Competition heats up

As an avid sports fan, it is absolutely fantastic when major events overlap, as there always seems to be something interesting to watch on TV. 

This week, I have been glued to the screen watching tennis ace Rafael Nadal battle Novak Djokovic in the French Open final and just about every kick of Euro 2012. If that wasn’t enough, golf lovers can look forward to the first round of the US Open Championship at the Olympic Club in California starting tomorrow.

Over the past few weeks, some of the big names have been putting in impressive performances so here’s hoping that their games are peaking at the right time.

Luke Donald’s awesome performance at the PGA Championship at Wentworth to defend his title will fill him with confidence.
 
In Sweden, Lee Westwood completed his preparation by winning the Nordea Masters by five shots. Westwood, who was never really threatened in the final round, made two birdies and an eagle to finish on a total of 19 under par.

It seems to me that the media want to keep talking about the putts that Westwood misses, not the ones that he makes. They should understand that you can’t get to 19 under par without being a good putter!

There was also a strong performance from Sergio Garcia who finished in third place and stated that he was heading to California having played the best golf he has for months.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Dustin Johnson won his sixth PGA tour title with a one stroke victory at the St Jude Classic. It is great to see the American playing well again considering all the trouble he has had this year with his back problems. Let’s hope that he can stay fit and healthy and get himself into contention for the second half of the season.

Last year’s US Open champion Rory McIlory put the misery of three missed cuts in a row behind him to put in a top 10 finish which will boost his confidence heading in to his title defence. McIlroy finished three strokes behind Johnson and would have been in with a chance had his tee shot on the final hole found the fairway instead of the water!

Last week at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, Tiger Woods erased a four stroke deficit to win his 73rd PGA tour title. In his final round, he demonstrated excellent control of his long game, clinical putting and a little bit of magic at the 16th hole.

Tiger found himself in the deep rough behind the green at the par 3 16th hole and was facing back towards the water. He proceeded to play a delicate 50-foot flop shot that found the bottom of the cup.

If Tiger can keep up the control of his long game this week, who knows what might happen. If nothing else, I can’t wait to watch him tee it up alongside Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson for the first two rounds.

I predict that Westwood will win his first major championship on Sunday afternoon. He has played well recently and is due a good putting week. He will be full of confidence after his victory in Sweden and I think this is his year.