On Wednesday we covered the WNBA as they begin their 20th season as a league. In a complete 180, today we cover a backslide in women’s rights as one PGA golf course seeks to keep golf a gentleman’s game and are willing to risk their wallets to do so.
Don’t try this at home,
The Last Night’s Game Team
PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association)
- Stepping up. The PGA has removed Muirfield in Scotland as a potential host site for The Open. The club has been removed because its members have voted to not to allow women as members of the golf course. Apparently some members of The Honourable Company (seems ironic doesn’t it) of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, ran a 'no' campaign encouraging members to keep with tradition. Kudos PGA.
- A course for charity. Finding the positive in golf, this weekend the PGA tour stops at the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas, Texas. The Byron Nelson Classic is the largest single tournament charity contributor on the PGA tour, raising nearly $117 million since 1968. For more information on the beneficiary charity and the tournament, click here.
Horse Racing
- Rainy race. On Saturday Kentucky Derby Champion Nyqvist looks to win the second leg of the Triple Crown at The Preakness in Maryland. Although it’s predicted to be a soggy and rainy race, Nyquist is slated to start from the favorable third slot out the 11 spots. If you’re betting then you should know that Nyquist’s odds are 3-5, the favorite to win.
MLB (Major League Baseball)
- Available for dinner? Texas Rangers Rougned Odor has been suspended eight games for his perfect punch to the face of Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista that caused a bench clearing brawl. Don’t worry Odor will be eating well as Heim BBQ in Dallas has offered him free food for life for hitting the Blue Jays outfielder.
NBA (National Basketball Association)
- Still undefeated. The Cleveland Cavaliers steam rolled Toronto Raptors again last night winning by almost 30 points. The Cavs are undefeated in the playoffs and have the 2-0 lead in the series going into game three on Saturday in Toronto.
- No thunder from down under. Golden State Warriors won big against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, bringing their series to 1-1. Battered, bruised but not broken, league MVP Steph Curry was on fire and scored 15 points in two minutes. The two teams will play game three on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
- Hacked. A Milwaukee Bucks employee fell victim to a scam and released W-2 forms for all players to what they thought was Bucks’ president Peter Feigin. Psych! The scammer got away with the the players’ addresses, Social Security numbers and compensation. Don't worry, the team has offered free credit monitoring to the players. Crisis averted.
Overtime
- The NFL will repay over $700,000 in revenue it received for “paid patriotism,” as revealed by an audit. Paid patriotism is money that came out of the armed forces’ budget for a variety of public recognitions during games such on-field flag ceremonies and tributes to welcome home veterans. The NFL has been criticized for making money on these ceremonies. That being said, the Department of Defense does spend legitimate funds to sponsor numerous professional teams in hopes to increase recruit numbers.
Sideline stat
- The SEC has ordered pro golfer Phil Mickelson to pay back nearly $1 million in profits earned with insider trading tips. (FYI - Mickelson earned $48 million in 2015 from golf). By paying back profits Mickelson will not face further charges. These charges stem from conversations Mickelson had with renowned sports gambler Billy Walter, who is currently facing federal charges.
Coaches’ corner
- What is PGA’s "The Open"? The Open Championship, aka The Open, is one of golf’s four major tournaments (i.e. very important hence why they're called "the Majors") and it takes place in the United Kingdom and rotates between 10 golf courses. The Open is often referred to as the “British Open.” This tournament is the third major of the calendar year, following The Masters and the U.S. Open but prior to the PGA Championship.
