WEEKEND TAKEAWAYS
A LOTCLOSER TO ‘SUPER’ LABEL
WE’RE a great little country for historical revisionism and equally so with sport.
A week ago the GAA’s new football system was dubbed the ‘Underwhelming 8s’, but round two provided better football and drama.
Three out of four games were fascinating – not least Dublin emerging unscathed from the bear pit that is Omagh – and yesterday’s two were nerve-jangling thrillers.
Kerry’s comeback was the stuff of legend and, at 19, has already anointed David Clifford as one.
Monaghan’s profligacy will also go down in the annals. They had tons of opportunities to apply the coup de grace and failed.
Newbridge produced another feast of open football and controversy about referee/umpires’ decisions.
The admission to Donegal’s easier defeat of the Rossies was worth it for Michael Murphy’s performance alone.
Round Two mightn’t have been all ‘Super’, but it certainly proved some of us were far too quick to judge.
PLAY-OFF AGONY FOR MEADOW
STEPHANIE MEADOW missed out on her second Symetra Tour win of the season when she was beaten on the fourth extra hole in the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic in New York.
The Jordanstown, Co Antrim native (26) had a three-shot lead heading into the final round at Brook Lea Country Club in Rochester.
But Korean rookie Eun Jeong Seong fired a five-under 67 to set the target at 12-under par in the $150,000 event on the LPGA Tour’s equivalent of the Challenge Tour.
While Meadow did superbly to hole a long birdie at the 17th to regain the lead, she bogeyed the par-three 18th to shoot a one-under 71 and end up in a play-off.
Both players parred the 18th three times in sudden-death before Seong made birdie to Meadow’s par the fourth time around to take the title.
F1 RULES APPEAR TO BE FARCICAL
IF you thought there were some dodgy calls in the GAA yesterday, it may be some consolation to hear about Formula One’s German Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton won it despite aborting a decision to go into the pits to change tyres and cutting across the grass briefly to rejoin the race. The rules say that “crossing the line separating the pit entry and the track by a car entering the pit lane is prohibited”.
Hamilton (above) could have got a five or 10-second penalty, but escaped with a reprimand because the stewards took into account the heavy rain, the mixed instructions he received from his crew, the fact that he didn’t endanger anyone and that his move took place during a safety car period.
So, even in sports where the rules appear black and white, they can be interpreted differently.
GREEN ARMY OFF TO FLYING START
SOCCER is the world’s game, played and followed by more people globally than any other, so its World Cup truly captures the greatest interest.
But FIFA’s is not the only World Cup and Ireland have an interest in another one right now after pulling off a shock 3-1 victory over the USA in their opening group game in London.
Ireland’s women haven’t qualified for hockey’s World Cup since 2002 and were ranked second-last of its 16 teams, while America were ranked seventh.
Deirdre Duke scored two goals and the other came for Shirley McCay in her remarkable 266th game for Ireland.
Their second group game is against India on Thursday and then they play the old enemy (and reigning Olympic champions) England on Sunday, making this a World Cup well worth following.
HARDLY A PLACE FOR SMALL CHILD
LAST year’s PGA Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele also won himself new fans in Carnoustie and not just for his golf.
When addressing his ball for his chip to 17th yesterday, with his first Major still possible, a small child spoke in the gallery behind him and put him off.
Lots of professional golfers would have lost the rag and, given the circumstances, he showed remarkable restraint to just laugh and step away from the shot.
But what on earth was that golf fan (likely the parent) thinking in bringing their child to that close proximity of such a vital and tense sporting moment?
Golfers often seem too tetchy in those situations but it seems they’re not the only self-centred ones.