(column)
I wasn’t rooting for Wyndham Clark to win the U.S. Open on Sunday, but after it was over I was glad he did.Like many of you, I was rooting for one of the big stars, like Rory McIlroy or Rickie Fowler, to take home our national championship. But, after it was all said and done, it was clear that Clark was the deserving champion.
If you were an alien that dropped down from space and were watching the golf tournament on Sunday, you would probably think that Clark was just the best golfer. He certainly looked the part. He seemed taller and more athletic than those who were chasing him. He also played with a confidence and coolness that made it seem like this wasn’t his first rodeo in Major championship golf. When he got in trouble, he always found a way to limit the damage.
My main point is that while it is fun to root for the stars to win titles, there also has to be room for new stars to develop. Who knows? This could be the first of many major titles for Wyndham.
Also, as a golf fan for most of my life, you have to learn to take the good from the bad. For every Tiger Woods winning a US Open on a broken leg, there is a Danny Willett, thanks to a Spieth meltdown, backdooring his way into a Green Jacket.
Wyndham’s win doesn’t, however, take away from the disappointment that many of us felt when Rickie, who had played so well for three days faded on Sunday, or when Rors couldn’t make a putt to save his life. Either of them winning would have been great stories as NBC announcers kept telling us over and over again … about how Rickie, who in recent years has gone through a major slump, would be the feel good story of the year if he won his first Slam … or how it would only be fitting if McIlroy, AKA the Prince of Ponte Vedre, won his first major in almost a decade after he has been, so gracefully, the voice of the PGA Tour in its fight against the LIV Tour over this last year.
All in all it was a fun watch. The good news is the British Open is just a month away. Who knows what story we will get next?
Great local achievements
The month of June is not the most exciting time in the world if you are a sports writer in the Delta. Frankly, there is not a lot going on.
But, I liked being able to highlight a few sporting achievements by locals in this week’s sports section.
These achievements include: Washington School’s Brantley Nimrod winning the prestigious Don Souder Award; anglers Steve Tullos and Houston Powell winning the MRAA bass tournament at Lake Chicot; Larry Stevens and Hayden Smith winning the Father’s Day Scramble at the Greenville Municipal Golf Course; and three baseball teams in the Greenville Parks Commission making All-Star Teams and playing in the Dizzy Dean All-Star State Tournament.
Putting achievements like these in the paper, no matter how big or small, is one of the things I like most about my job.
If you know of any family members or friends who deserve a little recognition, please email yours truly at dhealy@ddtonline.com and I will put it in the newspaper.
