Brits fail to repay my faith in them
EVERY year I promise myself I will not stay up late to watch the final day of the Masters and every year I break that promise.
But this time I mean it.
I am sick to the back teeth of having my hopes raised for a British victory only to spend the night watching the challenge crumble.
Paul Casey, self-proclaimed second best player in the world Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose all made moves up the leaderboard at varying stages of the first three rounds.
But in the end they did not have that little bit extra to make it to the finish line.
Former champion Ian Woosnam had it right when he said it was all about finishing the job.
And while the current crop of Brits are all magnificent golfers, they appear not to have the mental fortitude to see it through.
That begs the question why?
I am not a golf expert, as anyone who has seen me swing a club would know straightaway.
But it is pretty obvious that the problem is all in the heads of those who get into contention.
Again, I have to ask why?
Trevor Immelman had a wobble late on and a final round 75 - three over par - is hardly worthy of a champion.
But he had the mental ability to lead from very early on day one right through to the finish despite the increasing spectre of Tiger Woods in the background.
So instead of cheering on a Brit, I was left to fall asleep to the sound of players with the most ridiculous names - like Brandt Snedeker, Bubba Watson, Heath Slocum and Arron Oberholser - being lauded as up and coming players on the American scene.
Early to bed for me in April 2009.
HAVING claimed 24 medals and a remarkable 42 national records at the world short course championships in Manchester, the British swimming team is being tipped for great things at the Beijing Olympics.
And following on from the magnificent efforts of the track cyclists in the same city the week before, it has raised hopes of a massive medal haul in China.
The reaction to both teams' successes is understandable but much can happen between now and August when the world's athletes gather behind the bamboo curtain.
There will be no home crowd in Beijing and the pool for the swimmers will be twice as long, which makes an enormous difference.
It is great to be able to reflect on a couple of successful world championship performances, just don't get too down on the same athletes if they are unable to replicate those performances in the summer.
ON Friday Bangalore Royal Challengers will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in a game that is set to change the face of cricket forever.
It is the first game in the new Indian Premier League, the Twenty/20 with the cream of the world's cricketers - apart from the English - set to take part.
The shortest form of the game is popular and given the increasingly low attention span of the sports watching public, it is ideal.
The competition will be watched by millions around the globe and even though the ECB would like it to, it is not going to go away.
The challenge for the game as a whole is to ensure that Test matches survive alongside, not in opposition to, this new venture.
The full article contains 576 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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Last Updated:
15 April 2008 9:02 AM
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Source:
n/a
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Location:
Halifax