Villegas, Kim may challenge Woods this year

Sports

January 6, 2009

Glenmore Jones The Richmond Register Tue Jan 06, 2009, 02:03 AM EST

RICHMOND — Watching what develops on the 2009 PGA Tour may be very interesting with the Tiger all rested up and playing with a new knee.

Will he return to dominate the Tour this year as he has done in the past? Who will come out of the pack to challenge him? That is the $64,000 question.

One that could give Tiger some competition is brash, confident Anthony Kim. The 23-year-old finished 2008 strong, with a couple of wins on the PGA Tour and a winning performance in the Ryder Cup victory. Tiger Woods’ friend, Mark O’Meara, said, “Kim has a better swing at his age than Tiger had.” He may not play that six-inch course between his ears as well as the Tiger does, though.

Another player to watch is Spiderman, Camilo Villegas, who finished 2008 with a great win in the BMW Championship. His coach at the University of Florida, Buddy Alexander, called him the most disciplined and dedicated golfer he had coached there in twenty years.

Others who may challenge are foreigners Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia. Veterans Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els may also step their games up to meet the challenge.

The LPGA will also be very interesting to watch this year now that long-driving Michelle Wie is finally qualified to play full time. We will now get to see how well she competes against the ladies instead of trying to play against the men.

I am also anxious to see Coach Pat Stephens’ EKU golf team swing back into action this spring and defend their 2008 OVC Championship. Wow!

There is a lot of great golf coming up and I can hardly wait till it arrives. Patience be with thee!

Playoff system needed

It seems that every year at the end of the football season, the same old question is asked: Are the two best teams in the country playing for the national championship?

I do not think there will ever be an answer to that question until there is a playoff system in NCAA Division I.

I think it would be great to pick the top eight teams in the country and start the playoff games no later than two weeks after the end of the season. Have four games the first Saturday, two games the next Saturday and the Championship game could be on New Years Day or later. The losers in these games could participate in a bowl game on New Years Day, if they chose to.

It would bring a lot more money to the NCAA and the participating schools if it were done right. It could be worked out with the bowls and their sponsors to everyone’s satisfaction, if they would sit down and work it out. It would also be more exciting for football fans to not have such a long wait between games.

I have always thought that the teams that appear in bowl games after a two-month layoff are not the same teams they were at the end of the season. It is about the same as playing the first game of the season.

To me, a playoff system is a no brainer and I hope that I live long enough to see it happen. Mahalo!

Dedication

After the cheers have died and the stadium is empty, after the headlines have been written, and after you are back in the quiet of your own room and the Super Bowl ring has been placed on the dresser and all the pomp and fanfare have faded, the enduring things that are left are the dedication to excellence, the dedication to victory and the dedication to doing with our lives the very best we can to make the world a better place in which to live. — Vince Lombardi

I think those are great words of advice and I hope that I may follow them in the year 2009.

Final thought

Two marks of a good person: giving and forgiving.

Until next time…live, love, laugh and learn, Glenmore.

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