‘It’s fashion, bro’: How golf stepped up its shoe game‘It’s fashion, bro’: How golf stepped up its shoe game
For decades — centuries, maybe? — golf shoes were boring. Now golf shoes are getting a makeover — and a personality.
Day: February 21, 2020
Report: Trail Blazers offered to trade expiring contracts to Cavaliers for Kevin LoveReport: Trail Blazers offered to trade expiring contracts to Cavaliers for Kevin Love
Kevin Love’s trade value has proven divisive inside and outside Cleveland.
The Sixers definitely don’t have a Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid problemThe Sixers definitely don’t have a Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid problem
Can these two superstars play together? The roster doesn’t give many opportunities to answer that question.
Bubba Golf enjoying mini-revival in 2020Bubba Golf enjoying mini-revival in 2020
MEXICO CITY – Bubba Watson would seem to have the right sort of game for Club de Golf Chapultepec, but he’s never done particularly well at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. His best, in three starts here, is a T9 in 2018. Truth be told, he played better when the tournament was at Doral, with four top-three finishes. After a winless 2019 in which he finished 81st in the FedExCup, Watson was off to a solid start in search of his 13th PGA TOUR victory after an opening-round 67, two off the early lead. “I’ve been hitting the ball great all year after training,â€� said Watson, who finished T6 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T3 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. “I’ve been working on getting fitter, getting stronger so I can hold positions and hit the shots I want to hit.â€� RELATED: Leaderboard No one wanted to talk about what’s behind his mini-revival, though. Instead, it was Watson’s casual round with singer Justin Bieber after missing the cut at the Genesis Invitational in L.A. The two played at Lakeside Golf Club with Ted Scott, Watson’s caddie, and three others, and Watson joked that Bieber is now his mental coach. (Watson has no mental coach.) The other topic of conversation at Chapultepec has been Watson’s putting. He couldn’t buy one at The Genesis, but had 13 one-putts in the first round at Chapultepec, and on the often-tricky poa annua surfaces, no less. His 21 total putts in round one were a career low on TOUR. But while putting comes and goes, and celebrity is its own thing altogether, Watson’s revival this season owes just as much if not more to his tee-to-green game.  “I know my ball-striking is where I want it to be,â€� he said. “My mind is where I want it to be and everything. Coming here, I was just hoping I’d get the right bounces and the right breaks. I know I can play around here if I stay committed to all the shots.â€� Watson ranked No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green in 2015, and fourth in that stat in ’16. Then things started to fall off: 74th in ’17, and 45th in ’18 even as he won three times and finished 10th in the FedExCup. He was 38th in SG: Tee-to-Green last season, which is far from terrible, but 167th in SG: Putting as he plummeted to 81st in the FedExCup. Self-coached and mercurial, Watson has never been a paint-by-number type of guy. His rises and falls can be hard to predict, or explain. This season, though, it’s pretty easy: Watson’s stats are up in both putting (51st, despite an off-week at the Genesis) and ball-striking (13th). That’s a useful combination, one that has seen him regularly work his way back into contention again after two decidedly lackluster years (2017 and ’19) in the last three seasons. “You know, it’s — life sometimes throws you curve balls,â€� he said. Perhaps, though, not so much in the thin air at Chapultepec, where the ball doesn’t curve as much. The ball-striking is there. The putting may be catching up. Bubba Golf is on the rise again.
Dolphins’ focus at combine: Tua Tagovailoa, O-linemen and moreDolphins’ focus at combine: Tua Tagovailoa, O-linemen and more
With three first-round picks, the early imprints of Miami’s moves will be made at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next week.
Whincup to continue Supercars careerWhincup to continue Supercars career
Seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup has confirmed he will continue racing next year, as he prepares for the season-opening Adelaide 500.
Kyrie’s season is over (again), but does that mean Brooklyn’s is?Kyrie’s season is over (again), but does that mean Brooklyn’s is?
The Brooklyn Nets always knew this season would be a challenge, but with Kyrie Irving officially shut down, can they still make the most of it?
76ers’ Embiid says he’s ‘best player in the world’76ers’ Embiid says he’s ‘best player in the world’
Joel Embiid said he needed to be aggressive inside Thursday night against the Nets and after a 39-point, 17-rebound performance in an overtime win, the 76ers center said he’s “the best player in the world.”
Commodore demise was coming: Supercars CEOCommodore demise was coming: Supercars CEO
Supercars boss Sean Seamer foreshadowed the demise of the Holden Commodore but the axe falling on the iconic car brand has still come as a shock.
Holden demise inevitable: Supercars chiefHolden demise inevitable: Supercars chief
Supercars boss Sean Seamer foreshadowed Holden’s demise but the axe has fallen on the iconic car brand sooner than he expected.