By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief, Digital Sports Desk
NORTON – The dateline might look familiar. It last appeared on Digital Sports Deskin September of 2020, freshly inked from the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Northern Trust (won by Dustin Johnson) in the good ole days before the Tour was as divided as the two major political parties of the USA.
The bean counters took a look at the Nielsen TV ratings and the PGA Tour execs cut their playoffs down to three rounds, to be sure they conclude before the start of the NFL season. Then, FedEx used its clout as year-long sponsor and the keeper of all things playoffs, the BMW Championship (formerly the Western Open) and Coca-Cola stepped-up with big-time money for record purses to keep the pseudo semi-finals and the TOUR Championship right where they are today, as the men finish their season at East Lake Country Club, near Atlanta.
Although the TOUR promised us a tournament every other season, thus was the end of men’s pro golf in Greater Boston/Providence as the Deutsch Bank Championship and its Labor Day finish was stopped cold in 2018 and, after a year at Liberty National in New Jersey, the Boston/Labor Day concept was briefly reinstated in 2020. But Northern Trust couldn’t be trusted and golf fans of New England were left with a free Labor Day Monday and an occasional major at The Country Club – not bad at all.
This weekend, professional golf returned to Eastern Massachusetts as a new LPGA tournament, the FM Championship, is being staged at famed TPC Boston.
While We’re Young (Ideas) and Digital Sports Desk are both on-site for the LPGA’s “FM” this weekend. Please visit DSD on Sunday for complete coverage of the tournament’s final day, coinciding with the PGA Tour’s 2024 conclusion at the TOUR Championship. (FM is a corporate real estate assessment firm to mitigate potential water/flood/other damage to land assets/HQs).
From the FM Media Center Saturday, we can note that nine players are separated by five strokes with S. Korea’s Jin Young Ko (67) – (-11) atop the leaderboard after her Saturday round. American Lauren Coughlin snuck into second place at (69) – (-9).
There’s a definite surge in the overall popularity of women’s sports, much to the credit of basketball phenom Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever who bolsters the WNBA this season. But, lifelong sports fans must always recognize the two mainstays of women’s sports – tennis and golf – as the cornerstones of activity. They’re both on display this weekend, as summer sports give way to the Fall of ‘24.
Chicago Sky PF Angela Reese might be pushing Clark in the WNBA, but there’s a long list of players in hot pursuit of LPGA leading money winner, Nelly Korda,($3,601,630 over 13 events) who is being chased by more than a dozen talented, world class golfers as the women’s tour zig-zags the USA and the globe. Korda took a pass at playing Boston this week after her near-miss “W” at the AIG Women’s Open at the Old Course in Britain.
UPSETS: Aside from the LPGA/FM Championship and WTA/U.S. Open tennis tournament, let’s look at some upsets in sports at the start of the Fall schedule of college & pro football, MLB, WNBA, U.S. Open tennis, the TOUR Championship and the women’s golf home stretch:
- Georgia Tech knocked off Florida State, 24-21, in their ACC opener held in Dublin, Ireland (Week 0).
- French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) was handed his earliest exit at the US Open when he lost in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, to World No. 74 Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands).
- A night later, No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic (Serbia) lost to No. 28 seed in Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, in the third round on the same court.
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Next week, WWYI will delve into the 2024 NFL season, but this week, it’s important to note that the rookie QB (Drake) Maye to coach (Jerod) Mayo era will wait a while, as Mayo named veteran QB Jacoby Brissett the opening week starter. … The pundits of Las Vegas have the New England Patriots listed as O/U 4.5 in season wins, an NFL low. Yet, it’s very difficult to count five possible “Ws” on the Patriots’ difficult AFC East schedule. … In other words, take the (U)under. … Boston College football opens up on the road vs (0-1) Florida State. The Eagles are in trouble, as the Seminoles will play ‘pissed’ after their loss to ACC Sleeper Georgia Tech. … The SMU Mustangs might be considered another ACC sleeper, after their 29-24 victory over Nevada (Augst 24).
TID-BITS AND GOLDEN NUGGETS: The Boston Bruins are seeking some veteran experience and influence in the locker and on the ice with the signing of forward Tyler Johnson to a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO). … Johnson, 34, appeared in 67 games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2023-24 season, recording 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound forward has skated in 738 career NHL games with Chicago and Tampa Bay, totaling 193 goals and 238 assists for 431 points with a plus-20 rating. The two-time Stanley Cup winner (2020, 2021) has also played 116 career Stanley Cup playoff games, tallying 32 goals and 33 assists for 65 points. … Norway’s Erling Haaland scored his second consecutive futbol hat trick which led Manchester City to a 3-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday, maintaining Man City’s perfect start to the Premier League season. … Going into Saturday night’s game at Detroit, the Boston Red Sox are (16-23) in the 39 fun-filled games since the MLB All-Star break.