Married couple could be in same NASCAR raceMarried couple could be in same NASCAR race
Stewart Friesen drives full-time in the Truck Series while his wife Jessica is attempting her first career start in the Bristol dirt race on March 27.
Day: March 11, 2021
Who’s the top pitcher in fantasy baseball?Who’s the top pitcher in fantasy baseball?
Sports Betting News’ Andy Behrens and Dalton Del Don explain why Jacob deGrom and Gerrit Cole are two of the best pitching options in baseball.
Bubble Watch 2021: What happens to Duke now?Bubble Watch 2021: What happens to Duke now?
The Blue Devils were knocked out of the ACC tournament on Thursday because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Men’s Bracketology: A very good day on the bubble for the ACCMen’s Bracketology: A very good day on the bubble for the ACC
Syracuse reached the projected bracket and North Carolina strengthened its position on Wednesday.
Hendrick off to fast start with 2 wins heading into PhoenixHendrick off to fast start with 2 wins heading into Phoenix
Hendrick Motorsports celebrates each race win with a Victory Bell t hat is carted across the campus for every employee to ring. The Hendrick folks believe the count should actually be at four. Hendrick Motorsports is off to a blazing start this season with two wins through NASCAR’s first four races, a marked uptick for an organization that went deep into the schedule the last few years before its program found a rhythm.
By the numbers: No. 17 at THE PLAYERS ChampionshipBy the numbers: No. 17 at THE PLAYERS Championship
Editor’s note: Round 1 has been suspended due to darkness and will be completed on Friday. Below are the numbers from players who completed No. 17. ROUND 1 Byeong An will have nightmares for years to come after dumping four balls in the water at the par-3 17th green on Thursday. An needed to make a 4-footer for an octuple bogey 11 on the iconic hole to ensure Bob Tway's 12 from 2005 remains the highest score on record for the drama-filled short hole. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside THE PLAYERS’ greatest comeback | 20-year anniversary of ‘Better Than Most’ The former International Presidents Cup team member saw his tee shot come down short of the green before he hit two shots long from the drop zone and a third short from the same spot before finally finding dry land with his ninth shot. Darkness halted play before the first round was complete, but An wasn't alone having trouble in what appeared perfect conditions. Charl Schwartzel, Kevin Na and Maverick McNealy all carded 8's in their rounds as the 17th played as the second toughest hole of the day (3.358). On the other side of the coin former PLAYERS champion Adam Scott hit the shot of the day, going within a whisker of a hole-in-one before settling for birdie from 1-foot, 7-inches. The longest putt of the day was Sebastian Munoz's 46-foot, 9-inch birdie bomb.
Beekman’s 3 helps No. 16 Virginia top Syracuse 72-69 in ACCsBeekman’s 3 helps No. 16 Virginia top Syracuse 72-69 in ACCs
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) Reece Beekman hit a 3-pointer as time expired to help No. 16 Virginia edge Syracuse 72-69 in Thursday’s quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Beekman hadn’t hit a shot all day but buried a 3 from the right wing off a feed from Kihei Clark as the horn sounded. Sam Hauser scored 21 points to lead Virginia, which made 4 of 5 3s to close the game in the final 5 1/2 minutes.
Kentucky ends worst season of Calipari eraKentucky ends worst season of Calipari era
The most disappointing season of John Calipari's coaching career concluded with a whimper on Thursday after a 74-73 loss to Mississippi State in the SEC tournament.
Phil Mickelson sees positives at THE PLAYERSPhil Mickelson sees positives at THE PLAYERS
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Phil Mickelson was in no kind of form. In eight TOUR starts this season, his best result is a T44 at the Safeway Open, and he recently fell out of the world top 100 for the first time since 1993. He's gone from being in contention to being in commercials. And yet while many of today's stars shot themselves out of it early, there was the indominable Mickelson hitting 11 of 14 fairways en route to a stress-free, 1-under 71 in the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship. He beat Rory McIlroy by eight, Tony Finau by seven, Rickie Fowler by six. Under the radar? Yes, Mickelson was that. Over the hill? Nope. "I haven’t played well in a long time," said Mickelson, who was the low man in his group (Finau and Charles Howell III, 73). "And although I’ve felt like it’s close, I haven’t been scoring. To finally shoot a decent number, that feels good, and I’ll try to build off of that." Mickelson was six behind early first-round leader Sergio Garcia, who eagled the par-5 ninth and 16th holes, but miles ahead of expectations, at least where most golf fans were concerned. Yes, he won this tournament in 2007, but since then has often said he could hardly believe it. Pete Dye's masterpiece can be rough on wayward drivers of the ball, which was one reason why Mickelson had missed six of his last seven cuts here. You can't hit a recovery shot from the bottom of a lake. At 50, he has looked ever closer to going full tilt on PGA TOUR Champions. It was on Champions that Mickelson won the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National last August, and the Dominion Energy Charity Classic in October. Going for an unprecedented three wins in three starts on the 50-and-over circuit, he finished T20 at the recent Cologuard Classic. The game just hasn't been there this year. Odd, then, that it would return at the Stadium Course, which was at its diabolical best Thursday. The pin placements? "Smelly," said Lee Westwood (69). The wind? Swirling. Paul Casey quadruple-bogeyed 17. McIlroy made his own quad on 18. Mickelson knows more about quads than your average orthopedist, but the Hall of Famer stayed dry, avoided trouble, and made over 85 feet of putts. "Little things," he said of what's been holding him back. "Short game hasn’t been as sharp, haven’t putted as well. My iron play hasn’t been quite as good. But it hasn’t felt far off, but I just haven’t like put it together. So my whole thing is to just try to shoot a number, just try to score and not really worry about the technical side right now." On the subject of dropping out of the top 100, he said it was a "cool run" but otherwise hadn't given it any thought. He hasn't had time; he's been grinding. Mickelson will be in the field at The Honda Classic next week, but isn't qualified for the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship the week after that. He said he's likely to play in the Valero Texas Open, and then it's on to the Masters Tournament. "I haven’t played well lately, and I just want to play well," he said. "It just feels good to play good golf, and there’s nothing physically inhibiting me from playing good golf. I’ve been mentally making the game harder than it is. I just need to fix that, just think a little bit better." So far, so good at TPC Sawgrass.
Alfa boss Vasseur has Covid, will miss preseason testAlfa boss Vasseur has Covid, will miss preseason test
Alfa Romeo’s F1 boss Frederic Vasseur will miss the three days of preseason testing in Bahrain after testing positive for COVID-19.