Memorial in Ohio an honor for state
By Laurie Duffy
The Memorial is Jack's tournament. Enough said.
When the greatest player to ever pick up a 5-iron and smash a balata asks the state of Ohio and the world of golf to take notice, we do. No questions asked. That's why the Memorial Golf Tournament is the best individual spring sporting event.
And because Jack Nicklaus hosts it, 105 of the players in the world come out to enjoy the sun and turf at Muirfield Village in Dublin. Seven of the top 10 will tee it up this year including No. 1 in the World Ranking and three-time champion, Tiger Woods. Ernie Els and Vijay Singh will be there too.
But the best thing about the Memorial is the access. In no other professional sport can fans get as close to Tiger or Ernie as I did last year.
My mom and I stood on No. 6 tee and watched as Ernie sat down to take a rest. He said hello and made small talk with other fans. Try talking to a horse. It doesn't work so well unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.
The Memorial is also a book of history. Each year the Captain's Club chooses two honorees that have done extraordinary things for the game. This year, six-time major champion Lee Trevino and 1920's British golfer Joyce Wethered will be inducted, and a golf writer will receive a journalism award.
Unlike the Belmont, every year is history. It doesn't matter if there's a Triple Crown contender or not. The Memorial is where the outstanding come to play.
Smarty Jones makes Belmont top choice
By Joe Rominiecki
Every year is history at the Memorial Tournament? Tell me something: who won the Memorial last year. I sure as hell don't remember (or care).
Let me save you a lot of time. Don't bother with the Memorial this weekend. The only event that matters is the Belmont Stakes.
Ask yourself this. Which is more exciting? A bunch of guys in funny clothes walking around and tapping balls around in some grass? Or a bunch of guys in funny clothes racing on the fastest horses in the world, one of them chasing the Triple Crown?
Smarty Jones, the colt from Philadelphia Park, can be the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown. I wasn't alive in 1978. I'm going with history this weekend, because I might be an old fogey before I again witness a horse like Smarty Jones.
Besides, the Memorial isn't even important. People in these parts just pretend it is because it's played in Dublin, Ohio. So why miss a historic horse race to watch a trivial golf tournament? It would be like skipping Halley's Comet to watch a syndicated rerun of Friends.
Perhaps the best aspect of the Belmont Stakes is that the race will last approximately two and a half minutes -short and sweet. The Memorial will last four days. Who has time for that? Certainly there are better things to be doing all weekend.
And last, have some sympathy for my birthplace, the city of Philadelphia. As the guy selling bootleg T-shirts in the parking lot of Citizens Bank Park said last week, Smarty Jones is the only winner Philadelphia's got.
Sad, but true.
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Laurie Duffy and Joe Rominiecki
