1. Even though I spent much of the day, starting at 10 o'clock, with an eye on the second round of the PGA Championship, I didn't get to see what I might have enjoyed most: 50 year old Phil Mickelson's terrific round. He fired, under difficult and demanding conditions, a three under par 69. It secured him a tie for the lead, with Louis Oosthuizen who played nearly immaculate golf, not only shooting a 68, but played a bogey-free round until he carded a 5 on the 18th hole.
I thought today about when I used to play golf. I remembered how mentally drained I felt after playing on a more challenging course -- in fact, I felt defeated and discouraged. I've played holes when I began to imagine a helicopter swooping onto the course and airlifting me away, rescuing me from my own anguish.
The odd thing about those painful rounds is that I enjoyed them, not because I like to suffer, but because they heightened my understanding of the game's difficulties, of what a demanding game it is, especially on the nerves and one's confidence.
So, today, as I sat comfortably in the Vizio room and watched the world's best players slash out of knee high grass, splash shots into water hazards, have good looking shots roll off different greens, and explode shot after shot out of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island's ubiquitous sandy areas, I experienced mental fatigue and stress. I honestly cannot imagine the psychological strength these players have developed to be able to carve out such impressive scores on such a demanding course, under such difficult and windy conditions.
2. Until tonight, I hadn't watched a single NBA game this season or last. I have devoted many hours to watching college basketball, but not the pros. For no really good reason, after the golf coverage ended, I kept the Vizio tuned in to ESPN and watched Golden State host Memphis. The winner of the game would secure the Western Conference's eighth seed in the NBA playoffs and the loser's season would come to an end.
Memphis won the game in overtime, 117-112.
I enjoyed watching the Grizzlies' exuberance. It's the NBA's youngest team (I think) and emerging stars like Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks played with enthusiasm. Brooks played dogged defense covering Steph Curry and Morant led the Grizzlies' offense, establishing his three point shot from the outset, converting acrobatic drives to the tin, and burying two crucial floaters late in the shot clock in OT. Golden State really misses Klay Thompson. Memphis gang-defended Steph Curry, and, although Curry scored 39 points, he did so by taking a lot of shots and his teammates scored inconsistently. Golden State's ball handling often struck me as casual. The Warriors committed 23 turnovers, many of them unforced errors. Their carelessness puzzled me. I even wondered if securing this 8th seed meant more to the Grizzlies than the Warriors -- I thought Memphis played with more energy and purpose.
3. I've stayed indoors for the last three weeks, dividing my time between housecleaning and watching sports on television. I've got to get out of the house on Saturday and do some walking, but, I have to admit, I've enjoyed staying home. I love the outdoors, but I also really enjoy the quiet of staying indoors, taking time to clean the house, time to think about some things, doing some cooking, and enjoying Copper and Luna's company. I don't know why staying close to home like this doesn't make me restless, doesn't give me cabin fever. It seems to be how I'm wired -- and have been for as long as I can remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment