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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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it was something to see, here and there.
Here at Torrey Pines on the PGA Tour and there in Melbourne at the Australian Open.
In golf, all attention was on Brooks Koepka, coming back from LIV golf to the PGA Tour. He was well received by the opening day crowd, and no doubt he felt enormous pressure about how he would be welcomed back. The fans were warm, understanding and rooted for him.
But he did not play well on a very tough front nine and wound up 1-over par, and 11-strokes back of the leaders.
The real story was the vested veteran from England, a popular career star, Justin Rose. He torched the course on a beautiful day, shooting a torrid 62, nailing 10-birdies, and ripping off 5-birds in a 7-hole span to go to the top of the leaderboard as a late starter. He tees off early in cold weather on Friday.
It was a tough day for all the other marquee names. Xander Schaufelle was never on top of his game, finishing 1-up like Koepka. JJ Spaun coming off a great season for a career journeyman, went 3-over. And the Scandinavian Ludwig Aberg was last at plus 6.
The opening day did not go like we expected it to.
Meanwhile down-under the Men’s semi finals of the Aussie Open was gripping, on and off the tennis court.
Carlos Alcaraz and Alex Zverev fought a war of attrition in the first semi-final.
Torrid heat, cramping, power serves, problems with the rackets, double faults, medical treatments and back and forth tennis.
Alcaraz was up 2-sets when the heat got to him. Struggling into the 3rd and 4th sets.
Zverev was out of sorts early in the match, frustrated by a wild serve, fought back, but then just unable to put Alcarez away when the young phenom looked as if he was playing on one leg.
The second match did not start till 3:30am US time, the Novak Djokovic-Jannik Sinner war.
It was preceded by a War of Words with the media by Djokovic, furious at the tone of questioning about lining up to play the Italian, as if the tourney was over.
Djokovic lectured the media about respect…’my 24-Grand Slams don’t mean anything he yelled, and then reminded the global media, this is not decided till the final point is played. Shame on your’.
It was a continuation of years of battles Djokovic carried with him like a badge of honor. His fight over Covid shots, his lectures about political global issues, the criticism of those who wrote about him being ‘last of the old guard’ with the retirement of Roger Federer, as if his career was over.
Pretty amazing, the big chip he carries on his shoulder as he hits 119 mile an hour serves at his age.
And for Sinner, a break to play the Men’s semi final at night, for he dragged his legs thru a quarterfinal match in 104-degree heat leading to them closing the roof. That was a sight to see too.
So the drama is far from over and it will take us to the Men’s finals on Sunday.
Quite a day, here-there in golf and tennis.
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