Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Tuesday 27 June 2017
Fred Couples rallies to win Champions event in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Fred deal because everyone
Couples rallied to win the (knew there would be)
American Family Insurance 15,000 people all following
Open on Sunday for his Steve and I wanted to be
second PGA Tour Cham- in that group. It gets your
pions title of the year and heart rate going, it gets a
13th overall. lot of things going.
The 57-year-old Couples And I did do that and I
closed with a 6-under 66 played well on the front
in cool and windy condi- nine.”
tions at University Ridge for Paul Broadhurst, two strokes
a two-stroke victory over ahead after each of the
Scott Verplank. Couples first two rounds, had a 73 to
birdied six of the first 11 finish fifth at 11 under.
holes and finished at 15-un- “If Paul shot a decent
der 201. score, no one was really
“I am thrilled that I hit the going to catch him,” Cou-
ball very, very well today,” ples said. “And it played
said Couples, coming off a hard. With that wind and
seven-week break. “When the way the course played
you’re off, you kind of get and you’re leading, it’s not
excited to play.” easy to shoot 68 or 69, and I
Couples also won the was lucky enough to make
50-and-over tour’s Chubb a lot of birdies through the
Classic in February in Flori- first 11 holes.”
da. The Hall of Famer, long Broadhurst had four bogeys Fred Couples after making par on the 18th hole, and winning the tournament by two strokes the
hampered by back prob- in an eight-hole stretch in American Family Insurance Championship held at University Ridge Golf Course Sunday, June 25,
lems, won 15 times on the the middle of the round. 2017 in Madison, Wis.
PGA Tour — his lone major “Just lost my way a little He stayed at Stricker’s Stricker said. “The people people forever. So know-
coming in the 1992 Masters. bit,” Broadhurst said. “The house. came out and supported ing his name’s on this tour-
“I can take time off and swing wasn’t quite in synch. “He and I are such good this event big-time again.” nament, he’s from here, I
hit the ball, that’s not re- It was a little bit quick and buds, and his family,” Ver- Stricker made his first start in wanted to play last year
ally the problem,” Couples it’s sometimes difficult to plank said. “It’s awesome. his hometown event after and this year is my first tour-
said. “It’s the scoring part.” just sort of switch it on. I lost I look forward to coming turning 50 in February. He nament back after a long
Couples played alongside my lead and I just didn’t back.” tied for 16th last week in the layover. The people are
Steve Stricker, the tourna- play well enough today, Stricker had a 69 to match U.S. Open at Erin Hills. great, the golf course is re-
ment host who tied for third. simple as that.” Joe Durant (67) at 12 un- “We had a blast,” Couples ally for me, fits my eye.”
“I made a putt at 18 yes- Verplank shot a 69. der. said. “I can’t say enough Fellow Madison player Jerry
terday, which put me in a “I just didn’t give myself “It was a great week and about Steve Stricker. He’s Kelly had a 70 to tie for 13th
pairing with Steve,” Cou- very good chances on the we had a great field,” been one of my favorite at 8 under.q
ples said. “That was a big back nine,” Verplank said.

Pride of the Yankees Overall, he still judges “The folklore that all baseball no complete newsreel of it

Pride of the Yankees” to scenes featuring the right-
exists.
be a classic that’s true in handed Cooper were re- In real life, the famous line
Continued from Page 17 spirit to its subject. versed so he would better comes near the beginning
But that pitch is batted resemble the lefty Gehrig. of his remarks. In reel life,
away by the very elements Some cinematic chica- Cooper speaks the line at
est man on the face of the to play Gehrig. (Imagine that make his book worth nery did take place, just the end — the filmmak-
earth” — set the standard Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy reading. not nearly as much as ers knew a good wrap-up
for self-effacing courage. or Ronald Reagan in pin- The New York Times writer some have said, and Coo- when they heard one.
When Hollywood got in- stripes.) It was all about researched Gehrig’s life per managed to learn to The movie plays down the
volved in Gehrig’s story, ballyhoo because Coo- and the story behind the throw with his left. nasty relationship between
accuracy was destined to per was under contract to movie to provide an au- A heart-tugging moment Gehrig’s mother and his
strike out. Goldwyn and owed him a thoritative take on what’s in the film comes when an wife, who traded accusa-
As author Richard San- picture. factual (not that much), ailing Gehrig, waiting for tions about who was re-
domir explains, producer Ticket sales and 11 Oscar what’s fanciful (a whole his turn at bat, realizes he sponsible for his illness.
Sam Goldwyn saw a Geh- nominations (it would win lot) and what’s a bit of can’t cut it anymore and It also gets wrong little de-
rig movie in terms of typi- for film editing) proved both. takes himself out of the tails — dates, stats, lineups
cal entertainment of the Goldwyn was right to steer The Montana-born Coo- lineup, causing a shock — that suggest simple cin-
period: a portrait of a he- clear, for the most part, of per, more at home on the wave in the stadium. ema sloppiness.
roic figure with touches of baseball action scenes. range than at home plate, In reality, Gehrig decided If none of that really mat-
humor and romance. For Viewed today, however, needed lots of batting in- the night before and told ters, then Sandomir’s
Goldwyn, the element of the film can come off as struction, most of it taking his manager the next day. dogged efforts to sepa-
baseball was something to a syrupy blend of cliches, place behind his Los Ange- The crowd knew before rate fact and fiction make
be “put up with.” falling short of the endur- les mansion. the first pitch. for one big whiff.
The studio publicity ma- ing charm of “Casablan- One tale has it that he And then there’s the More likely, fans of film and
chine created a phony ca” and a handful of other broke a window at neigh- speech. Sandomir points baseball will appreciate his
tale of a national search wartime films. bor Tyrone Power’s house out that newspapers pub- book as a welcome coun-
for the right person, Not that Sandomir sees it — twice. lished different versions of terbalance to feel-good
whether actor or athlete, that way. But Sandomir refutes the Gehrig’s farewell and that Hollywood mythmaking.q