Baseball's best arms: Ranking MLB's top 10 starters and relievers for 2021Baseball's best arms: Ranking MLB's top 10 starters and relievers for 2021
A stoic ace is baseball’s No. 1 starter, and a super sophomore rises among relievers.
Day: January 6, 2021
Experts predict: Wild-card weekend upsets, QBs under pressure and Cam’s 2021 landing spotExperts predict: Wild-card weekend upsets, QBs under pressure and Cam’s 2021 landing spot
Which QB needs to show out this weekend? Which team should sign Cam Newton? Our insiders make their picks.
How to watch Sentry Tournament of Champions, Round 1: Tee times, live leaderboard, TV timesHow to watch Sentry Tournament of Champions, Round 1: Tee times, live leaderboard, TV times
Play opens today at the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. Due to the shortened season because of COVID-19, the TOUR has allowed those who qualified for the TOUR Championship last season to also compete this week. The no-cut event features a strong field including Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday 6-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday 6-10 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 4-6 p.m. ET (NBC), 6-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 4-10 p.m. ET; Saturday, 5-10 p.m. ET; Sunday, 3-8 p.m. ET. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) FEATURED GROUPS Justin Thomas-Dustin Johnson Xander Schauffele-Jon Rahm Scottie Scheffler-Collin Morikawa Patrick Reed-Sebastian Munoz MUST READ Expert Picks Power Rankings Schauffele reveals he had COVID-19 during holiday break The First Look Computer predicts top 30 for TOUR Championship
WHOOP becomes the Official Fitness Wearable of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR ChampionsWHOOP becomes the Official Fitness Wearable of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions
The PGA TOUR and WHOOP, the human performance company, announced a multi-year partnership naming WHOOP as the "Official Fitness Wearable of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions" and a "Sponsor of PGA TOUR Active." To activate the partnership, WHOOP and the TOUR will implement a WHOOP Live for Charity initiative to highlight player biometric data and heart rate during defining moments throughout the season with those real-time metrics integrated into video content. Featured players will receive a $10,000 contribution to the charity of their choice on behalf of WHOOP and the TOUR. Fans can follow these moments at #WHOOPLIVE beginning in 2021. "We are excited to grow our partnership with WHOOP and utilize their health technology to optimize the way our athletes train, recover and sleep," said Brian Oliver, PGA TOUR Executive Vice President of Corporate Partnerships. "Our athletes understand the importance of maintaining their health to ensure peak competitive performance, career longevity and overall well-being. The WHOOP Strap will help our athletes unlock actionable insights via physiological data to help them understand and prepare their bodies for competition. We're eager to begin a first-of-its-kind activation at the TOUR that will incorporate player biometric data with defining moments from the golf course to create fascinating content for fans." This summer upon the TOUR's return to golf over 1,000 WHOOP Straps were distributed for players, caddies and other essential personnel at PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Champions events, with accompanying membership for health monitoring. WHOOP collects physiological data that helps an individual optimize workouts, recovery and sleep - and can identify changes in respiratory rate with industry-leading third party validated accuracy. This official partnership is a natural evolution from the collaborative efforts to find new solutions to support TOUR athletes at all levels. "WHOOP has organically grown amongst the world's best golfers for years and we are proud to take our relationship with the PGA TOUR and all athletes to the next level," said Will Ahmed, WHOOP Founder & CEO. "This partnership is particularly new and innovative in that it will bring heart rate and other engaging physiological metrics directly into the fan experience." WHOOP will activate and create custom content within PGA TOUR Active (www.pgatour.com/active), a new TOUR initiative highlighting health, fitness and lifestyles of professional golfers, where fans get an inside look into the techniques and activities helping the best players in the world perform at their peak. Throughout the partnership, PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and Korn Ferry Tour players and trainers will receive the latest products and technology from WHOOP to assist in monitoring their health. WHOOP will have an amplified onsite presence at all PGA TOUR events to provide VIP support and incorporate that technology with training and recovery staff on the PGA TOUR's state-of-the-art Player Performance Centers that travel to PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions events and bring state-of-the-art fitness equipment and care to its athletes throughout the season.
Xander Schauffele reveals COVID-19 floored him over holidaysXander Schauffele reveals COVID-19 floored him over holidays
KAPALUA, Hawaii - Xander Schauffele almost missed his shot at Kapalua redemption thanks to a rough bout of COVID-19 during the holidays. The 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions winner was runner-up a year ago when he was unable to two-putt the final green in regulation, sending him into a three-way playoff with Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed. It was Thomas who would ultimately claim the title. Despite not winning at all in the 2019-20 season, Schauffele was granted a reprieve to try to rectify his sour finish from a year ago when the TOUR opened up qualification for the tournament at the Plantation Course to winners and those who made the TOUR Championship last season. This decision is a one-off after a chunk of the season was lost to a COVID-19 shutdown, but a welcome one for Schauffele. His excitement was tampered though when his girlfriend came down with the virus in mid-December. Schauffele was actually at a Callaway photo shoot with Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm when news came that she had tested positive for COVID-19. "I got texted, my agent got texted that she tested positive for COVID, so it was a bit of a scare at the photo shoot for everyone," Schauffele recalled. "I went and quarantined in a hotel away from her and my family for a couple days and I felt totally fine for a couple days but woke up soon after sick as a dog and dragged myself to the clinic, tested positive, and fortunately was able to quarantine at home with my dogs and my girl." Schauffele says the pair were unable to pinpoint how his girlfriend picked up the virus and that he was hit hard over the first few days - limited to bed rest short of watching TV and a little PlayStation time. The 27-year-old had taken a 10-day break from practice shortly before getting sick and as such his preparation for the event this week has been severely limited. "I tried to walk up a few holes today just as a test. Definitely not in great shape, in all honesty," Schauffele revealed. "So, I'm kind of in a weird place physically. But mentally, I can fake it until I make it. I’ll have to fall back on some good memories from the past couple years. "I don’t know how she got it. We traced everything. No one around her got it. My family didn’t get it. So, it’s a weird deal. It’s a bit scary just because there’s so much unknown facts about the whole COVID process." The silver lining - if there is any - is that Schauffele displays his best golf when he's seen as an underdog. It's a mentality he's used from day one on the PGA TOUR after being left out of initial conversations that pinpointed the infamous high school class of 2011 that includes Thomas and Jordan Spieth. He also won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in 2018 despite illness. Beware the sick or injured golfer, they say. "I just like to sleep in that territory there," he grinned. "I always play well here so happy to just be back playing at all." COVID-19 aside, Schauffele hopes to get back to his best in 2021 and get back in the winner's circle to ensure a return trip again in 2022. "Last year was a good mental year to build off of. It was one of my more consistent years on TOUR, even though I didn’t win a tournament," he said. "To build off consistency is difficult, but if we can sort of give ourselves more looks like we did last year then keep knocking on the door until you knock it down... that's the sort of the mentality we’re in."
Week 17 scoring bonanza caps record-setting seasonWeek 17 scoring bonanza caps record-setting season
The Week 17 scoring bonanza provided the perfect finish to a record-setting season on offense. Teams combined for 100 touchdowns in the final week of the season for the second-most in NFL history in a single week behind only the 104 scored in Week 14 of the 2013 season. There were several players who had memorable seasons of their own to contribute to the high-scoring campaign led by Green Bay’s dynamic duo of Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.
For non-playoff teams, important offseason is under wayFor non-playoff teams, important offseason is under way
While 14 teams are focused on their pursuit of the Vince Lombardi Trophy with the expanded NFL playoffs set to kick off this weekend, the offseason is under way for 18 other clubs. Six teams are searching for new head coaches. The league already pulled off a difficult task by completing its 256-game regular season on time during the coronavirus pandemic.
New 7th seed helps Bears 8 years too late for Lovie SmithNew 7th seed helps Bears 8 years too late for Lovie Smith
While Matt Nagy gets to coach Chicago in the playoffs despite a middling 8-8 record that could help save his job, former Bears coach Lovie Smith can only wonder if the extra team in the postseason could have helped him eight years ago. The addition of a seventh playoff team in each conference this season helped make sure Indianapolis wouldn’t become the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to miss the postseason despite winning 11 games, and let the Bears sneak in as the eighth 8-8 team ever to earn a wild-card spot. Smith’s Bears teams from the beginning of last decade are near the top of that list.
Sean McVay expects to see Jamal Adams on field for Seahawks on SaturdaySean McVay expects to see Jamal Adams on field for Seahawks on Saturday
While the Seattle Seahawks aren't certain they'll have safety Jamal Adams on the field for Saturday's playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sean McVay is fully expecting to see Adams on the opposite side of the field. "We'll see, I mean we've got to plan for him being ready to go," McVay, the Rams [more]
U.S. stuns Canada to capture world juniors goldU.S. stuns Canada to capture world juniors gold
Behind Spencer Knight’s 34 saves, the U.S. stunned heavily favored Canada 2-0 on Tuesday night to win gold in the World Junior Championship.