There is a great night of Aussie sporting action ahead with two finals of interest as well as the Australian cricket team assuming a commanding position heading into the fourth day of the first test in South Africa.
World Club Challenge
First up we have the Manly Sea Eagles playing the annual World Club Challenge against last year’s champions, the Leeds Rhinos. Australian teams have a terrible history in this event – at the moment they are on a run of five consecutive losses. So it is understandable to see the reactions from league people in England when people such as Manly chief executive Grant Mayor apparently speak on behalf of the NRL and call the Super League a “second-tier” competition.
While it may be true that this is the view held by the majority of league supporters on this side of the pond, it is a poor example of gamesmanship for a ranking official to state as much in a week that should be all about the sporting event that brings together the top teams from both competitions.
Bookies have installed Manly as favourites at $1.70, against the $2.10 on offer for the Rhinos. If you’re a betting man who values history this may be good enough for a punt on the Rhinos, with Australian teams traditionally struggling in this match
World Matchplay In Arizona
If you were to be asked who has the winningest record at The Accenture World Match Play Tournament, the lions share of fans whould guess defending champion Tiger Woods would have to be the man. Well he’s close, but there’s one golfer ahead of him – Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy who will be contesting his third final in this event tonight against Englishman Paul Casey.
Both players have already notched up their first win of the season and as such it would seem their good form has continued this week. Ogilvy’s game has improved every day, and his 4 and 2 win over Stewart Cink in the semis included three birdies and an eagle in the last four holes to completely shut the American out.
He has proved himself time and again to be one of the games great matchplay exponents and when asked the reason for this, he explains his success has much to do with his ability to handle the pressure moments, which occur with more regularity during a matchplay tournament
“You could go all year and not have a must-make putt. I’ve had 15 this week,” Ogilvy said. “So we play golf to put ourselves in these situations. It’s so enjoyable to hit good shots and to get those situations. You feel the pressure as much in the first-round match on the 13th hole as you do sometimes on the 13th hole on Sunday.”
Paul Casey is no slouch himself in the format, as evidenced by his victory at the 2006 HSBC World Matchplay event and his strong showing this week. And he’s comfortable playing with Ogilvy – the pair are good friends and members of the same golf club, Whisper Rock in Arizona.
In fact the two of them ventured across to Tucson together last week to check the course out for the first time. They are both finding it a little surreal to have each progressed to the final where they will play each other again – this time with just a little more at stake than a friendly wager.
The bookies have installed Ogilvy as a firm favourite, and you’d have to agree that is where the smart money would be.
Crooksy
