The Monday Recap: The Open and more

So yours truly made a prediction last Thursday that Rory McIlroy would further cement his place in the golf pantheon with another major triumph at the British Open.

Whoops!

Well, at least I got half of it right - the winner was from Northern Ireland.

Darren Clarke's victory was one for the older guys (ages 40 and up) and one for the genuine good guys (his wife lost her battle with cancer a mere five years ago).

And golf hasn't just shifted completely to Europe, it has made Northern Ireland its capital.

But the real winner in all of this is somebody different.

To find out, check out my column in Thursday's edition of the Bradenton Herald.

Until then, here's a quick hit on the weekend action in-state:

• Bradenton's Nathan Bertsch finished with a 2-over par 218 total in the three-day, 54-hole Florida Open. However, Bertsch could only tie for 24th in the tournament held at Lecanto's Black Diamond Ranch. Bertsch was the only Bradenton player to make the 36-hole cut in the 65th edition of the annual event pitting amateurs and club pros against one another. Port Orange's Rod Perry collected the $12,000 first-place prize after a playoff victory over Alan Morin, of Royal Palm Beach, when both turned in 206 totals.
• The 105th Southern Amateur Championship didn't see any area players crack the top 10. Emiliano Grillo, an IMG Academies student, had the highest finish following a 2-under par 282 total in the 72-hole tournament held at the famed Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort. Cardinal Mooney alum Chris Kennedy, a Lakewood Ranch resident, tied for 29th with a 4-over par 288 total. University of Washington rising sophomore and IMG alum Cheng-Tsung Pan tied for 18th at 284.
• Only seven berths were awarded in the U.S. Women's Amateur qualifier held at the Wanderer's Club in Wellington last Friday. None were given out to Manatee County players. IMG alum and University of Florida star Mia Piccio recently competed in a West Florida Golf Tour event as a tune-up for Friday's qualifier. She netted herself a playoff for the final berth, but came up short. Piccio shot 72 to get into the sudden-death playoff. Several other players also came up short in their bid for qualifying. Check out Thursday's edition of the Bradenton Herald for the listing.