Sign of the times: Cavs get OK for new bannerSign of the times: Cavs get OK for new banner
The Cavaliers unveiled a new banner, which features the face of the Guardian of Transportation statue, to replace the LeBron James one in downtown Cleveland.
Day: September 7, 2018
Sources: Torn ACL ends season for Falcons’ NealSources: Torn ACL ends season for Falcons’ Neal
Falcons safety Keanu Neal will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL during Thursday’s loss to the Eagles. Sources confirmed the extent of Neal’s injury to ESPN.
Falcons S Neal to miss rest of ’18 with torn ACLFalcons S Neal to miss rest of ’18 with torn ACL
Falcons safety Keanu Neal will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL during Thursday’s loss to the Eagles.
Looking ahead at the next three Basketball Hall of Fame classesLooking ahead at the next three Basketball Hall of Fame classes
All eyes are already on 2020, when a star-studded group featuring Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett could become part of one of the best Hall classes ever.
Tiger fails to break par in 2nd round of BMWTiger fails to break par in 2nd round of BMW
Tiger Woods failed to take advantage of the great start he got off to in the first round of the BMW Championship, failing to break par on Friday.
Xander Schauffele still has plenty to prove at the BMW ChampionshipXander Schauffele still has plenty to prove at the BMW Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – It was still dark when Xander Schauffele made the extremely early trip Friday morning to Aronimink for his second round of the BMW Championship. On the way over, he decided to look at his statistics for this season, hoping to find something to get him pumped it. Then he looked at his final-round scoring average. Deflation followed. “Pretty bad, to be completely honest here,â€� he said. Schauffele ranks 183rd in the PGA TOUR in final-round average (72.39). Compare that to his first-round ranking (tied for 29th) or even the ranking for his middle two rounds (tied for 91st on Fridays; tied for 93rd on Saturdays). The first two rounds this week obviously have been no problem for Schauffele, who leads the BMW after backing up his opening 63 with a 6-under 64 on Friday. It’s just the ninth time this season that a player has posted consecutive rounds of 64 or better in the same event. Schauffele now takes a two-shot lead over Justin Rose going into the third round at Aronimink. And that’s where the challenge really begins for last year’s Rookie of the Year. “A lot to prove not just to everyone else but to myself this weekend,â€� said Schauffele, whose group was first off the tee at 7 a.m. ET. “I’ve been failing a lot, so it would be nice to turn the switch and kind of clutch up.â€� Schauffele was certainly clutch in his rookie season when he won twice, including the TOUR Championship. He’d love to have a chance to defend, and if he maintains the lead through 72 holes, he’s projected to enter East Lake ranked sixth in points. This year, though, has been a winless one, although he’s played well in big events. He shared second to runaway winner Webb Simpson at THE PLAYERS Championship, was in the final group on Sunday at The Open Championship, and had a top-10 finish at the U.S. Open. He’s the only player this season with top-10 finishes in THE PLAYERS and two majors. But he’s still young – 24 – and still learning how to be a consistent closer. The Open at Carnoustie was reflective of those struggles – he shot a 74 in the final round to lose by two strokes to Francesco Molinari. In his last five starts, he’s failed to break par in the final round. Sunday is not here yet, and Schauffele doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. But this weekend promises to be a shootout – Rose estimates the winner will need to reach at least 20 under — and Schauffele would like nothing more than to be in the mix down the stretch. “I have lots to prove to myself,â€� he said. “I just want to win and kind of handle my business. I feel like I haven’t been doing that as well just on the weekends and maybe too relaxed or what not. … “I always thought I was rather a clutch player coming down the stretch and this year has said otherwise.â€� NOTABLES Justin Rose didn’t sleep well and was running a little late Friday morning, so he had to adjust his pre-round routine. Usually he likes to have two putting sessions, with his range time squeezed in between. But on Friday, he skipped the first putting session, and gave himself a little more time on the practice green after his range work. The adjustment obviously worked – his bogey-free 63 is his lowest score of the season. “Sometimes you don’t have to feel perfect to play good golf,â€� said Rose, who is at 11 under. “I think that’s the most important thing I realized today.â€� Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods both struggled to back up their opening 62s. Woods bogeyed his final two holes to shoot an even-par 70, while McIlroy managed to break par with a birdie at the par-5 16th to shoot 69. “It’s hard to stay patient whenever you know what you’ve done yesterday,â€� McIlroy said. “I didn’t want to lose too much ground. I should have been a few better.â€� Jason Day hit all 18 greens Friday for just the second time in his career, which was the key for his bogey-free 64 that moved him to 9 under, four shots off the lead. “The game is flowing nicely,â€� Day said. “Even though when I was out of position, I got myself back on the green and gave myself the opportunity to make a birdie or make a solid par.â€� Tony Finau has a streak of 13 consecutive rounds in the 60s – and the lowest score in that streak came Friday with a 6-under 64 that leaves him at 8 under. The fact that the long-hitting Finau is pulling driver out on many holes made it even more impressive. “I proved to myself, any type of golf course I can make birdies on and compete well on,â€� Finau said. “It’s a golf course that takes driver out of my hand more than I like but that doesn’t mean I can’t make birdies.â€� Keegan Bradley, like Schauffele, ranks lower in the fourth round than in his other three rounds. Two weeks ago at THE NORTHERN TRUST, he entered the final round in solo second behind Bryson DeChambeau, but carded a 78 to fall into a tie for 34th and lose valuable FedExCup points. “It’s time to go out on the weekend and do my thing,â€� he said. QUOTABLES Cheesesteaks, I guess.Kind of been a blessing in disguise.Had to be from the pro-am. SUPERLATIVES Low round – Kevin Na’s bogey-free 8-under 62 that included five birdies on his back nine. Na made 156 feet, 8 inches of putts. “I lit it up with the putter,â€� he said. Bogey-free rounds – Ryan Armour, Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Beau Hossler, Charles Howell III, Marc Leishman, Francesco Molinari, Kevin Na (62), Alex Noren, Ted Potter Jr., Justin Rose, Bubba Watson Longest drive – Gary Woodland’s 362-yard drive on the par-4 seventh. Longest putt – Jon Rahm’s birdie putt from 65 feet, 4 inches. Hardest hole – The 465-yard par-4 fourth played to a stroke average of 4.188, with just five birdies. Easiest hole - The 563-yard par-5 16th played to a stroke average of 4.261, with 50 of the 69 players making birdie (and one other making eagle). CALL OF THE DAY For play-by-play coverage of the third round of the BMW Championship, listen at PGATOUR.COM. SHOT OF THE DAY
FedExCup update: Keegan Bradley eyes return to TOUR ChampionshipFedExCup update: Keegan Bradley eyes return to TOUR Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – We’ve already witnessed one former anchorer have a career resurgence. Now Keegan Bradley is trying to follow in his footsteps. Webb Simpson qualified for last season’s TOUR Championship after a two-year absence from East Lake, then won this year’s THE PLAYERS Championship for his first victory in more than four years. Bradley is in position for his first TOUR Championship berth in five years after a strong start to the BMW Championship. He opened with rounds of 66-64 at Aronimink and is in third place, just three shots behind leader Xander Schauffele. “The opportunity is right in front of me. I have to go take it,â€� Bradley said. “That’s what’s great about the FedExCup Playoffs.â€� He is projected to leap from 52nd to 28th in the FedExCup standings if he can maintain his position on the leaderboard. The PGA TOUR’s projections estimate that he needs a fifth-place finish to advance to East Lake for the first time in five years. Bradley made it to the TOUR Championship in each of his first three seasons (2011-13) but hasn’t been back since. He hasn’t won since the 2012 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. Bradley, who has four top-10s this season, is still an elite ball-striker. He leads the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green. The putter often determines his fate, though. He’s 186th in Strokes Gained: Putting this season. He’s had multiple opportunities in the Playoffs to leap up the FedExCup standings. After shooting 62 in the third round at Ridgewood, Bradley played alongside Bryson DeChambeau in THE NORTHERN TRUST’s final group. Bradley fired 78 on Sunday to drop into 34th place, though. Last week, in his native Massachusetts, he shot 67-69 to sit in the top 10 at the halfway point of the Dell Technologies Championship. He didn’t break par in either of the final two rounds, though, and fell to 49th. “I’m excited for the opportunity again. I put myself here now the last couple of weeks, it’s time to go out and play well,â€� he said. Bradley ranks 10th in both Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green and Strokes Gained: Putting this week. He holed a 38-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole in the first round and sank four putts from outside 10 feet today. “This course rewards good ball striking,â€� he said. “That’s what I’ve been doing all year. I mix in some good putting and here I am 10 under. That’s the key.â€� BIG NAMES ON THE BUBBLE Jordan Spieth may need a good weekend if he wants to avoid missing the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. Spieth, the 2015 FedExCup champion, is 32nd in the projected standings. He’s fallen five spots since the start of the week because of a poor start at Aronimink. While he watched playing partners Tiger Woods (62-70) and Rickie Fowler (65-65) go low, Spieth has struggled with his putting. Spieth shot 67-71 and is tied for 48th place. Spieth is 95 points behind No. 30 Gary Woodland in the projected FedExCup standings. He was 0 for 3 on putts from 5-10 feet on Friday, losing 2.75 strokes on the greens in the BMW’s second round. This was his third-worst performance in Strokes Gained: Putting of the season. In 10 rounds spanning from the weekend of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational through THE NORTHERN TRUST, Spieth gained strokes with his putting nine times. He’s had a negative Strokes Gained: Putting in four of his past six rounds, though. Spieth made three birdies Friday, but also had two bogeys and a double. He played Nos. 11 and 12 in 3 over after pulling his tee shot left of the fairway on both par-4s. Marc Leishman was fourth in the FedExCup standings when he arrived at East Lake on the heels of last year’s win in the BMW Championship. Now he’s on the dreaded 31st position in the standings. He’s in 62nd place in the 69-man BMW field after shooting even par over the first 36 holes. He shot 74 on Thursday and opened Friday’s round with nine consecutive pars. He shot 31 on his final nine holes, though. Five of the top six names on the leaderboard were behind Leishman in the FedExCup standings at the start of the week, so he will move up if any of them slide down the leaderboard on the weekend. Leishman is just 16 points behind Woodland in the projected standings. MOVING IN/OUT After the second round of the BMW Championship, the following players are projected to move into the top 30 in the FedExCup standings and qualify for the season-ending TOUR Championship. Xander Schauffele (1st): From 41st to 6th Alex Noren (T3): From 50th to 25th Keegan Bradley (T3): From 52nd to 28th These are the players projected to fall out of the top 30. Marc Leishman (T62): From 22nd to 31st Jordan Spieth (T48): From 27th to 32nd Emiliano Grillo (T38): From 29th to 33rd BIGGEST MOVERS Biggest moves made in the projected FedExCup standings after the second round of the BMW Championship. Up 35 spots: Xander Schauffele (From 41 to 6) Up 25 spots: Alex Noren (From 50 to 25) Up 24 spots: Keegan Bradley (From 52 to 28) BUBBLE BOYS Gary Woodland, winner of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, started this week clinging to the final berth in the TOUR Championship. After opening with consecutive 66s, Woodland still holds onto the 30th spot in the projected standings. He is in 12th place, five shots behind leader Xander Schauffele. Woodland is 16 points ahead of No. 31 Marc Leishman in the projected standings. TOP 5 WATCH The top five players in FedExCup points after the BMW Championship will control their own destiny entering the TOUR Championship. A win at East Lake would guarantee any of the top five the FedExCup title. Here’s how the current Top Five fared Friday: 1. Bryson DeChambeau (still 1st): After winning the first two events of the FedExCup Playoffs, DeChambeau is guaranteed to take the top spot into East Lake. He is in 38th place after shooting 67-70 in the first two rounds at Aronimink. 2. Dustin Johnson (now 5th): Johnson, winner of three events this season, is clinging to the fifth and final spot in the projected standings. He moved up one spot in the projected standings after shooting 68 on Friday. He is in 48th place at Aronimink, though. 3. Justin Rose (now 2nd): Rose, who won the 2010 Quicken Loans National at Aronimink, played like someone with good memories at this week’s venue. He shot 63 to move into second place, just two shots behind Schauffele. 4. Tony Finau (still 4th): Finau jumped 18 spots on the leaderboard with a 6-under 64 on Friday. He is 8 under par. 5. Justin Thomas (now 3rd): The reigning FedExCup champion has a good chance to remain in the top 5 entering East Lake after getting off to a solid start at Aronimink. He followed Thursday’s 64 with a 67. He’s in seventh place, four shots off the lead.
Wrap-up: Xander Schauffele grabs two-shot lead at BMW ChampionshipWrap-up: Xander Schauffele grabs two-shot lead at BMW Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Xander Schauffele had a 6-under 64 for the lowest 36-hole score of his career and a two-shot lead going into the weekend at the BMW Championship. Tiger Woods went from a share of the lead to having to catch up again. Schauffele, ranked 41st in the FedExCup, is projected to move to sixth with a victory. He has gone nearly a year without winning. A victory at Aronimink might even be enough for Jim Furyk to take the 24-year-old from San Diego as the final captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup. He was at 13-under 127. Justin Rose (FedExCup No. 3) shot 63 and was two shots back in his bid for a third title in Philadelphia. Rose won at Aronimink in 2010 and captured his lone major at nearby Merion in the 2013 U.S. Open. One day after a 62, Woods shot 70 and was five behind.
Tiger Woods’ putter cools off, cards even-par 70 at BMW ChampionshipTiger Woods’ putter cools off, cards even-par 70 at BMW Championship
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – Tiger Woods’ magic with his Scotty Cameron didn’t continue Friday at the BMW Championship. Woods struggled with his putting throughout his second-round 70. After starting the day with a share of the lead, he is now five shots behind leader Xander Schauffele. After holing four putts of 10 feet or longer on Thursday, Woods’ longest made putt Friday was a 6-footer for par on his first hole. He ended the day with a three-putt bogey that was punctuated by a miss from 6 feet. It was his second consecutive missed par putt from inside 10 feet. Woods was 1 for 4 from 4-8 feet on Friday. This was his second-worst performance in Strokes Gained: Putting of the season. He lost 3.57 strokes on the greens. Only the second round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, where he lost 3.68 strokes with his putting, was worse. Woods made three birdies and three bogeys Friday. All three of his birdies came on putts from inside 3 feet, and two of them were on par-5s. He made just 31 feet, 4 inches of putts in the second round. Woods wasn’t ready to blame his putter, though. “I hit it just as good and putt it just as good. Nothing went in. That’s the way it goes,â€� Woods said. It wasn’t just his iron play that wasn’t sharp. He hit 14 greens Friday but failed to hit many shots close to the hole. On the par-3s and par-4s, he hit just two approach shots within 15 feet. His proximity of 37 feet, 4 inches was almost 12 feet higher than the previous day. A change in conditions is partly to blame. Woods’ average approach shots on the par-4s Friday was 144 yards, 19 yards longer than the previous day. Thursday’s high temperatures allowed the ball to fly far and for Woods to hit driver over many of the fairway bunkers that cut into the fairway. The softer conditions made the course play longer and made it difficult for him to get close to the back hole locations. Half of Friday’s pins were cut within 10 strokes of the back edge of the green. “(I) couldn’t get back there, couldn’t skip the ball back there,â€� Woods said. “It was a difficult task to try and flight one to get it back there without hitting it over the back.â€� Aroninimink was hit by rain overnight, and tee times were moved up because of thunderstorms that were forecast to hit Friday afternoon. The air was damp and heavy when Woods teed off at 8:06 a.m. He missed four birdie putts from 20 feet or less on his first seven holes. He didn’t make his first birdie of the day until the par-5 ninth hole, where he pitched to 2 feet from in front of the green.  That offset his first bogey of the tournament. One day after hitting his tee shot over the green on the downhill par-3 fifth hole, he hit it into one of the deep bunkers fronting the green. He couldn’t convert the 4-foot par putt after playing a delicate shot from the sand. It was his first miss from inside 10 feet of the week. Of his six missed greens this week, four have come on par-3s. Woods was under par for the first time Friday after a birdie on No. 11, where he wedged to 2 feet from 93 yards. He made a nice par save at the 15th hole, getting up-and-down from 75 yards after driving into the rough on the 515-yard, par-4. That preceded his third birdie of the day. Despite driving into a divot in the 16th fairway, he reached the green in two with a fairway wood. He two-putted for birdie. Woods then pushed his tee shot on the par-3 17th into a bunker before three-putting the last hole. “That round today was easily 6, 7-under par,â€� he said. “It turned into even par which is not what I needed to do today.â€�
Schauffele takes BMW lead as Tiger falls backSchauffele takes BMW lead as Tiger falls back
Xander Schauffele had a 6-under 64 for the lowest 36-hole score of his career and a two-shot lead at the BMW Championship.