Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/24/2022

Another week, another major European sporting event leads to our weekly honors.  This time, on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.  After three weeks of grueling mountain climbs, sprints, and time trials, the Tour de France wrapped up with a surprise first time Champion.  Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark defeated the two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar in several thrilling climbing duels over the Tour.  Stage 11 proved to be the decisive blow in the Alps, as Vingegaard and his Jumbo Visma teammates outnumbered Pogacar and gapped him by nearly 3 minutes which was more than enough to take the Maillot Jaune for good.  Pogacar attacked as he could the remainder of the tour, but Vingegaard was too much.  Pogacar settles for the white jersey for best young rider, and Vingegaard thrusts himself into Tour de France immortality and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/17/2022

Another week, another trophy for winning a major British tournament.  This time, The Open Championship held at the Old Course in St. Andrew's, Scotland.  Not just any Open Championship, the 150th Open Championship.  With a field full of the world's best golfers (now across two major tours), it was a first-time major winner that stole the stage.  Cameron Smith surged on Sunday from the second-to-last group to overtake the two Saturday clubhouse leaders clear by two strokes.  Turns out, his biggest competition was from his pairing partner, Cameron Young.  The two Cameron's surged past former Open Champion and four-time Majors winner Rory McIlroy and his pair Viktor Hovland to win first and second.  But it was the Australian Cameron who took the Claret Jug.  Smith posted his second 64 in the last three rounds to finish an astounding 20 under par.  This was after his putter largely abandoned him on Saturday or it would have been even more of a runaway.  The 28-year-old smallish Smith with the wispy mustache and Joe Dirt hair showed he can play with all of golf's big boys and is the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportswoman of the Week Ending 7/10/2022

The Wimbledon (tennis) Championships is always one of the most elite titles in sports and 2022 delivered the first normal tournament in 3 years.  It's not often that a lower seed runs through the brackets, but just that happened on the Ladies side.  Elena Rybakina entered the tournament at approximate 100:1 odds to shock the tennis world and win the Championships.  Rybakina did not exactly storm through the 128-lady field, needing either a tiebreak or third set to win five of her seven matches.  Including twice in the final three matches going down one set to love.  In the finals against favoured Ons Jabeur, the Kazakh established superiority with consecutive 6-2 sets to raise the trophy.  The Championships were her first tournament win since 2020 and only her third in her career.  Is the 23-year-old just coming into her own or just put it together for one week?  Time will tell, but she is the Longhorndave Sportswoman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 7/3/2022

July means baseball takes center stage after an exciting postseason of NBA and NHL.  Don't worry, we still have plenty of room for Wimbledon, The Open, Tour de France and other sports.  But as we roll through the Independence Day holiday, we give a nod to baseball.  Albeit a Dominican Republic rookie.  Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners is quickly establishing himself as the American League Rookie of the Year and a superstar to come.  This week, Rodriguez hit 9-25 (.360).  Add 3 HR, 6 runs, and 6 RBI.  All while fueling a 5-2 record as the Mariners battle up the Wild Card standings for their first playoff appearance in 22 years.  Rodriguez will make the playoffs, it's just a matter of this year or the next few.  And he's a worthy Sportsman of the Week!