Sports fans got spoiled this weekend. The Preakness gave us another dramatic finish, Ronda Rousey reminded us why she was known as the baddest women on the planet, and the PGA Championship reminded us that no athlete melts down quite like a frustrated Rory McIlroy.
The Preakness
Napoleon Solo won the 151st Preakness Stakes in a dramatic come from behind win.
There is no Triple Crown this year. Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, skipped the Preakness to focus on the Belmont Stakes. Cherie DeVaux, the first female trainer, to win the Derby, said she wanted to give Golden Tempo extra recovery time after his demanding run in the Derby. It was a decision to protect Golden Tempo’s health (and stud value). Basically, it’s better for the horse, but bad for Preakness viewership. Viewership consistently dips by about two to three million viewers when there is no active Triple Crown bid.
With construction at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, this year’s Preakness Stakes was held at Laurel Park, MD. Laurel Park is 1/8-mile wider with more of an oval track. The longer final stretch gives horses more room to come from behind to win. That’s exactly how Napoleon Solo won.
Taj Mahal was the favorite to win and led most of the race. And it would have been a great story too. Laurel Park is the home track for Taj Mahal. His jockey and trainer are husband and wife, Sheldon and Brittany Russell- it would have a been a great story. And Brittany would have been the first female trainer to win the Preakness.
Dramatic Finish
Horse racing remains one of the few sports where casual fans tune in for tradition, history, betting on a name, and drama at the finish. Will we have another dramatic finish at the Belmont with a new winner, or can Golden Tempo or Napoleon Solo win two out of three?
According to ESPN, a different horse has won each leg of the American Triple Crown a total of 66 times. This occurs when no single horse manages to win all three races or sweep any two of them, leading to distinct winners for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
The Belmont Stakes will be held June 6, at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Ronda Rousey
Whether discussing her legacy, comeback rumors, or combat sports influence, Ronda Rousey is still one of the most important names in women’s sports history, and Gina Carano helped pave the way.
Rousey returned to fighting for the first time in almost a decade on Saturday night to challenge fellow mixed martial arts trailblazer Gina Carano- who hasn’t fought in almost two decades. The women headlined as the main card, which aired on Netflix. A reported 27 million live viewers made this the most-viewed MMA fight of all time. Carano lost over 100 pounds for this fight to even happen. Both fighters said they were in the best shape of their lives, with Rousey 39 years old and Carano 44 years old.
If you couldn’t stay up that late to watch, you can watch the full fight with the link below. Don’t worry, it’s only 17 seconds long. Yes, not a type-o. Just classic Ronda going for a hip, pulling her signature armbar move, and forcing Carano tapping out. It was an amazing comeback for both Rousey and Carano and most likely the last time we see either one in the octagon.
PGA Championship
Going into Sunday, anyone could win the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
Aaron Rai entered the week at No. 44 in the Official World Golf Rankings, with only one PGA Tour win to his name. Sunday’s victory earned him a $3.7 million dollar check and his first major win. Rai also became the first PGA champion for England in 107 years.
But what stands out about Rai to me, is noticing he wears two gloves (except when putting) on the course. Personally, I think it’s smart, but that’s because I get blisters on both hands when I play golf. (Yes, I know this is a user error problem- I’m working on it this summer). Rai wears gloves on both hands out of habit to keep his hands warm from when he was eight years old. Most likely a habit that he won’t be changing anytime soon. Would have been cooler if Rai had lifted the Wanamaker Trophy wearing the gloves though.
Rory McIlroy is the player the fans heckle the most. On Sunday, a U-S-A chant by a single fan triggered McIlroy to yell “shut the bleep up” and called his mom, I mean security, to have the fan ejected. What a baby! The number of reasons to keep hating on McIlroy continues to grow. McIlroy finished tied for 7th finishing four under par which is impressive considering he shot six bogeys in the first round.
From Laurel Park to the octagon to the McIlroy drama at Aronimink, this weekend proved once again that sports comebacks are always worth watching.
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