Sources: Brady to mull future before ’22 decisionSources: Brady to mull future before ’22 decision
Tom Brady will mull his future after this season concludes and take time before committing to a return to football in 2022, sources tell ESPN.
Day: January 23, 2022
The First Look: Farmers Insurance OpenThe First Look: Farmers Insurance Open
FedExCup leader Hideki Matsuyama is joined by six of the top 10 golfers in the world at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open. Patrick Reed, who won by five shots last season – the widest margin of victory in his career – returns to defend. FIELD NOTES: World No. 1 Jon Rahm returns to his haven that is Torrey Pines. Rahm won the Farmers Insurance Open in 2017, was runner-up in 2020, finished T7 last year and won the U.S. Open at Torrey in 2021… Other golfers inside the top 10 in the world in the field include Justin Thomas, San Diego native Xander Schauffele, Bryson DeChambeau, and Hideki Matsuyama, the TOUR’s only two-time winner this season… DeChambeau returns to Torrey Pines for the first time since 2018. He added the Farmers Insurance Open to his schedule after withdrawing from the Sony Open, citing soreness in his left wrist… There’s plenty of firepower at Torrey Pines this year with notables also including two-time Farmers winner Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, and former FedExCup winners Justin Rose (who won at Torrey Pines in 2019), Billy Horschel and Jordan Spieth… Long-time San Diego resident Phil Mickelson – who acted as tournament host at The American Express – is back in the field. He is a three-time Farmers Insurance Open champion… Kamaiu Johnson gets another chance at the Farmers Insurance Open. The APGA Tour star was set to make his TOUR debut in 2021 but tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the event. He’s back as a sponsor exemption this year and is one of two APGA players in the field. Ryan Alford also was given a sponsor’s exemption. … Will Zalatoris, who finished T7 as a sponsor exemption last year, is back at Torrey as a full-fledged TOUR member this year… Other 2022 sponsor exemptions include Taylor Montgomery and former Arizona State standout Kevin Yu, who was fourth in PGA TOUR University’s Class of 2021. He had two top-5 finishes in eight Korn Ferry Tour starts last year. COURSE: Torrey Pines GC (South), 7,765 yards, par-72. Torrey Pines GC (North), 7,258 yards, par-72. Golfers will play one round apiece on the South and North courses before the 36-hole cut. The final two rounds will be played on the South Course. Torrey Pines South has hosted the 2008 and 2021 U.S. Opens, won by Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm, respectively. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. STORYLINES: This week marks the return of Dustin Johnson. The former FedExCup champion hasn’t teed it up on the PGA TOUR since THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT… The tournament will get started on Wednesday and goes until Saturday. This avoids a conflict with the NFL’s conference championship games… Fans will be permitted at Torrey Pines this year after a fan-less affair in 2021… Reed looks to become just the fourth repeat winner in event history. The last to do it was Tiger Woods, who won four straight at Torrey Pines from 2005-2008. 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, George Burns (1987), Tiger Woods (1999). 18-HOLE RECORD: North Course record: 61, Mark Brooks (2nd round, 1990), Brandt Snedeker (1st round, 2007). Redesigned North Course record: 62, Jon Rahm (1st round, 2019), Ryan Palmer (2nd round, 2020). South Course record: 62, Tiger Woods (3rd round, 1999) LAST TIME: Patrick Reed won for the ninth time on TOUR at the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open, and the margin of victory – five shots – was the biggest in his career. Reed closed with a 4-under 68. He held the 18-hole lead after Thursday and took the victory across the finish line on Sunday. Reed was never challenged on Sunday – especially after co-54-hole leader Carlos Ortiz was 2-over through four holes and finished with a 6-over 78. There was a five-way tie for second between Tony Finau, Henrik Norlander, Ryan Palmer, Schauffele, and Viktor Hovland. HOW TO FOLLOW: Television: Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Thursday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Golf Channel). Friday, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. (Golf Channel), 5 p.m.-8 p.m. (CBS). Saturday, 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: A combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes
How to watch The American Express, Round 4: Featured Groups, live scores, tee times, TV timesHow to watch The American Express, Round 4: Featured Groups, live scores, tee times, TV times
Round 4 of The American Express takes place Friday from PGA West’s Stadium Course. The deep field includes defending FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, world No. 1 Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and reigning Rookie of the Year Will Zalatoris. Here’s everything you need to know to follow the action, including Featured Groups for PGA TOUR LIVE and newly expanded and extended coverage on ESPN+. Click here for more details. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Television: Thursday-Sunday, 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Golf Channel) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1–7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+ FEATURED GROUPS Marquee Group Jon Rahm, Davis Riley, Brian Harman Featured Groups Brandt Snedeker, Zach Johnson Emiliano Grillo, Tony Finau, Jason Day Featured Holes 4 (par 3), 13 (par 3), 16 (par 5), 17 (par 3) MUST READS Lee Hodges, Paul Barjon share lead at The American Express Get to know Sahith Theegala in 10 stories Will Zalatoris shoots 61 after making seven consecutive birdies Five things to know about PGA West’s Stadium Course
‘Gritty’ 49ers rally past Pack, into NFC title game‘Gritty’ 49ers rally past Pack, into NFC title game
A blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a clock-churning drive and a buzzer-beating field goal, all in the fourth quarter, helped the San Francisco 49ers to another road playoff victory Saturday night, this time over the No. 1 seed Green Bay Packers.
QB Rodgers to mull ‘tough decision’ about futureQB Rodgers to mull ‘tough decision’ about future
Aaron Rodgers said he will have to make a difficult decision about his future with the Packers but noted he would not want to be part of a rebuild.
49ers rally past Packers, snag NFC title-game bid49ers rally past Packers, snag NFC title-game bid
A blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a clock-churning drive and a buzzer-beating field goal, all in the fourth quarter, helped the San Francisco 49ers to another road playoff victory Saturday night, this time over the No. 1 seed Green Bay Packers.
‘It is us:’ Bengals decry underdog label after win‘It is us:’ Bengals decry underdog label after win
Joe Burrow said he is “tired of the underdog narrative” after the Bengals’ 19-16 victory over the top-seeded Titans on Saturday.
Rodgers, Packers dissect 49ers on opening drive for early leadRodgers, Packers dissect 49ers on opening drive for early lead
The Packers didn’t do much on opening drives during the regular season, but that changed Saturday.
Lee Hodges, Paul Barjon share lead at The American ExpressLee Hodges, Paul Barjon share lead at The American Express
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Lee Hodges and Paul Barjon took advantage of a late tee time Saturday to miss the worst of a windy day and share the third-round lead in The American Express. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside the Field: Farmers Insurance Open “It was tough early and it kind of died on our back nine a little bit,” Hodges said. “It was off and on, but it was a good wind. The easy holes were playing a little easier, but the hard holes were hard. So you just had to make a couple pars and then get to those downwind holes.” Playing together in the final group off the 10th tee on PGA West’s Stadium Course, the PGA TOUR rookies and close friends each birdied the par-5 fifth, par-4 seventh and par-5 eighth and closed with a par. “We’re just best buddies and we have a great time out there,” Hodges said. “We keep it really light and it’s easy to compete when your friends are playing well.” Hodges, a 26-year-old former Alabama golfer, shot an 8-under 64. Barjon, the 29-year-old Frenchman who played at Texas Christian, had a 65. “We just kind of feed off each other, so it’s been fun,” Barjon said. Hodges opened Thursday with a 62 at La Quinta Country Club for a share of the first-round lead with defending FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, then shot a 72 on Friday on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course. Hodges and Barjon, both making their 14th PGA TOUR start, were at 18-under 198. Tom Hoge was a stroke back after a 68 at La Quinta, playing in the second group off the first tee in the strongest wind of the day. “Generally, I would say it’s better to be here,” Hoge said about tree-lined La Quinta. “It’s a little more protected from the trees and a little bit shorter golf course, so you could play a little more conservatively off the tee, get the ball in play and go from there.” Hoge opened with his lone bogey of the week. He holed out from a greenside bunker on the par-4 fourth for the first of three straight birdies, added a birdie on the par-5 11th and parred the last seven. Seamus Power, also at La Quinta, was 16 under after a 66. The Irishman played a five-hole stretch on the front nine in 6 under, capping the run with an eagle on the par-5 sixth. “It was an interesting round,” said Power, who won his first TOUR title at the Barbasol Championship last year in Kentucky. “It was very fun on the front there. It was one of those rounds just kind of made everything I looked at for an hour and a half.” Hudson Swafford, the 2017 champion, was at 15 under with Harry Higgs and Lanto Griffin. Swafford birdied four of his last five holes on the Stadium Course, the site of the final round. “I was really patient,” Swafford said. “I gave myself a lot of looks even though it played really tough early. I mean the wind, I’m not going to say it’s laid down, but it was blowing early pretty good.” Griffin had a 69 at La Quinta. He’s making his first start of the year after injuring his back carrying his dog and withdrawing from the Sony Open last week in Hawaii. “It’s feeling a lot better than I thought it would and I’m playing a lot better than I thought I would,” Griffin said. “So, it’s been a really fun week.” Higgs shot a 67 on the Stadium layout in the first group off the first tee. Cantlay, a stroke ahead entering the day, had an even-par 72 on Stadium Course to drop four strokes back. Trying to win for the third time in four starts, the former UCLA player had four birdies and four bogeys. Last year in the desert, he closed with a Stadium-record 61 to finish a shot behind winner Si Woo Kim. Top-ranked Jon Rahm shot a 67 on the Stadium Course to get to 13 under. The 2018 winner finished with a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th. Defending champion Kim was 11 under after a 69 on the Stadium Course. Tournament host Phil Mickelson tied for 150th in the 156-man field, shooting 78-73-72 and failing to advance to the final round.