It’s hard to imagine that recent events in Minneapolis and the death of George Floyd, which sparked protests throughout the United States and beyond, would find their way to the golf course. However, the #BlackLivesMatter movement which has dominated headlines of late, has also given Rory McIlroy reason to pause and reflect on the need for more diversity in golf.
During an interview with The Guardian, McIlroy highlighted “tolerance” as a word he’s been thinking about a lot in recent weeks, whilst also observing that there’s possibly a lack of diversity in golf that should be addressed, and that more opportunities in the sport need to be made available to a broader spectrum of ethnic backgrounds.
McIlroy was also keen to speak about one golfer in particular, who overcame racial prejudices and all manner of career hurdles, going on to become the biggest star of the sport in recent decades. “My hero growing up was Tiger Woods,” he pointed out with enthusiasm, speaking with great admiration of an iconic player who inspired his own desire to succeed as a golfer.
“Tiger doesn’t look the same as me, has had a very different upbringing to the one I’ve had, but he was my hero growing up, and it didn’t matter what color his skin was, what his beliefs were,” McIlroy underlined. “We’ve been very lucky to have him in our game. I think that there should be more people like him in golf,” he concluded, firmly of the belief that further ethnic and racial diversity would improve the image of the sport even further.
Despite a deep-rooted and lasting admiration for Tiger Woods over the years, who dominated the fairways and greens at major championships through the late nineties and turn of the millennium through the noughties, it’s McIlroy who now finds himself boasting the distinction of being the world’s leading player.
After gaining the world number one ranking from Brooks Koepka in February, the money list is also topped by the Northern Irishman, while the latest golf betting odds for McIlroy have him priced as firm favorite to win each of the upcoming major tournaments. These include odds of +800 for the 2020 PGA Championship at Harding Park, +900 for the US Open at Winged Foot, along with being clear +700 favorite for the 2020 US Masters at Augusta.
McIlroy enjoyed excellent form throughout 2019, finishing high up the leaderboard in several tournaments and victory in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. This was followed by further triumphs in the RBC Canadian Open at St. George’s, the Tour Championship at East Lake, then the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.
Nevertheless, victory at one of the majors has eluded McIlroy since 2014 and an exceptional year in which he won both the Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Gold Club, followed by his second career PGA Championship at at Valhalla Golf Club, narrowly beating the challenge of runner-up Phil Mickelson by just one stroke.
Ahead of the challenges awaiting McIlroy at major tournaments later this year, he will find both pleasure and inspiration sharing the fairways with his idol, Tiger Woods. He will also be hopeful to continue emulating the success of his hero, taking another step towards catching the magnificent haul of trophies the American golfer has accumulated over the years.
Statements from Otavio, the player of FC Porto, who this Monday received the Golden Dragon as Footballer of the Year.
Speech: “I thought and I didn’t say anything that I thought. It happened by itself, I’m very happy, I was looking for [o prémio] a lot of time. I saw others, I couldn’t leave without winning this prize. Thank God I won and now it’s time to make the most of it.”
Did you tell the President that you want the Golden Dragon? “I never commented, asking for an award was not my style, it was deserved, I was very happy, many could have won. I am very happy”.
Feeling: “This is something to be proud of, this is the best person in the club, everyone wants to win, this will go down in history. It will be kept under lock and key in the museum that I have. It will get worse.” , nothing will come of it, it will be well stored.
Gala: “It’s always great, because of covid-19, the gala concert has not been held for many years. It is always special, everyone wants to be part of the gala concert. Being a dragonado, he is even more special. We did a good job and this is proof.”
Statements by Sergio Conceiçao after receiving the Golden Coach of the Year award at the Golden Dragons Gala
Golden Dragon cost: “I represent many people in this Golden Dragon. The first time I went to Olival with the president in 2017, he named the four essential pillars of FC Porto: rigor, competence, ambition and passion. Looking at it and being with it every day. My players, who don’t usually wear a formal suit as they do today, but the most competitive suit that is required, which is Pepe’s suit, give me great joy when I get up and go to work.”
Technical team and others: “With a super competent technical team, a health department, where there is not only Dr. Nelson Puga and therapists, but also an optometrist, pedologist, a number of people who work daily so that the players do not miss anything. and so that year after year they can get better and win, which is what we want.”
Techniques: “Victory. Not forgetting the people in the kitchen, in the restaurant, the people involved in analysis and observation, the equipment technicians, because today everyone is a technician… [risos]🇧🇷 Lawn techniques too, because I am very picky about the height of the lawn. I think that every detail is important and matters. Finally, a number of people who contribute to making this possible. This is not mine, this belongs to the people of Olival, who are always led by our great, my friend and godfather, the president.”
A family: “Finally, to paraphrase our Gonzalinho [Borges], I want to dedicate it completely to my family, which is not easy, and parents, as always. Not being among us, they will certainly be very proud, not least because they have received two more extremely important people in the life of the club and that together they are up there watching us so that FC Porto becomes bigger , was getting better. , become stronger and win. And let’s keep it up. Is always. Because we deserve it. We are also honest, serious, dedicated and competent workers.”
Portuguese football has reason to rejoice as two more world champions will enter the national stages, the first to win the title as part of the Portuguese team, the only ones on the field yesterday, in Qatar, among 35 players who play in one of the top five leagues in the world, so called big 5.
Enzo Fernandez, 21-year-old midfielder, and Nicolás Otamendi, 34-year-old central defender, played 120 minutes for Argentina. would advance to the Argentine penalty as Montiel quickly put an end to doubts – and represented not only Benfica in the list of clubs of great prestige, but also a league of lesser expression, such as the Portuguese, the only one of the less media and powerful ones that had players in the final.
Neither in the starting lineup (see tables), nor in the 13 options used by the coaches – Montiel (Sevilla), Pezzella (Betis), Acuña (Sevilla), Leandro Paredes (PSG), Lautaro Martinez ( Inter) and Dybala (Roma) entered Argentina, from the French side they were also called Disasi (Monaco), Conate (Liverpool), Fofana (Monaco), Camavinga (Real Madrid), Kingsley Coman (Bavaria), Muani (Eintracht) and Thuram (Borussia). M’gladbach) – if they found other players who didn’t play in the leagues of England, Spain, Italy, France or Germany, that’s a clear sign of where the money and power come from to attract great players. Some, like Enzo and Otamendi, are just over the top.ig 5 – if the midfielder was already in vogue among the richest in Europe, followed by Liverpool and Real Madrid, among others, now that he has won the World Cup and the best young player trophy in the competition … – but they shine enough to guarantee yourself a place in the best team in the world.
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