31 Takes: Oilers want to clear salary, but for what?31 Takes: Oilers want to clear salary, but for what?
The Oilers are getting a lot of credit for their minor moves of late, but they’ve got a long way to go to right the ship.
Day: February 18, 2019
Duke reclaims No. 1; Tennessee falls to fifthDuke reclaims No. 1; Tennessee falls to fifth
Duke has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 college basketball poll.
Featured Groups: World Golf Championships-Mexico ChampionshipFeatured Groups: World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship
MEXICO CITY — The PGA TOUR released today the four featured groupings for Thursday-Friday at this week’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec. Starting times and day (Thursday/Friday) for the featured groupings will be announced when the official groupings and starting times for the entire field are released on Tuesday. To watch the featured groupings on Thursday-Friday, fans in the United States can tune into the Golf Channel telecast (2-7 p.m. EST) and stream PGA TOUR LIVE via subscription on NBC Sports Gold and Amazon Prime Video Channels. Here’s a look at the Featured Groups on Thursday and Friday (current FedExCup ranking in parentheses): Tiger Woods (139) — Woods, scheduled to play in his first-ever competitive event in Mexico, has won a record 18 World Golf Championships in nine different locations worldwide. Bryson DeChambeau (10) — DeChambeau has won four of his last 10 worldwide starts including two FedExCup Playoffs events. Abraham Ancer (42) — As Mexico’s top-ranked player, Ancer will compete at the Mexico Championship for the second consecutive year. The Presidents Cup hopeful captured the Emirates Australian Open last December and is currently No. 6 in the International Team standings. Rory McIlroy (36) — McIlroy, who has two World Golf Championships, comes into the week with top-fives in all three starts of 2019, most recently a T4 at the Genesis Open. Bubba Watson (71) — Watson, owner of two World Golf Championships titles, finished in the top 10 last year in Mexico City. He will defend the title at the third WGC of the season, the Dell Technologies Match Play in March. Brooks Koepka (14) — The reigning PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Koepka is in search of his first World Golf Championships crown and second PGA TOUR win of the season (THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES). Rickie Fowler (11) — Fowler makes his first start since winning his fifth PGA TOUR title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Jon Rahm (26) — Rahm has top-10s in all five PGA TOUR starts in the calendar year, including a T9 at the Genesis Open. Patrick Reed (51) — Reed became the youngest winner of a WGC event when he won this tournament in 2014 when it was staged in Miami. Phil Mickelson (7) — Playing in his 600th official PGA TOUR event this week in defense of his WGC-Mexico Championship title, Mickelson won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago for his 44th career TOUR title. Justin Thomas (6) — Thomas, who finished second in a playoff to Mickelson at the Mexico Championship last year, has two third-place finishes and a runner-up in his last three TOUR starts. The nine-time TOUR winner holds the course record at Club de Golf Chapultepec (62). Dustin Johnson (57) — Winner of all four World Golf Championships, including two WGC-Mexico titles (2017, 2015), Johnson has won at least one TOUR event in 11 consecutive seasons.
Vettel, Ferrari make strong start to 2019Vettel, Ferrari make strong start to 2019
Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari finished the opening day of pre-season testing on top as reigning world champions Mercedes made a low-key start in Barcelona.
Empty Cup: Hamlin now best driver without a titleEmpty Cup: Hamlin now best driver without a title
Every driver ahead of Denny Hamlin on NASCAR’s career wins list is already a NASCAR Hall of Famer or a surefire candidate for Hall selection when eligible.
Wolff fears ‘nightmare’ Brexit will give Ferrari F1 advantageWolff fears ‘nightmare’ Brexit will give Ferrari F1 advantage
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fears Brexit will be “the mother of all messes” hurt the seven Formula One teams based in the U.K, strengthening Ferrari in the process.
Monday Finish: Holmes’ short game work paid off at RivieraMonday Finish: Holmes’ short game work paid off at Riviera
In temperatures that dipped to 45 degrees and winds of up to 34 mph, J.B. Holmes grinds out a 1-under 70 in the final round for a one-shot win over fellow Kentuckian Justin Thomas at the Genesis Open. Welcome to the Monday Finish, where Holmes made crucial par saves on 13 and 16, enjoyed his career-best putting week, and picked up his fifth PGA TOUR win. FIVE OBSERVATIONS 1. Kentucky won J.B. Holmes is from Campbellsville, Justin Thomas from Louisville. One way or the other, the Bluegrass State was going to win. It’s just that it always looked like it would be Thomas, who took a four-shot lead into the final round. “Yeah, it was great being able to go out and play with him and battle it out,â€� said Holmes, who at the end of a 34-hole slog Sunday and played a steadier back nine (36) while Thomas struggled (38). “He’s such a great player, so it was fun being out there, talking and just battling it out.â€� Holmes recalls playing golf with Thomas for the first time when Thomas was 12 or 13. “It was in Kentucky and I knew he had a chance,â€� Holmes said. “At that age, you’ve still got a lot of stuff to go through, but he was definitely a talent and I thought he would get out here and he’s done that and some.â€� Thomas remembers being “7 or 8 or 9â€� when Holmes first pulled him inside the ropes at the PGA Championship. “I just never thought, you know, 15 years later he would beat my ass at Riviera,â€� Thomas said. “That was a bummer.â€� 2. Hard work paid off You’d never have thought so in watching him play at the Genesis, but on the season Holmes had just one top-10 finish, a 9th at the season-opening Safeway Open. The reason: Shoddy work on the greens. “Really bad putting is an understatement the last few weeks,â€� he said. Buckling down with his coach, Matt Killen, Holmes went to work at Riviera. “We spent a lot of time this week with the coach and getting on the green and trying to find the right ball position and how it set up and putting through some gates, making sure I was starting the ball online,â€� Holmes said. “I putted for several hours throughout the week. In the morning, we changed our routine and we had a string and a mirror and just made sure that everything was dialed in, and then I could trust it and go out there and make confident strokes.â€� None were bigger than his 12-foot par save at the 13th hole (while Thomas was four-putting) and 11-foot save at the 16th. 3. Wind frustrated Thomas It has not been a Chamber of Commerce West Coast Swing, what with the rainy final round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, plus the delays at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis. The challenging conditions got the better of Thomas on the final day at Riviera. “I really struggled putting in that wind out there,â€� he said. “It’s something that I’ve needed to get better at and it unfortunately just kind of showed a flaw in my game.â€� There was a lot that stood out between the four-putt double-bogey on 13, and the three-putts at 10 and 14, but Thomas was still irritated by one mistake in particular. He tried to jam his third putt on 13 into the back of the cup, and the ball took a hard lip-out. “I’ve got to stop going that,â€� he said. “That’s not the speed that I hit putts at when I’m putting well.â€�  4. Woods spoke for many Tournament host Tiger Woods had an outside chance to finally win at Riviera, but after he got to 10-under he bogeyed four of his last 10 holes to take himself out of it. “Yeah, I got tired,â€� he said after a week full of interruptions and early alarms and freezing-cold hands. “I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I definitely felt it today. Wind, cold. I was at 10 and I slipped four shots coming in. That’s the way it goes.â€� The good news was he saw far more good shots come off his clubs than he did at Riviera last year, and he now heads to the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship for his first TOUR start in Mexico. 5. Riviera was brutal It was cold. Wet. And windy. How hard was it? Jordan Spieth shot 81, failing to break 80 for just the third time in his PGA TOUR career after a round that included a double-, triple- and quadruple-bogey. No one went bogey-free in the third round, and only two people (Vaughn Taylor, 67; Carlos Ortiz, 69) did so in the fourth. And Justin Thomas had a four-putt and two three-putts in a span of five holes. “It’s hard to tell you how extreme it is,â€� said Adam Scott (76). At the fact that Scott, Thomas and Holmes were playing 34 holes in a single day after another pre-dawn wake-up call and Sunday became a battle of endurance and will power.  FIVE INSIGHTS 1. Holmes has never been hotter with the putter He was first in Stokes Gained: Putting at +2.043 per round, which was statistically the best performance of his career. He ranked +1.727 in finishing T4 at the 2015 BMW Championship and +1.727 in winning the 2006 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Coming into the Genesis, Holmes was languishing at 202nd in SG: Putting, but worked hard and saw it pay off. Of his total Strokes Gained at the Genesis, 54 percent came on the greens. 2. The winner also crushed the par-3s Holmes was 6-under on the par-3s, including an ace, four birdies, and 11 pars. That was his best score to par on the par-3s in any single tournament in his career, and the best by a Genesis winner at Riviera. No par was bigger than his sand save from the bunker at the par-3 16th on Sunday, with playing partner Thomas looking at a likely birdie. 3. Thomas still statistically a closer Justin Thomas became the first player since Paul Casey at the 2018 Travelers Championship to take at least a four-shot lead into the final round and not win. Still, Thomas, who has four top-5 finishes in six starts this season, is still a better-than-average 6-for-9 at converting with at least a share of the 54-hole lead. He’s 5-for-9 at converting with at least a share of the 36-hole lead. 4. McIlroy (69, T4) stumbled at the start Without his A game, Rory McIlroy notched his third straight top-5 finish. You could fault his failure to birdie the par-5 17th and his bogey on 18 in the final round, but the bigger culprit was his slow start to the week, a slugging, 1-over 72. Of the top 24 finishers at the Genesis, only Dustin Johnson (opening 73, T9) and Xander Schauffele (opening 74, T15) started worse. 5. Woods (72, T15) neared a weird personal record Tiger Woods had three eagles, which was just one shy of his career best set at the 1996 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (a five-round tournament) and 2010 Masters Tournament. The other good news was that this marked his seventh top-15 finish in 13 starts at the Genesis. The bad news was he made four late bogeys in the challenging conditions, and the Genesis remains the only tournament where he has double-digit starts and hasn’t won. WYNDHAM REWARDS The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is in its first season and adds another layer of excitement to the FedExCup Regular Season. The top 10 players at the end of the FedExCup Regular Season will earn bonus payouts from the Wyndham Rewards Top 10. There was another flip-flop at the top after the Genesis Open, with Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar changing places yet again. In battling through extreme cold and gusting winds, Genesis champion J.B. Holmes was the week’s biggest mover, going from 61st to 9th.Â
Duke’s Williamson huge favorite to go No. 1Duke’s Williamson huge favorite to go No. 1
Zion Williamson is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, according to DraftKings.
Fútbol sudamericano abre puertas a migrantes venezolanosFútbol sudamericano abre puertas a migrantes venezolanos
Boletos gratuitos para asistir a partidos en Colombia, un uniforme vinotinto en Uruguay y donaciones en Ecuador. El fútbol sudamericano abre puertas a la oleada de venezolanos que ha huido de la crisis económica y polÃtica de su paÃs.
TOUR Players Lace Up the new adidas TOUR360 XT FootwearTOUR Players Lace Up the new adidas TOUR360 XT Footwear
When Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, John Rahm, and other adidas Golf athletes tee it up on TOUR in 2019, they will do so in new models of the brand’s iconic TOUR360 shoe. The new TOUR360 XT line gives players three high-performance options including a redesigned cleated model, the first-ever spikeless version of the TOUR360, and a spikeless model with the BOA closure system. Much like a powerful golf swing, the TOUR360 XT family of shoes is built from the ground up. In fact, the XT name comes from the new traction system with X-shaped lugs, which is found on all three models. The advantage of the X-shaped lugs is their eight-sided touch points with the ground, which provide a multi-directional grip and increased stability throughout the swing. As a result, players feel more secure in any conditions, including uneven lies. Nowhere are these X-shaped lugs more important than on the two spikeless models. The TOUR360 XT SL is the first TOUR-quality spikeless shoe adidas has ever made. The entire outsole of the SL model features strategically placed X-Traxion lugs to provide the comfort of a spikeless shoe with the gripping power world-class players demand. Not only does the shape of the lugs help to provide traction, but their varying heights allow some of the lugs to dig deeper into the ground. adidas found that this pattern of varying heights further helped to increase traction. “We wanted to make the highest performing spikeless shoe in the industry,� said Masun Denison, global footwear director, adidas Golf. “We tested all shapes and configurations and found that the X-shape, along with a rubberized TPU outsole, provided unmatched grip, stability, flexibility, and performance. The X-shape also increases ground contact and provides more comfort on all surfaces.� The X-shaped features aren’t limited to just the lugs, either. A new X-Torsion system in the midfoot area of the outsole connecting the heel and forefoot helps to provide even more stability and control throughout the swing. Adding to the comfort of the TOUR360 XT SL is the full-length, heel-to-toe BOOST midsole. adidas has turned to the BOOST technology in the last few generations of the TOUR360. BOOST is those popcorn-like TPU beads that are steam molded and pressed together to form the midsole. The biggest advantages BOOST has over traditional EVA midsoles is its energy return and durability, which translates to more comfort over a longer period of time. Joining the TOUR360 XT SL is a BOA model. The micro-adjustability of the L6 BOA® closure system on the tongue allows for an easy, customizable fit. A new INSITE® sockliner (featured in all three models) also improves stability and balance by cupping the heel, which helps promote better posture. You’ll find the SL in four colorways while the SL BOA is available in two. Both come with a one-year waterproof warranty. For those players preferring a cleated traction system, adidas has introduced the completely redesigned TOUR360 XT with a combination of eight cleats and secondary X-Traxion lugs for additional grip and stability. By removing two spikes from the previous model, adidas increased flexibility and comfort while decreasing the overall weight of the shoe. Designers also reworked the BOOST pieces in the heel and forefoot. Both are slightly wider and have larger expansion holes on the bottom to improve stability and comfort. The new BOOST cushioning now has a lower profile, which improves the aesthetics and gives players an improved connection to the ground. With the TOUR360 XT, adidas has implemented a new forging technique underneath the three stripes. By heating that portion of the upper, the stability in the midfoot was increased and the overall weight of the shoe was decreased. The TOUR360 XT features a rich premium leather upper, comes with a two-year waterproof warranty, and is available in four colorways. The TOUR360 XT and TOUR360 XT SL are available in both medium and wide options while the TOUR360 XT BOA features a medium-wide fit. All three models are offered on a brand new last which has improved aesthetics, more forefoot width and a slightly lower ceiling. BUY EQUIPMENT HERE: PGA TOUR Superstore