Koepka out, Fowler in for Presidents CupKoepka out, Fowler in for Presidents Cup
Brooks Koepka is still hampered by a knee issue he aggravated in October, so Rickie Fowler will take his place on the U.S. team.
Brooks Koepka is still hampered by a knee issue he aggravated in October, so Rickie Fowler will take his place on the U.S. team.
Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has declined to comment on Major League Baseball’s investigation into allegations of sign stealing. While walking through the lobby of the hotel where owners were meeting Wednesday, Crane stopped briefly when approached by reporters. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred
Michael Jordan famously wore a pair of North Carolina shorts under his Bulls uniform.
Tommy Beer discusses two studs (one too young, one too old) posting unimaginably impressive stats and two potentially undervalued assets. (AP)
Mike Whan pulled the LPGA Tour out of a deep hole when he took over as a commissioner nine years ago, and he’s not finished yet. Whan has signed what the LPGA described only as a long-term contract extension that keeps him in charge as women’s golf tries to expand its exposure through a new television
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson says 2020 will be his final season of full-time racing. The winningest driver of his era will have a 19th season in the No. 48 Chevrolet and once again chase a record eighth championship. Johnson made the announcement in a video posted on
Last season, the Orlando Magic surpassed expectations by earning a hard fought spot in the Playoffs, thanks in large part to the all-around play of forward Aaron Gordon. In this edition of “Player Journal,� we go behind the scenes with Gordon and the Magic, who this season have their sights set even
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Charles Howell’s childhood memories illustrate how much this game has changed. Working with David Leadbetter allowed Howell to watch the practice sessions of some of the best players from the 1990s. It was a rare treat for a teenager enamored with golf, but there’s little from those experiences that’s still applicable today. The games that got Nick Faldo and Nick Price to the top of the world ranking wouldn’t work today. “They were hitting 3-irons 200 to 205 yards. They would draw some, they would fade some,â€� Howell said Wednesday. “It was super impressive. But how the game has changed. … Go watch Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson and Brooks hit drivers and watch Jordan Spieth putt and find a way to do that. That’s just the reality of it, that’s just the facts. If I was a kid growing up, that’s what I would learn how to try to do.â€� Howell is no longer a kid, but driving distance and putting are the two facets of his game that he’s focused on since winning last year’s RSM Classic. He has been a TOUR player for nearly two decades but still has an enthusiasm for the game, and a desire to add to a trophy collection that is smaller than he expected when he turned pro out of Oklahoma State. His latest title came 12 months ago, when he held off a 26-year-old Patrick Rodgers in a sudden-death playoff. Rodgers set a TOUR record by shooting 61-62 on the weekend at Sea Island Golf Club. Howell started the final round with a one-shot lead but was three over par after the first two holes. He didn’t make another bogey the rest of the day. His six birdies included three in a row on Nos. 15-17. Howell made a 15-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to earn his third PGA TOUR victory. The victory may have ended a long drought, but it didn’t create complacency. It reinforced how hard it is to win. Few players know that better than Howell. He’s won three times in 558 career starts but has finished second or third another 25 times (16 runners-up, nine third-place finishes). “That was a good reminder at 40 years old to continue to work at my game and find ways to improve and get better,â€� Howell said. “As much excitement as it was to win and finally win again, it was also a reminder that if I’m going to stay competitive and keep doing this into my 40s, I have to keep finding ways to get better.â€� He started working with short-game coach Josh Gregory to shore up his play on and around the greens. Howell also changed his workout regimen, finding exercises that he could do on the road instead of saving most of his gym time for the few weeks he’s home. He hasn’t gained distance, but his workouts have kept the effects of Father Time at bay a little longer. “The way the game is going, I would say more so than ever the driver and the putter have become golf,â€� Howell said. “There was a time a long time ago where I think you saw guys with iron play, I’m going to try to draw this into this flag, I’m going to try to fade this, a little off‑speed this and that. I think what’s replaced maybe a great iron player is a guy that drives it great and putts it great.â€� Howell, 40, is still on an unceasing quest for improvement. Few compete as often as he does. He’s averaged 28.3 starts per year since becoming a TOUR member in 2001. This is his seventh start of the new season. He’s 23rd in the FedExCup with two top-10 finishes. “I still love the game,â€� Howell said. “I’’ve been a little bit rejuvenated because my son is playing golf and he loves it. So after school and et cetera, we’re going to the golf course. He makes me play a bit more, gets me off the driving range hitting range balls, which is sort of my thing. But he makes me play more, chip and putt more. He’s getting into playing the U.S. Kids golf stuff, so watching that, watching him go through that is really cool because I remember when I went through that.â€�
Myles Garrett and the NFLPA argued during an appeal hearing that the indefinite ban for the Browns star — as compared to Antonio Smith’s suspension in 2013 for swinging his helmet at another player — is excessive.
Johnson, 44, is tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most Cup Series championships. He’s hit a cold streak of late.