Mets ace Jacob deGrom, who had been scheduled to start against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Saturday, flew back to New York on Friday to have an MRI on his right elbow.
The MLB suspended White Sox hitter Tim Anderson because of his use of the ‘n-word’ but the league should be more concerned about what led to it.
Joel Embiid has been listed as doubtful for the 76ers’ Game 4 against the Nets.
Check out the NBA’s best styles from the past week.
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HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Matt Kuchar was planning to trade his golf clubs for a couch and a remote control on Friday afternoon. Ian Poulter had a similarly “chillâ€� agenda now that he was safely past the midway point of the RBC Heritage. The two were among the lucky souls who completed 18 holes before the horn sounded to suspend play as a band of strong thunderstorms was converged on Harbour Town Golf Links. That is, if you consider playing in swirling, gusting, blow-your-visor-off 30 mph winds lucky. “Certainly, glad that I came in with a decent number,â€� said Kuchar, who shot his second-straight 69. “… It’s one of those struggling days where you have gone through your own struggles and (it’s) fun to watch your friends go through it, as well.â€� RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times Play was suspended at 12:48 p.m. ET. Eight groups in the morning wave were stranded on the course and 10 in the afternoon segment had yet to even tee off. Play didn’t resume again until 4:30 p.m. Shane Lowry, the overnight leader, birdied his first two holes before the suspension and was 9 under with two holes left when play was called for the night. He was one ahead of Trey Mulllinax and two up on Dustin Johnson and Emiliano Grillo, who both battled to 67s in the challenging morning wave. Poulter also shot 67 and was in what turned out to be a big tie at 5 under at the end of the stop-and-start day. “I’ve done my bit and now I can relax,â€� Poulter said. Grillo had the shot of the day – and likely the week – when he made an albatross on the fifth hole. He used a hybrid from 254-yards for the rarest of shots, making the second one of his career. “It was perfect,â€� Grillo said. “It was perfect distance. Perfect wind. It went in, I think, perfectly. It was one of those that I’ll keep in my memory for a long time.â€� The albatross fueled a 31 on the front, his second nine of the day, that more than compensated for consecutive bogeys to start the day and moved him to 7 under. The 26-year-old finished with a flourish, too, holing a 22-footer from off the green for his third birdie of the difficult day. “It was very tough,â€� Grillo said. “It’s very tricky, because there’s so many holes you’re playing through the trees that you feel like the wind is into you or it’s downwind. The wind feels coming from different places and sometimes it’s not as strong through the trees. It’s very difficult judging it. â€�Poulter, who made six birdies and two bogeys on Friday, agreed. “These are the smallest green complexes we have all year, and when you have a wind that’s 25 mile an hour, and if it drops, it’s easy to miss these greens,â€� he said. “Easy to get in a lot of trouble. So, you’ve just got to be patient, take your time, know you’re not going to hit a lot of greens in regulation.â€� Poulter hit 10 and wielded a steady putter, needing just 26 strokes on the green. He came to Harbour Town, where he shared seventh last year, off a solid Masters performance with a tie for 12th. “I’ve had some decent rounds around this place,â€� Poulter says. “I haven’t really finished the week off properly yet. I feel this is a good golf course. It’s nice to get here after Augusta, to get a little relaxation in. Last week was very tiring. This golf course is one I’ve played many times and I enjoy it.â€�
HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Harbour Town Golf Links has been something of an acquired taste for Dustin Johnson. The first two times he played in the RBC Heritage, Johnson didn’t break par and consequently, he missed the cut. Of course, that was back in 2008 and ’09 when the lanky South Carolinian was just starting to show flashes of the talent that has taken him to No. 1 in the world. RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times Johnson finally came back to his home state’s only PGA TOUR event a year ago, a multi-dimensional player now aand better equipped to handle the strategic game this Pete Dye creation requires. This time, he shot three rounds in the 60s and tied for 16th. A return visit this week has yielded even more success. Johnson tied his career low 67 at Harbour Town on Friday in difficult conditions to vault up the leaderboard at 7 under. Johnson was playing the ninth hole, his last of the day, when the horn sounded to suspend play due to encroaching thunderstorms. Luckily, it wasn’t a dangerous situation – yet — so he and Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele were able to finish their rounds. “It’s nice to get done; that’s definitely a bonus,â€� Johnson said as he quickly made three interview stops before heading into the clubhouse. How nice? Well, the ensuing delay lasted 3 hours and 43 minutes. That would have been a long time to wait to get up and down for his final par. Johnson was understandably pleased with the way he played on Friday. The 20-time PGA TOUR champion hit nine fairways and 13 greens in the blustery conditions, making five birdies and dropping just one shot to par. “It was difficult all day,â€� Johnson said. “The wind blew consistently all day. Made it tough. But I hit a lot of really solid golf shots. At times it was really difficult to judge the wind, but I felt like I played really solid all day, gave myself a lot of opportunities. “It’s all about controlling your golf ball and distance.â€� Interestingly, the big-hitting Johnson only birdied one of Harbour Town’s par 5s on Friday, getting up and down from beside the 15th green to bounce back from his lone bogey. He had started strong, making birdie putts of 12 and 8 feet on his first two holes, and added a 23-footer at No. 17 to turn in 32. Johnson continued to hit it close on the front nine but was unable to convert on four birdie putts inside 15 feet. He admits his patience was tested by the near-misses but overall, he weathered the storm – literally, as well as figuratively. “Around here the greens are tricky,â€� Johnson said. “For me, I don’t know, I’ve always struggled reading them. But I hit some really nice putts and I played really solid.â€� Johnson came to Hilton Head with momentum after a tying for second at the Masters with Schauffele and Brooks Koepka. He shot 32 on the always pivotal back nine that Sunday, making three straight birdies starting at No. 15, but couldn’t run down the resurgent Tiger Woods. “I knew making the turn that if I wanted a chance to win I had to have something special back behind it,â€� Johnson said. “I hit the shots I needed to hit which in the situation is always a very big positive. I hit some really good putts, they just didn’t go in. “I’m very pleased with how I played there on Sunday, coming up one short, definitely a little disappointed. But happy with the way I finished.â€� The runner-up spot was Johnson’s best in a major since his 2016 U.S. Open win. He’s looking for more of the same solid play over the last two rounds at Harbor Town as he tries to win for the second time on TOUR this year. “I’m swinging well, placing the ball where I want to,â€� Johnson said. “Hopefully I can roll in a few putts over the weekend.
Cassius Winston will return for his senior season next fall at Michigan State. Nick Ward, however, has decided to declare for the NBA draft.
Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell said his performance can only get better after losses in the first two games of Utah’s series against the Rockets.
Kyrie Irving and the Celtics are making everyone forget about their drama-filled season as they’re clicking against Indiana and eyeing a sweep on Sunday.
