CEDRIC GOLDEN: HOW JORDAN SPIETH ALWAYS DELIVERS
Nicklaus notes Spieth has won more tourneys than he did before age 24.
In the time it takes for an extraordinarily prompt pizza guy to ring your doorbell, Jordan Spieth delivered the most productive bogey in recent PGA history Sunday and #GoGetThat became the most popular hashtag of the weekend.
The 20-minute delay on the 13th hole after Spieth shanked his drive wasn’t altogether fair to classy runner-up Matt Kuchar, but Spieth’s minus-5 on the final five holes of the Open was the stuff of legend.
Somehow he vacuumed up the clutter in his head and made three of the most clutch putts you’ll ever see on a Money Sunday. None would have mattered had he not turned an unplayable drive into a tournament-saving bogey after some much-needed encouragement from caddie Michael Greller.
“I was getting down on myself, as I think anyone would,” Spieth said later. “This is as much mine as it is his.”
With the win, the Texas ex tied Jack Nicklaus by winning the third leg of the career Grand
Slam before the age of 24. Even the Golden Bear had to bow to Sunday’s champion.
“But if you look, he’s won 11 tournaments and I had won eight before 24,” Nicklaus tweeted. “If you look at his victory total, his win today and the way he won today, Jordan has shown an amazing display of maturity for someone so young, and he has been doing that for a quite a while.”
Spieth isn’t Nicklaus or Tiger but he’s damn good despite the yips that have plagued him at times, including Sunday when he missed several short putts. This was a real testament to his resolve. After this win and the subsequent lighting of the UT Tower in Austin, he’s just two majors away from equaling the combined five won by fellow Longhorns greats Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite and Justin Leonard.
The list of Texans to win PGA majors is filled with big names, and the 23-year-old Spieth, this early in his career, is already tied for fourth overall behind Stephenville’s Ben Hogan (nine), fellow Dallasite Lee Trevino (six) and Waxahachie’s Byron Nelson (five).
Spieth’s Sunday was a wild ride. Golf needed an entertaining final round after the Masters’ final round posted the lowest television ratings in 13 years. Spieth and Kuchar delivered great theater at the perfect time.
After the news that Kyrie Irving is requesting a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers settled in, most initial reactions were wrong.
This was not all about Kryie wanting to get away from LeBron James, but about wanting to avoid being stuck in Cleveland if James leaves.
I wouldn’t be so bold as to call this another mistake by the lake. LeBron declined to sign a contract extension with the Cavs over the offseason and will be a free agent next summer. Irving has three years left on his deal. James could join Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers for the 2018-19 season, as could his buddy Chris Paul.
Sure, Irving dreams of the day he can be the go-to guy on his team, but does he really want to be Russell Westbrook 2.0? Not to mention he has played in three straight NBA Finals, something Westbrook can only dream about at this point. Don’t discount the ego of an All-Star, especially one who already has a ring. If he wants to be the alpha dog, that can happen in a place like Los Angeles (Clippers) but not without a real dip in the win column.
If he stays for two seasons after LBJ leaves, Irving could be left with a bunch of players who were built to complement LeBron’s strengths and not his. He likes to get out and run, but that’s not the strong suit of players such as Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson. He would be an intriguing addition to the San Antonio Spurs and their resident alpha Kawhi Leonard, who has the type of laid-back demeanor that would attract other stars to play with him.
Irving seems to be taking the opposite route of players such as Kevin Durant, who are seeking to join up with other alpha dogs to win titles. His could be the story of the offseason, but nowhere near the buzz we’ll get from Decision III next summer.
Newly paroled O.J. Simpson hasn’t visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, since 1985, which happens to be the year he was inducted.
We know nine of the past 32 years have been spent behind bars, not that Simpson was planning any trips to the hallowed halls even if he were out.
With that said, the Hall of Fame has reiterated that all Hall of Famers will be welcome to honor the Class of 2018. The Juice could be cut loose as early as October.
The Hall got it right here. O.J. paid his debt to society in the eyes of the law. Regardless of what you think about his involvement in the murders of his ex-wife and her friend Ron Goldman, Simpson has served his time.
Does that mean I would have a beer with O.J.? Heck, no, I’m still scared to death of the guy.