Houston, Alabama, Virginia and Florida State are climbing the rankings, but Gonzaga and Baylor are still in another echelon.
SAN DIEGO - Two-time Farmers Insurance champion Jason Day will make his 2021 debut at Torrey Pines with a Frankenstein bag set up and a new coach behind him as he looks to return to the top of the PGA TOUR. Day, who won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2015 and 2018, revealed recently he is working with Tiger Woods' former instructor Chris Como and will start the year as an equipment free agent after being with TaylorMade since 2006. Como is just the second major coach the 33-year-old Day has had in his career with the Australian previously working with childhood mentor Colin Swatton for two decades before the pair parted ways last season. The 12-time TOUR winner has battled back issues over the last decade and continues to try to adjust his game to limit the risk of injury and pain. Day divulged he is trying to get his swing path more inside but has to do so at a slow pace as it is a move that in the past has caused problems. "I feel like things are progressing nicely with my swing … but I just really have to be very patient with the technical aspect of it," the 12-time TOUR winner said. "I’m working with Chris Como and we’re not trying to change the makeup that I had beforehand ... we're just trying to fine-tune it. "We’re trying to get better hip movement, we’re going to get a little bit deeper on the backswing in regard to the hip motion, and I’m trying to get a little bit more turn in the upper body ... last year I was kind of coming over the top of it just to kind of alleviate some of the back pain. "Right now, if I do it correctly, it doesn’t hurt my back, which is tremendous. For the longest time I was swaying a little bit, getting a little bit too much tilt in my upper body, and that was forcing my right hip to sway out and then I’d get too lateral going forward. Then I’d crunch down to try and lift the ball up and crunch down my back, and I just did it over and over and over again, and then sooner or later it would just kind of flare up and go out." Day is making the changes with a bevy of mis-matched equipment. In fact, he will use six different brands in his bag with a Ping driver, TaylorMade 3-wood, Mizuno irons, Artisan wedges, a White Hot 2-ball Odyssey putter and a Bridgestone XS golf ball. Day missed the TOUR Championship for the second straight year in 2020 and hasn't won on TOUR since his two-win season of 2018 - a drought coming up on near three years. He sits outside the top 40 in the world after spending a total of 51 weeks at the top back in 2015 and 2016. "All I have to do is just go out and play ... there are no excuses," Day said ahead of starting back up this season while sitting 94th in the FedExCup. "Playing bad golf is frustrating, being a competitor and not living up to what you think you should be living up to is very frustrating. This is my 14th season on TOUR now; I know that a career is long, but I’m trying to do everything I possibly can to get back to where I should be, and I feel like that’s No. 1 in the world. "If I look in the (recent) past, it’s depressing, so I don’t want to do that. If I look to the future, it gives me anxiety, so I don’t want to do that. I can only control what I can do right now." A closer look at what Day has in the bag this week: Driver: Ping G425 (10 degrees) Shaft: TPT 14 LO 5 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 80TX Irons: Mizuno JPX921 Tour (3-P) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 Wedges: Artisan Prototype (50,54,60) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Odyssey White Hot 2 Ball Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS
Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button will race for his own team when the new Extreme E off-road all-electric series begins later this year, the Briton said on Monday.
A more stable shaft at impact helps golfers hit the golf ball longer and straighter. Aldila's all-new line of Ascent golf shafts are designed to do just that. With a combination of aerospace materials and bend profiles uniquely engineered for modern driver head performance, the Ascent features what Aldila calls an Impact Stabilization Zone — a section of the shaft towards the tip with increased stiffness intended to stabilize the head at impact. A more stable head at impact means more consistent ball flight, more centered contact, and less dispersion on off-center strikes. Zane Nuttall, manager of product development and innovation for Mitsubishi Chemical and Aldila Golf, had this to say about the Ascent shafts. "Ascent gave us an opportunity to create a shaft that is extremely stable at impact, all while giving players a smoother feeling profile. With our Impact Stabilization Zone, we could move the CG (center of gravity) closer to the clubhead, which helps stabilize the face, tighten dispersion windows, and dial in spin. At high speeds, players are looking for center face contact first and foremost, and the Aldila Ascent provides a unique, innovative approach to stabilizing the clubhead through impact.” The graphic below from Aldila, obtained using the high-tech motion capture system GEARS, shows the contrast between a standard shaft and the Ascent shaft with its Impact Stabilization Zone. In terms of additional technology, the Impact Stabilization Zone is paired with a heavy tungsten prepreg material in the tip of the shaft to increase mass towards the clubhead, which adds additional force to promote better launch conditions. When these elements are combined, the new Ascent shaft helps increase ball flight apex while still offering lower spin performance and accuracy. While TOUR seeding - the process of getting the product in professionals' hands — has only just begun, TOUR player feedback during testing has been positive, said Rusty Estes, Aldila Tour Representative. "We began testing Ascent quietly at last year’s FedExCup Playoffs, and what surprised me more than anything was how many different profiles of players responded well to it. It's a TOUR-level shaft that is not only stable but seems to complement a wide range of deliveries, and as a fitter that is extremely exciting." This shaft will be available in a wide range of flexes and weights (click here to view the shaft's specs). The Ascent line also includes the Ascent Ultralight, which features Focused Mass Technology (FMTTM) and a heavier butt-end, as well as FlyDrive Technology, which is an ultralight technology borrowed from fly fishing rods. True to its name, the Ascent Ultralight line weighs between 41 and 48 grams, 20-30 grams lighter than standard shafts on the PGA TOUR. Aldila Ascent shafts have been spotted on the PGA TOUR beginning at The American Express and are now available at retail for $300 MSRP. (Note: Interested in putting Aldila Ascent shafts in your clubs? Click here for more information.)
Patrick Mahomes has one Super Bowl rings to Tom Brady’s six. Still, it feels like Mahomes can close the gap on Brady, and Super Bowl LV offers a golden opportunity.
Goals have been hard to come by for the Anaheim Ducks. Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell each scored his first goal of the season and the Ducks held on for a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Hampus Lindholm added an empty-net goal for the Ducks, who had not scored more than two goals in their first five games.
Top 10 Goals of the Week, 01/24/2021
Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia is hoping the 49ers can acquire Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
Tony Romo called it back in Week 12 as the Chiefs and Buccaneers regular-season game wrapped up.
The Packers abandoned their identity as a run-centered, play-action passing team when it mattered most against the Bucs.
