Bad sports, good sports: Keegan Bradley makes his first major tournament count

Posted on August 15th, 2011 by Alan Spoll

Despite the fact that football just got rolling, with NFL teams starting preseason play, golf was at the center of the sports world this week. Some of the news is covered below in Bad Sports, but I’d first like to focus on the positive. Keegan Bradley won the PGA Championship on Sunday. Who, you ask? That’s exactly the point. Before this week’s tournament, Bradley, a 25-year-old American, had never played in a major tournament. Even more amazingly, he was five shots back with only three holes to play on Sunday after a triple-bogey on 15. Jason Dufner, another American, appeared to be a shoo-in for the victory. That’s when things took a huge turn.

I rarely play golf anymore, and that is not only because I was never very good, but also because of how nerve-wracking it is. Imagine being in Bradley’s position, where you have just messed up in a huge way at a key point in the biggest tournament in your life. At the same time, Dufner’s spot had to be similarly intimidating. He had not yet played the 15th hole, and when he did, he bogeyed it. He proceeded to bogey 16 and 17 as well, while Bradley, demonstrating poise that belied his inexperience in majors, birdied both. Out of nowhere, the two were tied at the top of the leaderboard. They both came up with pars on the 18th hole, leading to a three hole playoff. Bradley was the clear winner there, completing a huge win.

It takes a special kind of personality to be able to excel in the most difficult moments. Keegan Bradley, at the Atlanta Athletic Club, became the latest athlete to demonstrate to me why I work in software development and not professional sports. I guess that is why those guys make so much money.

Good sports, continued:

2) Cliff Lee, the Phillies pitcher who was the big free agent prize of last offseason, did it all on Tuesday. Not only did he pitch a gem, going eight innings and letting up no runs while striking out ten, but he also hit a homerun that ended up providing the margin of victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Bad sports:

1) On the negative side of the golf ledger, Tiger Woods, owner of fourteen major championships, failed to make the cut at the PGA after poor rounds on Thursday and Friday. It was his first missed cut at the PGA, and only his third in a major.

2) Legendary Penn State football coach Joe Paterno had a bad start to the week when he was run into by wide receiver Devon Smith during practice early last week. He suffered injuries to his arm and hip, and was briefly hospitalized. He returned to practice on Wednesday, and appears as if he will be fine for the upcoming start to the season.

3) Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown shot himself at his home in Indiana after a seven hour standoff with police. The wound is not expected to be life-threatening.

4) Trevor Lysne and Jerome Frey, two employees of Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, were arrested and charged with marijuana trafficking this week. They were both then fired by EGR, and they were also banned indefinitely by NASCAR.

5) One for the “What are they thinking??” files: soccer club Real Madrid signed a 7-year-old kid to a contract last week. Yes, Leonel Angel Coira, known as “Leo,” will not be starting with the big club. He will instead be joining RM’s youth academy. Still, something is wrong with a professional sport signing a child to any kind of contract, in my opinion.

6) I kind of like the bluster of Rex Ryan, the head coach of the New York Jets, along with that of his twin brother Rob, who is the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. I was a big fan of their father, Buddy Ryan, who was similarly outspoken when he was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in the late eighties and early nineties. Still sometimes I wish these guys would shut up. Last week, Rex spoke out against Shaun Ellis, who left the Jets to play for the Patriots. “..there’s no way I’m going to wish him well. There’s no chance of that,” was the quote Ryan gave when asked about Ellis leaving for the Jets’ main rival. Sometimes it’s better not to speak.

7) Chicago Cubs pitcher and long-recognized malcontent Carlos Zambrano took his histrionics a step further than usual on Friday. After pitching very poorly against the Atlanta Braves, he first threw at Chipper Jones a couple of times, getting himself ejected from the game. He then cleaned out his locker and left the team, telling them he was retiring. Clearly tired of his drama, the Cubs placed Zambrano on the disqualified list.

Bad sports, good sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02