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SCOTLAND -- Nearly 20 years later, Justin Leonard still gets compliments for his British Open victory at Royal Troon.They dont remember any of the shots he played, only the words he said.I get more comments about my speech than any shot I hit that week, Leonard said. I was so into the round I was playing that I never gave it a thought until we got done. We were about to walk out there and the press secretary handed me a couple of cards with names and stuff. Then it was `Thank you this and `Thank you that, I talked about my parents for a second and then it came over me.The next thing I remember Im sitting on 17 green and Ive had about seven pints, he said. It was all just a blur.Leonard shot a 65 that sunny afternoon in 1997 at Troon, taking command on the closing holes for a three-stroke victory. On the 18th green, Sir Michael Bonallack presented him the claret jug. Leonard looked out at dignitaries in blue blazers, rows of photographers and some 20,000 fans crammed into the bleachers.It hasnt hit me yet, Leonard said. So if it hits me during this speech, Ill go ahead and apologize.What made his speech so memorable was not about style or substance, rather humility and heart. The champion golfer of the year is not expected to transform into Churchill or Kennedy.Leonard congratulated the superintendent. He paid tribute to the low amateur, Barclay Howard. And then he thought of his parents, who did not accompany him from Dallas. He mentioned he was alone that week with his caddie when his voice cracked and he stepped away from the microphone to compose himself.Just a moment, please, he said. I think it just hit me.More than part of a stuffy golf tradition, the speech is part of every big tournament, whether for major champions or juniors. They are skilled with a wedge and a putter, not necessarily the art of speaking. USGA President Diana Murphy showed that Sunday at the U.S. Womens Open when she kept referring to the new champion as Bethany instead of Brittany Lang.The speech is the hardest part for me because youre trying to make everybody happy, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson said.Padraig Harrington, who won his first major at Carnoustie in 2007, believes the speech has kept some players from winning. Though the story has been embellished, for years it was said Annika Sorenstam purposely finished second as a teenager in Sweden because she was too shy about speaking.If you want to become a winner, you have to get used to making speeches, Harrington said. Some people hate making speeches so much, they end up not winning. The intimidation of making a speech gets to them.The organizers help by slipping the winner notes to remind them whom to thank. That doesnt always make it easier.Mark Calcavecchia wound up in a three-man playoff at Royal Troon in 1989, and he was tied with Greg Norman going to the final hole when the Shark found a fairway bunker and never finished the hole. Calcavecchia raised both arms in triumph, smiled and exhaled.Moments later, he was standing before thousands of people waiting to hear him.Its not easy to come up with something that sounds good, with the emotion of the whole thing, he said.That was rarely a problem for Nick Faldo, though he was an emotional wreck when he won his third Open title at Muirfield in 1992. He had been at odds with the press over a recent drought. Faldo said he was in semi-shock from the nerves of the final round when it was time to speak.What can I say about the press? Faldo said. I thank them from the bottom of my ... from the heart of my bottom, maybe.Phil Mickelson, a five-time major champion, is rarely at a loss for words. He said at the 2004 Masters after winning his first major, Get used to me, because Im going to be back every year. More poignant was in 2006, when he asked the crowd at the ceremony to take a moment of silence for the father of Tiger Woods, who could not travel to Augusta National for the first time because of cancer. Earl Woods died a month later.You never think about it before youre finished because that would be ... yeah, Mickelson said, a silent reference to the majors where he had the lead on the back nine and didnt win. So you really have to come up with something to say on the spur of the moment. Its actually a difficult thing to get right.And, he added, a good problem to have.Ivan Provorov Jersey . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. 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Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR.Turn 1: The two road course races appear now to be among the most popular on the schedule. If another was added which track should it replace?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Any 1.5-mile track with two dates would be at the top of my list. In fact, if there were a financially viable option, and I was king for a day, I would eliminate all second dates at?1.5-mile tracks and find places where NASCAR isnt. Watkins Glen is a road course and thats one element of the current success, but the fact we only visit once a year helps. One race a year wont solve everyones problems (Atlanta, Indy) for example, but those two tracks are in areas saturated with auto racing.?Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Remember less than a decade ago when people were all, Road courses are the worst! Why do we even run them? And now they want more added. They are the new short tracks, and I think thats awesome. I hate for any track to lose a date and under the new agreements its pretty much impossible, but everyone seems to agree that a road course in the Chase would be best. I think it would even help the regular season road races because knowing a Chase race was coming teams would have to take it even more seriously. I think Dover would benefit from contracting to one race. Plugging a road course into that postseason slot feels right.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: One of the Chicagoland/Kansas twins would be my choice, and given ISCs business interest in Kansas and the adjacent casino, thats one track that wont be going away. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval would be another strong contender; the Brickyard 400 has gotten to the point that NASCAR and IMS need to maybe consider running the road course or come up with some kind of format that uses both tracks.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Talladega is the gut reaction just because restrictor-plate races create a huge pit in the stomach as NASCAR has struggled to keep the cars on the ground. But the track still attracts a healthier crowd than others, and leaving Talladega would not be a sign of growth. Logic says there are too many intermediate tracks on the schedule. Maybe one of the Midwest races (Kansas or Chicagoland) would be the best Chase race to cut.Turn 2: NASCAR is considering limiting postrace celebrations so there is no more damage to the car. Should NASCAR police wild burnouts?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Im 100 percent supportive on NASCAR being inspection tough Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, but the postrace standards are convoluted at best! If a driver gets spun, the truck arms could easily bend enough to alter the rear steer, if a driver misses a shift and gets tagged from behind, the spoiler could become higher -- resulting in an aero gain, so how can we penalize teams 15 points for a 60 thousandth gain or loss in a sport that encourages contact? It wont be easy, but it can be overcome by limiting postrace inspection to engine, transmission, etc. Make damned sure the aero is 100 percent before the race starts, and let them race, let them compete, let them celebrate wins.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Not only no, but hell no. I am hoping that NASCAR VP Steve ODonnell was merely sending a warning shot via the media, a Hey, we know whats going on message to teams. How are they going to police it? How are they going to penalize it? Remember back in the early 2000s when there was concern that drivers jumping up and down on the car in victory lane was really them trying to lower the car for postrace inspection? NASCAR started holding up a PVC pipe gate to block them from doing it. This feels like that.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: Yes. Aside from being a way to intentionally damage a car that may not have passed tech, the same old celebrations (burnouts, confetti, spraying Victory Lane with the drivers contracted beverage) have just gotten stale.dddddddddddd We need a Polish Victory Lap style of celebration revolution.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Burnouts are cool. Damaging a car so it cant be determined if its legal is not. Hopefully there is a way for NASCAR to allow a burnout without damaging a car.Turn 3: Erik Jones has a one-year deal with Furniture Row Racing. Is that a good move for him and do you think he will spend more than one year there?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Its a great move for Erik, its a great move for Joe Gibbs Racing, and its an obvious benefit to Furniture Row Racing. Erik is absolutely ready for the big stage and staying in the Xfinity series another year could work against him. Young drivers can establish poor habits if they are aspiring to be in the Cup but not given the opportunity early enough. Theres a fine line between too soon and too late. Jones is ready!Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Yes, good move, for both Jones and Furniture Row. Yes, I believe that the teams intent is to keep him there longer. No, I dont believe he stays. Hell still be in the Toyota family tree, just not on the branch that runs through Denver.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: Its definitely a smart move for Jones to advance to the Cup level as quickly as possible, especially since hes probably the favorite to win this years Xfinity Series title. The FRR technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing is clearly working, with Martin Truex often running as well as the JGR cars themselves. Toyota holds the cards in terms of where Jones ends up in the long-term, but for the time being -- whether its one year or more -- Furniture Row is certainly not a bad place to be.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: It is a great move, and while its hard to predict anything more than a few months out in the sport, it wouldnt be surprising if Jones spends two years at Furniture Row, and Matt Kenseth opts to hang it up after the 2018 season.Turn 4: Denny Hamlin has the most wins of any active driver who does not have a championship. Will he earn one?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Denny Hamlin is absolutely worthy of the Sprint Cup Series championship, but he has a limited amount of time to get it done. There is a fleet of young talent coming behind him, and I expect Kyle Busch and Joey Logano to get their share of cup titles in the next half dozen seasons. If Denny is willing to put in the time and effort, I believe hell be rewarded with a title.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: He certainly can. He has been in a position at Homestead twice before, and his performance improved dramatically from the first shot to the second. The problem is the group hes competing with is getting more crowded and much younger. If Kyle Busch or Joey Logano get on the kind of run that I think they can, then there might not be room for anyone else.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: I doubt it. Hes obviously physically tough, driving through the pain of an injured back or damaged knees. But I wonder if he has the mental toughness to compete for a championship, especially in the elimination style Chase when the pressure gets ramped up toward the end of the season. Hamlin is a very good driver who will win his share of races, but I dont envision ever calling him a Cup Series champion.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: The elimination format and it all coming down to Homestead for four drivers makes predicting champions a little bit of a roll of the dice. Hamlin will get more chances to win a title and the odds are at one of those season finales, he will have the best day of the four. ' ' '