Archives for July 16, 2023

By TERRY LYONS

HOYLAKE – So sorry, dear readers – I just couldn’t help myself. The promise for the WWYI column was great sports notes, some breaking news and analyzing the latest sports happenings with some true perspective. Fake news be damned.

Right after typing the fake dateline of HOYLAKE, a town on the outskirts of Liverpool, this column went right to the dark side of the Internet and called up CHAT GPT (Open AI). There’s a simple assignment to lead the column this week, so I asked Mr. Chat GPT if he/she/it could help the cause and generate a preview for this week’s Open, the major golf tournament played each year in the U.K..

Upon review, Mr Chat GPT Open AI must’ve been sipping from the Claret Jug all night, as it spit-out the following preview, complete with its own headline and the creation of sections to nicely break-up the copy. [Comments will be added by yours truly and in brackets].

Here we go:

2023 Open Championship: A Battle of Golf’s Finest on Historic Grounds

Preview:

The 2023 Open Championship is set to captivate the golfing world as the finest players from across the globe gather to compete on the prestigious and historic grounds. As one of the four major championships in professional golf, the Open Championship carries with it a rich legacy and a sense of tradition that makes it a highly anticipated event every year.

[Not terrible, but rather vague]

Venue:

This year, the Open Championship returns to the iconic Royal St George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Known for its challenging links-style course, Royal St George’s has hosted the championship on 14 occasions, with the last edition taking place in 2011. Players will face unpredictable weather conditions, undulating fairways, and treacherous bunkers, making it a true test of their skills and resilience.

[Oh boy, BIG trouble. It’s nice to read about Royal St. George’s in Sandwich but the 151st Open Championship is being played at Royal Liverpool, a golf club in Wirral in Merseyside, England, founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the “Royal” designation in 1871 due to the patronage of Prince Arthur the Duke of Connaught, one of Queen Victoria’s younger sons.]

[The mistakes of the wrong YEAR and VENUE are about as serious as one could make, except for the old “Change all the Armys to Navy” line about the hungover scribe calling into his newspaper to check copy on the football game he’d just covered at the Air Force Academy. AI screwed up. Hugelywith a distance almost as far as you can get in England, some 300+ miles and a five hour, 46 minutes trip by car, or six hours by train, which would include some walking.]

Let’s see what else Mr. ChatBot GPT has in store.

Contenders:

The Chat-man says: “The field is stacked with the world’s top golfers, each vying for the coveted Claret Jug. Defending champion Collin Morikawa will face fierce competition from a host of formidable contenders. The likes of Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and Justin Thomas will be eager to claim their first Open Championship title, while seasoned veterans such as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and Jordan Spieth will be looking to add another major to their impressive resumes.

[A very nice listing of contenders, except for the fact that Cameron Smithwon the 2022 Open at St. Andrews while Morikawa won the 2021 Open at St. Andrews.]

[While Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas are, indeed, seeking their first Open championships, all three can add another Major to their impressive resumes.]

More trouble …

Dark Horses:

The Open Championship often produces surprise winners, and this year promises no less. Talented golfers like Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele, and Matthew Wolff have been making waves in recent years and could emerge as dark horses in the tournament. Their young, fearless playing styles could prove to be an advantage on the demanding course.

[It’s great to embrace ambiguity unless it’s within a specific sports preview. A statement that The Open “often produced surprise winners” is far from the truth. You might think Francisco Molinari was a surprise winner in 2018, but he was among Europe’s best and was ranked No. 1 for Ryder Cup team qualification that year. You’d have to turn the clock back to 2003 – 20 years ago – to find a real surprise winner in Ben Curtis at the 132nd Open held at Royal St. George’s.]

Not to beat the dead horse, here, but …

Storylines to Watch:

As the tournament unfolds, several intriguing storylines will undoubtedly capture the attention of fans and media alike. The battle for the world number one No. 1 ranking between Dustin Johnson [Scottie Scheffler] and Jon Rahm could intensify, adding an extra layer of excitement to their head-to-head encounters. Additionally, the resurgence of Jordan Spieth, who won the Open Championship in 2017, will be closely followed as he seeks to recapture his winning form on the grand stage.

[Spieth has missed the cut in three of his last six tournaments, including the U.S. Open held on June 18th.]

Historic Moments:

Royal St George’s has witnessed its fair share of historic moments in Open Championship history. From Sir Henry Cotton’s triumph in 1934 to Ben Curtis’s stunning victory in 2003, the course has a reputation for delivering surprises and creating indelible memories. Players will strive to etch their names alongside the legends of the game who have conquered this revered course.

[Royal Liverpool was the site of Rory McIlroy’s first and only Open championship back in 2014. McIlroy (-17) outlasted two rivals in Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia (each two strokes back) to take the title.]

Conclusion:

The 2023 Open Championship promises to be a captivating event, featuring fierce competition, unpredictable weather, and a challenging course that demands precision and strategy. As the world’s top golfers descend upon Royal St George’s Royal Liverpool, fans can expect a tournament filled with thrilling moments, dramatic storylines, and ultimately, a worthy champion who will join the pantheon of golfing greats.

WWYI comment? – [That’s about as vague a conclusion as any writer could be. The “fans can expect a tournament filled with thrilling moments,” had me heading to British Air to book the next JFK to LPL I could find].

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: There are “Bad Beats” and simply “Bad Bets.”Anyone gambling on the Special Olympics has a special place reserved for them in the afterlife. The New York Post reported, “It doesn’t pay to bet on the Special Olympics. Unregulated offshore sports book BetOnline began offering betting markets this year on the Special Olympics, recently staged in Berlin from June 17-25, but the controversial enterprise turned into a disaster of confusing results and stalled payouts. … Noted the NYP: “The problematic rollout raised bigger-picture questions about whether an event such as the Special Olympics, which is meant to provide a platform and supportive environment for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, should have gambling.” … Special Olympics bettors said they were left high and dry on winning bets for several weeks, and some bets were graded as losers before the competitors even had a chance to perform. … One weightlifting event in particular caused issues: “In question for many bettors was which of the listed group would lift the most weight. Lifter Bobby Hillinitially was listed as the winner by the oddsmakers, with 70kgs lifted, while his opponent, Ryan Kealey, was marked as a losing bet despite the Canadian lifting nearly double, at 135kgs. … “Multiple days before Ryan Kealey even competed, BetOnline graded the bet as a loss,” one bettor told The Post in a direct message. … What says WWYI? … Let’s not jump to conclusions on the relatively new legal gambling in many USA States after the SCOTUS bagged PASPA and the States began to regulate sports gambling in their own jurisdiction. The underworld was shopping some pretty dark gambling exercises long, long ago. The newfound scrutiny, because of the ubiquitous advertising efforts of Draft Kings and the like, is good for those who want a legal playing field when it comes to wagering on sports. The more scrutiny, the better for the bettor.”

HEY NINETEEN! Yes, Steely Dan is on tour, opening for The Eagles, but more importantly, the United States’ Women’s U-19 squad has begun the preliminary round in the FIBA U-19 World Cup. In the opening round of the tournament, being staged at the Jorge Garbajosa Arena in Madrid, Spain, the USA defeated Mali 85-66 behind Cotie McMahon’s team-high 15 points which were accompanied by four assists and seven rebounds in 25 minutes of PT. … According to USA Basketball’s news release, Kiki Rice excelled on both sides of the ball, scoring 10 points while pulling down five rebounds in 20 minutes of action. (Full disclosure: Kiki is the daughter of this reporter’s former NBA colleague, John Rice, and the niece of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice. … McMahon is headed to The Ohio State University while the 19-year old Rice just completed her first year at U.C.L.A … By the way, Kiki’s grandfather, Emmet John Rice, served as a Tuskegee Airman, so Air Kiki just might be the right moniker.

HERE COMES THE SUN (and the Mercury): The Phoenix Suns are moving forward with their free-to-air TV broadcast deal, which has been held up in a legal battle with Diamond Sports Holdings. Suns new team owner Mat Ishbia said in a statement that he was “excited to be able to deliver” the deal with Gray Television, which was previously paused after a bankruptcy judge said the Suns had to satisfy contractual obligations with Diamond Sports Net Arizona. … “I am proud that we are at the forefront of this shift to make the game more accessible, which not only serves our fan base, but also helps to build future NBA and WNBA fans,” Ishbia said in the statement. … Editorial comment: “If we all had a dime for every time a quote (any sport, any business, any descipline) started with a sentence with the word “excited” inlcuded. … The Suns and Mercury (planet closest to the Sun) are shopping their broadcast deals in unison. (Smart move). Sports Biz juggernaut Sportico was the first to report on the Suns moves.