Steve Alker of New Zealand poses with the trophy after winning the Timber Tech Championship. Photo / Getty
Steve Alker of New Zealand poses with the trophy after winning the Timber Tech Championship. Photo / Getty
OPINION:
Chris Rattue runs through the winners and losers from the weekend of sport.
WINNER: Steven Alker
What an incredible story. The journeyman American-based Kiwi golfer has instantly rocketed into the headlines as a leading light on the senior Champions tour, and has just won the latest tournamentin Florida.
Alker had three years on the PGA tour but spent much of the last two decades battling it out on the second tier Korn Ferry Tour. He was barely making a decent living at times and his last tournament win was an agonising seven years ago.
On turning 50 in late July, Alker had to survive a Monday qualifier to make his first senior tournament.
But he has stormed up the leaderboard ever since, mixing it with - and beating - legends like Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer and Phil Mickelson.
Steven Alker of New Zealand celebrates his win during the final round of the Timber Tech Championship. Photo / Getty
This week's record payday takes him to more than $1.2m on the tour and - most importantly - ensures he qualifies for all of next year's senior tour events.
This has turned into one of New Zealand sport's great redemption/comeback stories.
It's been a wonderful little spell for New Zealand golf, with Lydia Ko and Danny Lee also going great guns.
WINNERS: England rugby
England's Leanne Infante scores a try against the Black Ferns. Photo / Photosport
Another great victory over the Black Ferns. As with men's rugby, the English women are relying on the power game.
LOSER: Brad Weber
The halfback might want a rethink, after posting it would be great to have a beer with the intruder who joined the All Blacks anthem line-up before the test against Wales.
Hey, we all like a character, but "Jarvo" isn't one. He's just a nuisance.
It's in everyone's interest to keep interlopers off the playing areas - just ask tennis attack victim Monica Seles. And just ask the poor security people who have to deal with the knuckleheads.
A week after "Jarvo" did his thing, a spectator got on the Cardiff field during the test between Wales and South Africa and probably helped prevent a match-winning Welsh try.
WINNER: Aaron Rodgers
The legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback, who is unvaccinated, is actually defending an important freedom, the right to have a big say in what we put into our bodies.
LOSER: Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers. Photo / Photosport
For some of his anti-vax reasonings, like blaming "woke culture" for the pressure to vaccinate and using words like "crazed". He needed to be more open and intelligent about his stance.
Their former England captain Michael Vaughan has been brought down, removed from his own BBC show over an allegedly racist comment he made in 2009.
Various reports, and particularly the words of former chairman Roger Hutton, indicate there is a serious problem at the club.
Absolutely, racism has to be fought on every level in society. But it can't be turned into a witch hunt.
Two players have made the accusation, over one incident, against Vaughan.
But Vaughan has strongly denied he made the alleged comment.
The ease with which careers can be ruined or at least reputations tarnished so easily by historic allegations - with dubious levels of proof - is also concerning.
Who to believe? I really don't know in a case like this.
There are many factors that cause memory bias. Research shows memory is extremely fallible, and routinely susceptible to distorting influences such as subsequent events. The judicial system has proven that, thanks to watertight scientific evidence and in particular DNA.
WINNER: Carl Hayman
Carl Hayman. Photo / Photosport
For revealing he has early-onset dementia. On its own, this isn't proof of anything. But taken in the wider context, these sorts of stories are absolutely vital to hear as sport searches for evidence and answers to the complex issue of brain injuries. The condition of the former All Black, who is just 41 years old, has shocked many people.
LOSERS: The brain injury fence sitters
Crusaders halfback Bryn Hall disputed the yellow card ruling against All Black prop Nepo Laulala, who hit a Welsh forward in the head while trying to make a tackle.
Hall has every right to do so but to my mind, it is just another moment when it appears that current footballers aren't including all the dots, let alone joining them.
Laulala had other options as Ross Moriarty ducked his head - to make no tackle at all, or a far less physical one.
That raises even more questions of course, about players putting their careers and livelihoods at risk by not conforming to traditional methods, and the difficult task of recalibrating their instincts.
Top players need to be part of these discussions, but they'll be sidelined from them if they take such narrow positions.
