espnW Blog: W P.O.V.
Sandra HarwittThere are those that live in Wimbledon that would prefer the world's most prestigious tennis tournament wasn't located in their backyard. But there are also those who embrace the fame The Championships brings to their little corner of the earth.
AP Photo/Jeffrey PhelpsKOHLER, Wis. -- Brittany Lincicome has been down this road before; she led the U.S. Women’s Open as an amateur after one round in 2004. She was just 18 years old at the time, and her father was her caddie.
AP Photo/Scott A. MillerKOHLER, Wis. -- So what kind of opening round was it at Blackwolf Run on Thursday for some U.S. Women’s Open former champions?It was pretty great for three-time winner Annika Sorenstam. She’s now doing television commentary for the tournament and didn’t have to worry about solving these large, pesky greens.
AP Photo/Scott A. MillerKOHLER, Wis. -- With so much focus on the youth movement in women’s golf in the past decade or so, sometimes we forget that not everyone plays her first U.S. Women’s Open before she gets her driver’s license.
Courtesy of Amanda RykoffWhen I return from a baseball trip, I typically have a few standard souvenirs: a stuffed bear with the team logo, maybe a T-shirt and tons of photos. I'm back from Milwaukee with many of those keepsakes, as well as some unusual mementos of my time at Miller Park -- bruises, abrasions and scratches on my arms and legs. I consider these badges of honor I wear with pride -- proof that I survived Bernie's slide.
espnW.comAt Wimbledon, no matter what time of the day, "It's Pimm's o'clock!" That's the official slogan for the most official drink at Wimbledon. It looks like a cup of iced tea, but it's alcoholic. In the South of England it is a traditional summertime refresher.
Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesKOHLER, Wis.-- Despite her success on the LPGA Tour, Stacy Lewis for the most part goes about her business off the course relatively anonymously. Except when competing in Arkansas.“I love playing there, but it's probably one of the hardest weeks of the year,” Lewis said of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship in Rogers, Ark.
David Cannon/Getty ImagesKOHLER, Wis. -- Among the most fun times I’ve ever had covering golf was watching Dottie Pepper in the Solheim Cup. It wasn’t that she set out to be a lightning rod, it’s just that she never seemed to care if she was.
Courtey of Sandra HarwittThis is the official entrance to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. This is the place where the blue bloods and famous normally enter the Royal Box. Above the entry way is the terrace and tradition commands the mens and womens winners come for a glass of victory champagne to show off the trophy to the throngs of fans hanging out below.
Jonathan Ernst/Getty ImagesKOHLER, Wis. -- The U.S. Women’s Open may not be quite as big of a challenge for the majority of the field this year as it was when this event was here at Blackwolf Run in 1998. Suffice it to say, though, it’s still going to require considerable patience and planning on every hole, likely significantly more than for a standard week on the LPGA tour.
Sandra HarwittAfter the tennis, the most famous thing associated with Wimbledon is something you eat.
Sandra HarwittIf I was in charge of professional tennis the first thing I would make mandatory is the middle Sunday off at all four Grand Slams.Ask anyone working at the Slams in any capacity, especially those who also work at the other three majors, and they'll tell you how great the Sunday break is for revitalizing yourself for the second week fo action.
Courtey of Sandra HarwittI've had the good fortune to come to London so often that I don't feel as if I'm a tourist anymore.I tend to skip the the visit to the Tower of London and watching of the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Courtey of Sandra Harwitt Every year on the first Thursday evening of Wimbledon, I head to the University of Surrey-Roehampton campus. I make the 20-minute journey from the All England Club to speak to the upcoming stars of the game -- the junior players -- about the role of the media in tennis.
Sandra Harwitt With my job as a sportswriter and love of travel, I've been to a lot of places in this great big world.So far, I've been to five continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.