Football is the bond that holds the Kendricks family together, and it will remain so after brothers Mychal and Eric face off for the NFC championship.
Kansas freshman Billy Preston’s college career is over without ever playing a game that counted in the standings.
With three injured starters on the bench, the Lakers shot an abysmal 2-for-14 from the foul line — the worst percentage in a game in NBA history — but still managed to beat the Pacers on Friday.
Here are nine tidbits from the second round of the CareerBuilder Challenge that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Done with this One These were the top five picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO: Remember, there is one more chance tomorrow to get into position to get into position. Those supporting Dufner (raises hand) and Mickelson will need a low one tomorrow from each to get back into the fight. The downside is that they are playing the Stadium Course, the toughest of the three tracks, in Round 3. Course and Weather Management There were rumbles during the telecast again on Friday that gusting winds could be on the menu for round three Saturday. While the Stadium Course played easier on Friday, it was still two full strokes harder than La Quinta Country Club and almost two full shots more difficult than the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Yesterday, there were only five of the top 41 who played the Stadium Course. Today, nine of the top 35 had to play the Pete Dye design. If you didn’t balance your lineup in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO you’ll have to hope your guys mimic Kevin Chappell’s performance in round two. His 64 was the best on that track by two shots. Three other players, Bronson Burgoon, Andrew Putnam and Zac Blair posted 66’s. Leader Landry Andrew Landry has taken advantage of playing the two easier tracks in the first two rounds. His 63 at La Quinta to open and 65 at Nicklaus Tournament in round two has a one-shot lead on first-round leader Jon Rahm on 16-under-par 128. It’s never easy backing up a career-low score but his 65 qualifies as backed up! He hasn’t squared a bogey and his seven birdies in round two tied his career-best output. Landry fired 64 at The RSM Classic to close last season so he’s in the mood. There is exactly ONE of you on him in PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO. Memory Loss There were plenty of 64’s posted in round two but the one that caught my eye was the one from Zach Johnson on the Nicklaus Tournament. His previous two trips to this rotation saw him post nothing lower than 67. Entering the week, he had signed for 64 or lower in his last three events so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. His worst finish in four events this season is T23 so he’s had sharp winter. He enters the weekend T4 and has two rounds of the Stadium Course in front of him. Brian’s Song 2013 champ Brian Gay signed for 64 at La Quinta to jump 35 spots into the top 10 at T7. His opening nine 30 included six of eight birdies on day where he didn’t make a bogey. Similarly to Johnson, Gay has missed the cut the last two seasons on this track. His opening rounds of 68-64 are his only two rounds in the 60’s from eight tries in the last three years. Muscle Russell Gamers heard the engine turning over last week at Waialae as he posted Friday-Saturday rounds of 64-65. He continues trending in the right direction with another 64 (Nicklaus Tournament) today to move up 54 spots to T10. Knox joins Landry as the only players in the top 10 without a bogey on their cards for the first two rounds. It’s interesting that Bubba Watson also hasn’t made any bogeys. His five birdies and a double bogey suggest that it isn’t his week (T108). Don’t Sleep on Sleepers Rob Bolton picks his crew each week and gamers should add it to their routine before each tournament. At the halfway point, he’s has a few performing, including Beau Hossler. His opening round of 64 was backed up by 69 in round two as he’s currently T10, the exact same scores from one of his other selections, Aaron Wise. Lucas Glover sits a very solid T19 at 10-under. Lurking Canadian Adam Hadwin hasn’t finished worse than T6 in the two events in the new rotation. It didn’t hurt that he shot 59 at La Quinta on Saturday last year but he joined the famous club of posting that number and not winning. His bogey-free 67 at the Stadium Course today piggybacked his 66 Thursday at the Nicklaus Tournament layout. I’m not Colombo but even I can figure out he’s heading back to La Quinta tomorrow sitting T10. Study Hall According to reports, Greg Chalmers added CareerBuilder Challenge to his schedule and dropped the Farmers Insurance Open. Gamers can connect the dots on which type of courses suit the veteran Aussie moving forward. … I’m fascinated that Wesley Bryan isn’t carrying a driver until he figures out where it’s going. He opened with 65 but added 75 today to drop 81 spots to T90. We’ll see how long the experiment lasts. … Maverick McNealy sits T19 after 66-68 but gamers must remember that he doesn’t carry any status. … Rory McIlroy is bogey-free through 36 holes in Abu Dhabi and is just three back. … Dustin Johnson, playing the same event, busted out 64 in round two to move to T11. … Sergio Garcia is one back at the Singapore Open as Ryo Ishikawa (!) is one of three tied for the lead on seven-under-par. … Brooks Koepka announced that his wrist does need surgery so this should activate contingency plans for season-long owners who knew this might have been a possibility. Read more here from our man Ben Everill.
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Maverick McNealy and course management coach Scott Fawcett have a system in place where the recent Stanford University graduate grades his thought process and pre-routine over the course of a round using either a one or zero. If McNealy is consistent and focused, with no distractions before or after the shot, he gives himself a one. A zero is given when he misses the mark. The system sounds simple, but it’s a way to keep McNealy engaged over the course of a round. On Friday, McNealy logged his best score on the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West. “I gave myself one zero, and that was on 6th hole where I should’ve stepped off from a wedge [shot],” McNealy said. “I know these rounds are really important and I really want to play well, but I’m just really trying to make a one.” It shouldn’t come as a surprise that McNealy’s near-spotless course management score coincided with a second straight sub-70 round at the CareerBuilder Challenge. McNealy’s 68 has him within six shots of the lead at 10 under and, more importantly, another step closer to making his second TOUR cut since turning professional last October at the Safeway Open. With playing privileges locked up for the first 12 Web.com Tour events of the season — via a T-10 at the final stage of Web.com Tour Qualifying — McNealy has set his sights on making the most of his three remaining sponsor’s exemptions on the PGA TOUR at the CareerBuilder Challenge, Farmers Insurance Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. (He’ll also try to Monday qualify for the Waste Management Phoenix Open.) In a perfect world, McNealy would earn enough FedExCup points to bypass playing the Web.com Tour altogether. It’s something he admitted is in the back of his mind this week. But instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, McNealy is using it as motivation to stay committed to each shot. “I know it’s really important,” McNealy said of the next three tournaments, “but then again, knowing that gives that much more focus on each individual shot to make every single one of them count.” McNealy looked comfortable on the Nicklaus Tournament Course, opening with four birdies in his first seven holes while playing alongside 18-year-old phenom Charlie Reiter, who also earned a sponsor’s exemption into the tournament. The last nine holes produced a few mistakes, including a tee shot on the par-3 8th that found the water hazard, but McNealy kept the mistakes to a minimum, getting up-and-down from the drop area to save bogey. McNealy noted his comfort level with the course came from playing a college tournament on Nicklaus during his time at Stanford. He went on to win the event and used nine birdies during the final round to close with an 8-under 64 for medalist honors. “Really good comfort level out here,” said McNealy. “It’s playing pretty similar to how it did during the tournament in college. Honestly, I’d say we saw two-thirds of today’s pin positions during that tournament, so it was good prep.” McNealy attributed his strong play this week to a rigorous practice regiment he put in place during the offseason that saw him put on 5-6 pounds of lean muscle through a daily routine consisting of 36 holes and a trip to the gym. “I told [my caddie Travis McAlister] the next time I saw him, I was going to have better balance and rhythm with my swing, which came about from that strength,” McNealy said. “I told him I was going to work really hard and have a better short game and wedge play.” McNealy also worked on various aspects of his game — iron trajectory and pace putting — and said he was already seeing it pay dividends on the course. “It all started to click during the final stage of Q School and I’ve started to see everything pay off,” McNealy said. “I’m really happy it’s carried through this week.”
Players nominated for the Hall of Fame usually have long careers full of standout games. But what if they had to be defined by just one? We take a look at the signature moment of each player on the ballot.
One week ago, an American League general manager was asked to predict which high-profile free agent would be the next to sign. His answer: Yu Darvish.
David Ortiz won’t be taking any more clutch swings. Pedro Martinez won’t be throwing any more devastating changeups. But they can make contributions with their voices, their minds, their experience, their charisma and the respect they carry the minute they walk into a room or a practice field.
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Andrew Landry topped the crowded CareerBuilder Challenge leaderboard after another low-scoring day in the sunny Coachella Valley. Landry shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to reach 16 under. He opened with a 63 on Thursday at La Quinta Country Club. Jon Rahm, the first-round leader after a 62 at La Quinta, was a stroke back. He had two early bogeys in a 67 on the Nicklaus layout. Jason Kokrak was 14 under after a 67 at Nicklaus. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was 13 under along with Michael Kim and Martin Piller. Johnson had a 64 at Nicklaus. Landry, Rahm, Kokrak and Johnson will finish the rotation Saturday at PGA West’s Stadium Course, also the site of the final round.
Tiger Woods commands the spotlight as he returns to familiar ground for his first PGA TOUR rounds since his latest back surgery, taking on a strong lineup led by defending champion Jon Rahm and a sizzling Justin Rose. Former World No. 1 Jason Day is ready for his first start since the calendar turned to 2018, having ended 2017 on a sour note at the Australian Open. A strong San Diego ensemble includes 2017 Rookie of the Year Xander Schauffele (San Diego State), plus area natives Phil Mickelson and Charley Hoffman. FULL FIELD: Click here to see who’s playing FIELD NOTES: Hideki Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler help give the lineup four of the top 10 in the world rankings and 11 of the top 25. … Morgan Hoffmann, who disclosed in December that he’s dealing with symptoms of muscular dystrophy, makes his second start since the announcement. The former No. 1 amateur missed the cut in Hawaii. … Maverick McNealy, who also held down the No. 1 amateur ranking a year ago, is in the field on a sponsor exemption. So is Sam Burns (LSU), who captured college golf’s Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year honors last year. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES: Woods takes his next test at Torrey Pines, buoyed by a pain-free performance at the Hero World Challenge that left him squarely in the middle of the 18-man field. He’s a seven-time champion in the event, plus winning the epic 2008 U.S. Open for his most recent major. … Mickelson makes his 29th start in the event, having won three of his first 12 but none since. His best finish since 2001 was runner-up in 2010 behind Ben Crane. … Day tees it up for the first time since a closing 73 at the Australian Open allowed Cameron Davis to wrest away the crown. …. Rahm’s win made it seven consecutive Farmers victors to begin their week playing the South Course. Crane was the last winner to play his opening round on the North Course. … Just once in the past 13 years has the 54-hole leader at Torrey Pines closed the deal. That was Woods, who fashioned an eight-shot romp in 2008. COURSE: Torrey Pines GC (South), 7,698 yards, par 72. Meandering along cliffs fronting the Pacific Ocean, William Bell’s 1957 design turned an old World War II army base into one of the PGA TOUR’s more scenic venues. The TOUR’s annual San Diego stop relocated to the city-owned layout in 1968, and it hosts the Junior Worlds each July. A Rees Jones upgrade in 2001 helped Torrey Pines land the 2008 U.S. Open, captured by Woods in an epic playoff over Rocco Mediate, and it has been tabbed to host the major again in 2021. Torrey Pines’ North course (7,258/72), which debuted a Tom Weiskopf redesign last year, again will be used for the first two rounds. 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, George Burns (1987), Tiger Woods (1999). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Mark Brooks (2nd round, 1990) and Brandt Snedeker (1st round, 2007) at Torrey Pines North, predating the Weiskopf redesign. South course record: 62, Tiger Woods (3rd round, 1999). Redesigned North record: 65, Justin Rose (1st round, 2017). LAST YEAR: Rahm stamped his first professional win with a stunning eagle finish, watching his 60-foot putt from the back fringe drop into the hole. It was the young Spaniard’s second back-nine eagle that capped a 5-under-par 67, giving him a three-shot triumph. Nine golfers held a share of the lead at some point in the final round, as 54-hole leaders Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Rodgers stumbled. Rahm played his final six holes in 5 under, starting with an 18-foot eagle at No. 13 to tie for the lead. A birdie at No. 17 preceded his closing heroics. Charles Howell III (68) and C.T. Pan (70) shared second; Woods missed the cut in his first TOUR start after a 19-month layoff. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 2-3:30 p.m. (GC), 4-7 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-7 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 1-7 p.m. ET. Saturday, 2-7 p.m. Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
