The American League looks for its sixth straight win in the Midsummer Classic, while the National League eyes its first victory since 2012. Follow every play from Nationals Park in Washington live, or watch on FOX
A pair of stacked lineups ready for an ace rematch as the American League starts Chris Sale against NL hometown ace Max Scherzer in the 89th All-Star Game.
For the second year in a row, aces Chris Sale of the Red Sox and Max Scherzer of the Nationals face off in the All-Star Game, managers AJ Hinch and Dave Roberts announced on Monday.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A month ago, Brittany Lincicome happened to be paired with Michelle Wie at the LPGA event in Arkansas. So she tried to pick Wie’s brain about what it was like to play in a PGA TOUR event – which the Hawaiian did eight times as a teenager and Lincicome will do at this week’s Barbasol Championship. Not a lot of good that did her. “She wasn’t very helpful,â€� Lincicome said with a chuckle. “(She) said she couldn’t remember it was so long ago.â€� Ten years, to be exact. When Lincicome steps to the 10th tee at 9:59 a.m. ET on Thursday, she’ll become the sixth woman to play in a TOUR event, joining Wie, who was the last, Annika Sorenstam, Suzy Whaley, Shirley Spork and Babe Didrikson Zaharias. And Lincicome, who is playing with Sam Ryder and Conrad Shindler, plans to soak it all in. “To be playing in the practice round today, hitting on the driving range, it’s kind of surreal,â€� Lincicome said. “I just can’t stop smiling. … I can’t wait until Thursday.â€� Lincicome has won eight times on the LPGA Tour and played in six Solheim Cups. She narrowly missed getting her ninth victory on Sunday, too, when a birdie putt did a 340-degree spin out of the hole and Lincicome ended up losing on the first hole of sudden death. Even with such impressive credentials, Lincicome knows she’ll be nervous. But, hey, Juli Inkster always told her if she wasn’t she wouldn’t be human. “Obviously I’ve heard many times I would be first LPGA or female person to make the cut in a men’s event,â€� Lincicome said. “(I’m) trying to block that all out and just go out and play and have fun and play my own game and not be too tense or uptight about it.

“I think if I can do that and take a few slow breaths and not pass out on the first hole, I’ll be OK.â€� Lincicome, who represents Barbasol’s parent company, Perio, Inc., is one of the LPGA’s biggest hitters. When she was a kid, she remembers working as a standard bearer at the JC Penney Classic, and one of teams she got to see up close and personal was John Daly and Laura Davies. “That’s probably why I like hitting it far now,â€� she said. Lincicome’s average driving distance, measured on two holes each week, is 269.520 yards, which ranks her 10th on the LPGA. That’s just 6 yards out of No. 1 – but outside the top 200 on the PGA TOUR. So Lincicome — who joked that it felt like the Monday qualifier she played with on Tuesday, Dominico Geminiani, was “outdriving me by 100 yards, it felt likeâ€� — knows she’ll be at a disadvantage. Champions Trace, which hosts the Barbasol Championship, measures more than 778 yards longer than the course the LPGA played last week. Even so, in the nine holes Lincicome and Geminiani played on Tuesday, she had one hybrid to a green and otherwise, her longest club was a 5-iron. “It’s really not that bad, and 5-iron is one of my favorite clubs, so that’s OK,â€� Lincicome said with characteristic positivity.

“But, yeah, just the par-5s, won’t be able to get to the par-5s. Have to lay it up to my favorite number, make birdie, and take advantage of those holes for sure. Keep it in the fairway.â€� Geminiani, who saw Lincicome several times when he was working at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida, which is about 50 minutes from her Gulfport home, came away impressed with her game. “I think she’ll be just fine,â€� he said. “A lot of the holes are doglegs. She’s been playing really well, too.â€� Lincicome said she was “speechlessâ€� when she got the invitation to play in the Barbasol Championship. And she has felt nothing but good vibes in the two months since the announcement was made – she hasn’t even had to block anyone on social media, Lincicome said with a grin — as well as during her first day at Keene Trace Golf Club. “All the guys on the putting green, in the lunchroom, everyone has been super supportive, which is great,â€� Lincicome said. “They’re all like, it’s great that you’re here. Thanks for coming. “I was like, thanks for having me, you know.â€� Lincicome, who played on the boys team at her high school, expects to learn things this week that will make her a better player when she returns to normalcy on the LPGA Tour. And as for what the men might learn from her? “Probably more like not so much the golf, but like what kind of snacks do I have in my bag, how many fish have I caught recently.â€� Lincicome said. “Maybe lighten up a little bit on the course. When I hit a bad shot I try to still be chatty and not too uptight about it.

“I don’t know, maybe they can learn that.â€� Lincicome saw a familiar face in her gallery on Tuesday. She met a father and his daughter at the U.S. Women’s Open and they planned to come to the Barbasol Championship but the young girl was ill. Instead, her father brought the photo they took with Lincicome for her to sign. “Playing in this event is just great for stuff like that,â€� she said. “If I can inspire one child to pick up the game of golf and want to play, I feel like my job as a pro has been succeeded. “To influence any child is pretty cool to be in the position we are, so any time I see kids I always try to give them a ball or a glove or make sure I sign their autograph. That might be that one autograph that will bring them back next time, and that’s a pretty cool feeling.â€�
My Power Rankings for The Open Championship include all 156 golfers in the field, so this Fantasy Insider column is abridged. The Wild Card, Draws and Fades will return for next week’s RBC Canadian Open. Segment 4 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO begins at Carnoustie. When you’re thrown a bone, you take it. Just make sure to take a bite out of it, too. There are only nine tournaments to go in the Roster game – the One & Done will include all of the remaining 11 on the schedule – but navigating the final phase is tricky. The Open is the last tournament for which ShotLink is not used to measure performance, so you can get away with stowing two probable contenders for the bonus points on your bench at least until the 36-hole cut falls, but if neither is in the mix for the Claret Jug at the midpoint, consider keeping at least one benched until the conclusion of the third round, and then decide whether it’d be worth burning a start for potentially modest bonus points instead of holstering it for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship or any of the four Playoffs events. Yes, this strategy would mean swallowing a zero (or two), but to pay off losing the start, your guy might need a podium finish. Otherwise, you’re losing points later for mild returns now. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for The Open Championship (in alphabetical order): Tommy Fleetwood Rickie Fowler Dustin Johnson Rory McIlroy Alex Noren Justin Rose You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Jason Day; Zach Johnson; Brooks Koepka; Marc Leishman; Hideki Matsuyama; Phil Mickelson; Jon Rahm; Justin Thomas Driving: n/a Approach: n/a Short: n/a Returning to Competition Nate Lashley … The rookie is scheduled to compete at the Web.com Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Heartland Chevy Dealers. He had been sidelined for a month after having knee surgery. This week’s return qualifies as a rehab start in advance of a medical extension on the PGA TOUR for 2018-19 (assuming he doesn’t play the TOUR again this season and finish inside the top 125). Currently 162nd in the FedExCup standings, he’ll be eligible for the Web.com Tour Finals on merit. Notable WDs Bernd Wiesberger, Paul Lawrie and John Daly … All withdrew from The Open Championship due to injury. Alex Cejka … Out at the Barbasol Championship. It’s his second consecutive early withdrawal and fifth on the season, but we see this coming almost every season. As evidenced by a T13 in his last start at Greenbrier, he still delivers when his 47-year-old body allows for it. Currently 89th in the FedExCup standings. Denny McCarthy … Fell to 144th in the FedExCup with a T34 at the John Deere Classic, but he’s been in that vicinity for months. If he doesn’t make the FedExCup Playoffs, he’s still a good bet to survive the Web.com Tour Finals given he’s risen to his current position after an awful first nine events of his rookie campaign. Brett Stegmaier … He was a surprising removal from the Barbasol field. He’s 190th in the FedExCup standings and has ripped off three straight cuts made. Power Rankings Recap – John Deere Classic Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Zach Johnson T16 2 Bryson DeChambeau WD 3 Francesco Molinari T2 4 Steve Stricker T43 5 Kyle Stanley MC 6 Joaquin Niemann T23 7 Ryan Moore T55 8 Chesson Hadley T72 9 Austin Cook T34 10 Scott Stallings MC 11 Kevin Tway T50 12 Kelly Kraft T63 13 Brian Gay MC 14 Joel Dahmen T2 15 Scott Brown T12 Wild Card Chris Kirk T23 Sleepers Recap – John Deere Classic Golfer Result Wesley Bryan MC Peter Malnati MC Trey Mullinax MC C.T. Pan T34 Daniel Summerhays  MC Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR July 17 … none July 18 … Brendon de Jonge (38) July 19 … none July 20 … Conrad Shindler (30) July 21 … Robert Gamez (50); Paul Casey (41) July 22 … Brendon Todd (33); David Lingmerth (31) July 23 … Craig Barlow (46); Boo Weekley (45); Kevin Tway (30); Harris English (29); Kiradech Aphibarnrat (29); Tom Lovelady (25)
The Cavaliers have waived center Kendrick Perkins. The 33-year-old big man didn’t play a single minute for the Cavs in the 2018 postseason, but he added veteran leadership to the locker room.
Brandin Cooks hasn’t played a game yet for the Rams, but that hasn’t stopped them from signing the receiver to a five-year contract extension.
The NFL has reinstated Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory, who was suspended all of last season over multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.
The Blue Devils’ walk-on recently completed a 3,400-mile trek across the country in support of “Walk On! America,” a charity that supports people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
