This week I’ve been distracted by golf and football.
I was so happy for Rory McIlroy. He makes golf simultaneously look ridiculously easy and difficult, you’re always yelling at him to go for it or play it safe all at once. He was the only adult in the room through the PGA / LIV golf thing, aware of the unreal world of golf and the people that play it. No-one else seems to realise that not everyone in the world doesn’t travel around on private jets and live in Florida compounds with putting greens and garages full of sports cars.
The Masters is the greatest tournament, with its difficult past and course so lovely to look at but so diabolical to play - it’s no wonder this was the one that eluded him for so long, no matter how much he obviously, desperately wanted it. I watched the last round chewing my knuckle for two hours, and was so, so pleased he got home, even if it meant Justin Rose missing out - he must surely be due one.
This sequence (with tasteful radio silence from the commentators) is one of the most affecting things I’ve seen in sport for a long time.
In ‘just when you thought you got out they drag me back in’ news, Tottenham Hotspur are somehow through to the Europa League semi finals, with a *checks notes* resolute defensive effort away to Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt.
I’ve been all in and was wavering near the exit door on our big Aussie manager Ange Postecoglu, whose unrelenting commitment to attacking no matter what the opposition, match situation or number of fit players he has available has resulted in 17 Premier League losses and massive Bad Vibes everywhere from fans and the manager alike.
Anyone else would have been sacked, and the slightly fantastical prospect of wining a European trophy that’s going to keep him in the job seems slightly more realistic after this one.
Thanks for reading - Richard
This week's best NZ sport content
The Herald’s Michael Burgess plays in an Auckland social football team that’s been going 25 years, with players from 66 countries wearing the shirt. This is lovely [Friends of Football]
The fellas wrap up the New Zealand summer and where the BLACKCAPS are now [BYC Podcast]
Honestly, the only thing that would tempt me to stand for election would be the chance to play in the parliamentary cricket team [RNZ]
Suzanne McFadden meets Braxton Sorensen-McGee, an 18 year old with one Super Rugby Aupiki title already who wants to play for NZ in three codes
They let people inside the new Christchurch stadium for a progress report this week, it looks amazing [Spinoff]
A long yarn with the GOAT Neil Wagner [Between Two Beers]
Video nasty
Really enjoyable - Olympic champion sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce destroys parents at a school sports day, further making the case for including a normal human in all Olympic events to give important context as to how much you suck.
Long read
If you love The Americans, you’ll love this story of real life Russian spies living in America [Lit Hub]
Recommendation
The horse that changed Manchester United is the story of Rock of Gibraltar, Alex Fergusson, big money Irish horse breeders and the Old Trafford leadership in all the detail you want from this highly recommended football history pod [It Was What It Was]
As a substacker and compiler of one heck of Yacht Rock playlist, Rich... are you going to Toto and Christopher Cross... for you know, research.