Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wouldn’t commit to free safety Earl Thomas facing the Cowboys on Sunday after Thomas missed Friday’s practice to deal with an unspecified personal issue. It was the second time Thomas missed practice this week.
Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel gave his club a 4-0 lead in the first inning with a grand slam off Angels starter Andrew Heaney, just left of the right-field foul pole, in the series opener on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel gave his club a 4-0 lead in the first inning with a grand slam off Angels starter Andrew Heaney, just left of the right-field foul pole, in the series opener on Friday night at Minute Maid Park.
After facing seven batters on Friday night, Trevor Bauer walked off the mound Friday night to a chorus of cheers from the Progressive Field faithful. The ovation was less about the pitcher’s performance than it was a response to what the outing could mean for October.
Small ball is in. Boston’s Mookie Betts and Cleveland’s equally compact Jose Ramirez are pint-sized sluggers who are built for big moments.
Justin Thomas was tied for fourth place following his second-round 69 on Friday at the Tour Championship, which considering the state of his game on Day 2 was an accomplishment. Thomas’ struggles were primarily with his driver and he hit just 6 of 14 fairways at East Lake, but he was able to scramble late in his round with birdies at Nos. Thomas was slowed the last two weeks by a right wrist injury that limited his preparation for the finale and said the issue with his driver is timing and the byproduct of a lack of practice.
Glen Taylor has reportedly told other NBA teams that Jimmy Butler is available, despite Tom Thibodeau’s reluctance to trade his All-Star forward.
“Yeah, best way to describe it is I grinded out a round today,” Woods admitted. Woods hit only seven fairways on his trek around East Lake. “I didn’t hit it very well overall today,” Woods said.
The FedExCup Playoffs thrilling conclusion comes at the TOUR Championship where the top 30 make one final push for golf’s ultimate prize. The top five in the standings control their own destiny. Justin Rose and Tiger Woods share the 36-hole lead at East Lake. A win for Rose would give him his first FedExCup. Rory McIlroy is two shots back. 2017 FedExCup winner Justin Thomas is three shots back and would become the first player to defend his title with a win. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Leaderboard Round 2 tee times HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN (ALL TIMES ET) PGA TOUR LIVE:Â Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (featured groups), 1-6 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). TELEVISION:Â Thursday-Friday, 1-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6:30 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, noon-1:30 p.m. (GC), 1:30-6 p.m. (NBC). RADIO:Â Thursday-Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, 1-6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com). NOTABLE GROUPINGS 2:00 p.m.: Justin Thomas, Kyle Stanley 2:10 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Jon Rahm 2:20 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Billy Horschel 2:30 p.m.: Tiger Woods, Justin Rose MUST-READS Rose in position to win first FedExCup Tiger tied for lead halfway through TOUR Championship Â
ATLANTA – They followed him with binoculars, clad in the Nike swoosh, under a merciless sun. They howled “T!â€� and “Tiger!â€� just in case he didn’t notice they were there. They didn’t see the Tiger Woods who won the 2007 TOUR Championship and FedExCup, four back surgeries ago. He’s gone. But this one bears watching, too. Not at his best, Woods hit just seven of 14 fairways, made a double-bogey 6 from a fried-egg lie at the 16th hole, but still signed for a second-round 68 at the TOUR Championship at East Lake on Friday. “I didn’t hit it very well overall today,â€� said Woods, who goes into the weekend tied with Justin Rose (67) in search of his first victory since the 2013 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. “Didn’t quite have the sharpness that I had yesterday, and it was pretty evident. “At least for the most part,â€� he added, “I missed the ball in every spot that I needed to, so I always had a good angle in there. So, that helps. And my short game has been good.â€� Rory McIlroy (68) is alone in third, 5-under and two back of the co-leaders. Tiger roars went up around East Lake as he birdied the second, 12th, 14th, 15th and 18th holes, the last one coming after he reached the green in two for the second straight day. Not that we should be surprised. Woods’ T6 at the BMW Championship was his sixth top-10 finish this season, and featured a final-round 65. He shot 65 again in the first round at East Lake. He’s 20th in the FedExCup. The only thing he hasn’t done is collect his 80th win, coming closest at the PGA Championship (solo second) and Valspar Championship (T2). East Lake is playing hard—U.S. Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka shot 78, and Bryson DeChambeau and Francesco Molinari each struggled to 75—but Woods has excelled around the fast greens, making over 100 feet of putts for the second straight day. He was admittedly worn out by the grind during his 68 Friday, and hopes not to press his luck. “I’m rolling the ball well,â€� he said, “but, more importantly, I need to leave the ball in the correct spots. Above the holes is not easy this week, and so it’s imperative I hit the ball in the fairway so I can control my spin coming into the greens. Yesterday I had a bunch of uphill putts, and hence I shot 5-under.â€� Tommy Fleetwood, who played with Woods in that round, is a believer. “Tiger Woods is good at golf,â€� Fleetwood tweeted, and after shooting his second straight 69 on Friday, he laughed as he called it “my most successful tweet of all time.â€� “I didn’t think much of it,â€� he said. “I just put it out there. It kind of went viral, that one.â€� As for playing with Woods, the young Englishman said he enjoyed talking golf with “the greatest golfer of all-time.â€� “There’s very few sports where you could play against your childhood hero, and I’ve played with both of them in Ernie (Els) and Tiger,â€� Fleetwood said. “The way he drove it impressed me.â€� (Woods hit 10/14 fairways Thursday.) “Everyone always talks about that being the fragility of his game, but his start lines and the shape of his shots were on a string.â€� We’ve now seen Woods excel when he was at his best, Thursday, and when he wasn’t, Friday. We didn’t see him at all at East Lake for the last five years; his last start here was 2013. And now he has a share of the lead. He had a share after a first-round 62 at the recent BMW Championship, but quickly fell back. He fought back from a deficit to briefly take the final-round lead at The Open Championship at Carnoustie, but finished poorly as playing partner Molinari won. Now it’s Woods and Rose, with five others within three of their lead. What would it mean to get win No. 80 after all the pain, rehab, and close calls? “I’ve got 36 more holes to go,â€� Woods said, “and hopefully I’ll be answering that question come Sunday night.â€�
