[imagesource: David J. Phillip / AP]
Each week, I’ll be putting together a wrap of the weekend’s sporting action, standout moments, and major talking points, with a focus on football, cricket, and rugby.
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Phil Mickelson one, Father Time zero.
Yesterday, the left-handed superstar wrote his name in golf’s record books once more with an outrageously unlikely victory at the 103rd PGA Championship.
He mastered the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island to become the oldest men’s major champion ever, at 50 years, 11 months, and seven days old.
Sadly, Phil’s win meant another runner-up placing for South African Louis Oosthuizen, one of 11 South Africans who teed off at the major.
Oosthuizen tied with Brooks Koepka for second, with two other South Africans in the hunt going into Sunday, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Branden Grace, faring poorly in the fourth round.
As Mickelson’s putt dropped, to secure a two-shot win with -6, the crowd went wild:
Win No. 45. pic.twitter.com/XiHcYMYyht
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 23, 2021
This is the same course where scenes for The Legend of Bagger Vance were shot, with Phil’s win seemingly a script only Hollywood could write, given how much of an outsider he was before Thursday’s tee-off:
What. A. Bet. @PhilMickelson just made this bettor’s year pic.twitter.com/FWpxueecD4
— GolfBet (@GolfBet) May 23, 2021
Golf’s next major is the US Open, which tees off on June 17, and Mickelson’s odds have dropped, although he’s still considered a long shot.
Might worth staking that Hollywoodbets R25 sign-up bonus on him, in case lightning strikes twice.
Here are the full highlights from yesterday’s fourth round:
Whilst we’re on the topic of people defying their age, we should also make mention of Darren Stevens, who is essentially English cricket’s own Benjamin Button.
The 45-year-old, who was named among Wisden’s five cricketers of the year recently, clobbered 190 off 149 balls for Kent against Glamorgan in the County Championship, which included a partnership of 166 for the ninth wicket with West Indian Miguel Cummins.
Cummins made exactly one run during that partnership, there were five extras, and the other 160 came off Stevens’ blade, including 15 sixes.
It was the highest ever first-class partnership in which one player had scored more than 90 percent of the runs.
Highest first-class partnerships in which one player scored 90+% of the runs:
166 D Stevens (160 – 96.4%) & M Cummins (1*), 5 extras
Kent v Glamorgan Canterbury 2021152 T Alletson (142 – 93.4%) & W Riley (10*), 0 extras
Nottingham v Sussex Hove 1911— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) May 21, 2021
Look at the big man go:
Enjoy EVERY boundary from Darren Stevens’ 190
Watch him bowl LIVE: https://t.co/4ZkDAI69AU#LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/rgKdT0GtaT
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) May 21, 2021
He then nabbed the massive wicket of Marnus Labuschagne before the close of play on day two.
Rain ended any hopes of a result, but Stevens can rest easy in the knowledge that he continues to show up blokes half his age.
Bok stalwart Bismarck du Plessis, having just turned 37, had a fine weekend, with his Montpellier side (known as Bokpellier to many) claiming the European Challenge Cup title with a win over Leinster Tigers.
The team has earned that nickname, given that the hooker was joined by Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Paul Willemse, Jacques du Plessis, Johan Goosen, and Jan Serfontein in the matchday squad.
You can see those highlights below, with Goosen the hero as his second-half try led to the 18-17 cup win:
The one and only Cheslin Kolbe also tasted success, alongside Rynhardt Elstadt, with Toulouse seeing off 14-man French rivals La Rochelle to be crowned European kings.
Twickenham played host to another nailbiter, with Toulouse triumphing 22-17.
The PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA continues, with the Lions causing an upset with a win over Jake White’s Bulls side, and the Stormers winning away at the Sharks.
That would have stung Siya Kolisi, although he was involved in one of the game’s standout moments:
The bump and pass from Siya Kolisi to send Yaw Penxe through with his pace An epic try by the Sharks against the Stormers in the #RainbowCupSA. pic.twitter.com/XEQ4nSpgOU
— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) May 23, 2021
This weekend’s results have thrown the PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA race wide open, although at this stage I’m just counting down the days until we can get the British & Irish Lions here, and enjoy some international competition.
If you want to stay up to speed with rugby news and highlights, with a South African focus, I recommend signing up for the Rugby Mad weekly email newsletter.
A number of football leagues wrapped up this weekend, including the English Premier League.
With Manchester City having long since secured the title, and relegation also decided, the only real battle was for European qualification.
Thanks to Alisson’s last-gasp heroics last week, Liverpool were still in with a shot, provided Leicester City slipped up against Tottenham.
That they did, losing 4-2 after having taken the lead twice, with Gareth Bale scoring a double off the bench:
The result meant that Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa wasn’t a trainwreck for Thomas Tuchel’s men, who ended in fourth for the final Champions League spot.
For Leicester, though, the shine of that FA Cup win will be dulled by the pain of once again falling short at the final hurdle:
Leicester have spent more time in the top 4 than any other side since the start of last season, finishing 69 of a possible 78 game weeks in it.
They have concluded both Premier League campaigns in 5th… pic.twitter.com/mV7SZYW5V8
— 10bet (@10betSports) May 23, 2021
Elsewhere, the big story of the final day was Sergio Aguero’s final appearance for Manchester City, before he almost certainly heads to Barcelona on a free transfer.
The Argentinian was only fit enough to start on the bench, but no bother, because he joined Bale in scoring a double after coming on as a substitute.
It was a reminder of his killer instinct in front of goal, and Pep Guardiola was overcome with emotion when paying his respects after the final whistle:
“He is a special person for all of us. He is so nice. He helped me a lot. We cannot replace him. We cannot.”
An emotional Pep Guardiola is reduced to tears when asked about Sergio Aguero, who will leave Manchester City this summer.https://t.co/COVNqfr9Dr #MCFC pic.twitter.com/PthCDZVBhI
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 23, 2021
There was a cracking finish to the La Liga title race, and who else but Luis Suarez, himself having left on a free transfer from Barcelona less than a year ago, to score the title-winning goal.
With Real Madrid winning 2-1, Atletico Madrid needed the three points, and they came back from a goal down to win 2-1.
In the 67th minute, Suarez latched onto a poor pass and coolly slotted home, although some of his teammates were certainly suffering from nerves:
Love this. Marcos Llorente can’t bear to watch with Luis Suarez through on goal and La Liga at stake… https://t.co/lm562PPUs3
— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) May 23, 2021
Here’s the finish:
This goal by Suarez is a proper middle finger to Barcelona, he’s won La Liga title with Atletico yet they dubbed him “old”
— (@PeterInc_) May 22, 2021
After the final whistle, he was also overcome with emotion:
This is what it meant to Luis Suarez pic.twitter.com/t38iiD9HLd
— Goal (@goal) May 22, 2021
That’s pretty much exactly how I felt after the 2010 World Cup quarter-final, and his infamous handball.
The Bundesliga’s biggest story revolved around whether or not Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski would manage to break a 49-year goal-scoring record.
Tied with legendary striker Gerd Müller, who scored 40 in the 1971-72 season, it looked like he had missed the boat, as the match neared the final whistle.
Then, in the 90th minute, the Pole scored Bayern’s fifth, and the record was all his:
THERE IT IS!!!
LEWANDOWSKI’S RECORD-BREAKING GOAL
AMAZING! pic.twitter.com/HOdzJ4A2eH
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 22, 2021
The Serie A title was also decided a while back, with Inter Milan dominating, but all eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus last night, to see if they could finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League.
Thanks to Napoli’s failure to win, and a resounding 4-1 win over Bologna, Juventus finished in fourth, but Ronaldo was nowhere to be seen.
He started on the bench, and remained there, with manager Andrea Pirlo saying the Portugal legend’s benching was due to fatigue.
Seems odd, given that it was a massive match, and rumours abound that Ronaldo will leave Juventus during this off-season.
Add in the transfer rumours with the likes of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Kylian Mbappé, and some other heavy hitters, and there will be plenty to fill the back pages over the next few months.
Speaking of Mbappé, his PSG team have been humbled by Lille, who won last night to secure the Ligue 1 title by a single point.
Three years ago, Lille were almost relegated, surviving only after winning three of their final four matches.
Manager Christophe Galtier was elated, and relieved, when the final whistle arrived, after a late goal scored by Angers had caused some panic in the ranks:
! That final whistle, #Ligue1 winning moment #Champions4You pic.twitter.com/pbGAQPntl6
— LOSC Lille EN (@LOSC_EN) May 24, 2021
It’s not quite as outrageous as the Leicester City title-winning season, but overcoming the financial might of PSG over the course of a season is an achievement for the ages.
Finally, I have no idea where this kid will end up, but a video like this may well attract the attention of a few scouts:
This kid is a football Jedi
(via k.s.k55/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/K3kAUpsTrN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 23, 2021
Great, but can he do it on a wet Monday night in Stoke?
The major European leagues now take a break, but Euro 2020 (pushed back a year) is due to kick off on June 11, when Italy take on Switzerland.
You’re then looking at two or three matches a day, so enjoy the brief respite until we go again.
Register now with Hollywoodbets and score a R25 sign-up bonus.
You can also maximise your potential winnings with the ‘Refer a Friend’ bonus – for every successful friend that you refer to Hollywoodbets, they’ll give you a free R50 betting voucher.
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