sure they get it abroad, in all these athletes’ home countries, they need it in America most of all. How can an English speaking reporter interview a non-English speaking golfer? They can’t. There goes the coverage. No highlights. No interviews. No one cares.

The golfer’s home countries will still follow these women. They’re not forgetting their native language. They’re just learning how to communicate in new land. This isn’t like team sports. Some have said what about foreign baseball players or basketball players, who instead of trying their limited English skills or trying to lean the language, just shrug and walk away from questions. They should learn English, too, but they’re also saved by the majority of their teammates who do speak English. Golfers don’t have teammates.

In order to promote themselves and the sport, they should learn our language.

I don’t usually disagree with such a respected and powerful publication such as The Wall Street Journal, but I will now. The financial bible of America has typically stayed at bay with its sports reporting, covering it from an arms-length distance. It writes, by many standards, safe, analytical sports stories, that usually concern the most pertinent sports issues that day or week.

On Friday, the Journal went in over its head. The WSJ took up most of a full page with a story headlined “The World’s Greatest Athlete?” The story says that the Journal “asked a panel of sports experts to sift through a mountain of date and pick the fastest, strongest, most agile man of Earth.”

Five judges, mostly exercise health and science experts, from across the country, started with 79 male athletes and came up with 10:

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently crowned U.S. Open champion Tiger Woods will undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament surgery on his left knee that will cause him to miss the rest of this year’s PGA Tour season, according to a statement on his Web site.

Woods was also suffering from a double stress fracture in his left tibia discovered in late May, just before the Memorial which was Wood’s initial target to return. Woods’ Web site attributed stated the stress fracture was a result of intense training by Woods to meet his target return date of the recently-completed U.S. Open.

A surgery date has not been set yet.

“I know much was made of my knee throughout the last week, and it was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time,” Woods said on his site. “I wanted to be very respectful of the USGA and their incredibly hard work and make sure the focus was on the U.S. Open. Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee.”

Woods initially injured his ACL in July 2007 after the The Open Championship and elected to not have surgery.

Last week, Woods, who recently celebrated his 500th week as the world’s top-ranked player, was visibly in pain throughout this five-round playoff win over Rocco Mediate. He winced during tee shots and used golf clubs to help him walk.

“I was determined though to do everything and anything in my power to play in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which is a course that is close to where I grew up and holds many special memories for me,” Woods said. “Although I will miss the rest of the 2008 season, I’m thrilled with the fact that last week was such a special tournament.”

As far as sports lore goes, golf wants Tiger Woods to win today’s U.S. Open playoff against Rocco Mediate.

Except this man wants Mediate to win. The more you listen to him, who wouldn’t?

“I’m nuts,” Mediate said. “Come on, seriously. I’ve always been that way. It’s nervous energy anyway. I can’t be quiet, that’s for sure. But I obviously won’t bother anybody. I don’t do that, either. I’ll talk to people outside before I — but Tiger will talk a bit, I’m sure. He has no choice. It will sure be a lot of fun.”

Mediate knows he talks a lot. Just watch him. After every swing, he’s looking around for someone to talk to. He knows how important today is, but he’s staying humble, not taking anything too seriously. After Saturday’s round, Mediate said if he could defeat Woods, he might just quit. He wasn’t serious but that’s the way Mediate is. He doesn’t take his day job for granted and he realizes how fortunate he is to play with the world’s No. 1 player, especially since he’s ranked No. 158.

“That will change this week,” Mediate said of his ranking. “It won’t get to second, but it won’t be 158th.
Read the rest of this entry »