... and Open Thread ...

PGA Tour
Anthony Kim picked up career win No. 2, this time taking the AT&T National by two strokes. Kim closed with a 65 and finished at 12-under 268. Fredrik Jacobsen was second.

Story | Scores

European Tour
England's Ross Fisher ran away with the European Open title, winning by seven strokes over runner-up Sergio Garcia. Fisher opened with a course-record 63 on Thursday and closed with a 68 to finish at 20-under 268.

Story | Scores

Champions Tour
Eduardo Romero began the final round of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open with a 1-stroke lead over Joey Sindelar and Fulton Allem, and ended with a 1-stroke win over Allem and Gary Koch.

Story | Scores

LPGA Tour
On the par-5 final hole, Seon Hwa Lee spun her approach back to 3-4 feet, then sank the birdie putt to second the victory at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship. Jane Park and Meena Lee finished a stroke behind, Park after shooting 62.

Story | Scores

Ladies European Tour
Rebecca Hudson won for the second time in three weeks, this time at the Oxfordshire Ladies English Open. Hudson stormed through the final round with a 64 to pip fellow Englishwoman Mel Reid by one stroke.

Story | Scores

There have been quite a few golf-tennis couples lately: Chris Evert and Greg Norman; Venus Williams and Hank Kuehne. Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.

Add homeboys Sergio Garcia and Rafael Nadal to the list. With Nadal at Wimbledon and Garcia at the European Open, some of the London papers are busy writing articles about their friendship - and how world-class athletes in different disciplines can learn from one another. Same as all the stories written about the Woods-Federer mutual admiration society when the friendship between those two titans first came to light.

The Mail calls Garcia "Rafael Nadal's best sporting pal." But Sergio shouldn't get too comfortable in Nadal's embrace. At the beginning of Wimbledon, Nadal talked about watching the U.S. Open golf tournament:

"Tiger is probably my idol," Nadal said. "I never have an idol but he is probably the sportsman who I admire more because I like a lot his mentality.

"I like a lot his eyes when he's going to have the important shot. He is always playing with unbelievable determination in important moments. The last part of the fourth day, only one guy with unbelievable concentration, unbelievable determination and big confidence in yourself. Only Tiger can do something like this.

"I know how tough it is playing having pain, and it is very difficult to have very good concentration when you are, in my case, running or touching the ball and you feel pain. That's unbelievable to win a US Open like this."

Some of what Nadal saw in Tiger is what Sergio needs to acquire. He hasn't been able to emulate Woods; but perhaps he can emulate his friend Nadal. If anyone can teach Garcia something about raising one's game while chasing after a seemingly unsassailable No. 1, it is Rafael Nadal, who is closer than any observers ever thought he would be to catching Roger Federer.

After a second-round 64 in the European Open today, Garcia talked to Reuters UK about Nadal:

"When you see a friend of yours doing well it makes you happy and you want to do well too," Garcia told reporters after firing an eight-under 64 for a nine-under tally of 135 at the London Club.

"It is nice to talk to a friend and ask him how things went. It has been fun and we've been sending messages congratulating each other," added the Spaniard before rushing off to watch Nadal in his Wimbledon semi-final with German Rainer Schuettler.

Nadal won that semifinal, setting up another Wimbledon final against Federer. Regardless of the outcome of that match, Nadal probably has much to teach Garcia about mental toughness and game management, if Garcia is willing to seek counsel.