When 17-year-old Katie Hawley was diagnosed with cancer for a third time, she told her parents that she wanted to give up. But the dedicated Ducks fan says her friendship with Anaheim All-Star Rickard Rakell has helped inspire her to continue her fight.
Welcome to the Monday Finish where we literally have finished on a Monday after Jason Day outlasted Alex Noren in a six hole playoff that stretched over two days. Here are observations and insights from the week at Torrey Pines where the return of a big cat and an epic finish had everybody talking. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Jason Day is ready to make his push back towards the top of the golfing world. The now 30-year-old has seemingly put a tough 2017 behind him and is driven to make his move. Last season he lacked motivation. He almost didn’t care that Dustin Johnson took his mantle. But his mind is back now. He does care. He’s fired up. He wants to be the best. He wants to dominate. And his 11th PGA TOUR win this week is the start of that chase. With Day, Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy among players looking for a huge year in 2018 and the return of Tiger Woods… wow. 2. Alex Noren should have already been on everyone’s radar before this performance given he has nine European Tour wins and not that long ago was inside the world top 10. But if he was under the radar on American soil the Swede certainly made sure fans won’t be forgetting him any time soon. He produced some great shots when they mattered down the stretch on a tough lay out and more than held his own in Sunday’s playoff holes. His Monday morning shot that found the water was just a fraction off being perfect and setting up a great look at eagle. He went down swinging. In his first season as a member of both the PGA TOUR and the European Tour he is a serious threat at both the FedExCup and the race to Dubai. 3. Tiger Woods is back. Hallelujah. Rounds of 72-71-70-72 left him seven shots off joining a playoff and giving him a shot at an eighth Farmers Insurance Open title but it was certainly a success. It was his first PGA TOUR event in a year and just second official event since August 2015 after back fusion surgery. Torrey Pines played hard this week and Woods sprayed the ball off the tee. Yet still he made the weekend when others would have been looking at rounds of 80. The building blocks are there for one last push towards the all-time TOUR win record. He needs three more wins to tie Sam Snead’s 82. It was also amazing to see the deep galleries around the veteran star. Can’t wait to see him back at the Genesis Open in a few weeks. “I think he’s going to win this year, personally, once he figures (driver) out, once he gets some more competitive rounds under his belt,â€� Jason Day said of the return. 4. There was a lot of chatter about slow play on Sunday at Torrey Pines and while pace of play is always something most of us want to see set at swift – there were some extenuating circumstances that should be highlighted to balance the argument. Things could have certainly been quicker but… Firstly the round was played in three-balls, always slower than two balls obviously. There were wind gusts up around 25 mph making decisions much harder. Greens at Torrey are poa, which gets bouncy, and necessitates marking from closer than usual to be sure you see the breaks etc. C.T. Pan had a horror hole on the par-3 3rd hole, having to return to the tee box after his first shot was deemed unplayable in a canyon. His next effort also found the canyon, forcing his caddy to run down the hill to decide if it was playable. It wasn’t. Long story short he made an eight and multiple groups were backed up on the tee behind him. The final group was in a three-way match play style situation fighting for the win, making every shot worth plenty. That being said, J.B. Holmes certainly took a lot of time before his approach to the 18th hole, leaving Noren waiting, which proved tough. Holmes was unapologetic however as he needed an unlikely eagle to have a chance to win and was trying to figure out how to make it. 5. Ryan Palmer was looking to end an eight-year win drought but ended up just short after making par on the first playoff hole. He secured his PGA TOUR card on a major medical extension at the CareerBuilder Challenge last week and now that he has moved to 31st in the FedExCup he is looking good for a push to the Playoffs. His last appearance there was in 2016 and his last time at the TOUR Championship was 2014 when he finished a career high 14th in the FedExCup. Since 2011, he has the most top-five finishes on TOUR without a win (19) so here’s hoping he can continue to surge towards a breakthrough. FIVE INSIGHTS 1. This was the 17th playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open and first since Jason Day prevailed in a four-man playoff in 2015. In 50 years of the event being played at Torrey Pines, this is just the third playoff to last three holes or more. 2001 – Phil Mickelson def. Frank Lickliter II and Davis Love III (three holes); 1985 – Woody Blackburn def. Ron Streck (four holes). The playoff is the fifth this PGA TOUR season and third in a row. The last time there were three straight playoffs on the PGA TOUR was in 2015 (Travelers Championship, The Greenbrier Classic, John Deere Classic). 2. Day now has 11 PGA TOUR victories after breaking a 20-month drought. He became the ninth player to win the Farmers Insurance Open more than once joining Tiger Woods (1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013), Phil Mickelson (1993, 2000, 2001), Tommy Bolt (1953, 1955), Arnold Palmer (1957, 1961), Steve Pate (1988, 1992), J.C. Snead (1975, 1976), Brandt Snedeker (2012, 2016) and Tom Watson (1977, 1980). 3. Only 11 players were under-par on Sunday, and the field average was 74.779. Since 2000, it was the tournament’s third-highest Sunday scoring average, with the highest being 2016 (77.901) and second-highest being 2008 (74.788). The average of 74.779 is the second-highest single-round scoring average this season. The highest came in the third round of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES (74.792 / +2.792). 4. Tiger Woods hit 17 fairways, the fewest in his career in a 72-hole tournament. He still finished T23. His stats line looked this way. R1 (South) – Eight of 14 fairways, 12 of 18 greens in regulation, 31 putts. R2 (North) – Three of 14 fairways, nine of 18 greens in regulation, 24 putts. R3 – Three of 14 fairways, nine of 18 greens in regulation, 26 putts. R4 – Three of 14 fairways, 12 of 18 greens in regulation, 29 putts. Total – 17 of 56 fairways, 42 of 72 greens in regulation, 110 putts. His proximity to the hole was 40 feet, 10 inches leaving him ranked T52 of the 78 players to make the cut. 5. With world No. 1 on offer, defending champion Jon Rahm ran out of gas after his big few weeks including his win at the CareerBuilder Challenge. He carded a final-round 77 and finished T29. After moving to 10-under with a birdie on No. 10 on Saturday, he played his final 26 holes in 8-over and made eight bogeys, one double bogey and two birdies. Rahm’s weekend scores of 75-77 – 152 is the second-highest 36-hole total of his PGA TOUR career. His high score in consecutive rounds is 72-82 – 154 in the second and third rounds of the 2017 PLAYERS Championship. It is only the third time Rahm has carded two over-par rounds on the weekend. He shot 73-75 at the 2017 Masters, and he shot 73-75 at The Open Championship in 2016.
Despite a debilitating experience at the 2018 Dakar rally that saw less than half the racers reach the finish line, India’s CS Santosh is already itching to be back in action.
Mike Trout? That’s a yes. Kris Bryant? Well, maybe someday — maybe. We ran through every squad in baseball to find out who might have its all-time best on the roster in 2018.
Mike Trout? That’s a yes. Kris Bryant? Well, maybe someday — maybe. We ran through every squad in baseball to find out who might have its all-time best player on the roster in 2018.
The Celtics allowed 118 points in beating the Denver Nuggets in Boston. They’ll likely have to be better than that defensively tonight against a team that has one of the best home records in the NBA. Â
SAN DIEGO – As each week went by without a win Jason Day became a little more frustrated. A little madder. And a little harder to be around. He watched young guns Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth and long-time rival Dustin Johnson dominate 2017 and finally turned the annoyance of not being part of it into motivation. It was less than a year ago he was still world No. 1 before Johnson took it from him and hasn’t looked back. Meanwhile, without a win since the 2016 PLAYERS Championship, Day had free-fallen to 14th on the world stage entering the Farmers Insurance Open this week. There were extenuating circumstances – a cancer scare for his mother curtailed his regular focus and practice time – but he still expected more of himself. With every win from Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson his goal of being the best was slipping further and further away. He also dealt with a mini split from Colin Swatton – who reverted to full-time coach and moved away from caddy duties – because Day was afraid of damaging the friendship. He was snapping at everyone. But over the off-season he got things back in sync. And in his first start in 2018 he grabbed career win No. 11 with his triumph over Alex Noren in a six-hole playoff. Now his sights are firmly set on winning the FedExCup – he moved to ninth in the standings – and climbing back to world No. 1 – he is now 10th. In short – he is telling his rivals – look out. “Last year was a good kick in the butt, you know, not really being talked about — and being talked about for the wrong reasons,â€� Day said. “Last year I felt mentally stressed but also rundown, burnt out. It was hard for me to be on the golf course, but this year my whole mindset’s different. I’m very motivated to get back to the No. 1 spot and I know that the only way to get back to the No. 1 spot is win and that’s what I’ve just got to do. “I’ve said it for the longest time, I’ve always wanted to be the No. 1 player in the world. I got there for 51 weeks but I’ve always wanted to be a dominant No. 1 player in the world. “I’ve got to keep trying to build and build and build and hopefully win the FedEx Cup at the end of the year.â€� The biggest question mark on Day’s ability to make the long climb back is just that – his back. He pulled out of the pro-am with soreness this week and admitted he couldn’t bend over to hit a golf ball just a few weeks ago. He now must continue to manage it going forward, saying it takes about an hour or 90 minutes worth of work every day. “My facet joints just got a little bit larger over the years just through constant wear and tear of hitting golf balls,â€� he explained. “When they get a little bit larger, they get a little bit closer to the nerve, and when they get close to the nerve and things kind of all align, your back can go out and you can get shooting pains down both legs. Even last night to a certain degree I had pain going down my right leg. “But I know that I need to do my posture, my mobility exercises. I know that I need to go back and ice it straightaway and I need to heat it up every morning before I come. I’m constantly doing stuff trying to maintain my back.â€� Next up for Day is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where he intends to make further statements against his rivals. He will be joined there by the likes of defending champion Spieth, Johnson and Rory McIlroy … what a great year we have in store.
Here are nine tidbits from the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open 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. One & Done After a six-hour round, Jason Day, Alex Noren and Ryan Palmer had more work to do. The warm and breezy conditions inflated scores on Sunday as Day (70) had the only card better than par of three. Palmer was eliminated on the first playoff hole as Noren and Day circled birdies. After five holes, the sun finally gave up and went to bed and the competitors were forced to come back on Monday.     The first playoff hole on Monday saw Day collect his 11th win on TOUR with his birdie on No. 18. Day had an eventful 2017 that frustrated gamers but we have to remember these are human beings as well. His mother was sick. His wife had a miscarriage. His caddy, mentor and coach, Col Swatton, was removed from his bag. His back injury scared off plenty on Wednesday but that’s just part of it moving forward. He has issues with it and if he can play through it, he will. If he can’t, well…Not a bad way to start the season as he joins the list of multiple winners at the Farmers Insurance Open and both have come in a playoff. He’s now cashed four top 10’s in nine starts at Torrey Pines. He led the field in birdies with 21 will help from his GIR numbers (T11) and his putter (T4). Swedish Thing Since his return from wrist issues in 2014, Alex Noren has won six times in 63 events worldwide. He’s exempt this season as his cash earned last year as a non-member would have put him in the top 125. Last year he cashed top 10’s at THE PLAYERS (10th), WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (T5) and the Open Championship. The angle with Noren is just how many events he’s going to play but weekly gamers don’t have to worry about that! His P2 is the best of his bunch on U.S. soil and it’s obvious he has plenty of class to improve on that! Ryan’s Hope Ryan Palmer was first man out of the three-man playoff and his P2 was his best finish since T2 at the…2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open, the site of next week’s event. The Texan commented after the round that he’s in a really good place right now. His wife’s cancer is in remission and there’s obviously nothing wrong with his golf game. His monster up-and-down at the final hole to get into the playoff confirmed his sentiment. He finished in the top 10 in both driving categories and was third in putts per GIR. Pick Your Horse Keegan Bradley followed his T4 from last year with fifth-place earnings this year. I don’t know what the rules on #NappyFactor might but he cashed solo second at the CIMB Classic a month before his son was born in November and adds another nice check this week. … J.B. Holmes made a business decision that took, er, some time on Sunday afternoon. On the final hole, trailing by two, he eventually decided to lay up. He eventually circled a birdie for solo fourth. This was his third top six in the last four years. … Charles Howell III posted one of the two rounds in the 60’s today (69) to claim his eighth top-10 finish in 16 tries. He’s never missed a weekend in those 16 years. Remarkable. It Ain’t Over Until It’s Over The other round in the 60’s on Sunday went to Hideki Matsuyama. His 69 matched Howell’s and moved him up 32 places to T12, his best finish in five tries. The Japanese star never threatened and the key to his success this week was his PUTTER?!?! He hit it all over the shop tee-to-green but when he found the putting surface he cashed in. He was T9 in putts per GIR. I won’t have to remind you he’s the two-time defending champion next week. Out of the Woods If more proof is needed that driving the golf ball accurately isn’t a requirement at Torrey Pines, please look no further. Tiger Woods has never driven the ball this poorly in an event. The large cat hit just 30.4 percent of the fairways this week but still beat Jon Rahm and finished inside the top 25 (T23). Imagine if he hit a few! He’s back at Riviera in a few weeks so gamers will have time to digest and over-analyze this week. Just how we like it! Familiar Names Harris English went three places better on the leaderboard this week with T8. He adds another top 10 to his playoff loss in 2015 and makes it six out of six at Torrey Pines. … Tom Hoge collected T12 after leading the South Course in SG: Tee-to-Green for the week. He’s now cashed in seven of eight starts this season and half have gone for top 25’s. … Brandon Harkins is a native Californian and is racking up the FedExCup points and cash in his home state. He opened the year T9 at the Safeway Open in Napa Valley. Last week he went one better with a T8 at the CareerBuilder Challenge. His T12 this week adds to the pile of top-25 finishes, six in eight events, this season. So Close Yet So Far Jon Rahm was a 7-4 favorite to win the tournament after 36 holes. The defending champion posted 75-77 on the weekend and couldn’t recreate his 65 from Sunday last year. … Michael Kim now has closing rounds of 80 in 2016 and 78 in 2018 when beginning the final round in touching distance of the lead. He began the day T3 and ended T23. … C.T. Pan went one better and signed for 79 to drop from T5 to T35. … Beau Hossler matched Pan’s 79 and matched his drop from T5 to T35. Hossler had a tough round last Saturday at the CareerBuilder Challenge to stall out but he keeps putting himself into position. … The Hunter Mahan experience continues to be a wait-and-see affair. Maybe I jinxed him after including him in Friday’s column. I try and only use my powers for good! He fired 78-79 on the weekend. He’ll be worth a look at TPC Scottsdale for those who love a long shot. More on that in The Confidence Factor on Tuesday! Study Hall Haotong Li played in the final group with Rory McIlroy Sunday at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The 23-year old budding star from China matched him shot-for-shot until he birdied the final two holes to win by one. They both shot 69 but Li’s one-shot lead after 54 holes held up. He becomes the first Chinese player to enter the OWGR top 50. … Tommy Fleetwood bags his fourth top-10 finish in a row and fifth in his last six events. …Byeong Hun An played his final three rounds 16-under-par to finish T6. An was in the mix at TPC Scottsdale last year before 73 on Sunday saw him end up sixth. … Ricky Barnes tweeted that he’s received a sponsor’s exemption for the Waste Management Phoenix Open this week. Barnes was T20 at CareerBuilder two weeks ago.
Amid increasing pressure from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, Cleveland’s divisive logo is being removed from the team’s uniform next year.
Following a heated verbal exchange with coach Jeff Hornacek in practice last week, the Knicks are actively exploring avenues to part with Joakim Noah.
