Texts, emails emerge that detail Nike corruptionTexts, emails emerge that detail Nike corruption
Text messages and emails from Nike executives entered in federal court paint a vivid portrait of the inner workings of grassroots basketball.
Day: August 17, 2019
Cantlay, Finau share second â€" and may share a Presidents Cup team roomCantlay, Finau share second â€" and may share a Presidents Cup team room
MEDINAH, Ill. – From a FedExCup perspective, Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau are good to go for East Lake. Both started this week inside the top 20 in points, with the scenarios in their favor for the TOUR Championship. Thus, they can concentrate on winning the BMW Championship this weekend and improving their Playoffs positions under the new Starting Strokes format. Given their current spots on the Medinah leaderboard – 11 under and tied for second, one stroke behind 36-hole leader Hideki Matsuyama – the opportunity is within reach. But there’s also another element to their story – the Presidents Cup. The eight guaranteed spots for both the U.S. and International teams will be decided after the final round at the BMW, and the fates for both Cantlay and Finau remain unclear. Related: Leaderboard | Projected FedExCup standings | Hot putter helps Matsuyama set course record Cantlay started the week as the bubble boy, eighth in U.S. points. Finau is 10th. But after two terrific days at Medinah, each has moved up in the projections, with Cantlay projected fifth and Finau eighth. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau – one of Finau’s playing partners for the first two days this week – has dropped from seventh to ninth. DeChambeau shot his second consecutive 71 on Friday and is tied for 49th in the 69-man field. For Finau, the chance to make his second consecutive American team will be a motivating factor this weekend. He did not make last year’s Ryder Cup team on merit but received the last captain’s pick from Jim Furyk. He’d rather not have to sweat out a pick from Tiger Woods this fall. “I was trying to make the team on the Ryder Cup. When I didn’t, I was trying to impress the captain and play well enough to do that,â€� Finau said. “So what I remember from last year is I put my head down and just played and tried to win every tournament I played in the Playoffs, and that seemed to work out pretty well last year.â€� Indeed, Finau was runner-up at THE NORTHERN TRUST, then T-4 at the Dell Technologies Championship and T-8 at the BMW Championship last year at Aronimink. That put him in the TOUR Championship, where he finished T-15. Finau started THE NORTHERN TRUST last week with an opening 65 but cooled off to finish T-30. Looks like the hot hand is back. He opened with a 67 that included an eagle at the 14th hole and followed that with a bogey-free 66. “Got to put the pedal to the metal,â€� he said. Cantlay, meanwhile, followed his opening 66 with a 67. He’s suffered just one bogey through the first two rounds, thanks to some clutch putting. On Friday, he rolled in a two 8-foot par putts in his final four holes to prevent a good round from slipping away. “Just a lot of good momentum going into the weekend,â€� he said. “I feel good with all the parts of my game.â€� Cantlay is seeking his first U.S. team appearance since playing in the Palmer Cup and Walker Cup in 2011. He was among those considered for the final Ryder Cup spot last year that went to Finau. Given how well Finau handled the intense pressure at Paris – he won two of his three matches, including his Singles match against Tommy Fleetwood – it’s hard to argue with Furyk’s decision, even in a week in which most things did not go right for the Americans. Although a disappointing loss for the U.S., the taste of team competition has made Finau hungry for more. “After having that experience, you don’t want to miss any teams,â€� Finau said. I don’t want to miss the Presidents Cup this year. I don’t want to miss the Ryder Cup next year. So on and so forth.â€� But he won’t let his focus stray from the immediate task at hand. Neither will Cantlay, who will deliberately avoid having his focus diffused by all the various elements in play this weekend. On Saturday, Cantlay is in the final twosome with Matsuyama, a potential Presidents Cup opponent. And Finau is in the twosome just ahead with Justin Thomas, a potential Presidents Cup teammate. “I do think it’s really important not to be caught up in any of that, especially for me,â€� Cantlay said. “I’m just going to go out and do my best to play this golf course well.â€� He’s done that for the first 36 holes. So has Finau. As a result, the next 36 holes at Medinah should be extremely interesting – and potentially fruitful — for both players.
Hideki Matsuyama blisters Medinah with 63 for BMW Championship leadHideki Matsuyama blisters Medinah with 63 for BMW Championship lead
MEDINAH, Ill. — Hideki Matsuyama has never missed the TOUR Championship since his first full year on the PGA TOUR. He played Friday like he doesn’t want the streak to end. Outside the top 30 in the FedExCup for the first time at the BMW Championship, Matsuyama made five birdie putts from 15 feet or longer and broke the course record at Medinah with a 9-under 63 for a one-shot lead going into the weekend. He started his second round with a 30-foot birdie putt. He ended the round with a 30-foot birdie putt. The explanation for what went right wasn’t that long. “I did make a lot of long putts today, and that was the difference,” Matsuyama said through his interpreter. That was a big difference for Tiger Woods, too. He made only two putts longer than 6 feet, made a pair of bogeys from the bunkers late in the round and had to settle for another 71. Woods, who needs a top 10 to advance to the TOUR Championship, was tied for 49th. “I left quite a few shots out there,” Woods said. Matsuyama was at 12-under 132, one shot ahead of Patrick Cantlay (67) and Tony Finau (66). Justin Thomas made six birdies to offset three bogeys in his round of 69, leaving him two shots behind. Cantlay, Finau and Thomas are all assured of being among the top 30 who advance to the TOUR Championship next week, where everyone in the field will have a shot at winning the FedExCup and the $15 million prize. Matsuyama won four times on the Japan Golf Tour as a rookie after he graduated college, and then won the Memorial in 2014 and narrowly got into the FedExCup finale at East Lake. But he has gone two years without winning, and Friday was the first time he has led after any round since his most recent victory at Firestone in the Bridgestone Invitational. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in contention,” Matsuyama said. “Hopefully, I can play well. I’ve been struggling for a while this year. Hopefully, that can turn around and I’ll have a good weekend.” Cantlay has gone 36 holes at Medinah with only one bogey, and key to his round was avoid one late. His tee shot on the 320-yard 15th caught enough of the wind that bounded right into the water. He took his penalty dropped, chipped to 8 feet and saved par, got up-and-down on the next hole and then finished with two more good putts, one for birdie and another for par. “Any time you make a par after hitting the ball in the water it’s good,” he said. “It gave me some nice momentum to close out the round.” Lucas Glover (69) and Rory Sabbatini (68) were among the group at 9-under 135, both suddenly in range of the top 30. Woods won the TOUR Championship last year, capping a remarkable return from four back surgeries with his first victory in five years. It was an extraordinary afternoon considering where he had been, a moment topped in Georgia some six months later when he won the Masters. But after he pulled out at Liberty National last week citing a mild oblique strain, he slipped 10 spots to No. 38. And while it was a mild surprise when he showed up at Medinah, he’s going the wrong direction in the FedExCup. He isn’t ruling out a return to the TOUR Championship to defend his title, but he’s running out of time and not making enough birdies. Woods hit it to tap-in range on the 11th, and then ran off birdies on the 14th and 15th hole to slowly get back into the picture at Medinah. And then he made consecutive bogeys from the bunker, had to settle for another 71 and was right back where he started. “I’m going to have to have a great weekend and make a lot of birdies and post some rounds in the mid-60s to give myself a chance at it,” Woods said. “Putt well and I’ll shoot good scores. I haven’t done that.” Jordan Spieth also is on the verge of ending a second straight season without a victory, and without a trip to East Lake. He made progress at Liberty National with a tie for sixth, and he needs another finish like that to crack the top 30. He did not need to chop his way to a double bogey on the par-3 eighth that left him at the bottom of the pack. Spieth rallied with five birdies on the back nine, and he believes he has the “firepower” to post two low scores and hope it’s enough. There was a realistic side to him Friday, especially after the double bogey, that his season was over because of how he felt over the ball. Yes, he still has an outside chance. But he sure didn’t sound consumed by it. “I’m far enough out that I’m going to sleep at night not expecting to be there,” Spieth said about East Lake. “It’s not where I want to live, but it’s where I am.”
Pats’ Gordon reinstated; eligible for reg. seasonPats’ Gordon reinstated; eligible for reg. season
The NFL is reinstating New England Patriots’ wide receiver Josh Gordon, who will be eligible to play in the regular season.