BNP Paribas Open: Five To Thrive

Photo via: BNP Paribas Open blog

We continue our "Five To Thrive" series this week by analyzing the upcoming ATP tennis tournament in Indian Wells, the BNP Paribas Open. 

Last year, Rafa Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro in a great 3 set final. With Stan Wawrinka playing his first tournament since his breakthrough victory at the Australian Open, and Roger Federer taking the title in Dubai last week, this year's tournament should bring a lot of drama and additional story lines. Let's take a look at 5 players who I think will make the most noise at one of the best Masters 1000 tournaments of the year:

5. Grigor Dimitrov - A player who used to only be known for his incredible similarities to Roger Federer is now making a name for himself. Dimitrov won a title last week in Acapulco by defeating Andy Murray and Kevin Andersen. Just 23 years old, Grigor also made a deep run in Australia, eventually losing to Nadal in the quarterfinals in 4 tight sets. I envision a quarterfinal run (at the very least) for him in Indian Wells.

4. Stan Wawrinka - The newest Grand Slam champion has surprisingly not played since his victory. That's okay though, as he probably needed the time of to rest and adjust to his new life. The world No. 3 has had a fair amount of success at IW, with a 13-6 singles record. Even though some argue that he may disappoint after such a huge victory, I don't think that's the case. I think Stan will continue to show why he now belongs with the elite, and I expect a semifinals appearance from him.

3. Roger Federer - Like Dimitrov, Federer won last week to increase the expectations of his 2014 season. As expected, he is the current record holder for most titles at this tournament, with 4. I do not expect him to win this tournament, but I do think he will give the tennis world more indication that 2013 was an aberration, and that he is poised for a big 2014.

2. Rafa Nadal - Rafa gave us all a scare at the Australian Open final when he hurt his back. With his history of injuries, at that moment it seemed like it was going to be one where he would be out for a while. Luckily, it wasn't serious, and he resumed to his winning ways in Brazil a few weeks ago. Although he's the defending champ, I don't see Rafa defending his title. I see him making the final, but I think he will eventually lose to...

1. Novak Djokovic - Novak hasn't won a title heading into IW for the first time in a while. That is very strange, considering that in years past he'd win either the Australian Open, the tournament in Dubai, or both. So going into Indian Wells without a title is a bit weird, but I expect that to change this week. The Djoker, when focused, is the most lethal tennis player on the planet, and I think it is time for him to really lock into 2014. My prediction: Nole will win the title and jumpstart his season after 2 mediocre showings.

Well, there you have it. These are my five to thrive this week at the BNP Paribas Open. Agree/disagree? Let us know in the comments, or tweet us @HTWDSports!

LPGA HSBC Champions: Paula Creamer's Crazy Putt

I don't normally get a chance to post anything LPGA related, but thankfully, that has changed today thanks to Paula Creamer.

My favorite female player sank an incredible 75 foot putt yesterday evening to beat Azahara Munoz in a playoff at the HSBC Champions tournament.

They both trailed Karrie Webb at the start of the day, and eventually overtook her to head into the sudden death battle.

On the 2nd hole, that's where the magic happened. Paula had an eagle putt which a lag to within 5 feet would be superb. Initially, I think that's what she was going for,  as she played a ton of break to cozy it up there. But, with a little luck, the ball found the right line and dropped perfectly into the cup. Naturally, she went crazy when she realized she made it, and is now a proud tournament winner once again.

I hope this win jumpstarts her career again. In my biased mind she's one of the best players on the tour, but her results don't always show up in wins. Maybe it'll change now with this victory and her upcoming marriage.

Congrats Paula!

Video of the awesome putt:

The Honda Classic: Five to Thrive

Starting this week, I'm going to be writing a weekly column called "Five to Thrive". This week, the focus will be on golf, but eventually I'd like for it to expand into a variety of sports. In this column, I'll preview a certain event and give to you the top five players/teams that I think will do well. This week, we head to Florida to analyze the Honda Classic. 

With the West Coast Swing coming to a marvelous close (thanks to Victor "Golden Hands" Dubuisson and Jason Day), we head to the Sunshine state. Florida begins a mini run of some great events, starting off with the Honda Classic. It has the star power and the course to be one of the best tournaments of 2014.  With the famous "Bear Trap" finish, anything can happen. Let's take a look at the 5 players that I think can succeed this week:

5. Michael Thompson - The defending champ definitely was going to make my list. Why? Because he's the champ! His season has been fairly decent so far (2 top 25s in his last 2 starts), and with the right confidence into a course he's won at before, I expect him to do well.

4. Sergio Garcia - Although a gentlemanly gesture MAY have cost him a deep run at Dove Mountain, don't be fooled: Sergio has been having a great late 2013/early 2014. He's won in December and January. Who says he can't collect another win now?

3. Tiger Woods - The main reason I didn't put Tiger #1 or #2 on this list: he's struggled big time this year. The main reason I didn't keep Tiger off of this list: he's Tiger Woods. He knows how to light this course up (62 in 2012), and with the doubters growing larger, I think we'll see at least a top 10 from him, if not a win. That should return things to normalcy.

2. Adam Scott - Many analysts in the golfing world believe he could end up with another dominant season. I'm skeptical on him dominating, but there's no denying that he's in the form of his life right now. He'll easily be in the mix on Sunday.

1. Rickie Fowler - Coming off his best tournament of 2014, I predict that the new haircut Fowler will win this tournament. He's been struggling with a swing change, but it seems that he got that and his confidence sorted out last week. As long as he can keep the momentum going, I have no doubts that he can make a statement win in his bright orange on Sunday.

If you have any disagreements on my picks, let me know in the comments below. Should be a great week!

WGC Accenture Match Play: Oh, Sergio...

Getty Images

Since Wednesday, the top golfers in the world, as sorted by the world rankings, have been battling it out in the only match play event of the year. We've seen some wacky things so far (Graeme McDowell with 3 straight comebacks, all #1 seeds ousted by round 2, Rory McIlroy hitting cactus into people), but what happened in a specific match today might take the cake.

The round of 16 brought on arguably the most intriguing match of the day: Sergio Garcia vs. Rickie Fowler. Experienced flare vs. colorful youth. A match where beautiful ball striking and talent was on full display. But, thanks to Sergio, we saw a bit of an unusual gesture that can only be seen in the game of match play.

On hole 7, Garcia was 3 up with about a 4 footer for par left. Fowler had a 17 footer for par left. Oddly enough, after Rickie conceded Sergio's putt, Sergio did the same to Rickie. I've played a lot of match play, and I can confidently say that a 13 foot differential in a "good-good" situation is the most I've ever seen. That might be the biggest discrepancy in the history of "good-goods." Many of us, including Nick Faldo immediately questioned the move.

Then we found out about the explanation. Golf Channel was able to report to us that Sergio gave Rickie that putt because he felt bad about holding him up on the previous hole. He felt like he needed to repay Rickie for the delay, and decided to do so by giving him the long putt on the 7th.

My take: This is a classy move by Sergio Garcia. He's taken a lot of heat from the media (fried chicken comment about Tiger, spitting in a cup, flipping the bird to the gallery), but it seems like his mind is in a better place now. He specifically said that he wants golf to return to the gentlemen's game that it was once before, and it certainly seems like he's sincere about doing that. He did more than just apologize for his delay on the previous hole, he provided a gesture to show that he was really sorry. That's about as professional and classy as you could get during a big event. I applaud him for that.

Sergio didn't end up winning the match (Rickie won 1 up), but I feel like he won a lot of fans over today with his gesture. This controversial concession didn't cost him the match at all. Rickie caught fire at the end and has been playing some great golf this week. Sergio didn't play well down the stretch, but he's been having a good season regardless. I can definitely see Rickie making a run to the final match, and I can also see Sergio receiving a bit of good karma/fortune with him possibly winning a major this year.

Regardless of how others will take it, I know how I feel about Sergio Garcia. He's always been one of my favorite golfers, but now, I think he tops the list. I just hope others don't take what he tried to do today the wrong way.

Video of the event:

MLB: Derek Jeter Announces Retirement

The game of baseball just got a bit sadder today.

One of the greatest players in the modern era, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, has formally announced his retirement from the game following the 2014 MLB season.

The man with 5 World Series rings, 13 All-Star appearances, and a huge list of women that he's dated said he's ready to hang up the cleats (and bachelor status) & wants to settle down to begin a family.

Jeter made the announcement on his Facebook page, posting an open letter for all of his fans to see.

In the photo, he pretty much thanks everyone from his biggest fans to his archrivals. He acknowledges that the injuries have been a sign for him to move on to the next phase of his life. His plan for this year is to give us 1 more great Jeter-esque season before riding off into the sunset.

This announcement obviously sent shockwaves around the sports world. There were at least 3 trending topics on Twitter about it, which is how I found out about the news when I got home. Yahoo!, ESPN, and Facebook were also blowing up with the breaking news. This shouldn't be a surprise though; this man is the face of the MLB and arguably all of baseball. Being the captain for the biggest team will give that fame and popularity.

Also not surprisingly, tickets to games at Yankee Stadium for the 2014 have gone through the roof, especially for what would be his last home game against the Orioles on September 25th. $15 bleacher seats have risen to upwards of $300, according to NJ.com. Mariano Rivera's last game at Yankee Stadium was special. But I expect Derek Jeter's final game, inning, and at bat to be a little bit better.

I've been a New York Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. As a kid who grew up about 90 minutes from Oakland, I remember going to the Athletics' stadium when they played the Yankees. I distinctly recall one of my first games starting off with Chuck Knoblauch hitting a home run on the first pitch of the game. Ever since then, I've tried going to as many games as I've could with my family; the most recent game I've seen was in May of 2012. Although I probably won't have the cash to go see "The Captain" at a home game, I'm going to do all I can to catch him playing against the Athletics one last time. I'll be sure to wear the Derek Jeter jersey I have hanging on my wall while he can hopefully deliver a win.

Even though there's been a variety of offseason stories regarding baseball and the Yankees (signing Tanaka, A-Rod's suspension), this clearly takes the cake. Now, there's no doubt that more casual baseball fans will be tuning into every Yankees game this season. And as a fan, I hope that he can end his career hoisting number 28 for the Bronx Bombers. It's only fitting.

Farewell, Captain.