Tifft’s season ends after Martinsville scareTifft’s season ends after Martinsville scare
Matt Tifft suffered what the team said was a “medical condition� Saturday morning at Martinsville and was briefly hospitalized.
Day: October 29, 2019
Power Rankings: Predators suddenly on the risePower Rankings: Predators suddenly on the rise
Pucks are going in at an ungodly rate for Nashville, making the offense look explosive. Even if things chill out on that front, there’s are still good signs.
All the big Tiger questions, from expectations to win totals to Presidents CupAll the big Tiger questions, from expectations to win totals to Presidents Cup
Does win No. 82 mean a big year is coming? Are 18 majors back on the table? Tiger Woods earned a Presidents Cup spot, but should he play? We answer all of that.
DraftKings preview: World Golf Championships-HSBC ChampionsDraftKings preview: World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
The PGA TOUR finishes its time in Asia with the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club (West) in Shanghai, China. The field will consist of 78 golfers from the PGA TOUR as well as six Chinese players teeing it up for the first of four World Golf Championships tournaments this season. Similar to the other two tournaments on the Asian Swing, this will be a no-cut event. RELATED: Power Rankings | Course, field preview: WGC-HSBC Champions Sheshan International will play as a par 72, measures 7,261 yards and be played on bentgrass greens for the third straight week. This tournament has been played at Sheshan International in 13 of the last 14 seasons and all but two of the last 13 winners have been outside the top 30 in overall world golf ranking at the time of their win (exceptions: Y.E. Yang 77th/2006, Russell Knox 85/2015). The course is fairly straight forward with tree-lined fairways, which will be average in width, but where the course gets difficult is when the golfers miss the fairway and hit it in one of the many fairway bunkers or in one of the many water hazards that come into play on 11 holes. In the last three years, the course has played inside the top-half of difficulty in scoring relative to par with last season playing as the third most difficult; this is evident with both fairways hit in regulation and greens hit in regulation percentage registering lower at Sheshan International relative to the TOUR average. Par 5 scoring average will again be important this week with three of the four playing over 550 yards. Golfers who also do well on par 3 scoring average from 200 to 225 yards should be considered when building lineups, all four of the par-3s measure over 200 yards. Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee will be paramount with accuracy as a priority; hitting it in the rough or in any of the many fairway bunkers may be penal this week. TOP VALUES Rory McIlroy ($11, 700) McIlroy’s Off-The-Tee game is second-to-none. In his last six tournaments, he’s gained almost a stroke on the field in hit fairway percentage and ranks first in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee over the same timeframe. Even though Rory finished outside the top 50 last season at Sheshan International, he ranks just outside the top-10 in Strokes Gained: Total at this tournament the last five years. Tony Finau ($9,700) Finau struggled in Japan, but now gets to play a tournament he’s had success at, finishing 11th back in 2017 and second last season. Like Rory, Finau’s Off-The-Tee ability is elite, ranking fifth in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee over his last six tournaments; it’s not only his distance, but he’s also been hitting the fairway this season, ranking T11 in fairway hit percentage and 30th in hit fairways gained over the field in his last 24 rounds. Finau also putts better on bentgrass greens, ranking just outside the top-30 in Strokes Gained: Putting over his last 36 rounds. Patrick Reed ($9,600) Reed isn’t on the same level as Finau or McIlroy with his driver but still ranks inside the top-10 in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee over his last six tournaments and has the short game to contend at this course. Reed ranks inside the top-30 in par 5 scoring average and eighth in sand save percentage over his last 24 rounds along with two top-10 finishes here dating back to 2016. Kevin Kisner ($7,200) There’s no metric for “narrative-street� analysis, but Kisner may take a page out of Tiger’s book last week and go for the win this week in Shanghai to enhance his chances at getting a Presidents Cup captain’s pick from Woods. We’re not just relying on the metaphoric analysis with Kisner, he also has solid current form, ranking ninth in Strokes Gained: Approach-The-Green and sixth in par 3 scoring average from 200-225 yards in distance. He’s a great putter on bentgrass and has a second place finish here back in 2016. J.T. Poston ($6,700) Poston had a good end to his season, making it to the BMW Championship with a T16 finish and followed it up with a Top-11 in his first start of the new season at the Sanderson Farms Championship. Poston also recorded a top-30 last week in Japan. His solid finishes have a lot to do with his ball-striking, gaining 3.3 strokes Tee-to-Green over his last five tournaments. Poston ranks inside the top-15 in par 3 scoring average from 200 to 225 yards, 11th in birdie or better percentage, 16th in Strokes Gained: Approach-The-Green and 23rd in par-5 scoring average over his last six tournaments. Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. About the writer: “I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is reidtfowler) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.�
Wyndham Rewards Top 10 preview: WGC-HSBC Champions and Bermuda ChampionshipWyndham Rewards Top 10 preview: WGC-HSBC Champions and Bermuda Championship
The Wyndham Rewards Top 10 is a season-long competition that offers a $10 million bonus for the 10 golfers who end the regular season at the Wyndham Championship inside the top 10 in FedExCup points. The player atop the standings will earn $2 million, with varying payouts for the others through $500,000 for the 10th place finisher. This week: Two events this week: the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and the Bermuda Championships Current Top 10 in action 1. Lanto Griffin (Bermuda) 4. Kevin Na (HSBC) 7. Sungjae Im (HSBC) 9. Hideki Matsuyama (HSBC) 10. Adam Hadwin (HSBC) No. 1 watch: Lanto Griffin, winner of the Houston Open three weeks ago, remains atop top the Wyndham Rewards Top 10 standings for a third consecutive week. Top 10 moves: Tiger Woods, winner of the ZOZO Championship in his first start of the season, took over the No. 8 spot in the standings. Hideki Matsuyama, runner-up to Woods in Japan, moved into the No. 9 spot after starting last week 23rd. Dropping out of the top 10 were Mark Hubbard (from 8 to 12) and Harris English (from 10 to 14). Scenarios notes • There are two tournaments this week, each with different FedExCup points values. The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions offers 550 points to the winner, while the Bermuda Championship offers 300 points to the winner. Eleven players in action this week project to become No. 1 with a win – current No. 1 Lanto Griffin and Mark Hubbard, who are playing the Bermuda Championship; and Kevin Na, Sungjae Im, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Hadwin, Byeong Hun An, Xinjun Zhang, Charles Howell III, Cameron Smith, Corey Conners and Rory McIlroy at the HSBC Champions. • Every player in the field at the non-cut HSBC Champions could move inside the top 10 with a victory. Ten players in the Bermuda Championship are projected to move inside the top 10 with a win. • Several players will be seeking their first FedExCup points of the season, including Justin Rose, who is making his season debut at the HSBC Champions.
Week 9 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus players who need to step upWeek 9 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus players who need to step up
Some are stars off to slow starts. Others are young players who need to take their game to the next level. Either way, these guys need to improve.
Week 8 NFL QB awards: Brees’ magnificent return; Allen stymied by the NinersWeek 8 NFL QB awards: Brees’ magnificent return; Allen stymied by the Niners
Drew Brees took what the defense gave him in his return, but Kyle Allen wasn’t given anything. Here’s the best and worst from under center in Week 8.
The Stephen Strasburg moment more than a decade in the makingThe Stephen Strasburg moment more than a decade in the making
From “Strasmas” to a do-or-die World Series Game 6, the onetime Nationals phenom finally gets a chance for his signature performance.
Follow live: Nats take command in do-or-die gameFollow live: Nats take command in do-or-die game
Facing elimination in Game 6 of the World Series, the Nationals opened up a big lead on the Astros thanks to three homers.
Follow live: Nats fighting back in HoustonFollow live: Nats fighting back in Houston
Facing elimination in Game 6 of the World Series, the Nationals have taken the lead over the Astros with a Juan Soto homer in the fifth.