The evidence of American imperialism showed in Europe today, in Britain and France -- but in sports rather than politics. Tiger Woods won his second straight British Open, the first player to do so in over twenty years:

Tiger Woods had an answer for everyone Sunday on another methodical march to victory in the British Open.

One month after missing the cut for the first time in a major, Woods was ruthless as ever on the brown-baked links of Royal Liverpool, making three straight birdies to turn away a spirited challenge by Chris DiMarco and win golf's oldest championship for the second straight year.

Unlike in previous victories, his challenger actually pressed him all the way to the end. He lost two strokes off a thiree-stroke lead on the back nine as DeMarco played an excellent round, but in the end Tiger pushed him away. The victory is Tiger's first major since the death of his father, and Tiger allowed himself a rare emotional outburst when he sank the final putt.

The Tour de France gave another American an opportunity to shine today. Floyd Landis made it eight straight for the Americans in the premier cycling race, surprising the field after the end of the seven-year dominance of Lance Armstrong:

The highs and lows of Floyd Landis' nail-biter of a bike race ended without a hitch Sunday as he won the Tour de France and kept cycling's most prestigious title in American hands for the eighth straight year.

The 30-year-old Landis, pedaling with an injured hip, cruised to victory on the cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees, a day after regaining the leader's yellow jersey and building an insurmountable lead in the final time trial. ...

"I'm proud and happy for Floyd," said Armstrong, who watched the finish on TV from a luxurious hotel room near the Champs-Elysees. "He proved he was the strongest, everybody wrote him off."

Congratulations to both of our countrymen, and a round of thanks to the people of Britain and France for hosting the tournaments.

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry is