Triceratops dinosaurs illustration via Shutterstock
In a recent conversation, one of my friends – let’s call him X – argued that we waste too much money in pointless scientific studies. I mean – he said – who cares what killed the dinosaurs? They have been dead for a long time, period.
My friend X is wrong, and here’s an example why:
About 70 million years ago, the Earth was going through a greenhouse phase otherwise known as the Late Cretaceous Epoch. (This was back when mammals were tiny creatures scurrying around, trying not to get trampled by huge reptiles, and some five million years before a meteorite slammed down on our planet and caused a mass extinction.) There was a lot of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the resulting extra warmth was distributed all over the planet, in ways which scientists still don’t clearly understand.
Never in the history of professional golf has an agent won a major championship or played in the Ryder Cup, or signed a multimillion-pound deal to display the name of a bank on his shirt, which makes this week’s fuss surrounding Rory McIlroy’s decision to swap one Mr 10% for another all the more curious.
Why should anyone care that Andrew “Chubby” Chandler of International Sports Management has been dumped for Conor Ridge of the Dublin-based company Horizon Sports? The two men at the centre of golf’s most talked about tug-of-war may have different profiles, personalities and business methods, but even they would agree that McIlroy will make a ton of money whoever is running his business affairs.
The reason for that is McIlroy himself.
Dorchester 3
Dickenson 8, Moss 12, 89
TONBRIDGE ANGELS 1
McLaggon 26
MANAGERLESS Dorchester recorded their first home win in seven weeks today – beating Tonbridge Angels 3-1 at the Avenue Stadium.
And they had Ben Dickenson to thank after the talented youngster opened the scoring with a stunning effort.
MICHAEL HOEY has been made to feel as much at home at the Castello Masters this week as tournament host and local hero Sergio Garcia, so warm has been the reaction of friends and colleagues on the European Tour to the Ulsterman’s recent Dunhill Links victory.
This week is Hoey’s first outing since he eclipsed a world-class field, including compatriots Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, at St Andrews and he performed with the same poise, class and confidence during yesterday’s opening round at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo.
Even when misfortune reared its ugly head and Hoey stumbled to a bogey on the tricky par-three 16th and a double bogey on the difficult 17th, the 32-year-old bounced back in style, holing a 40-foot putt from the fringe for his seventh birdie of the day at the last.
The broad smile of satisfaction said it all after Hoey signed for a 67 which left him with a share of third place on four-under par with six others, including Garcia, whose own form yesterday fuelled hope in the 31-year-old’s home town that his three-year title drought on the world’s top tours may soon end.
LEAD
The lead was held by England’s Ross McGowan, who for the second time in three weeks illuminated an otherwise desperate season with a first-round 64. Read more…
Luke Donald’s hopes of winning the US Money List title are slipping away after he plummeted down the leaderboard at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic.
The English world number one needs at least a top-two finish in the season’s final event on Sunday and looked on course to achieve that after sharing the first-round lead with an opening 66 on the Palm Course at Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
(US unless stated)-12 J Leonard-12 B Kim (Kor)-12 H Stenson (Swe)-10 N O’Hern (Aus)-9 M Allen-9 M Bettencourt-9 G Woodland
Click here for collated scores
But he struggled round the Magnolia Course on day two, carding a one-under 71 to lie five shots off the halfway pace.
That is set by former Open champion Justin Leonard, Korean youngster Bio Kim and Swede Henrik Stenson.
Leonard shot a best-of-the week nine-under 63 over the easier Palm course, while the 21-year-old Kim is also 12-under-par for the tournament after a 65 on the Magnolia lay-out.
Montreal Canadiens’ Max Pacioretty steps onto the ice at the start of a pre-season NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres in Montreal, Wednesday, Sept., 21, 2011.