Wie disqualified, Norman's remarkable performance and ESPY snub - Jul 21, 2008 | 10:04:18
posted by: Howard Smith
- Michelle Wie, the 18-year-old professional golfer, was one of the big stories this weekend. After three rounds of the State Farm Classic, the current Stanford-attendee (Wie is attending the school part-time, but as a professional is not permitted to compete as a student-athlete) was one shot off the lead. It could have been her first career win. After she finished playing on Saturday, however, Wie was disqualified from the tournament for failing to sign her scorecard after the previous day's round. The Associated Press reported, "Wie told reporters that after she finished her round Friday, she left the tent just above the ninth green where players sign their scorecards. She was chased down by volunteers working in the tent, who pointed out she hadn't signed. Wie returned to the tent and signed the card, and 'I thought it would be OK,' she said." Regardless of level, every golfer knows you must sign after your round. Even though this rule might be considered a little silly, and perhaps the necessity of signing scorecards is outdated considering modern technology, it's the rule nonetheless. Do you think the Wie situation was handled properly?
- We also have to make mention of Greg Norman's remarkable performance at the British Open over the weekend. The 53-year-old had the 54-hole lead heading into Sunday's final round before coming up short, finishing in third place. For Norman--who has been virtually a part-time golfer over the last several years--it's an incredible finish, especially because there have been reports he's playing more tennis than golf these days with his new wife, tennis legend Chris Evert. Considering Norman's circumstances and the brutal weather conditions that the players faced all weekend, it was a remarkable performance by Norman that was fun to watch. We wrote recently about older athletes making it happen on the world stage. Why do you think these older athletes are able to remain competitive?
- Justin Timberlake asked the Central Washington and Western Oregon softball players to carry him off the stage during the ESPY Awards, which aired last night. Another memorable experience was seeing former Bills tight-end Kevin Everett walk onto stage, less than a year after breaking his neck. Doctors gave him little chance to ever walk again. What an amazing story when you consider what the man had to go through over the last nine months.
- We were disappointed, however, with the "Best Play" winner, David Tyree's catch in the Super Bowl. What about Trinity (Texas) 15-lateral miracle versus Millsaps? Yes, the Giants play was done on the biggest stage and helped them win the Super Bowl, but do you really think it was better than the absolutely insane, once-in-a-lifetime miracle by Trinity?
- Following up on a story that we have tracked over the last few weeks, it was announced on Friday that double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius would not compete on the South African Olympic team. It's probably not the last time we hear from the 21-year-old, who says he is already focused on the 2012 Olympics.
