U.S. Open POTW: Tiger Woods vs. Matt Kuchar

Welcome 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: As we head into the 2nd major of the year, the stakes continue to get higher as everyone is desperate to be in the golf history books. In my opinion, no one is more hungry to win a major than Tiger Woods right now, which is why I'm picking him to win this week at Merion Golf Club. I know he didn't play that well at The Memorial, but I know he'll be fully prepared for this week. There have been many comparisons to TPC Sawgrass and Merion, and we know how well he did at THE PLAYERS, so it should make for an interesting tournament for him. Let's go Tiger!

Bernardo: The U.S. Open is upon us and the excitement that comes with a major championship should make this a great week. Lets just hope the weather agrees as well. This week I’m going with the one and only, Matt Kuchar. Already a champion in 2013, Kuchar is looking for his first major win. He’s pretty won the top non-major events, now only needing a major to be placed amongst the best. Best of luck Kooch!

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms, Keegan Bradley

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Jason Day

Zimbio

2013 French Open: Return of the King of Clay

After the French Open epic that we got from Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic on Friday, most of us thought that the actual final was a mere formality for Rafa. Sure, David Ferrer didn't drop a set on his way to the final (which is an incredible feat), but it's pretty obvious he's no match for him. David doesn't have the power to give Nadal the problems he faced in the first week and vs. Nole. He has the endurance/speed, but no knockout power.

That set up perfectly for Rafa, as he coasted to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory over his Spanish compatriot to grab another French Open title. He never seemed too flustered, and it just seemed like it had more of midweek match feel than the feel of a Grand Slam final.

The Roland Garros clay has always been Rafa's favorite, only losing once in his entire career, which is a ridiculous stat. Some more ridiculous stats from this tournament: 8th FO title (most ever), most wins at Roland Garros (59), and he DROPPED to #5 in the rankings because of Ferrer's first ever final appearance.

With this win, Rafa will obviously be one of the favorites for Wimbledon. He's probably right in front of Federer and right behind Djokovic as most likely candidates to take home the grass championship. It should also free up the pressure on him for the rest of the year, as he seems quite healthy and may even challenge for the number 1 spot if he keeps this level of play up.

Congrats, Rafa!

Highlights:

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HTWD Report: The 2013 French Open Draw

Well, the draw for the French Open came out today, and I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised about the Men's draw. The women's draw wasn't very important to me; I have a lot of confidence that Serena is going to destroy everyone on her path to the title.

The Men's draw was interesting to see because the top seeds could have been placed anywhere. With Andy Murray & Juan Martin Del Potro both out, I was hoping for something unexpected.

That's exactly what we got.

For what looks like the first time since 2010, we could possibly get a Novak Djokovic v. Rafa Nadal SEMI final rather than a final. They are in the same half of the draw as the #1 and #3 seeds, and that would be crazy. It would definitely feel like the final right there, since they are the two best clay court players right now.

As for the other side of the draw, Federer and Ferrer take up that half. They both have slightly tricky draws, but should be able to meet each other in their semi. This is a good draw particularly for Federer, who has (in my opinion) had the toughest draws in the last 4 majors played. So, now with a draw that's considerably easier, we'll see how he holds up.

Check out the draw in the hyperlink above, and check out this little video ESPN made. Coverage begins Sunday!

NBA Playoffs: Grizzlies Finish Off Thunder

The Heat weren't the only team to advance to a Conference Final today. The Memphis Grizzlies did so as well by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 88-84. They won the series 4 games to 1.

Oklahoma City had a chance to tie the game at 86 late in the 4th quarter, but Kevin Durant missed a jumper which basically ended the game for them. Durant had a disappointing game, going 5 for 21 when his team needed him the most.

And although KD deserves some blame, you have to give a ton of credit to Memphis. Their brand of basketball was just too much for the Thunder, and now they're 4 games away to a spot in the NBA Finals.

Check the highlights here:

HP Byron Nelson Championship POTW: Keegan Bradley vs. Jason Day

Welcome 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: After a very controversial but memorable tournament that was the PLAYERS Championship, we now head to Texas for the HP Byron Nelson tournament. We probably won't get the drama of what happened last week, but I do expect to see some high quality golf. Teenage sensation Guan Tianlang will make his 3rd ever PGA Tour start here, and he'll be competing against a throng of major champions. One of those major champions is going to be my pick for this week: Keegan Bradley. I know he missed the cut last week, but I fully expect Keegan to bounce back and have a solid 4 days. He's too much of a competitor to not want to make up for his disappointing appearance at the PLAYERS, so I have the utmost confidence in him.

Bernardo: This week I'm going with one of my favorite Aussies, Jason Day. This has been a great year for Day, finishing solo 3rd at The Masters along with a few top 10s. Not to mention Day won this event back in 2010 for his first PGA Tour victory. 

JJ's used: Brandt Snedeker, Jason Dufner, Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel, Retief Goosen, Jason Day, Charles Howell III, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, David Toms

Bernardo's used: Keegan Bradley, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson, Aaron Baddeley, Tiger Woods, Graeme McDowell, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Steve Stricker, Brian Davis, Adam Scott, Justin Rose

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