2021 has been an incredible year of sport. There was a lot of pressure for it to deliver, considering how many huge events were either postponed or cancelled completely in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s hard to keep track of every top moment in sport so far this year, but we’ll attempt to round up some of the major highlights.
The Tokyo Olympics were of course absolutely incredible. Originally due to happen in August 2020, there was a fear that they wouldn’t even be able to happen this year due to a state of emergency being declared in Japan just months before the games were due to kick off. Thankfully they went ahead, with amazing examples of individual achievement and team determination witnessed across all the events. Not that everyone worries too much about the overall medal table, but the United States of America came out on top, with 39 golds, 41 silvers and 33 bronzes, ahead of China, Japan and Great Britain.
Another tournament that was delayed by a year was the football European Championships . Logistically it proved to be a nightmare as the matches were held all over Europe (and Azerbaijan) meaning fans struggled to watch their teams. However, the action on the pitch was absolutely electrifying, with Italy just about edging out England on penalties in the final, following a 1-1 draw.
In tennis, we’ve had all four major men’s and women’s events, with the standout performer being Emma Raducanu, who achieved something that has never happened in the Open era, by entering the U.S. Open in the qualifying rounds, but somehow going on to win the whole thing, in a gripping 6-4, 6-3 final.
In the world of golf, we have seen all four majors take place. The year began with Hideki Matsuyama winning The Masters before Phil Mickelson triumphed in the PGA Championship. After that Jon Rahm claimed his first major win at the U.S. Open which was followed by Collin Morikawa gaining his second major by coming top of the pile in the Open Championship.
This all was followed by the Ryder Cup, another elite sport competition that was pushed back a year. Fans were busy browsing some of the top sports betting apps such as Fanduel sportsbook to find the best odds on the competition and were treated to some of the world’s best golfers facing off against each other in a team tournament, something that is very rarely seen. In the end, the American team were unstoppable, with the victory essentially tied up by the end of day one. It finished 19-9 to the US team, with many of the European side having a tournament to forget.
While all the major tournaments and Ryder Cup may have already been contested, there are still plenty of top PGA and European Tour events left to happen in 2021, so fans certainly shouldn’t cancel their golf sports channel subscriptions just yet. Let’s have a little look into what else is coming up in the world of golf over the next few months.
The Ryder Cup is barely in the distance before the action kicks off again. Beginning on the 30th of September is the Sanderson Farms Championship, held at the Country Club of Jackson, in Mississippi. The overall purse for this tournament is $6,600,000, which is not to be scoffed at. Last year, it was the Spanish star, Sergio García, who claimed victory, shooting an amazing -19. He only just won, however, as Peter Malnati was only one shot behind. García was able to hang on and took home a cool $1,188,000 for his victory.
Following that, there is the CJ Cup, held at The Summit Club in Las Vegas, having previously been held in South Korea. A relatively new tournament, big names such as Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka have taken home the prize money from the CJ Cup previously. The current holder is Jason Kokrak, who shot -20 to win the 2020 tournament, finishing two strokes ahead of Xander Shauffele. In total, there is $9,750,000 available in prize money.
In October we have the funnily named Zozo Championship taking place. Another new entry onto the PGA Tour, it was first held in Narashino, Japan in 2019, where Tiger Woods won by three strokes to take home $1,755,000. It was then relocated last year to Sherwood, California, where Patrick Cantlay (pictured above) finished ahead of Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas to seize victory.
We also have the Bermuda Championship, the OHL Classic, the Houston Open and the RSM Classic coming up before the end of the year, so golf fans still have plenty to look forward to before the end of 2021.