If you’re going to make bold predictions about the future of the NHL, you might as well dream big like the creators of the most bizarre hockey segment ever made.
The Rockies’ bullpen buildup hit a new level Friday, when righty closer Wade Davis agreed to come aboard on a three-year, $52 million contract.
Despite a disappointing 2017 that started with high expectations, the Buccaneers will keep Dirk Koetter as their coach next season, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas rings in the restart as defending champ at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, topping a 34-man field comprised solely of tournament winners from 2017. Dustin Johnson, whose four PGA TOUR wins in 2017 were second only to Thomas, and Jordan Spieth also headline the roster to begin the TOUR’s Hawaiian fortnight. In all, Kapalua Resort welcomes seven of the top eight in the year’s final world rankings. FIELD NOTES: Xander Schauffele, whose TOUR Championship triumph nailed down Rookie of the Year honors, and Jon Rahm top a group of 14 pros making their debut at Kapalua. That list also includes all four first-time winners from the fall schedule. … Kyle Stanley (The National) returns for the first time since 2013; D.A. Points (Puerto Rico) last played in 2014. … Thomas, Spieth (2016) and Johnson (2013) are the only former Kapalua champions in the field. … The 34-man roster matches the most in the past 15 years to come to the winners-only tournament. The 2007, ’11 and ’15 editions also featured 34 players. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Thomas, who last year joined Ernie Els (2003) as the only men to sweep the Hawaii double, seeks an unprecedented third straight victory in the islands. For what it’s worth, Els won three in a span of four starts, repeating as the Sony Open champion in 2004. … Thomas would become the TOC’s first back-to-back winner since Geoff Ogilvy in 2009-10. … Rickie Fowler hopes a hot 2017 finish can extend into the new year. Fowler captured the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, three weeks after almost repeating at the OHL Classic. … The Tournament of Champions actually dates back to 1953, with Gene Littler winning three of the first five editions. Jack Nicklaus won it four times. COURSE: Plantation Course at Kapalua, 7,452 yards, par 73. Located at the foot of the West Maui mountains, the Plantation course opened in 1991 as one of the first projects by the team of Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. The course offers some of the most breathtaking views found all season, with gentle trade winds allowing the winner to approach 20-under par over four days. Sometimes, though, the course’s exposure to the elements can flirt with the extreme, evidenced by a wind-whipped 2013 edition that required a Tuesday finish. 72-HOLE RECORD: 261, Ernie Els (2003). 18-HOLE RECORD: 62, K.J. Choi (3rd round, 2003), Graeme McDowell (4th round, 2011), Jason Day (4th round, 2015), Chris Kirk (4th round, 2015). LAST YEAR: What first shaped up as a back-nine cruise for Thomas required a little more work than expected, eventually holding off Hideki Matsuyama’s late charge to notch his first TOUR victory on U.S. soil. Thomas held a five-shot advantage with five holes to play, only to see the margin quickly close to one when Matsuyama holed a flop shot for eagle at Kapalua’s 14th and Thomas double bogeyed No.15. After Matsuyama missed a birdie chance at No.16 that would have tied it, Thomas took matters back into his own hands. Facing 214 yards to the 17th pin, he striped an 8-iron that came to rest 3 feet from the flagstick for birdie and a two-shot edge. It was Thomas’ third PGA TOUR win, with the previous two having taken place in Malaysia. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 6-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 3-7 p.m. (GC). Sunday, 6-10 p.m. (GC). PGA TOUR LIVE: PGA TOUR LIVE returns Jan. 19 at the CareerBuilder Challenge RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 4-10 p.m. Saturday, 2-7 p.m. Sunday, 5-10 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
The Rockies’ bullpen buildup hit a new level Friday, when righty closer Wade Davis agreed to come aboard on a three-year, $52 million contract.
Andrew Luck told reporters on Friday that he doesn’t believe he’ll need a second surgery on his shoulder. “I’m very optimistic,” he said. “I feel really good today.”
Six days after a confidence-shaking loss to UCLA left Kentucky fans questioning whether this year’s squad would ever reach the heights previous John Calipari teams have, the Wildcats restored faith with by far their finest performance this season. Defense should be a strength for a Kentucky team rife with length and athleticism at every position, but prior to Friday, the young Wildcats had not shown the requisite commitment at that end of the floor. Against Louisville, Kentucky did a far better job executing a defensive game plan, walling off the paint, forcing the cold-shooting Cardinals to make jump shots and then outhustling them to loose balls.
Following a successful return to competetive golf four weeks ago at the Hero World Challenge, Tiger Woods writes in a blog post on his website that he “was very encouraged by my performance at the Hero World Challenge, and hope it was the start of something big.” He finished T9 at the event in the Bahamas, posting a total of 8 under with rounds of 69-68-75-68. Woods writes that he exceeded his own expectations for the event and is “very optimistic about 2018 and looking forward to great things on and off the golf course.” “The biggest surprise for me was finding out that I had the lead after 27 holes,” Woods writes. “I knew I was close after I eagled the ninth. It was nice to have played well enough to do that after being gone so long.” Woods also recaps his rehabilitation process and how it felt to be back amongst his competitors on the course. “I appreciate competitive golf now more than I ever have. During that 10-month period I was away from the game, I had a hard time walking and often needed assistance getting out of bed,” he says. “To go from that and be able to play golf – I hadn’t played without pain for a long time – it was nice to just go out there and chill out, have fun with the guys and needle them. The next step was competition.” Regarding his schedule for the upcoming season, he comments that the finer details are still up in the air. “I would love to play a full schedule in 2018. What that entails, including back-to-back events, I don’t know. I just have to continue to work on my body and game and see where I pan out.” As of now, Woods has only committed to appear at the Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club, where he made his debut at 16 years old.
From Fowler to Xander Schauffele, Jason Sobel identifies which professional golfers are poised to jump to another level this year.
From Fowler to Xander Schauffele, Jason Sobel identifies which professional golfers are poised to jump to another level this year.
