The thrill of seeing the Americans pulverized at the Ryder Cup yesterday was dampened by a man appropriately nicknamed Woozy.
In one of the most ridiculous developments in Ryder Cup history, rookie Paul McGinley is taking heat from captain Ian Woosnam for, well, having class.
With the Ryder Cup officially out of reach for the Americans, McGinley generously conceded an 18-ft. birdie putt to J.J. Henry that halved the final hole and their match. The touching act of sportsmanship saved the U.S. from suffering their heaviest defeat in Ryder Cup history. Instead, the U.S. equaled their record defeat of 2004 with a score of 18.5 to 9.5.
"I'll have a word with Paul later -- it could have been a record," said Woosnam afterwards.
What makes Woosnam's stunning ignorance so glaring is the fact it was in the same competition in which Jack Nicklaus demonstrated one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship in sports history, conceding a tricky three-foot putt on the 18th hole to Tony Jacklin that allowed Europe to tie the U.S. 16-16 in 1969.
"I don't think you would miss it but I don't want to give you the opportunity," said classy Jack, so famously.
When told recently some golfers might not concede such a putt, Nicklaus sighed:
"Then, I feel sorry for them," he said.
"The game we play is a game and nothing more ... I think that the game needs to be played in that spirit."
We should all feel sorry for Woozy for embarrassing himself and the game by not applauding McGinley.
AROUND THE HORN: Flames tough-guy hopeful Eric Godard when asked about the last time was he beat up somebody as bad as he did Edmonton's Zachery Stortini Thursday at the 'Dome: "When I beat up my brothers, probably" ... Roughnecks stud Kaleb Toth, weighing in on the debate over hockey's greatest player: "Easily, Gretzky. He had the most points, was the most dynamic player and he married a hot wife" ... All the best to one of the real good guys covering the Calgary sports scene -- Peter Watts -- who goes under the knife today ... Yes, that was former Stamp Terrence Wilkins who returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown yesterday for the Indianapolis Colts ... CFCN sports anchor Lisa Bowes is pregnant with her first child. Bowes and her husband are expecting Nov. 26 ... Sad but comical new term on the charity golf tourney circuit: The provisional mulligan. After hitting a bad shot a player hits a 'mulligan' but counts it only if it turns out better than all the alternatives. Oh, by the way, it's cheating.
PARTING SHOTS: As much as I love the Ryder Cup, if I hear one more microphone meathead talk about golfers "playing as a team" I'll drive a wedge through my Samsung ... It was revealed this week that Shaquille O'Neal has accrued 75 properties over the course of his career. You'd think at least one of them would have a basketball net out front so he could practice free throws ... Could someone please explain why few football players today have the class and smarts to simply kneel down when conceding a single? Unless killing the clock is imperative, running around in the endzone like a kid playing tag is a sad cry for attention ... Jim Van Horne has tendered his resignation and is finished at Sportsnet ... The contract of Sun Media's Al Strachan will not be extended at year's end and he will retire ... Commentators suggested there's no scene in golf as nerve-wracking as the opening tee shots on Friday of the Ryder Cup. They've obviously never lined the fairway at Augusta when the oldtimers hit the ceremonial tee shot.
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