Pick of the Week: Waste Management Open

Welcome back to our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! 

 VS

JJ: Feels good to start off with a win this year. Thanks Brandt! Now off to Phoenix. The Waste Management Open, or the tournament before the Super Bowl, has some good star power there this week. Phil and Bubba are just a few on the big list. But this week I'm going with a low key player who deserves some star recognition. I'm going with Jason Dufner. The dude has been playing solid golf on European Tour (who knew he'd be willing to travel to Europe/Asia!?!), and had his breakout season last year. He didn't have the greatest week at Kapalua, but I fully expect him to do well here. He hits greens, and grinds out results. He should put up a top 25 finish at the very least, if not be contending in Sunday afternoon.

Bernardo: This week I’m siding with Brandt Snedeker for a great performance at the Waste Management. The reigning FedEx Cup Champion has placed himself amongst golf’s greatest and continues to impress the golfing community. I believe Snedeker will have another successful season, possibly have a run at the FedEx Cup.

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley

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Farmers Insurance Open: Strong Start

After last week's controversial missed cut in Abu Dhabi, there were a few questions heading into Tiger's week at his beloved Torrey Pines. Many were wondering if that MC was an aberration  or a trend of things to come. It turns out that it was just a bump on the road, as he won the Farmers Insurance Open by 4 shots.

He won so in vintage TW fashion: a solid opening round to get in position, superb 2nd and 3rd rounds, and an efficient (if not a bit wacky) final round that got him the "W" that he always covets. His driving may have gotten away from him on the final 9, but his short game has clearly improved and looks more like the Tiger from 2000-2009, not the one we saw from 2010-2012.

So what can we expect from Mr. Woods for 2013? If this tournament was any indication, then we are in for a BIG year from Tiger. He's never won less than 4 times when he wins at Torrey to begin his season, so this has to mean something epic will happen. I'm confident he'll win at least one major, if not more.

With this win, Tiger now moves up to #2 in the world, passing Luke Donald, and right behind Rory McIlroy. But, with the way he played this week, it might not be long before he jumps back to number 1 and doesn't look back for quite a while.

Congrats, Tiger. You're going to make this year really fun.

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Australian Open: Novak's 3-peat

A disgruntled Murray looks at the trophy

It is clear that since 2011, Novak Djokovic has been the best tennis player in the world. He's claimed 5 out of 9 majors since the start of 2011, with his latest being the 2013 Australian Open over Andy Murray, 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2. This is his 3rd straight Aussie Open, becoming the first man in the Open Era to snag 3 in a row. It took him 4 sets to down the Scot, who actually won the first set via tiebreak. But the extra day of rest and the very easy semifinal against Ferrer really helped Djokovic. Not to mention Andy ended up having to call the trainer in this match due to some pains.

Regardless, it was a very close contest in the first two sets, which went to tiebreaks. The reason for that was the impressive holding of serves. It wasn't until the 8th game of the 3rd set where someone drew blood. And that was Nole, who went up 5-3 with a break then served out to snag the set. The fourth set pretty much was all Djokovic, He got an early break of serve due to a Murray double fault (a rarity in this Open), and coasted to the finish line.

So now that the first major the year is in the books, what can we expect the rest of the year? Well, I don't see Andy or Roger winning the French; my 3 favorites for that are Novak (Obviously), Rafa (He's a beast on clay whether he's healthy or not), and Juan Martin Del Potro (Don't let his early exit fool you, he'll win a major soon enough and it could be this one). When it comes to Wimbledon, however, that's where I see Andy and Roger as the main favorites. I feel like they're games thrive the most on grass, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a rematch if the draw played out like that. And for the US Open, that's the major I see as the most wide open. There's been a different winner each year since 2008, so it will just come down to the draw and who's playing well in the 2nd week in my opinion.

This 2013 year for tennis is going to be an interesting one. It definitely seems like Murray and Djokovic are going to be the new Roger and Rafa, which can only mean great things. That means that Rafa and Roger are going to be even more hungry to show that they can win major titles and not be considered on the outside looking in. I also expect a few more players to break the top fours dominance, such as Jo-Wilfriend Tsonga (who played out of his mind but narrowly lost to Federer in the QFs) or Del Potro. All in all, this is going to be a year definitely worth watching.

Congrats, Novak!

Photo via Getty Images

Pick of the Week: Farmer's Insurance Open

After a long hiatus and much needed revamping of the site, we're back and ready to go with our Picks of the Week game! Rules are simple: Each week Bernardo and I will select one golfer entered in the current tournament. Whichever golfer finishes highest earns one of us a point. Exceptions: 3 points if our golfer wins the whole thing, Major Championships are doubled (so that's a possibility of 6 points), and tied finishes result in 0 points. Oh, and once we use a golfer, we can't use him for the rest of year. We're doing this until the TOUR Championship. Bernardo has won this 2 times in a row, so let's see if he can go for the three peat! Let's begin.

 VS

JJ: It feels really good to be back and make some picks again. Hopefully I can make this a competitive race and not let it end before the FedEx cup playoffs like it did last year. To make sure that doesn't happen, I'm going to make a strong pick to open this year and go with Brandt Snedeker. Not only did he win this event last year, but he won the FedEx cup last year as well. He's also finished in the top 25 in both events he's played in, so he's obviously playing well still. Should be fun to see how he does this week.

Bernardo: Its time for the pick of the week folks, to commence this yearly competition between JJ and I, I’d like to thank our small audience for reading our nonsense. For my first pick I’m going with Keegan Bradley. He’s a three-time champion on tour, which includes a major championship (PGA). Keegan has developed into quite a great player and will possibly add a few more trophies to his collection this year.

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Australian Open: Men's Semi-final breakdown

As predicted, my Aussie Open semis predictions were way wrong. I completely screwed up Murray's quarter (Sorry, Andy), and didn't have enough faith in Roger Federer to take down Tsonga (Sorry, GOAT). Regardless, we're at the semi-finals of the first major of 2013. Here's some more of my hit and miss predictions as this slam comes to a close.

First semi: Novak Djokovic (1) vs. David Ferrer (4)

Analysis: These two fitness freaks narrowly outlasted their previous opponents, with Djokovic barely sliding by Stan "the man" Wawrinka in the 4th round in 5 fantastic sets of tennis. That match will easily be considered one of the best of the year, no doubt. Ferrer, on the other hand, had to come back from a 2 set deficit to beat Nico Almagro in the quarters, who had more than his fair chances to win the match but couldn't close for some odd reason. Both have played tense 5 setters. Now it'll be interesting to see who handles this huge match with a finals appearance on the line. Will Novak cruise to the finals like usual, or will Ferrer find a way to outlast a 5 set king? We will see tonight, at 3:30 AM EST on ESPN.

Prediction: Djokovic in 4 sets. He's just too good and motivated not to get to the final of arguably his best event.

Second semi: Roger Federer (2) vs. Andy Murray (3)

Analysis: Federer just came off of a 5 set night battle with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in which it was extremely tight throughout. Murray hasn't even played a night match yet, which is weird, considering he's the one who's most recently won a major. But I guess that's how things are when you're in the same half as Roger. Regardless, Andy has been playing superb, and is the only one left who hasn't dropped a set. It's going to be interesting to see whether it pays off to be battle tested (Federer) or well rested (Murray). This match is going on the day after the Djokovic and Ferrer match at the same time and channel.

Prediction: Murray in 4. Federer had his B game last night, and if he shows up with that again he'll get smoked. He needs to serve better to just have a chance against an improved Murray. Yes, Andy has been broken multiple times throughout the tournament, but his return game is too good right now. It should definitely be the more thrilling of the two semis, though.

And there you have it. My wild guesses as to who will make it through to the finals. Hopefully we get some stunning tennis from these 4 men. The courts do seem to be playing quicker, so I feel like we'll get some more offensive and aggressive tactics from them all. Should be fun!


Photo via worldtennismagazine

Australian Open: A Last Minute Preview

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So for those in the United States, the Australian Open technically begins today! And for other tennis lovers like myself, I could not be more excited. After having a 2012 in which nobody won more than 1 major championship, this Aussie Open could set the tempo for the rest of the year. And although Novak Djokovic is the heavy favorite, there are a handful of names to pick from. In this final blog before action begins on ESPN at 6:30 PM EST, here are our picks for the the 2013 Australian Open. Get ready for an epic fortnight of tennis!

MEN'S DRAW:

Novak's Quarter: 

Winner: Novak Djokovic (1)
Dark Horse: Sam Querrey (20)
Early Exit Surprise: Tomas Berdych (5)

Ferrer's Quarter:

Winner: David Ferrer (4)
Dark Horse: Kei Nishikori (16)
Early Exit Surprise: Janko Tipseravic (8)

Murray's Quarter:

Winner: Juan Martin Del Potro (6)
Dark Horse: Alex Dolgopolov (18)
Early Exit Surprise: Marin Cilic (12)

Federer's Quarter:

Winner: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (7)
Dark Horse: Richard Gasquet (9)
Early Exit Surprise: Milos Raonic (13)

Semifinals:

Djokovic def. Ferrer
Del Potro def. Tsonga

Final:

Del Potro def. Djokovic - 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3

WOMEN'S DRAW:

Vika's Quarter:

Winner: Victoria Azarenka (1)
Dark Horse: Varvara Lipchenko (21)
Early Exit Surprise: Caroline Wozniacki (10)

Serena's Quarter:

Winner: Serena Williams (3)
Dark Horse: Sloane Stephens (29)
Early Exit Surprise: Petra Kvitova (8)

Radwanksa's Quarter:

Winner: Sam Stosur (9)
Dark Horse: Ana Ivanovic (13)
Early Exit Surprise: Na Li (6)

Sharapova's Quarter:

Winner: Maria Sharapova (2)
Dark Horse: Marion Bartoli (11)
Early Exit Surprise: Angelique Kerber (5)

Semifinals:

Williams def. Azarenka
Sharapova def. Stosur

Final:

Williams def. Sharapova 6-1, 6-4

And there you have it folks. Those are my guesses for what is going to happen in the next 2 weeks. Will I be totally right or completely wrong? Looks like we'll have to wait and see. Got any other predictions? Let us know in the comments!

Hyundai TOC: Dustin The Field Away

After the most bizarre start to the PGA Tour that I've ever seen, Dustin Johnson was finally named the first winner of 2013 at the Hyundai TOC in Kapalua, Hawaii. DJ won the event that was quickly shortened to 54 holes after consistent weather conditions that were absolutely terrible (you should just look at some of the players' Instagram accounts to see what I'm talking about).

The players went through 36 holes on Monday, followed by a "final round" on Tuesday. Technically speaking, DJ led at the end of both days. It wasn't as easy as most thought it was gonna be for him, however. His notorious record for being excellent in shortened events was tested when he lost the mojo of his driver for a bit on the back 9 before figuring out to stop the bleeding and collect the trophy.

With the win, DJ becomes only the second player ever to win 6 consecutive years coming straight out of college (Tiger was a clearly the first). He now has 7 total wins at the ripe age of 28, and many expect him to grab a major championship sometime soon.

Congrats Dustin!

Photo via getty images

Wacky Return

Weeeee're back!!! After a sudden and abrupt hiatus of this blog in October, I'm proud to announce that HTWD Sports is back, albeit with a few changes. They're kinda like New Year Resolutions, except that we're actually gonna go through with these, unlike 95% of everyone's NYRs.

The first big change is the domain name for this. Due to some confusion and troubles I'm having with google apps, I can't get the htwdsports.com name back for whatever reason. I'll keep trying to get it back, but for now, we'll just stick with htwdsports.blogspot.com. Same thing, just a blogspot in the middle of it to keep it free. Hopefully we'll be able to get a final solution to this domain name soon.

The second change is what we'll be discussing during this 2013. We've said in the past that we'll be less golf focused and more sports oriented, but it never really happened. We did have some non golf posts here and there, but it wasn't very organized. That's going to change now. We'll still have golf as our top priority (we consider ourselves golfers first and foremost), but we'll also be covering a ton of other sports, including the NFL, tennis, the NBA, and world football/soccer. I don't have a clear idea of how it'll be done, but expect a blog by Friday to see what we'll have set up for that.

The final change we'll have is to get more reader input. I'm pretty confident that maybe 3 people read this blog, so I'd like to get those people more active with us. How I'll be doing that is through social media suggestions. So, if you'd like us to write about a certain topic, just contact us through FB/Twitter/e-mail and we'll see what we can work out. We might even get to do some prize giveaways, so stay tuned for that!

Phew. That was a lot to say. Now all I can say to you is thanks for reading and staying with us even though we took a very unneccessary break, and stay tuned to read our first recap about DJ's win later today. See ya soon!