Rory McIlroy won the Tour Championship Aug. 25, in the 2019 FedEx Cup Playoffs in New Jersey, by three shots over Xander Schauffele. I actually like the new system for scoring; it's like a reverse handicap that gives the advantage to the season's best players.
McIlroy had a very successful season, winning the Players' Championship and the Canadian Open. So he started the tournament at five under par. The leader at the beginning, Justin Thomas, did not have a good first round. So the tournament was wide open for the top 10 players on the leaderboard.
McIlroy was one of the favorites to win because of his previous history on the Eastlake Golf Course, as he won the Tour Championship there in 2016. It was a fitting conclusion to the year in golf.
The US Open tennis tournament has begun. I hope at least one American male tennis player makes it to the quarterfinals because this generation has not performed well in the major championships. The last American to win a major was Andy Roddick in 2003.
On the women’s side, as always, the story will be whether or not Serena Williams can win a record 24th grand slam tournament. I think she will have one more full year of grand slams to win her 24th and 25th titles of all time. We will see what happens.
The NFL regular season starts next Sunday and Monday for all teams. The Eagles are expecting to make the playoffs easily this season because of a weaker-than-usual NFC East division. The Washington Redskins and New York Giants are both rebuilding. So the Eagles' only competition is with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles could be favorite to get to the Super Bowl if the offense performs up to its ability. For the AFC, I hope somebody other than the Patriots makes it to the big game this year.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
