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If you are looking for Michael Phelps after the Olympics this summer, try a golf course.
Michael Phelps can't wait for these coming Olympics -- to end.
"I'm so sick of the water," he says, rubbing his face. "Even when I go to the beach with my friends. They're like, 'Why won't you get in?' And I'm like, 'Do you have any IDEA how much of my life I've spent in the water?'"
I not only don't think he'll compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics, as his mom told "60 Minutes" she hopes he does, I don't think he'll ever compete again. Neither does his coach.
"I think he'll be done competitively after London," Bob Bowman says.
The Human Fish is ready to try land.
"I want to play all the great (golf) courses," says the 26-year-old Phelps, who is even taking lessons from Hank Haney. "(Bowman) gave me a poster with the 100 greatest courses in the world on it, and every time I play one, I put a little pin in it."
How many pins so far?
"Zero."
He wants to travel. He wants to stay out late and not worry about 5:30 a.m. endurance drills. He wants to see more of the world than the bottom of its pools.
"People say to me, 'You're so lucky. You get to see the world.' But I don't. I go to the hotel and to the pools and back again. That's it."
But you were at the World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai. What'd you see there?
"Nothing."
Rome?
"Zero"
Athens?
"Almost nothing."
If it's possible to feel a teeny bit sorry for a man with 14 gold medals, you should for Phelps. To win them, he's given up so much, like his youth. And when -- after his eight golds at the Beijing Olympics -- he finally stopped to take a breath, somebody caught him taking it out of a bong. He was digitally crucified and probably lost millions.
Being the greatest swimmer in history is a job you do even in your sleep. Literally. For the past year, Phelps has slept every night, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., in a hyperbaric chamber set to 8,000 feet.
"I call myself The Boy in the Bubble ... I get the most interesting reactions. People are like, 'Wait? What is that? Do people come out of there alive?'"
It'd be tough on your romantic relationships, you'd have to admit.
You think Phelps made up incredible time to win the 100 meter fly in Beijing? Wait until you see the rest of his life.
"I want to go to the World Cup. I want to go to the Masters. I want to go ... anywhere. Really, if you invite me somewhere after this, I'll go."
This is not new. Phelps and pools have always glared at each other. It's like Gallagher hating watermelons.
"Even in high school, I'd tell my mom I was sick of swimming and wanted to try to play golf. She wasn't too happy. She'd say, 'Think about this.' And I'd always end up getting back in the pool."
If it were me, I'd have quit four years ago. After Athens and Beijing, what is left for Phelps to prove? What do you paint after the Sistine Chapel?
As it is, Phelps and Bowman and the swimming media have had to sprain their brains dreaming up motivations for London.
[+] EnlargePhelps
Al Bello/Getty Images
Michael Phelps with his eight gold medals from the Beijing Olympics.
What events will Phelps swim in 2012? The secret everybody wants to know!
Can he pass 1960s Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina's 18 medals and become the most decorated Olympian in history? What do you mean you never heard of her?
Can Phelps take back the role of America's Best Swimmer from Ryan Lochte, who won four individula golds to his two at the World Championships? Knuckles-in-teeth!
In reality, Phelps is the guy patting his stomach as he leaves the all-you-can-eat joint when somebody walks up and offers him a large pizza.
"If you want to know the truth," Phelps says, "the first three years after Beijing my training was really kind of a joke. I couldn't find any motivation. But then, in June (2011), I found it again. I just decided if I'm going to do this, I'm going to have fun. And I am having fun. This is the happiest I've been since Beijing."
That's been a relief to his legendary coach, Bowman, who has been with him since Phelps was 11.
"You can lead a Phelps to water but you can't make him swim," Bowman says. "Actually, the first three years, you couldn't even lead him to water."
From Athens to Beijing, Phelps probably had four days off. Total. From Beijing to today? "Probably 200," says Bowman. "And then, last June, he just started showing up again."
I'd just love to see Phelps swim his last event in London, rip off his goggles and go, "I am SO going snowboarding."
This year, Australia's five-time gold medalist swimmer Ian Thorpe, nearly 30, tried an Olympic comeback in Australia but failed to make the team.
Can you see yourself making a comeback in your 30s?
Phelps looks at the question like you just presented him with the head of his dog on a platter.
"Me? At 30? Swimming? Oh, no. Oh, God, no! At 30, I'll be playing golf every day."
No more spending his life with his head down, staring at wide blue lines. No more hair turning green from chlorine. No more life lived on a stopwatch. The boy is leaving the bubble.
I'm glad for him. And I hope he plants a bunch of those little pins in his 100 greatest courses poster.
Avoiding the water as he goes, of course.
2013年9月22日星期日
2013年9月21日星期六
He then withdrew, later saying he was bothered by tooth pain.
"I have been suffering with a sore wisdom tooth, which is due to come out in the near future," a statement by McIlroy read. "It began bothering me again last night, so I relieved it with Advil. It was very painful again this morning, and I was simply unable to concentrate. It was really bothering me and had begun to affect my playing partners."
According to the Associated Press, though, physical pain wasn't the only factor in McIlroy's decision.
"There's not really much I can say, guys," the AP quoted McIlroy as saying in the parking lot. "I'm not in a good place mentally, you know?"
McIlroy, who shot an even-par 70 in the tournament's opening round, struggled in cold, wet conditions Friday. After starting the day tied with 19 other golfers for 61st place, McIlroy collected a double bogey on No. 11, a bogey on 13 and another bogey on 17.
His worst hole was the par-4 16th, where McIlroy sent two balls into the water before finishing with a triple bogey that sent him plummeting into a tie for 136th place.
Both of his playing partners, former Honda champs Ernie Els and Mark Wilson, said neither noticed McIlroy to be in pain.
"He wasn't playing the way the world No. 1 plays normally," Wilson said. "He was upset with his golf
, and I guess he had enough for the week."
Added Els: "That's the last thing he wants to do is walk off. Obviously something was seriously bothering him and he was not going to make the cut, and probably didn't want to continue playing that way."
Friday's withdrawal was McIlroy's third early exit this year. He missed the cut in January's Abu Dhabi Championship, and was eliminated in the first round of last week's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
According to the Associated Press, though, physical pain wasn't the only factor in McIlroy's decision.
"There's not really much I can say, guys," the AP quoted McIlroy as saying in the parking lot. "I'm not in a good place mentally, you know?"
McIlroy, who shot an even-par 70 in the tournament's opening round, struggled in cold, wet conditions Friday. After starting the day tied with 19 other golfers for 61st place, McIlroy collected a double bogey on No. 11, a bogey on 13 and another bogey on 17.
His worst hole was the par-4 16th, where McIlroy sent two balls into the water before finishing with a triple bogey that sent him plummeting into a tie for 136th place.
Both of his playing partners, former Honda champs Ernie Els and Mark Wilson, said neither noticed McIlroy to be in pain.
"He wasn't playing the way the world No. 1 plays normally," Wilson said. "He was upset with his golf
, and I guess he had enough for the week."Added Els: "That's the last thing he wants to do is walk off. Obviously something was seriously bothering him and he was not going to make the cut, and probably didn't want to continue playing that way."
Friday's withdrawal was McIlroy's third early exit this year. He missed the cut in January's Abu Dhabi Championship, and was eliminated in the first round of last week's World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
It was definitely the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever done
"It was definitely the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever done," Collins said. "I can't really compare the feeling to anything else. I have played through nationals and all of that stuff, and the emotions aren't quite the same."
Kenoyer and Collins competed against each other in junior and high school golf in Fort Lauderdale. The duo renewed that rivalry in the third episode when they competed against each other in a stroke challenge event won by Collins.
"I couldn't have done anything better," Kenoyer said. "Taylor just outplayed me. She is a great player. We've been going back and forth beating each other since high school and through college. I knew that she was going to be a competitor when I came out here and she rolled one in."
Kenoyer returned home from Mexico with a different feeling than most competitors who participate in the show.
"A lot of people will go on as a last-ditch effort before they end their careers, but for me, it was a jump-start for my career," Kenoyer said. "I was just kind of starting out my first full season on tour, and I thought this would catapult my career to the next level. My college coach (Sara Lynn Sargent) had been on it."
Collins said the reality show routine took some getting used to as the contestants had to get up each day at 4:30 a.m., have microphones put on and then go through a routine that kept them in front of cameras until 10 p.m.
"You were really exhausted," Collins said. "You were sitting out in the sun all day. It was a mental thing because you knew everyone else was doing it, and it was your only option, and you just had to stay strong."
Collins, who helped coach St. Thomas Aquinas' girls' golf team this past year, enjoyed being in a team environment for the first time since college.
"It was a different approach to golf," Collins said. "It wasn't just you that you were playing for; you didn't want to disappoint your teammates. It was also tough because you also had no control when your teammates were performing."
Neither golfer was allowed to divulge the results of the show. Kenoyer said she hasn't even told her parents.
"I want people to be interested," Kenoyer said. "I want it to be exciting. I don't want to tell my family or my closest friends because I want people to be on the edge of their seats every episode. It is more fun that I know the results and nobody else does."
Kenoyer and Collins competed against each other in junior and high school golf in Fort Lauderdale. The duo renewed that rivalry in the third episode when they competed against each other in a stroke challenge event won by Collins.
"I couldn't have done anything better," Kenoyer said. "Taylor just outplayed me. She is a great player. We've been going back and forth beating each other since high school and through college. I knew that she was going to be a competitor when I came out here and she rolled one in."
Kenoyer returned home from Mexico with a different feeling than most competitors who participate in the show.
"A lot of people will go on as a last-ditch effort before they end their careers, but for me, it was a jump-start for my career," Kenoyer said. "I was just kind of starting out my first full season on tour, and I thought this would catapult my career to the next level. My college coach (Sara Lynn Sargent) had been on it."
Collins said the reality show routine took some getting used to as the contestants had to get up each day at 4:30 a.m., have microphones put on and then go through a routine that kept them in front of cameras until 10 p.m.
"You were really exhausted," Collins said. "You were sitting out in the sun all day. It was a mental thing because you knew everyone else was doing it, and it was your only option, and you just had to stay strong."
Collins, who helped coach St. Thomas Aquinas' girls' golf team this past year, enjoyed being in a team environment for the first time since college.
"It was a different approach to golf," Collins said. "It wasn't just you that you were playing for; you didn't want to disappoint your teammates. It was also tough because you also had no control when your teammates were performing."
Neither golfer was allowed to divulge the results of the show. Kenoyer said she hasn't even told her parents.
"I want people to be interested," Kenoyer said. "I want it to be exciting. I don't want to tell my family or my closest friends because I want people to be on the edge of their seats every episode. It is more fun that I know the results and nobody else does."
The show began airing at 9 p.m. Mondays starting May 13
The show began airing at 9 p.m. Mondays starting May 13. There are 12 episodes.
The contestants followed a mixed-team format featuring various golf-related skills challenges, with the ultimate winner receiving his or her "big break" — an exemption to compete on the pro tour.
"The pressure on 'The Big Break' is high because in a normal golf tournament, you have 54 holes or 72 holes to make up for your mistakes," said Kenoyer, 24, who played high school golf at Cardinal Gibbons and Westminster Academy. "On the show, you literally had one chance, and your team is counting on you. I felt more pressure (than when) I played in the U.S. Open."
Kenoyer, the lone contestant on the show to have competed in a major championship — the 2009 U.S. Women's Open — knows what it is like to play in front of large crowds and cameras, yet this was a different experience altogether.
"I still felt my hands shake and my heart beat out of my chest," said Kenoyer, who is playing full-time on the Symetra Tour with a renewed sense of confidence and passion following the experience. "I can't tell you what a positive experience (the show) has been for my career."
Collins, who turns 24 this month, had to keep her selection a secret from December to April. She told friends that she went to England to visit a friend.
"It was really difficult because I disappeared for four weeks, and no one knew where I was and I couldn't tell them," said Collins, who played at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and helped Nova SoutheasternUniversity win three National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II titles.
Collins, who set a scoring record with her 10-under 278 while winning the national championship in 2011 as a member of NSU's women's golf team, said the spotlight seemed much brighter in Mexico.
"It was a lot more stressful than what I expected," Collins said. "The first few challenges, I thought, 'Wow, this is intense.'"
Collins said having as many as 15 cameras and 50 crew members following your every shot and wearing a microphone daily during filming also was a challenge.
The contestants followed a mixed-team format featuring various golf-related skills challenges, with the ultimate winner receiving his or her "big break" — an exemption to compete on the pro tour.
"The pressure on 'The Big Break' is high because in a normal golf tournament, you have 54 holes or 72 holes to make up for your mistakes," said Kenoyer, 24, who played high school
golf at Cardinal Gibbons and Westminster Academy. "On the show, you literally had one chance, and your team is counting on you. I felt more pressure (than when) I played in the U.S. Open."Kenoyer, the lone contestant on the show to have competed in a major championship — the 2009 U.S. Women's Open — knows what it is like to play in front of large crowds and cameras, yet this was a different experience altogether.
"I still felt my hands shake and my heart beat out of my chest," said Kenoyer, who is playing full-time on the Symetra Tour with a renewed sense of confidence and passion following the experience. "I can't tell you what a positive experience (the show) has been for my career
."Collins, who turns 24 this month, had to keep her selection a secret from December to April. She told friends that she went to England to visit a friend.
"It was really difficult because I disappeared for four weeks, and no one knew where I was and I couldn't tell them," said Collins, who played at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and helped Nova SoutheasternUniversity
win three National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II titles.Collins, who set a scoring record with her 10-under 278 while winning the national championship in 2011 as a member of NSU's women's golf team
, said the spotlight seemed much brighter in Mexico."It was a lot more stressful than what I expected," Collins said. "The first few challenges, I thought, 'Wow, this is intense.'"
Collins said having as many as 15 cameras and 50 crew members following your every shot and wearing a microphone daily during filming also was a challenge.
There's a buzz over the beginning of the new PGA Tour season
There's a buzz over the beginning of the new PGA Tour season, but for all the wrong reasons.
Controversy arose right from the start at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii two weeks ago.
That's where Golf Channel announcer Kelly Tilghman created a tempest with her comment about Woods. The fallout cost Golfweek's long-time editor his job this week, and Woods himself is taking some heat.
If you missed it, near the end of the second-round Mercedes telecast, color analyst Nick Faldo and Tilghman were trying to be funny in suggesting ways young players can mount a challenge to Woods' dominance. Tilghman suggested they "lynch him in a back alley."
News of her racially charged language spread slowly, escalating after reaching political activist Al Sharpton, who called for her firing.
Tilghman apologized to Woods the day after she made the comment and two days later apologized to viewers. Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, released a statement saying: "Tiger and Kelly are friends, and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly. Regardless of the choice of words used, we know unequivocally that there was no ill intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."
Not hardly.
Debate has steadily grown over the proper response the remark required, not just the Golf Channel's response, but from Woods, too.
Five days after Tilghman made the statement, the Golf Channel suspended her for two weeks.
Tilghman's suspension is scheduled to end with Woods making his debut this week, but it's unclear if she'll return to her lead announcer's chair when the Buick Invitational begins Thursday, or whether she'll be reassigned.
Though Woods was the target of Tilghman's remark, he's also being scrutinized. His lack of outrage offended more than one commentator nationally, stirring old questions about whether Woods should take a prominent public role in social issues.
"Tiger was too quick to dismiss lynching comment."
That was the headline above DeWayne Wickham's column in USA Today. "This is not something Tiger Woods can simply blow off," Wickham wrote.
Barry Saunders of the News & Observer of Raleigh was among those taking Woods to task.
"Even if Tiger Woods doesn't have historical sense enough to know what words mean, the rest of us do," Saunders wrote. "And we shouldn't let it slide."
Golfweek heightened the debate last week when it carried the photo of a hangman's noose on its cover with the headline: "Caught in a Noose ... Tilghman slips up and Golf Channel can't wriggle free." On Friday, Golfweek Vice President and Editor Dave Seanor was fired. The news came with Golfweek releasing a statement apologizing for offending "consumers, advertisers and subscribers."
Controversy arose right from the start at the Mercedes Championship in Hawaii two weeks ago.
That's where Golf Channel announcer Kelly Tilghman created a tempest with her comment about Woods. The fallout cost Golfweek's long-time editor his job this week, and Woods himself is taking some heat.
If you missed it, near the end of the second-round Mercedes telecast, color analyst Nick Faldo and Tilghman were trying to be funny in suggesting ways young players can mount a challenge to Woods' dominance. Tilghman suggested they "lynch him in a back alley."
News of her racially charged language spread slowly, escalating after reaching political activist Al Sharpton, who called for her firing.
Tilghman apologized to Woods the day after she made the comment and two days later apologized to viewers. Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, released a statement saying: "Tiger and Kelly are friends, and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly. Regardless of the choice of words used, we know unequivocally that there was no ill intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."
Not hardly.
Debate has steadily grown over the proper response the remark required, not just the Golf Channel's response, but from Woods, too.
Five days after Tilghman made the statement, the Golf Channel suspended her for two weeks.
Tilghman's suspension is scheduled to end with Woods making his debut this week, but it's unclear if she'll return to her lead announcer's chair when the Buick Invitational begins Thursday, or whether she'll be reassigned.
Though Woods was the target of Tilghman's remark, he's also being scrutinized. His lack of outrage offended more than one commentator nationally, stirring old questions about whether Woods should take a prominent public role in social issues.
"Tiger was too quick to dismiss lynching comment."
That was the headline above DeWayne Wickham's column in USA Today. "This is not something Tiger Woods can simply blow off," Wickham wrote.
Barry Saunders of the News & Observer of Raleigh was among those taking Woods to task.
"Even if Tiger Woods doesn't have historical sense enough to know what words mean, the rest of us do," Saunders wrote. "And we shouldn't let it slide."
Golfweek heightened the debate last week when it carried the photo of a hangman's noose on its cover with the headline: "Caught in a Noose ... Tilghman slips up and Golf Channel can't wriggle free." On Friday, Golfweek Vice President and Editor Dave Seanor was fired. The news came with Golfweek releasing a statement apologizing for offending "consumers, advertisers and subscribers."
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