The PGA Tour did not officially become known as such until 1975, but formally began eight years earlier, when the organisation that would become the PGA Tour, the Tournament Players Division, split from the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America. Since then, the golfer with most appearances is American Mark Brooks, who teed it up an astonishing 803 times during a career spanning 35 years.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas on March 25, 1961, Brooks made his PGA Tour debut in the Colonial National Invitation at Colonial Country Club in his hometown on May 15, 1983. He missed the cut on that occasion, as he did in his next three tournaments, but retained PGA Tour playing privileges by virtue of a tied-seventh place finish in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament at the Tournament Players Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
It was a similar story in 1985, 1986 and 1987 but, in 1988, Brooks enjoyed a breakthrough year, in which he won the Greater Hartford Open (now the Travelers Championship) at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut after a three-way playoff. Thereafter, he would win six more PGA Tour tournaments, enjoying the best year of his career in 1996, when he won three times, including his one and only major championship, the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, again after a playoff.
Aside from his seven wins on the PGA Tour, Brooks also finished second four times, including in the US Open Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2001, and third eight times, including tied-third in the Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland in 1995. All told, he made 430 cuts, finished in the top ten 58 times and earned just shy of $9.5 million in official prize money. Brooks made his final PGA Tour appearance in the
CareerBuilder Challenge on the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California in January, 2018.
The Premier League Darts tournament is hosted by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), the leading professional darts organisation in the world. Established in 1992 by Barry Hearn, the PDC has played a pivotal role in shaping the modern landscape of professional darts. With its innovative approach and commitment to excellence, the PDC has elevated darts into a thrilling and highly competitive sport.
The Premier League Darts, a flagship tournament of the PDC, captivates fans around the globe. Since its inception in 2005, this prestigious event has become a highlight of the darts calendar. Featuring a star-studded lineup of elite players, the tournament unfolds in a captivating round-robin format, where the competitors face off against each other twice. The top four players from the regular season earn the coveted spots in the play-offs, adding an extra layer of intensity to the spectacle.
As one of the most lucrative darts tournaments, the Premier League Darts offers a substantial prize pool, with the winner claiming an impressive £250,000. This substantial reward not only attracts top talent but also fuels the fierce competition that ensues on the oche.
Beyond the Premier League Darts, the PDC organises a myriad of other esteemed tournaments that contribute to the sport’s global appeal. The World Championship, World Matchplay, and European Championship are just a few examples of the PDC’s commitment to providing thrilling and high-stakes competitions for both players and fans.
The PDC’s influence extends beyond organising tournaments. The organisation actively supports the growth and development of darts through initiatives like the PDC Unicorn World Darts Development Tour. This developmental tour nurtures up-and-coming talent, fostering the next generation of darts superstars.
According to Guinness World Records, the record for ducks in Test match cricket is 43 and is held by one of the greatest, if not the greatest, tail-enders of all time, Courtney Walsh. Born in Kingston, Jamaica on October 30. 1962, Walsh was, of course, best known as an aggressive fast bowler who, alongside Curtley Ambrose, formed a formidable new-ball partnership throughout the nineties. Indeed, on March 19, 2001, Walsh became the first bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets and by the time of his retirement from international cricket, at the end of the fifth and final Test of the South Africa Tour of West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston on April 23, 2001, had increased his career tally to a then-record 519 Test wickets.
However, while Walsh was world class with the ball, he was the epitome of an out-and-out specialist bowler, whose comical antics with the bat became the stuff of legend. ‘Cuddy’, as he was known to his friends and family, made his Test debut in the first Test of the West Indies tour of Australia at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) in Perth on November 10, 1984. He scored 9 not out in a West Indies first innings total of 416 – the first of 61 occasions on which he would be left at the crease at the end of a Test match innings – and did not need to bat again as the tourists won by an inning and 112 runs.
All told, Walsh played 132 Test matches for West Indies and, in 185 innings, scored 936 runs at an average of 7.54. Highlights of his less-than-stellar career as a Test match batsman included a high score of 30, achieved during a partnership of 57 with Ambrose for the ninth wicket in the first innings of the third Test of the West Indies tour of Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in December, 1988. Lowlights, though, included a ‘pair’, when captain, in the second Test of the West Indies tour of Pakistan at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in 1997.
Paolo Di Canio’s tenure as manager of English club Sunderland was abruptly cut short on 9 October 2013, causing quite a stir in the football world. After just 13 games in charge, the Italian found himself facing the door. Di Canio’s departure was met with controversy and divided opinions among fans and pundits alike.
The decision to dismiss Di Canio was influenced by multiple factors. One key reason was the team’s lacklustre performance under his leadership. With only one victory in their opening eight Premier League matches, Sunderland found themselves languishing at the bottom of the table. Such results raised concerns about the team’s prospects and ultimately led to the managerial change.
However, the Italian’s strained relationships with some of the senior players added fuel to the fire. Public disagreements and conflicts with captain John O’Shea and midfielder Lee Cattermole cast a shadow over the club’s atmosphere. Reports emerged of a toxic environment, with allegations of verbal abuse directed at players. These issues further eroded the trust and cohesion within the squad.
Additionally, Di Canio faced criticism for his transfer decisions. The sale of key players, including Stephane Sessegnon and Connor Wickham, raised eyebrows and fueled discontent among supporters. These actions were perceived by some as detrimental to the club’s long-term prospects and contributed to the growing unrest surrounding the manager.
There is no denying that Di Canio was a character and fans either loved him or loathed him. As a player, he was entertaining and the same could be said for him as a manager, however, as a manager you are remembered for your achievements and at Sunderland, achievements were lacking.
Once upon a time, the nomenclature of golf clubs was about as unambiguous as it could be. Irons were so-called because their club heads were made of iron – or, at least, iron combined with carbon to form carbon steel or stainless steel – and woods were so-called because their club heads were made from wood, predominantly persimmon. Of course, that was until the late seventies or, in fact, probably a decade or so later. By that stage, metal ‘wood’ technology had gained sufficient traction to become popular among the rank and file of golfers. For the record, the first golfer to win a major championship using a metal driver was Lee Trevino in the PGA Championship in 1984 and the last to do so using a traditional, wooden driver was Bernhard Langer in the Masters Tournament in 1993.
The paradoxical innovation that changed the face of modern golf forever was the brainchild of the late Gary Vale Adams, an American salesman and inventor, who finally succumbed to pancreatic cancer on January 2, 2000, at the age of 56, having originally being diagnosed with the disease nine years earlier. Immortalised as ‘The Father of the Metal Wood’, Adams founded TaylorMade Golf in 1979 and, in modest, rented premises in McHenry, Illinois, began production of the first 12° cast stainless steel driver.
Nicknamed the ‘Pittsburgh Persimmon’, after the erstwhile steel capital of the world, the club measured less than 200cc, in terms of club head volume – the maximum limit for modern drivers is 460cc – and, composition aside, was more akin to its persimmon predecessors. Nevertheless, the days of persimmon were numbered and metals woods have continued to evolve, from stainless steel, through titanium, to the latest, lightweight ‘carbonwood’ club face technology.