With 40-plus offensive linemen gathered for a summit, we decided to get answers to some burning questions. Here are the results of a 10-player poll.
The Open 2019 round three tee times 1:17PM Willett makes the putt! Great save. A bad start turned into a thoroughly medium one. 1:15PM Willett in the sand A nice looking straight chip out of the rough but he’s not found the green and even worse, the ball is heading towards the bunkers! It bounces
Dozens of the NFL’s best O-linemen met up in Texas to help each other improve their games and limit the damage inflicted by elite pass-rushers.
Xander Schauffele, in contention this weekend at The Open Championship, said it was “a little bit unfairâ€� after his driver was ruled nonconforming during random testing by the R&A going into this week’s tournament at Royal Portrush. After finding a new driver, Schauffele was 3 under through 36 holes, then moved inside the top 10 of the leaderboard midway through Saturday’s third round. Schauffele was found to have an illegal driver during random testing. The event’s governing body selected 30 drivers from the field of participants to test for conformity, and Schauffele’s driver did not pass. After finding out that his driver was deemed non-conforming, Schauffele scrambled to find a new driver, and he expressed his displeasure with the testing process. “I had a little bit of a run-in with [the R&A] because they only test 30 players,â€� Schauffele said. “I thought it was a little bit unfair. I would gladly give up my driver if it’s not conforming. But there’s still 130 other players in the field that potentially have a nonconforming driver, as well.â€� The USGA and the R&A have rules in place to limit the CT (characteristic of time) of a driver face, and last year, the R&A began testing the drivers of Open Championship participants during the week of the event. Of the 30 players tested in 2018, no drivers were found non-conforming. In 2019, however, Schauffele’s driver was found to be illegal; Schauffele said his Callaway driver “barely missedâ€� being under the limit. Schauffele said he confronted the R&A about its testing process. “Had a word with them and hopefully they take my comments seriously and my concern just because it wasn’t my plan to show up Monday morning of a major … sorry, it was Tuesday event where I was doing driver testing here. It’s not really what players want to be doing,â€� he said. Schauffele then offered a solution in his press conference: “Just test the whole field. It’s plain and simple.â€�  “We offer the testing as a service to players so that they can ensure that their drivers conform,â€� the R&A said, according to the Golf Channel. “We believe that 30 is a reasonable sample and a practical option for conducting this process in the week of a major championship.â€� With an Open Championship to play, and a driver that was ruled nonconforming, Schauffele tested different driver heads on Wednesday to find one that he was comfortable with to use in competition. After his opening-round 3-over 74, Schauffele said his driver wasn’t matching, but he got it figured out before his second-round 6-under 65 that tied for the lowest round of the week. “(Thursday), it wasn’t really matching my bag, which was a bummer,â€� Schauffele said. “I was getting a little upset on the golf course. I was testing a little bit on the range again (on Friday) with two different heads but moved a few weights around and sort of found a good setting.â€� After his second round, Schauffele explained his thoughts moving forward: “I have a legal driver now and I sort of put that one to rest, and happy to see that ball performing like it did today or the driver performing like it did today, so that was very comforting. Like I said, it will get better every day. We’ve still got two more.â€�
PHOENIX (AP) — Christian Walker hit a two-run homer to cap the first natural cycle in Arizona’s history, lifting the Diamondbacks to a 10-7 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night.
Mariners righty (and trade bait) Mike Leake bounced back from his worst career start to come close to a perfect game Friday night against the same opponent.
The demands on an NFL head coach’s time are enormous. But the Titans’ Mike Vrabel manages to stay connected with family despite the grind.
The third round of the Barbasol Championship takes place on Saturday from Keene Trace. Here’s how to follow all the action. Round 3 leaderboard Round 3 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 4-6 p.m. (GC). Sunday, 4-7 p.m. (GC). PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: None. FEATURED GROUPS (ALL TIMES LOCAL) Peter Uihlein, Jhonattan Vegas: 9:35 a.m. Anders Albertson, Jason Dufner: 10:35 a.m. David Toms, Kramer Hickok: 1:25 p.m. D.J. Trahan, Kelly Kraft: 1:35 p.m. Jim Herman, Bill Haas: 1:45 p.m. MUST READS Merrick’s incredible ace Herman takes 36-hole lead Toms has ‘prime opportunity’ this weekend Poston ties course record in Round 1 Roach shoots opening-round 64, seeing hard work start to pay off Hickok off to solid start in quest to maintain PGA TOUR status Expert Picks Power Rankings
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jim Herman was being coy on Friday when he talked about “someone from pretty high upâ€� giving him a putting tip recently. The Ohio native, who had only cashed a check in three of his previous 19 starts this year, had just shot his second straight 65 to seize a one-stroke lead over Bill Haas at the midway point of the Barbasol Championship. The matching rounds of 7 under are Herman’s best of the year by two strokes. And now for the rest of the story. Herman changed his grip and his style of putter on the advice of President Donald Trump, his friend and former employer at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J. The two played golf together several weeks ago, and the chief executive had some pointed words for the struggling pro. “He gave me a good talking to and told me to use a different style if it’s not working,â€� Herman said. “…. He gave me a little quick tip and get some conventional putting going and see what happens.â€� So, Herman, who says he’s used nearly every kind of grip, went back to as “conventional a grip as you can haveâ€� with a standard Bettinardi BB1 putter. He didn’t make the changes until this week, though, prompted by a “terribleâ€� week on the greens at the John Deere Classic. “I had nothing else to lose,â€� Herman said. “I had to change something up. That was his main advice: If it’s not working, change it. Put a lot of time in on the putting green this last week with the new style and new grip. It’s just rolling the ball nicely.â€� This week, Herman has made 15 birdies and just one bogey – which was caused by an errant drive and second shot, not a three-putt. He has made 219 feet of putts, including 139 on Friday and ranks 11th in Strokes Gained: Putting, compared with his yearly average of 177th. “Everything seems to be working this week,â€� Herman said. “Nice change‑up. I haven’t been playing very well or had the best results lately. … Hitting a lot of greens and making some putts and that’s always a good combination.â€� Herman played with Trump, who was seven months away from winning the 2016 presidential election, shortly before he picked up his only PGA TOUR victory at the Shell Houston Open. “Seems like I played pretty well after I played with him,â€� Herman said. “… So maybe that’s a sign to come, hopefully.â€� Herman marks his ball with Presidential dollar gold coins selected each week by Steven Wyder, his roommate from his days working as an assistant pro. Wyder, who teaches U.S. history in high school, makes the picks based on the tournament’s location and interesting dates. This week’s ball marker features Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, who was born in 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The coins even have their own Twitter handle — @POTUSBallMarker – which has taken due notice of Herman’s position at the top of the leaderboard. The 41-year-old Herman came to Kentucky ranked 232nd in the FedExCup and in real danger of losing his PGA TOUR card for the second straight year. After the Barbasol Championship, only two events remain to move into the top-125 to secure playing privileges and make the FedExCup Playoffs. A win on Sunday at Keene Trace is worth 300 points, which wouldn’t quite move Herman inside the magic number, but it would be a huge step closer. He’s hoping that his play over the first two rounds will help break the cycle of futility that this season has become. “I haven’t been in this spot in a while,â€� Herman said. “I know I can do it. I’ve won, been in the hunt a couple times as well. It’s just nice to be playing the weekend, having a chance. “It’s not a lot of fun when you’re missing cuts and going week to week on a negative vibe. So, a lot of positive energy going forward and just kind of keep going.â€�
Players who traded in their Colorado purple for pinstripes have the Bombers soaring atop of the AL East. Now they’re taking down their former team.
