John and Tommy Preview Ole Miss, playing in-state schools, and more!
Tiger’s win shows comparing different eras in sports is, well, impossible
Tiger Woods won The Masters on Sunday and the next day it often appeared the media world was in a race to see who cried the most and could proclaim him the greatest of all time.
I’m not sure he’s the best golfer in the world today, but he was on Sunday.
As for the greatest of all time? Stop it. He’s the best of his era, which was a nice little run from 1996-2011 and that’s just going by the numbers. He also had considerably more marketing than any other golfer in history, but that’s not a criiticism.
You can’t even say his resurrection at The Masters was even the greatest comeback in golf’s history. It certainly wasn’t the biggest position comeback at that event (Gary Player coming from eighth place on Sunday to win in 1978 leaps to mind immediately). Tiger started the day in second place just two shots back.
It may not even be the fastest comeback from a serious injury in the sport’s history to win a major.
Ben Hogan, who basically invented most of what golf is today, had a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus down in Texas in February 1949.
The crash nearly killed him, leaving him with a double-fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture, a chipped rib, and near-fatal blood clots. The injuries caused lifelong circulation problems and other physical limitations. His doctors said he might never walk again.
The blood clots were so bad they had to tie off the venae cava, which returns deoxygenated blood from the body into the heart, which is kind of a big deal.
Hogan won the U.S. Open in 1950, gimping around the course basically on one leg less than 18 months after all of those injuries.
In 1953 he became the first golfer to win three major championships in one year. It might have been four, but the PGA and British Open overlapped in those days and going to the Open is considered a bigger deal.
Tiger did it in 2000, but that was a decade before his back problems. Hogan did it 18 months after nearly dying. He played just a year from the accident and tied Sam Snead in the Los Angeles Open to start the 1950 season before losing in an 18-hold playoff. Snead least Tiger by one in total number of tournament victories.
Hogan won 64 tournaments during his career, but didn’t play that many. The 1953 season where he won three majors was half of the total tournaments he entered. He won two of the other three (yes, he won five of the six tournaments he entered).
Was he better than Tiger? Nobody knows. Bobby Jones may have been better than all of them but he never played professionally, but there would no Masters without him.
Hogan didn’t play with metal woods or finely-engineered clubs with scientifically-developed balls that traveled maximum distance.
Oh, and Tiger didn’t have to go into military service five years into his pro career flying planes for the Army during World War II like Hogan did.
Then you get to Jack Nicklaus. You can even get a pretty good debate from some he wasn’t the best in his era, but nobody else has his numbers (including Tiger). Again, his total tournament wins came in a time when they didn’t play 10 months a year with the overall number of events they have now.
Nicklaus still has the most major tournament titles, though. He is probably still a better putter than nearly everybody on the tour today and Jack is nearly 80.
Golfers in Hogan’s entire era and the early part of Nicklaus’ time had to have real jobs in addition to playing golf.
“Golf was kind of our hobby,” one Byron Nelson told me one time. He was part of the Hogan era and a fairly well-renowed ball-striker. “It didn’t pay enough to feed the family back then.”
Don’t start the GOAT talk. That’s ridiculous in any sport because rules changes, technology, training and medical advances render it impossible without a set of common environments.
Tiger’s win on Sunday was a nice win that had a feel-good ending. He basically saved golf from itself in 1996 when the sport was in dire need of diversity and a personality. The ones who had carried it previously were getting old and doing more hobbling than walking.
Television needed Tiger as much as anything. They really didn’t have anybody that got folks terribly interested. He filled that void.
His win, in perspective, could just end up being an interesting Masters that delivered monster television ratings, especially on CBS on Sunday morning followed by a replay. Some unexpected weather helped there.
Tiger’s win was a nice accomplishment and he deserves all the accolades for coming back from a back issue that threatened to put him in the gallery for good, but it was one win in one tournament.
I’m not real sure, though, it was even the greatest comeback in golf history.
But calling him the greatest in the history of the sport is an impossible evaluation.
Razorbacks, Golden Lions meet Tuesday for first time in program history
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas looks to build on its five-game winning streak on Tuesday, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff for an mid-week non-conference contest.
The Razorbacks and Golden Lions will be meeting for the first time in program history with first pitch slated for 6 p.m.
Arkansas (31-14) is coming off an eventful week with five wins over Wichita State and Furman.
The Razorbacks most recently secured two run-rule victories over Furman on Sunday (April 14), outscoring the Paladins 11-0 in game one and 9-1 in game two.
The five wins were highlighted with a 12-inning 6-5 victory over Furman on Saturday (April 13).
The Golden Lions are headed to Fayetteville after they dropped two games to Grambling State, 11-2 and 5-4, on Friday afternoon.
UAPB (4-25) is one of four teams that Arkansas has faced or will face in 2019 for the first time in program history this season (UAPB, Campbell, Furman, Lipscomb).
UAPB is the only SWAC team to face the Razorbacks this season.
Arkansas is 17-1 against SWAC teams in program history. The last SWAC team to defeat the Hogs was Jackson State in 2014 (L, 3-1 in Jackson).
Just keep running, just keep running
Arkansas has looked to their dugout multiple times this year to add speed to the bases, scoring 34 runs off pinch runners.
Sam Torres, Sydney Benz, Maggie Hicks, Ryan Jackson, Carley Haizlip and Keely Edwards have all scored runs as pinch runners for the Hogs. Torres currently leads the pack with 11 runs.
Razorback notables
• Nicole Duncan’s 14 hit-by-pitch calls in 2019 is two-short of the single-season high of 16, set by Kim Eiben in 2002.
• As a team, the Hogs have been hit 49 times at the plate, a single-season high in program history.
• Kayla Green is only one of four SEC catchers to catch eight or more runners stealing – of those four, Green has the least number of stolen bases allowed (4) and therefore the best SBA% (.333).
• Green’s 23 career runners caught stealing is one away from ranking 10th for CSB in a career at Arkansas.
10 years at Bogle
The 2019 season marks the 10th season in Bogle Park. Since its opening, the Hogs have played 251 games there for a combined 141-110 record.
Razorbacks host Golden Lions on Tuesday in second ‘Natural State Series’
FAYETTEVILLE — Coming off an exciting comeback win against Vanderbilt on Sunday, Arkansas dips back into non-conference play Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two state programs.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home. It will be broadcast online via SEC Network+ and the Watch ESPN app.
The Razorbacks (26-10, 9-6 SEC) will be playing their second game of the year against an in-state team as they faced Little Rock two weeks ago, which was also the first-ever meeting.
Arkansas is fresh off a 2-2 week after beating Oral Roberts last Tuesday and then avoiding a sweep at the hands of Vanderbilt on Sunday with a five-run ninth inning as the Hogs pounded out a season-high 22 hits in the 14-12 victory.
The win was Arkansas’ ninth in conference play and kept it within a game of the overall lead in the SEC Western Division.
The 22 hits in Sunday’s victory were the most by an Arkansas team since 2018 in a 32-4 win over Bucknell and were its most runs scored in a conference game this year.
Eight of Arkansas’ nine starters recorded two hits or more in the game led by sophomores Heston Kjerstad and Casey Opitz, who each had four hits.
Opitz had a career day going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. He hit his first career home run in the top of the eighth inning when the Hogs were down 11-8 and started the big rally that came to a zenith in the ninth.
Coach Dave Van Horn announced that he will send freshman Connor Noland to the mound for the start on Tuesday against UAPB.
Noland was roughed up in his last appearance making the start in Saturday’s 12-2 loss at Vanderbilt, but only threw 15 pitches and is expected to be fresh for Tuesday.
Follow live
Tuesday’s game with the Golden Lions will be available via SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Brett Dolan (PxP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) will have the call.
Fans can listen to the radio call via the Razorback Gameday app and on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home as Phil Elson and Bubba Carpenter will have the call from Baum-Walker Stadium.
Pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. There will also be a live radio link available on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
Important Links
Live Video – WATCH
Live Stats – VIEW
Live Audio – LISTEN
Probable starters
(ARK) RHP Connor Noland (0-2, 5.94 ERA, 22 K, 10 BB) vs. (UAPB) LHP Carlos Benoit (0-5, 6.69 ERA, 22 K, 16 BB)
Razorback Prime Nine
• Tuesday’s matchup between Arkansas and Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be the first-ever between the two programs and the second for Arkansas against an in-state school in program history (Little Rock – April 2).
• Arkansas is 17-4 in non-conference games this season with 13 of those wins coming at Baum-Walker Stadium. Arkansas is hitting .312 as a team in non-conference games with 24 of its 38 home runs coming in those games.
• The Razorbacks outslugged the Commodores to a 14-12 win on Sunday in Nashville and notching a season-high 22 hits in the process. It’s the most hits in a game by an Arkansas team since the second game of the 2018 season against Bucknell (Feb. 17, 2018).
• Sophomore catcher Casey Opitz earned his first multi-hit game since the season-opener on Sunday, going 4-for-5 with his first career home run. Opitz only had four hits in the last six games prior to his career day.
• Sophomore designated hitter Matt Goodheart had three multi-hit games last week and continues to lead the team in the slash categories (.392/.478/.546). He’s fourth in the SEC in both batting average and on-base percentage.
• Since Trevor Ezell took over the leadoff spot (April 2), the redshirt senior is hitting .306 (11-for-36) with six extra-base hits and 11 RBIs. He’s had three multi-hit games during that eight-game stretch, including two three-hit games.
• Junior Dominic Fletcher remains tied with Mississippi State’s Jake Mangum with 17 doubles on the year, which leads the SEC. Fletcher had only two hits in the Vanderbilt series, but three of his last eight hits have been doubles.
• Right-hander Connor Noland will get the start on Tuesday against UAPB. He’ll be making his second-midweek appearance this season. He pitched one inning against Missouri State (March 26), retiring three straight batters.
• Sophomores Heston Kjerstad and Matt Goodheart are both on nine-game hitting streaks going into Tuesday against the Golden Lions. Over the last nine games, the duo has combined to hit .402 with 12 extra-base hits 21 RBIs and five home runs.
Up next
Arkansas remains home for an important SEC series against Mississippi State starting on Thursday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
The series opener is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU, while game two will follow on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
The series finale will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m., also on SEC Network+.
???? Monday Halftime Pod — featuring Kevin McPherson of Pig Trail Nation
Phil & Tye hit on the win over Vandy in Game 3, interview Kevin McPherson, and more!
Amer, Schultz conclude competition at FINA Grand Prix
MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — Arkansas’ Maha Amer and Brooke Schultz concluded competition at the FINA Grand Prix this weekend, with Schultz taking second in the 3-meter synchro.
Amer competed in two events on the final day of competition, three overall. The Cairo, Egypt, native finished in eighth-place in the 3-meter synchro with partner Habiba Shoeib, recording a 239.67.
She finished in sixth-place in the 3-meter mixed synchro, earning a score of 257.52 with partner Mohab Ishak.
Schultz competed in just one event during the competition, taking silver in the 3-meter synchro. She recorded a 290.40 with partner Murphy Bromberg, just 3.99 points off a first-place finish.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday
John & Tommy discuss Tiger’s victory, emotions in sports, plus the Best/Worst from the weekend!
Five-run rally keys 14-12 comeback win over Vanderbilt on Sunday
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas trailed by two runs heading into the ninth inning Sunday against, scored five runs and completed a major comeback, avoiding a sweep with a 14-12 victory.
The Hogs trailed 11-9 going into the ninth, but sophomore Casey Martin got the rally started with a one-out single and was brought around to score in the next at-bat as sophomore Matt Goodheart tripled to left, making it 11-10.
Goodheart was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and finished the weekend 6-for-11 (.545) with four extra-base hits and his only RBIs coming in Sunday’s game.
Junior Dominic Fletcher followed suit with an RBI single of his own to right field to tie the game at 11-11, but the Razorbacks weren’t done.
After Heston Kjerstad struck out to put the Commodores one out away from getting out of the inning, junior Jack Kenley walked and redshirt freshman Jacob Nesbit doubled down the left field line and gave the Razorbacks the 12-11 lead.
Vanderbilt went to its bullpen to bring in its closer in Tyler Brown, but the fresh arm didn’t change the outcome as Casey Opitz completed a four-hit day with a two-RBI single to left as a fielding error allowed Kenley and Nesbit to score for the 13th and 14th runs of the day.
Opitz had his best offensive day of his career on Sunday, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a home run. The long ball came in the fourth inning and was his first of his collegiate career.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Vanderbilt pulled within two after Austin Martin hit the Commodores’ fourth home run of the day, a solo shot to left field, making it 14-12.
After already using Matt Cronin earlier in the game and Vanderbilt threatening with two runners on base, head coach Dave Van Horn went with righty Marshall Denton to get the final two outs.
Denton struck out Vandy’s No. 5 and 6 hitters to secure his first save of his career.
Arkansas (26-10, 9-6 SEC) churned out a season-high 22 hits in the game and eight of its nine starters had two hits or more.
Opitz and Kjerstad both had the top hitting lines with four hits a piece. Kjerstad matched his career-high hit total and had his second four-hit game of the season.
He also extended his hitting streak to nine games and has two hits or more in five of those nine games.
Redshirt senior Trevor Ezell broke out with a 3-for-6 day at the plate, matching a career-high two doubles along with three RBIs.
Martin also had three hits, while Goodheart, Fletcher, Nesbit and Kenley had two hits each.
Up next
Arkansas is back home for the remainder of the month of April as it will start a long homestand with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday at Baum-Walker Stadium.
First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. and it will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Razorbacks sweep pair of games over Furman at Bogle Park on Sunday
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas secured two run-rule victories over Furman on Sunday, outscoring the Paladins 11-0 in the first game and 9-1 in the second.
The Razorbacks have now won five straight games and will look to continue that streak when they host UAPB in more non-conference play on Tuesday.
Game 1: Arkansas 11, Furman 0
Starter Autumn Storms is now 16-5 after recording her third shutout and 11th complete performance of the season.
Storms needed only 73 pitches to close out game one for the Razorbacks, she gave up no free bases for the 15th time this season and fourth-straight appearance.
Behind Storms, the Razorback bats were fired up, scoring four runs in the first inning and three in the second to give the Hogs a steady 7-0 lead.
Arkansas (31-14) batted through the entire lineup in the first inning, starting with three consecutive base hits from Hannah McEwen, Danielle Gibson and Ashley Diaz. Gibson would be the first Hog to score after sophomore Kayla Green was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
A single to left field by junior Sydney Parr and a bases-loaded walk by Nicole Duncan scored two more for Arkansas. Green made her way around the bases and scored on a passed ball by the Furman catcher to tally the fourth Razorback run of the inning.
Arkansas stayed on the gas pedal in the second, scoring three runs with the help of senior Katie Warrick and Green.
The final offensive push came in the fourth inning, as sophomore shortstop Keely Edwards took advantage of a bases-loaded situation to send a 1-0 count into left center for her second double in as many days.
Edwards’ hit cleared the bases and gave Arkansas the leverage it needed to take game one in five innings.
Game 2: Arkansas 9, Furman 1
After an all-star performance in Arkansas’ extra-inning win over the Paladins on Saturday, Haff returned to the circle for the Razorbacks in game two, and held Furman to only one hit through five innings of work.
Haff’s one-hitter is her third of the season, it also marks the sixth time she has held an opponent to one run or less as a starter.
Furman was the first to score in the contest, plating a run from a leadoff walk and a passed ball.
The Razorbacks picked up where the left off in game one, scoring five in the bottom of the inning with runs batted in by Diaz, Green, and senior Haydi Bugarin. Bugarin gave the Razorbacks the 5-1 lead after the first frame with a three-run home run to right field.
With two outs on the board in the second and Razorbacks on first and second, Warrick hit a single to center field. The hit scored Gibson from second and Arkansas took a 6-1 lead.
After a scoreless third inning, Warrick delivered again in the fourth, scoring Diaz from second base. Freshman Sam Torres entered in Warrick’s spot to pinch run for Arkansas and used her speed to score her 11th run of the season with a single to right field from Green.
Now leading 8-1 through five frames, Arkansas needed only one additional run to end the game and secure the run-rule victory.
For the second day in a row, a Razorback pinch-hitter got the job done.
Sophomore Linnie Malkin was called on with Edwards on first and one out on the board, Malkin drove the 2-0 count down the left-field line and Edwards scored to call the game for the Hogs.
Notables
• Diaz has now recorded four consecutive multi-hit games; she now has 12 this season and 50 in the cardinal and white.
• Diaz is only one hit away from her 200th career hit and three hits from ranking seventh all-time at Arkansas for career hits.
• While five Razorbacks recorded multi-hit games on Sunday, Green was the lone Hog to record two multi-RBI performances with two runs batted in, in both contests.
• Arkansas is now 18-1 when scoring in the first inning.
• McEwen has now reached base safely in 41 of 44 games this season.
Up next
Arkansas will continue the nine-game homestand with a mid-week contest with UAPB on Tuesday before hosting LSU starting Thursday.
For one shining day, Tiger’s back on top, but will he stay there?
Tiger Woods is back on top of the golfing world after showing he remembered what he’s learned from a bushel-basket load of major titles to add another one at The Masters on Sunday.
It had gotten to the point he was almost an after-thought at these major tournaments.
He had started to show some spark in the PGA and British Open last year following a disaster at the U.S. Open where he missed the cut.
“I applied what I learned from last two major championships today,” Tiger said on CBS from the Butler Cabin after winning by a shot.
No, Tiger didn’t make some wild shots that stand out in everybody’s memory. There were no incredibly long and winding putts, fairway eagle hole-in shots or some bunker shot that rolled in the cup.
“I was as patient as I’ve been in a number of years,” he said later. “I kept control of my emotions and shot placement.”
In the end Tiger simply outlasted a jam-packed leaderboard for his fifth Masters title and 15th major. He didn’t win it as much as he didn’t blow it.
“I was just trying to plod my way around the course all day,” Woods said.
In the old days, Tiger would have started a day like this where he was tied for second, two shots back, charged past everybody on the front nine and watched everybody spraying shots all over the place on the back nine.
Not this time.
At a tournament where it’s long been said things don’t really get started until the back nine on Sunday, there was no “Tiger Charge,” but just a smart, steady nice walk through the Georgia woods on a Sunday afternoon.
Of course, the back nine is where everybody else may have felt the pressure a little.
“It all flipped at No. 12,” Tiger said, who had never come from behind on the final day to win a major title.
Francesco Molinari who had made his way to what was looking like a commanding lead hadn’t made a bogey the entire tournament until he got to the 12th hole where he promptly plunked a shot into the water.
That was all the opening Tiger needed.
“Francesco made a mistake and all these different scenarios started flying around,” he said later. “It was an amazing buzz to figure out what was going on. I kinda liked it.”
Woods birdied the 12th, 13th and 15th. His best shot of the tournament may have been on the 16th, though, when his tee shot landed perfectly on the slope and gently rolled slightly past the hole where he had a little 4-footer for another birdie and a two-shot lead.
That’s when his experience kicked in. Even with all of his well-documented problems personally and with his back surgeries, it was hard to imagine Tiger blowing a two-shot lead with two to play.
“Last year I was just lucky to be playing again,” he said. “It’s unreal for me to experience this.”
His last major championship came in 2008 and the last time he won The Masters was 2005. Since his ex-wife beat out the windows on his car and he struggled with serious back injuries, all the talk about Tiger was off the course.
Not Sunday.
“This was one of the hardest I’ve had to win because of what’s transpired the last couple of years,” he said as the emotion of the win was evident as he walked off the 18th green.
His first win in 1997 was emotional as he was greeted by his father. This time it was his children and mother waiting for him.
“It’s come full circle,” Tiger said later.
Now the challenge is staying at the top.
The last time someone of this stature surprisingly won at Augusta was Jack Nicklaus in 1986. The shot of the tournament was a LONG putt he snaked in from what seemed like halfway to Atlanta.
Nicklaus, bone-fishing somewhere down in the Bahamas, had come to shore Sunday morning to watch the tournament and was quickly on Twitter immediately after Tiger’s win.
A big “well done” from me to @TigerWoods! I am so happy for him and for the game of golf. This is just fantastic!!! ????????@TheMasters
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 14, 2019
Jack was the oldest to win The Masters at 46 and now Tiger is the second-oldest. Of course that was the last major Nicklaus won.
We’ll see if Tiger can return to the dominant form he last showed over a decade ago.
Or if this is the end to his story.
Razorbacks down Auburn on road in regular-season finale Sunday
AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas women’s tennis team defeated Auburn 4-0 in its regular-season finale Sunday afternoon.
The Hogs got on a roll early, taking the doubles point in straight sets. Martina Zerulo and Thea Rice earned a win at the No. 2 position, before Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice clinched the point with a 6-2 win.
No. 86 Tatum Rice put the Razorbacks up 2-0, earning a 6-2, 6-3 victory at the No. 2 position. No. 88 Zerulo put the team within one of the clinch with a 6-3, 6-0 win at the No. 1 position.
Junior Jackie Carr clinched the match at the No. 6 position, her third of the season. The final three matches were suspended due to the clinch.
Arkansas will return to the court next week at the SEC Tournament hosted by Texas A&M. The Hogs will learn their opponent and seeding later this evening.
For more information on Razorback women’s tennis, follow @RazorbackWTEN on Twitter.
No. 44 Arkansas 4, Auburn 0
Doubles Results – Order of Finish (2,1)
1. Lauren Alter/Tatum Rice (ARK) def. Madeline Meredith/Taylor Russo (AU) 6-2
2. Martina Zerulo/Thea Rice (ARK) def. Jaeda Daniel/Yu Chen (AU) 6-2
3. Alannah Griffin/Caroline Turner (AU) vs. Miruna Tudor/Jackie Carr (ARK) 4-3, unfinished
Singles Results – Order of Finish (2,1,6)
1. No. 88 Martina Zerulo (ARK) def. No. 113 Jaeda Daniel (AU) 6-3, 6-0
2. No. 86 Tatum Rice (ARK) def. Madeline Meredith (AU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Taylor Russo (AU) vs. Lauren Alter (ARK) 3-6, 6-3, 2-5, unfinished
4. Alannah Griffin (AU) vs. Miruna Tudor (ARK) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 0-1, unfinished
5. Yu Chen (AU) vs. Laura Rijkers (ARK) 3-6, 6-3, 3-0, unfinished
6. Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Caroline Turner (AU) 6-4, 6-2
