By Tim Clark / / Column, Tim's Two Cents, Football, Golf
Two

Most that watched the Masters on Sunday were probably in need of some Tums from the wild ride we all witnessed. So how did it feel to Rory McIlroy?

In a single round of golf Sunday, Rory McIlroy played some of the best shots you will ever see a professional golfer make and some of the worst shots you will ever see a professional golfer make. It has become the Rory McIlroy experience.

When the ride came to a stop, McIlroy finally won his first green jacket. As a result, McIlroy entered rarified air by becoming just the sixth golfer to complete the career grand slam.

 

Meanwhile, golf fans were treated to one of the best Masters of our lifetime.

The day started with the much anticipated Mano a Mano final pairing of Rory and Bryson DeChambeau. After the third round DeChambeau made a point to throw down the gauntlet. It turns out his game wasn’t sound enough to back up his words.

DeChambeau did fire the first shot over the bow as he took an early one shot lead. McIlroy would settle in and take back the lead. As the final pairing hit Amen Corner, DeChambeau was in the middle of imploding. McIlroy would build a four shot lead. DeChambeau was left to sulk about McIlroy not talking to him at all. Hmm, more reason to like McIlroy.

Was it possible that Rory wouldn’t Rory? Was he going to simply coast to victory?

Don't be ridiculous. This is Rory, with 14 years of pent up frustration sitting on his shoulders, and this is the Masters. In an effort to complete the career grand slam, the Masters has become McIlroy’s bugaboo. He was close so many times, but never could get to Butler Cabin for a green jacket fitting.

Sunday sure seemed different, until it didn’t. Yet another double bogey on hole 13 —stunningly, his fourth double bogey of the week— where McIlroy essentially shanked a wedge in the creek. While Rory bumbled around, Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg started making birdies.

When Rory finally leveled out, we had a three way tie for first place. Aberg would bow out with a bogey on 17 and a triple bogey on 18. Rose, on the other hand, wasn’t bowing out of anything.

With a birdie on 18, Rose forced McIlroy to make a birdie on either 17 or 18.

McIlroy did just that by hitting a tremendous shot into tap in range on 17. A perfect drive on 18 had McIlroy set up for victory. Not just yet. Rory had more Rorying to do. Another bad wedge into a green side bunker on 18 and a putt that went wide —you could almost see his hands shaking— would force McIlroy into a playoff with Rose.

Anyone watching could see Rory was wound tighter than a t-shirt on a hot dog. I wasn’t sure he would even be able to grip his putter again.

On the first playoff hole, Rose hit a great shot to the green while McIlroy hit a better shot. Rose missed his birdie putt, and even a worked up Rory couldn’t miss from 4 feet.

The green jacket was his.

As McIlroy fell to his hands and knees we watched for five minutes or more the meaning of sports. Jubilation mixed with utter relief. Ecstasy coupled with the weight of a thousand pounds being lifted from a competitor’s shoulders. Screams, tears, smiles, more tears, fist pumps, and hugs with thousands of fans cheering and chanting his name. The fans were letting out their joy and relief for the man most were pulling for.

It was a scene, man.

Jim Nantz and company did a great job staying out of the way. Great sports television is often seen not heard. It also allowed us to view the grace of losing. Justin Rose wanted to win another major, But realized what had just happened. His embrace of McIlroy was genuine and a great example of why golf is such a great sport. Even Rose’s wife embraced McIlroy.

 

The moment was one Rory waited over a decade —a decade of near misses at Augusta— to experience. Now he becomes a legend. 

Sarazan.

Hogan.

Player.

Nicklaus.

Woods.

And now McIlroy.

If we judge careers by results, especially results in the biggest events, then McIlroy now takes his place as one of the greatest golfers to ever swing a club. If you don’t like the word greatest, then how about successful. Remember, we revere the Yankees, Celtics and Lakers, Steelers and Patriots and Niners. Winning championships is difficult. 

Winning one major in golf is a tremendous achievement. Winning all four is obscenely tough. That’s why the list is so short. Walter Hagen couldn’t get it done. Nor could Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, or Tom Watson. All of those gentlemen are on the short list of great golfers of all time, yet they have a blank spot on their resumes. McIlroy has now filled in all the blanks.

Jordan Spieth needs a PGA Championship to join the list. Spieth’s career has been up and down lately so there is no guarantee that he will finish the job. DeChambeau? Rahm? Koepka? There are plenty of great players that I could imagine joining the list but certainly wouldn’t bet on it. If McIlroy would have choked another Masters away this year —and it would have absolutely been a choke— he may never have won a green jacket. Now that the seal has been broken I could imagine him winning two or three more. His nerves will be at ease when he hits the back nine on Sunday next time.

The Masters is easily the best golf event of the season, and possibly one of the three greatest sporting events of the year. This year we were treated to one of the wildest rides of all time. Ups, downs, twists, turns, and a Rory swerve in the end. The swerve being McIlroy standing tall and not collapsing like his facial expressions had us believing he would.

Last week we were treated to one of the best Final Fours in recent memory. This week we were treated to possibly the best Masters ever.

Golf.

Sports.

Ain’t it grand. Or should I say, a grand slam.

Two Cent Takes

Golf

~I missed Verne in the 16th tower.

~My pick, Ludvig Aberg, is so smooth. He imploded on 18, but he is going to win majors. Potentially a lot of majors.

LIV was represented fairly well with Patrick Reed, DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson, and Tyrell Hatton all finishing top 15. It is fair to wonder how much better these players would do if they played more regularly.

~Good for Max Homa for his top 12 finish. Homa has been struggling this year, so maybe this gets him back on track.

NBA

~Raise your hand if you had a team with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey going 24-58. Put that hand down, clearly you are lying. It is a year too late,but the rebuild of a roster should start now. With a lot of luck they could get the top pick in this year’s draft, but regardless will have a lottery pick. The Sixers can’t afford to screw this up.

NHL

~The Flyers will go into the offseason with at least some hope. They have some good young talent including Matvei Michkov. They need to find a goaltender they can trust and a new head coach. From there it is time to start winning. The Flyers are on a five year no playoff streak.

~The Pens have 30 picks in the next three drafts, including 18 in the first three rounds. They, too, need a goaltender. Some young guys got their feet wet late in the season which seemed to charge the team up a bit. Sidney Crosby was phenomenal,scoring 30 goals on a lousy team. The Pens GM, Kyle Dubas, is caught between planning for the future and still trying to give Crosby another chance to win. A full rebuild is probably more prudent, but I am not sure that is the route Dubas will take.

College Football

~So Nico Iamaleava is out at Tennessee. He, or more likely his daddy, demanded more NIL money. Tennessee said, “see ya.” This situation seems like a column or Final Thought next week. Remember to blame the adults that started all of this money grabbing.

MLB

~Hey, Pirates fans. Hello. Hello. Beuller. If you care, the Pirates were kind enough to tell us injuries would not be used as an excuse. Just in case you thought Spencer Horowitz, Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, and Joey Bart would have this team resembling the ‘27 Yankees. That Yankees team was known as Murderer’s Row, while this Pirates team should be put on death row.

~Maybe because he set such a high standard as a rookie, but Paul Skenes has not looked dominating in the first month of his sophomore season. Not that I won’t take a 2.96 ERA, but just not as scintillating as a year ago. And he will need to learn to better manage his pitch count.

~Baltimore is off to a 6-9 start, and the Orioles starting pitching has been predictably ineffective. It will be hard for the O’s to win if they don’t get better starting pitching.

~Phillies fans still hoping third baseman, Alec Bohm, gets hot. Bohm is off to a .159 start with one extra base hit. Two of the old dogs, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, have picked up the offensive slack.

~Maybe the Braves have bad injury luck or maybe they just aren’t that good. A 5-11 start has one wondering.

~Don’t look now, but the Dodgers all star team has lost three series in a row.

NFL

~It would appear this is not considered a great draft this year.

~Cam Ward seems to be a consensus pick by all mock drafters to go to Tennessee with the first pick. Never a good sign when you are looking for a replacement for the guy you just picked 33 two years ago.

~In my mind it is a coin toss between Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter as to who is the best player in this draft.

~Whoever gets Tyler Warren will get one helluva playmaker. He may be the best bang for the buck.

~If the Raiders don’t select running back Ashton Jeanty then all mock drafters must retire.

The Weekly Shiny Penny

I attended my first college baseball game over the weekend. I never really had a reason to go to a college game, but my USC Trojans came to Happy Valley to play Penn State so I had a reason. It was a fun experience. The pitching was suspect, which is common on the third day of a series. Medlar Field is a nice little complex at Penn State with the beauty of the mountains in the distance. Both teams are having decent seasons. USC got the better of it this weekend, capping it off with an 11-6 win Sunday at the game I attended. If you haven’t gone to a college game, go. Good time.

 

A Penny For My Final Thought…

Tis the season for me to tell you what I think the Pittsburgh Steelers should do in the NFL Draft. This year I am having trouble finding the excitement for the task because the Steelers currently seem so directionless. Same lousy coaches. No idea for a solution at quarterback. An aging star that wants his respect and money.

There hasn’t been a shortage of rumors, which is typically the case.

  • Whether Aaron Rodgers signs or not, the Steelers want a quarterback.
  • The Steelers will draft a running back.
  • They are focused on improving the defensive line.
  • They will trade down to gain more draft capital.
  • George Pickens will be traded meaning wide receiver isn’t off the table.

Here are my thoughts on the Steelers draft possibilities.

My original thought was, and still is I guess, that if Shedeur Sanders drops to 21 the Steelers will select him. It certainly appears the Saints are going to take Sanders with the ninth pick. My biggest fear is the Steelers reach at 21 for Kenny Pickett Part 2, in the form of Jaxson Dart or Will Howard. If you can get one of those guys with pick 83 in the third round, okay.

I don’t know what to think of the George Pickens situation. He is ultra talented, yet he is also a misfit. DK Metcalf was brought in and signed to a four year contract. It doesn’t seem likely that the team would commit a ton of money on another stud receiver. ESPECIALLY WITH NO QUARTERBACK! Also, Roman Wilson is still alive and the Steelers don’t typically just throw out a guy without trying to get something out of that player. Wilson falls into that category.

Ultimately, I think the Steelers are hoping either DL Kenneth Grant from Michigan or Derrick Harmon from Oregon falls to 21. I personally like Harmon. I wouldn’t mind the Steelers drafting running back Omarion Hampton from North Carolina. With Jaylen Warren returning and the addition of Kenneth Gainwell I think the Steelers will wait until later in the draft to pick a running back.

The Steelers won’t trade up, but they could trade down to get an extra third or fourth round pick.

Here is my hope for the Steelers draft:

  • Sanders is off the board. Hampton is off the board. That leaves DL, a reach at QB, trade down. If Tomlin gets his way this,pick could be Jaxson Dart. If common sense and Omar Khan takes over the pick will be DL. I am going with Derrick Harmon out of Oregon. Sleeper: safety Nick Emmanwori.
  • In the third round, at pick 83, an intriguing thought is running back Cam Skattebo. I wouldn’t hate that choice, but I think the Steelers are taking a quarterback they think can eventually start for them. Sanders was off the board, and by this point Dart will be gone. Possibilities will be Jalen Milroe, Tyler Shough, and Will Howard. Tyler Shough is Kenny Pickett 2.0. Will Howard is Kenny Pickett 2.0. Mike Tomlin seemed to really like Milroe. He is a project, but I think the Steelers take Milroe in round three.
  • The Steelers may look to improve the interior offensive line so I will go with Connor Colby of Iowa.
  • Round five could be a steal. Running back Woody Marks should be available, and he would be a solid pick up. I watched him at USC and he is a tough runner and a solid pass catcher. The Steelers haven’t had much luck of late in drafting running backs late.

The Steelers really are lost right now. It appears they are in win now mode, considering the Metcalf and Slay signings. But with no true quarterback winning now won’t happen.

What the Steelers should do is trade TJ Watt and George Pickens and start stockpiling draft picks. But that 9-8 carrot is still hanging there and nobody does 9-8 like Mike Tomlin. So don’t be shocked if they reach for a quarterback in round one.

Just my two cents…