The Day of the Kiwi

It was a good weekend, a nice reprieve from the exit thesis and the job interviewing. I had another shot at a phone interview, but it was for a sales position and I did not come back for my Master's to get a job in sales. I appreciate the offer, but that's just not what I'm looking for. For my birthday, my parents bought me 4 new tires and a Ben Roethlisberger jersey. Now that I have a Roethlisberger jersey, I can buy a Chicago Bear jersey with my own money. Also, I got in some good tennis with my bro this weekend. Even though I don't play at all, I hit the ball as if I had traveled back to senior year in high school when I played really well. My serve wasn't the greatest, but I could hit the ball with anyone, which allowed me to blow out anyone weaker than me and knock off my fair share of players that were a little bit better than I was.

What are we talking about tonight:

• Golf gets its own section because of the many storylines, most coming from the U.S. Open.
• How about the play of New Zealand and Kiwi native Michael Campbell??? Campbell was in control of his game, shooting a 69 to win the Open by 2. His ballstriking was phenomenal, and his putting was even better. Kudos to him for the putts he made on 10, 12, 15, and 17, which kept the charging Tiger Woods at bay.
• Speaking of Tiger, it looked like he was out of it after bogeying the first 2 holes to fall 8 shots behind. But credit to Tiger, who may be the most tenacious athlete in all of sports, coming back to make 6 birdies, getting as close as 1 shot to the lead. In the end, the part of his game that has carried him, his short game, let him down while his weakness, his ballstriking, was his strength. Tiger and Vijay Singh were painful to watch on the greens, not making any putts whatsoever, especially on Saturday. Watch out for Tiger at St. Andrews. He dominated there in 2000, and there's no reason why he shouldn't dominate again. I liken his Masters win from this year to his win at the 99 PGA Championship, this is just the beginning of another major run for Tiger. He's not going to win by 15 shots anymore, but he will win more majors.
• What happened to Retief Goosen?!?!?!?! No one saw an 81 coming, especially after he birdied 3 of the last 5 holes on Saturday. It almost bordered on a Greg Norman-type choke.
• Unfortunately for Jason Gore, his week ended with an 84, dropping him from a share of 2nd to a share of 43rd. But Gore won many fans this week, including me, with his spirited play and personality. How can you not feel for a guy whose dad died the same day he turned pro, and just this week, had his car broken into, having his wife's clothes and the car's stereo stolen among other things. Another great thing about Gore was his caddy, who sported a Pabst Blue Ribbon hat. You gotta love it.
• After letting Shinnecock Hills get out of control last year, the USGA got it right with Pinehurst. They let the Pinehurst crew remain in control of the course, taking advantage of their local knowledge. The course played hard without having to be tripped up. Good shots were still rewarded, bad shots were penalized. I wouldn't mind if the Open were played at Pinehurst every year. In a year where it looked like there would be no final day drama, Pinehurst stepped up and made sure we had some, just like we did in 1999. Nothing can match the finish to that 1999 Open, maybe the best Open finish of all-time.
• At the LPGA tour stop in Rochester, NY, Lorena Ochoa caught fire on the back 9, defeating teenage sensation Paula Creamer by 1. Creamer led by 5 with 7 holes to play, but Ochoa got hot, birdieing 5 straight holes. This was more about Ochoa winning it than Creamer losing it. Creamer shot 69 and lost.
  
• This sets the stage for the U.S. Women's Open, being held this week at Cherry Hills in Denver. Cherry Hills was home to Arnold Palmer's 1960 U.S. Open win when he opened the final round by driving the first green, catapulting him to victory. Annika Sorenstam will continue her quest for the Grand Slam against the young guns Creamer and Michelle Wie. Annika is the story in golf and I'll be pulling for her.
• Wimbledon begins bright and early tomorrow, if the rain holds off of course. Despite losing to Rafael Nadal in the French semis, Roger Federer has to be the overwhelming favorite with Andy Roddick the likely choice to meet him again in the finals. This starts a grueling 2 week stretch for the Brits as their own Tim Henman tries yet again to become the first male Brit to win since Fred Perry in 1936. The most famous words in England these next 2 weeks will be, "Come on Tim!!!!". The women's side is wide open, especially in the bottom half of the draw where defending champ Maria Sharapova, French champ Justine Henin-Hardenne, and the Williams sisters lie.
• In what looked more like a basketball game, the Spurs defeated the Pistons 96-95 in overtime to take a 3-2 series lead back to San Antonio. The basketball was better, this being the first competitive game of the series, but not great. Both teams' play was gritty at best. How could the Pistons let Robert Horry, known for his clutch shooting in the playoffs, take the 3 that won the game for the Spurs???
  
• The most interesting story of the day might have taken place at the U.S. Formula One Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It started on Friday when cars using Michelin tires had trouble in Turn 1 of the speedway, one which caused a crash. Michelin then ruled their tires were unsafe for the Indy road course. The other teams appealed to Formula One leadership to be allowed to use different tires and/or have a chicane added to the course to lessen the stress on the Michelin tires, which was causing the problems. Formula One refused, so after running the warmup lap, the 14 cars using Michelin tires filed off the track, refusing to run the race. Needless to say, the 75,000 or so fans in attendance were less than pleased at seeing this. Most of the fans left, demanding refunds, while others threw debris on the track in protest. Not a good move by a sport that's, of all things, trying to increase its popularity in the U.S.
  

2 days until my birthday, 13 days until the Tour.

Song: "We Belong Together", Mariah Carey. This song is more like the old Mariah, not the one that lost her mind in "Glitter".