August 18, 2008 Table Of Contents
2008 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Golf Plus
Colin Montgomerie, the player most responsible for Europe's recent domination of the Ryder Cup, came to Oakland Hills hoping to show that he still had enough game to belong on the 2008 team. He left knowing that he has almost no chance of teeing it up next month at Valhalla
Asterisks*, breakups and Ryder Cup futures
By Jim Gorant
By Dom DiJulia
By Jim McGovern
The most overrated job in sports? It might be Ryder Cup captain
SI.com
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
How a sports-savvy Nelson Mandela used rugby to unify his troubled land
By John Carlin
NBC's rivals are conceding defeat
A new gambling scandal rocks the Rockets
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
By Dan Patrick
Beijing 2008 Olympics
In a week of new records and high drama Michael Phelps went deep into his own head to push his body into uncharted waters
By Susan Casey
The Far East has crashed a men's scene long dominated by the U.S., Europe and Australia
With the U.S. women's swim team under attack from a host of challengers, Katie Hoff and Natalie Coughlin are trying to turn the tide by taking on new events
Having learned from its mistakes of attitude and etiquette in Athens, a pressuring U.S. team proved it can win with class, putting on a show against the host country and impressing adoring fans
Her confidence re-honed after a recent slump, defending champion Mariel Zagunis slowed her tempo and outdueled teammate Sada Jacobson to lead a U.S. medal sweep in the women's sabre event
The vista along the road race was breathtaking, but so were the conditions. Intense heat wiped out more than a third of the men's field, while a crash on a rain-slicked surface derailed the U.S.'s female medal hope
By Tim Layden
Balancing the demands of motherhood and Olympic competition can be heavy lifting, but Melanie Roach and a new generation of women are making it look easy
For some female athletes, pregnancy and childbirth may improve their performance
The brilliant opening ceremonies introduced the world to a proud, paradoxical new China: rich and poor, capitalist and socialist, open and repressive
By S.L. Price
The murder of his father-in-law in Beijing sidelined a U.S. coach from his team's opener
GOLF
Playing his best when the title was up for grabs, ruthless Padraig Harrington decked late-fading Sergio García again, winning the PGA Championship for his second straight major
PRO FOOTBALL
The frenzy surrounding his unretirement has subsided, and now the real work begins for Brett Favre and the Jets. While it doesn't hurt to hope, they might be wise to temper expectations
Inside
Teams already written off for 2008 offer the promise of better days in '09 with fast-rising, eye-popping prospects
By Joe Sheehan
Road-course events make for great racing theater, but without a date in the Chase just how relevant are they?
By Mark Beech
Sorry, Darren McFadden, but the top rookie runner is likely to emerge from the middle of this draft class
By David Sabino
Point After
Departments
Seeing Flowers, Tasting Freedom
China and the Olympics are changing each other in myriad and profound ways