Beleaguered Trubisky gets start Sun. for BearsBeleaguered Trubisky gets start Sun. for Bears
A week after being pulled with a hip injury late in a loss to the Rams, Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky will start Sunday against the Giants.
Day: November 22, 2019
The Pen: MLB streaming changes big for fansThe Pen: MLB streaming changes big for fans
In this week’s edition of The Pen, Hannah Keyser details how a change in MLB’s streaming rights policy could change the viewing experience for fans.
Todd’s strong play continues at Sea IslandTodd’s strong play continues at Sea Island
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Brendon Todd’s hopes for another victory are still alive at a course where he’s already hoisted a trophy. He won the SEC Championship on Sea Island’s Seaside Course when he was a freshman at Georgia. Todd, who’s won his last two PGA TOUR starts, is 10 under par after starting The RSM Classic with back-to-back 66s. He’s four shots behind leader Tyler Duncan, who shot 61 on Sea Island’s Seaside Course on Friday. RELATED: Leaderboard | Plantation Course’s new look for The RSM Classic Todd is coming off back-to-back victories at the Bermuda Championship and Mayakoba Golf Classic. He is the FedExCup leader, and his comeback from the full-swing yips has been the story of the fall. “I’m just going out there and playing my game, which all of a sudden is fairways and greens and holing a lot of putts,â€� Todd said Friday. He’s hit 27 of 28 fairways this week, tied for best in the field. He’s missed just nine greens. Friday’s 66 on Sea Island’s Plantation Course was his 11th consecutive round of 68 or lower. Seven of those rounds have been 66 or lower. He has a 65.6 scoring average in that span and is 59 under par. “I’ve got a lot of confidence and I’m giving myself a lot of birdie putts. I’m able to go out there and make a lot of birdies every round, which helps,â€� he said.
Lanto Griffin Griffin misses cut, but pads Birdies Fore Love leadLanto Griffin Griffin misses cut, but pads Birdies Fore Love lead
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – An impressive streak may have come to an end, but Lanto Griffin’s 65 on Friday at the RSM Classic was still important. Griffin, winner of this season’s Houston Open, had made 15 consecutive cuts. It was the second-longest streak on TOUR, trailing only Tommy Fleetwood (31). RELATED: Leaderboard | A refreshed Harman contending at Sea Island | Plantation Course’s new look for The RSM Classic Griffin didn’t qualify for the final two rounds of The RSM Classic, though. He dug too deep a hole after a first-round 74 on Sea Island’s Seaside Course. He shot 65 on the Plantation Course on Friday to miss the cut by just one shot. The six birdies and an eagle he made Friday padded his lead in the RSM Birdies Fore Love competition, which ends this week. The player who makes the most birdies and eagles in the fall portion of the PGA TOUR schedule earns $300,000 for the charity of his choice. “Today was big,â€� said Griffin, who will be home this weekend while his closest pursuers play two rounds at Sea Island’s Seaside Course. He made 138 birdies and eagles this fall, 10 more than second-place Denny McCarthy. Maverick McNealy and Scottie Scheffler each have 127. Griffin admitted being tired from an eventful fall that saw him win his first PGA TOUR title at the Houston Open and finish in the top-20 five other times. He added the Bermuda Championship to his schedule because of the RSM Birdies Fore Love competition and it was his inspiration to finish the fall on a strong note. “I knew the birdies were big, so I got some work in on the range last night and straightened it out a little bit,â€� Griffin said. “The Birdies Fore Love was on my mind pretty hard and I knew … if those guys got two more rounds on me, I wanted to get my lead up. “I was disappointed, but I’m tired and I battled as hard as I could, so I’ve got nothing to hang my head about. … There’s a lot of money for second and third in this race, too, so either way I’m going to have a good chunk of change to start my foundation with and hopefully do a lot of good in southwest Virginia.â€� The runner-up in Birdies Fore Love earns $150,000, while third place earns $50,000.
A refreshed Harman contending at The RSM ClassicA refreshed Harman contending at The RSM Classic
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Brian Harman hit all 18 greens in Friday’s second round of The RSM Classic. It’s the second time in his career that he’s accomplished that feat. “I think my ball-striking is probably as good as it’s ever been,â€� said Harman, who’s won twice on the TOUR, was runner-up in a major and once ranked 20th in the world. A lot has changed in just a few months. This summer, he felt “crippling anxietyâ€� about losing his PGA TOUR card. Harman was 170th in the FedExCup last March and still ranked outside the top 125 as late as June. He earned a spot in this year’s FedExCup Playoffs, though, with three top-10s in his final six starts of the regular season. It started with a T8 at the Travelers, where he overcame a first-round 72 with three consecutive 66s. Two weeks later, he was in contention at the 3M Open before a bad third round. Tired of stressing about his game, he sent a text to his agent that Sunday saying, “This ends today.â€� He shot a final-round 65 to lock up his card and Playoffs spot. RELATED: Leaderboard | Plantation Course’s new look for The RSM Classic “I made the choice that day that whatever happened, I was going to act like I had been there before,â€� Harman said. “It let me know that I really did need to change the way I was thinking about things and not get so bogged down.â€� That freedom has helped him play the same creative golf he played during his younger days, when he won the U.S. Junior Amateur and was the world’s top-ranked amateur. Harman started this new season with a third-place finish in A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, finished in the top-20 in his next two starts and is back in contention at The RSM. He shot 67 on Thursday at Sea Island’s Plantation Course before following with a 66 on the Seaside Course that will host the final two rounds. Harman, a Georgia alum, played Sea Island in the SEC Championships and now makes his home here. He only had one top-25 in his first five starts in the RSM, though. He missed the cut in both 2015 and 2016 before finishing a career-best fourth. He was T32 last year. “I wanted to play well so bad,â€� Harman said. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve embraced it. It’s a fun week. Let’s have fun.â€� His family is staying at his house, as is his caddie. They’ve cooked out each night, eating elk tenderloin and tomahawk pork chops. Harman is enjoying the game again after suffering from burnout at the start of last season. His game reached new heights two years ago, when he won the Wells Fargo Championship, finished runner-up in the U.S. Open and qualified for his first TOUR Championship. All that success led to new opportunities, but also a busier schedule. “I was really tired,â€� he said. “It’s a fine line out here. You take a little bit of a mental break, and I did because I was tired of grinding all the time, and your game takes a hit,â€� Harman said. He started working with swing coach Justin Parsons in the spring and promptly finished T8 at THE PLAYERS. Harman still works with longtime swing coach Jack Lumpkin, as well. Parsons also helped Harman’s former Georgia teammate, Harris English, turn around his career. Harman described working with Parsons, who moved to Sea Island from Dubai earlier this year, as a “shot in the arm.â€� “I just didn’t really feel like myself anymore,â€� Harman said. “I was trying to be something I wasn’t. (Justin) helped me be more creative with my ball-striking and freed me up to do some of stuff that I know I can do.â€�
Island paradise: Does N.Y. go all-in at deadline?Island paradise: Does N.Y. go all-in at deadline?
New York has points in 16 straight games, but do the Islanders have moves they should make to avoid a collapse?
Abreu agrees to $50M, 3-year contract with White SoxAbreu agrees to $50M, 3-year contract with White Sox
José Abreu agreed to a $50 million, three-year contract with the White Sox, eight days after the first baseman accepted Chicago’s qualifying offer of a $17.8 million, one-year deal. Abreu receives a $5 million signing bonus payable on July 1 and salaries of $11 million in 2020, $16 million in 2021 and
Bucs LB Nassib to return after 3-game absenceBucs LB Nassib to return after 3-game absence
The return of Carl Nassib after a three-game absence will bolster the Bucs’ linebacking corps, while the Falcons will be without Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman for Sunday’s game.
Back on track, Flyers take aim at reeling FlamesBack on track, Flyers take aim at reeling Flames
After snapping their own losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers will try stop the visiting Calgary Flames from doing the same when the two clubs meet on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers ended their four-game (0-2-2) winless drought with a 5-3 road victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Despite
Garrett: Vander Esch injury not career-threateningGarrett: Vander Esch injury not career-threatening
The neck injury that will keep Leighton Vander Esch out of Sunday’s game isn’t career-threatening, the Cowboys said, but it’s not clear whether the LB will be able to play this season.