Jason Day Year in Review

Takeaways from the 2015 PGA Major Championships

Another year of Major championship golf is in the books and it was one filled with history, drama, heartbreak and great shots. I had the honour and pleasure of working as a story editor on all four events for TSN this season.  The following are noteworthy observations of the impact of the Majors on the game we all know and love.

Golf’s New Shining Star

Did anyone expect Jordan Spieth to have the incredible year he did at this year’s Major championships? Probably not. In fact, before the season, Spieth was quoted as saying his goal for this year’s Majors was just to make the cut at all of them. Instead, he won the first two, was one putt away from making a playoff in the third, and finished 17-under at the fourth, which would be good enough to win 95% of the time. He’s obviously had a spectacular season, but what’s almost even more impressive is his off-course demeanor.

A big part of my job is to listen to players speak to the media, and pick the best 15 or 20 second soundbite to air on TSN. It’s generally very difficult to pick the best one whenever I listen to Spieth’s press conferences because there are so many to choose from. Spieth is very methodical, candid and descriptive when summarizing his play during his round. He doesn’t speak in generalities and clichés (something Tiger Woods has always been known for). Whenever I listen to Spieth, I feel like I actually learn something, whether it’s why he looks at the hole for certain putts, or how he blocks out the thought of going for a career grand slam.

The other aspect of Spieth’s off-course demeanor that is incredibly impressive is his selflessness. Whenever he talks to the media, instead of saying “I played well” he says “we played well”. The we is mainly including his caddy, Michael Greller, as well as the rest of his team who helps him prepare for his round. Every player’s caddy is obviously incredibly influential with every shot on the course, and the inclusive way that Spieth appreciates that by saying “we made a good birdie on 2” is defines his personality and is something we’ve rarely witnessed before. 

Why Tiger Woods Doesn’t Matter Anymore

A question for anyone reading this: how many of you who watched the golf this weekend actually missed Tiger Woods playing? For this first time in his career, he missed 3 straight cuts at Major championships. To put that into perspective, Woods has missed more cuts at major championships in the past 2 years (4), than the rest of his pro career combined (3). 

Throughout his latest swing change, Woods has been candid about how this “process” is getting “closer”. Many media-types have blasted Woods since he’s made the swing changes with Chris Como. Even as he continued to struggle, Woods consistently got the most TV coverage on Thursday and Friday at the PGA Championship. When Woods was dominating, he was one of the longest drivers on tour, as well as one of the best putters. Unfortunately for him he’s not getting any younger and now at 39 years old, the majority of the younger players coming up are flying it by him. As for his putting, during Tiger’s prime, he would drain all of the “must-make putts”. Nowadays, his putting is only average, and he’s admitted that he hasn’t worked on it as hard this season, since he’s tried to overcome the issues surrounding the rest of his game. One thing is very clear: Tiger is on the back nine of his career right now.

The New Big Three

Now that Woods and Phil Mickelson are the declining elder statesmen, we’re certainly witnessing a new era of golf. The next generation is taking golf to a whole new level of play. Rory McIlroy dominated the Majors during the 2014 season. Spieth dominated them this year and Jason Day battled through vertigo at the US Open, left a putt short to make a playoff at the Open Championship, and won the PGA Championship in historic fashion. These three are all very young, (the oldest being Day, at 27), they’re all personable with the media, and are all marketing dreams for both TV networks and corporate sponsors. It’s certainly going to be exciting to watch these three duke it out for years to come on the PGA Tour. The game of golf is definitely in great shape right now and the future looks very bright. Stay tuned!

US Open Recap

Hosting Junior Hockey Magazine on TSN Radio - January 2014

US Open Recap

TSN Radio Hosting Debut

Just What The Doctor Ordered

Are the Toronto Maple Leafs finally on their way up?

Over the past few weeks, the sporting world has been dominated by talk of the NHL shutting down with yet another lockout. Although the League will be taking a huge hit in small market cities in the US and losing many fans, an extended work stoppage may actually be a blessing in disguise for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

One of Toronto’s major downfalls over the past several seasons has been their goaltending. When the games matter most, Maple Leafs’ netminders haven’t been able to make the big saves. James Reimer appeared to be the Leafs’ saviour after his great 2010-11 campaign, but struggled immensely last season. The next goalie in line for the Leafs is Ben Scrivens. The former Cornell Big Red has had two great seasons with the Toronto Marlies and even led them to the American Hockey League finals last year. The Spruce Grove, Alberta native is very technically sound and seems to perform well under pressure.  Yet another year of AHL seasoning might be best for both Scrivens and the future of the Maple Leafs, if the NHL has an extended lockout.

Back in 2008, the Maple Leafs selected Luke Schenn as their 5^th overall pick. The Saskatoon native had a successful rookie season and members of Leafs’ management touted Luke as a ‘future captain.’ His last few years obviously didn’t turn out as well as anticipated and he is no longer a member of the organization. Now this past June, the Leafs selected Morgan Rielly, another defenceman from Western Canada with the 5^th overall pick in the draft and GM Brian Burke called him the ‘best player available.’ The expectations will be lofty for the 18 year old and I’m sure he’d be given every opportunity to make the NHL roster this year. However, whether the lockout continues for one more week or an entire season, I believe Rielly should return to the Western Hockey League for another year of development and play a lead role on the Canadian World Junior team. Toronto fans don’t want to see another Luke Schenn type of situation again and another year of junior hockey would benefit both Rielly and the organization in every way possible.

My final rationale requires some good luck for the blue and white. After the 2004-05 season was cancelled, the League held a lottery to decide the order of the June’05 entry draft. Of course, the Pittsburgh Penguins won that lottery and chose Sidney Crosby first overall. They’ve since become one of the most exciting teams in our sport, have won a Stanley Cup and won’t have to worry about team ownership issues moving forward.

Back to this year, if both sides can’t agree on a new CBA and the entire season is cancelled, another lottery will occur to decide the order that teams will draft next June. The Maple Leafs had the fifth worst record in the NHL in 2011-12, so they’d have a chance to potentially receive the number one selection for the draft. The top prospect for the upcoming draft is Nathan MacKinnon, who happens to reside from the same city as Crosby, in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. MacKinnon (17) led all QMJHL rookies in playoff scoring last season and many have compared his style of play to that of Crosby. I’ve been fortunate to speak to Nathan a few times and he really appears ready for the national spotlight. If the Maple Leafs are lucky enough to get the first overall selection, they would finally be able to acquire the caliber of franchise player they so desperately need.

Hockey fans across this country obviously don’t want to witness or deal with a lockout. But for crazed Leafs fans in Toronto, it may finally be the catalyst for rebuilding the franchise.