RENO, Nevada—The bettors among fans of Australian-Filipino golfer Jason Day would have been rewarded 22-fold Sunday had he won the 115th US Open.
A $100 bet placed on Day to emerge victorious at the treacherous and seaside Chambers Bay golf course near Tacoma, Washington would have returned $2,200.
Some of Day’s Filipino followers trooped to the Circus Circus Race and Sports Book Lounge here to bet and cheer.
Glued to the giant television screens, they enthusiastically tracked Jason’s moves on the grumpy course of deep bunkers, towering dunes, lightning greens (actually brown) and unpredictable coastal winds blowing from Puget Sound.
In the end, Jason—who was tied for the lead with three others going into the final round despite issues with vertigo —stumbled for a share of ninth place.
The wild and wooly tournament was won by Jordan Spieth, the 21-year-old American who also captured the Masters at Augusta National last April 12.
The Los Angeles Times calls Day, 27 whose mom Dening was born in the Visayas, a golfer “on the verge” and rightly so.
Four years ago, he finished second in the Masters and the US Open. In 2013, he placed third in the Masters and second in the US Open.
Last year, he was tied for fourth in the US Open after ending up 10 shots behind the eventual winner Martin Kaymer.
Day has seen action in 18 majors, withdrawing once, missing the cut twice and finishing in the top 10 seven times.
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A cattle drive on surface streets that startled city slickers, including Bay Area and Sacramento Metro Pinoys signaled the start of the 96th annual Reno Rodeo last Thursday.
Residents here didn’t all grow up to be cowboys and cowgirls, but one thing’s for sure. They are loyal supporters of an event that attracts thousands of lowlanders to this biggest little city in the world sitting in the high desert at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Featured events included championship Xtreme bull riding, mutton busting, steer wrestling and barrel racing at the Reno Sparks Livestock Center. Also on tap was a barbecue, brews and blues festival downtown on Virginia Street that drew revelers to the city’s struggling casinos.
“We are in the middle of a stateside version of Rodeo Masbateno,” noted Bicol Region native Rick Soquerata of Berkeley, near San Francisco.
He was referring to the rodeo in his neck of the woods back home that will mark its 22nd year next year.
The rodeo culture in Reno and Masbate City are worlds apart but share the same goals—draw tourists and keep the cattle industry afloat in their own corners of the globe.
Rick came up here with family and friends to celebrate the triumph of the California Bay Area’s sports darlings—the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers last Tuesday night to win its first NBA championship in 40 years.
The rodeo and the BBB festival were an added bonus for Rick, his band of merrymakers and other Pinoys who drove four hours from the Bay to this Northern Nevada gambling mecca.
Their major treat to themselves were tickets to see “Sinatra sings Sinatra”—a concert and tribute by Frank Sinatra Jr. to his dad’s life and music at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino.