On Monday afternoon the post positions were drawn for the 148th Longines Kentucky Oaks and a full field of 14 3-year-old fillies plus one also-eligible made the entry box, with 5-2 morning line favorite Nest drawing post 4. Get the horses, post positions, and free past performances here.
Andy Katz talks with Villanova’s new head coach Kyle Neptune, who is stepping into the role after Jay Wright’s surprise retirement. Neptune worked as an assistant coach under Wright for years before accepting a head coaching position at Fordham in 2021. He now takes over a team that just finished in the Final Four and has many unanswered questions, including the status of Justin Moore after his injury.
Robinson Cano, who is owed $24 million in each of the next two season but is hitting just .195 this year, has been designated for assignment as the New York Mets adhere to roster limit rules.
For the second time in five editions, the Wells Fargo Championship will be contested on a course other than its primary so that Quail Hollow Club can continue preparing for another premier event. In 2017, Quail Hollow was the host of the PGA Championship. This September, it’ll be the stage for the Presidents Cup. Pinch-hitting is TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. It hasn’t hosted the Wells Fargo Championship, but it’s not a stranger to the PGA TOUR and its sanctioned circuits. For analysis of the par 70, what the field of 156 can expect and more, continue reading beneath the ranking of projected contenders. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look | Inside the Field POWER RANKINGS: WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP Francesco Molinari, Tony Finau, Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed and Rickie Fowler will be among the notables reviewed in Tuesday’s Draws and Fades. A thorough history of the role that TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm has played for the PGA TOUR can be read in “Five Things to Know”. It’s experienced a variety of changes, and that’s an understatement. After its position as an annual par 71 for the old Kemper Open and its subsequent iterations into 2006, it underwent a full-scale renovation in 2007. That included a revision of overall par to 70. The PGA TOUR Champions made a stop in 2010, and then the Korn Ferry Tour descended twice in an eight-month period stretching in 2013. All who showed were challenged by what was a new, fresh examination. The course returned to the PGA TOUR to host the last two editions of the Quicken Loans National in 2017 and 2018. With a scoring average of 71.458 in the former, it was the hardest par 70 in a non-major that season. Scoring eased to 69.894 the following year when Francesco Molinari was the kind of zone that would make present-day Scottie Scheffler seem like he’s misfiring. (Molinari is committed this week; Scheffler is resting.) Both previous contests were in late June. In 2018, moderate winds gave way to calm, hot air by the final round. No such conditions this week with springtime weather in the mid-Atlantic. (TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm is about 10 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.) With the threat of rain on Friday and Saturday, daytime highs will drop from the mid-70s to potentially no higher than 60 degrees by the weekend. Winds also will freshen. After 2018, the par-5 second and 10th holes were extended by a respective 22 and 31 yards. Now tipping at 641 and 591 yards, respectively, TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm maxes out at 7,160. Bentgrass greens average just 4,265 square feet, and they’ll be ready to run 12½ feet on the Stimpmeter, weather pending. As of Monday afternoon, 44 of this week’s entrants were here in 2017. Of them, 26 returned in 2018 from which there is a total of 51 back this week. Just as it was for them a few years ago, the pair of par 5s will not be a reliable source of par breakers. Overall, for a course with small greens, the challenge to salvage par is multiplied by the combination of fescue and bluegrass rough, the longest of which is trimmed to 2½ inches, but there’s an intermediate cut that’s 1¼ inches high. Although greens are not entirely foreign, they’re relatively unfamiliar with the passage of time, so, just as Molinari showcased during his incredible display en route to an eight-stroke victory four years ago, the premiums to eliminate the big numbers are equal parts splitting fairways and hitting greens in regulation. ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton recaps and previews every tournament from numerous perspectives. Look for his following contributions as scheduled. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Draws and Fades WEDNESDAY: Pick ’Em Preview SUNDAY: Medical Extensions, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Rookie Ranking * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes on Tuesday.
Each week, we’re collecting the best stories from the MLB stars mic’ed up on Sunday nights — and behind-the-scenes reflections from producers and the players themselves.
The New York Mets have designated struggling infielder Robinson Cano for assignment.
Who will start at quarterback for the Steelers in Week 1? When will the Browns move on from Baker Mayfield? We answered 32 questions.
Maybe the accelerated life of Greg Odom, Jr., makes sense. After all, efforts to diversify golf are coming fast and furious, so why should his life be any different? Why shouldn’t it recall Lucy and Ethel on the assembly line? “My dreams are coming true,” said Odom, a decorated junior at Howard University. Odom will play on a sponsor’s exemption at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, less than 15 miles from where he goes to school. He’s thrilled. Grateful. Eager to get going. It’s just that in addition to anticipating his PGA TOUR debut on Thursday, Odom is also defending his title at the minority-focused PGA Works Collegiate Championship in Philadelphia this week. That tournament runs Monday through Wednesday, at which point – deep breath – he will make his way back to the D.C. area, 142 miles northeast, for the Wells Fargo. It’s a fast turnaround, but Odom is used to it. The day after his Wells Fargo exemption hit the papers, he won the individual title in freezing cold at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament at Argyle C.C. in Silver Spring, Maryland, leading Howard to the team victory. The program at the historically black college and university is in its second year thanks to the support of NBA star Stephen Curry, who the following day made news of his own. Curry announced he is launching the Underrated Tour in concert with the AJGA, a new junior golf circuit that will provide travel, meals, and hotels free of charge at tournaments nationwide. Said Curry, in a video on social media, “Less than two percent of golfers are people of color.” Added Odom, “Most people say they don’t see color on the golf course. A lot of my golf friends are Black, but tournaments are different. At the elite level, you’re like the only person there.” True, and although golf is transforming rapidly, much work remains to be done. Perhaps no two people are moving faster to do it than Curry and Odom. “We spent some time with Steph when we were playing up at Stanford,” said Howard men’s golf coach Sam Puryear. “He keeps up with the kids. I told him about the exemption (into the Wells Fargo, which would usually be held at Quail Hollow in Charlotte). He was super-excited.” So is Odom’s family, for he’s come a long way since his days with the First Tee of Memphis. Said his mother, Shirley, “I’m elated. It’s everything he’s been working for, coming to life.” Along with his mom, Odom is expected to have a cheering section at TPC Potomac that also includes his godmother, Rowena Brown; aunt, Beverly Bond; Puryear; and Howard teammates. The one who won’t be there is Greg Odom, Sr., who got Odom started when he was 4 and died of kidney failure the week of the PGA Works at TPC Sawgrass last year. Don’t go out there unless you’re ready to win, he used to say. Told that his father had died, Odom, Jr., talked it over with his mom and his coach, vowed to win it for Pops, and did so with a 4-over 220 total. All involved were in tears. “I knew my dad wanted me to go out there and ball out,” Odom, Jr., said that day. He calls the game his sanctuary, but his coach says it hasn’t been easy. “That was rough,” Puryear said. “He and his mom are doing what they have to do.” Opportunities have rolled in – Odom made two Korn Ferry Tour starts, missing the cut in both – as mother and son tried to find their equilibrium and friends and family rallied around them. “I’m still kind of messed up myself,” Shirley said. “It’s a year ago, but almost like yesterday.” Her son’s trophies are spilling out into her office, and she laughs about that – a good problem to have. He still goes back to Memphis, where he learned with his father at Irene Golf & Country Club. The course attracts a diverse crowd, including, occasionally, the former NBA star and current University of Memphis men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway. Meanwhile, in D.C., the weather is turning warmer, far better than the sleet that fell at the MEAC Championship. Every so often Odom hears the voice of his father telling him to take it easy. “When I’m out on the range and hitting balls as fast as I can, I hear him say, ‘Stop rapid firing the ball,’” Odom said. “That helps me slow down, chill, and be patient. “I feel like everything shouldn’t be so slow.” Rest assured, he won’t be moving slow this week.
“Brandon makes 199 ballspeed look like a walk in the park,” a Srixon representative told GolfWRX.com. “It’s effortless power, stunning to see in person. The toughest thing about working with Brandon is to not allow yourself to get sucked into the distance absurdity, and really dive into what he needs on the golf course to play his best golf. He’s grown so much in learning how to use his power effectively.” To suit Matthews’ preferences on performance and looks, he currently fits into a Srixon ZX7 with an 8.5-degree head, equipped with an LA Golf Trono 75X shaft at 44.5 inches. Compared to the ZX5 driver that Srixon offers, the ZX7 model that Matthews employs has a rounder and more compact shape that’s made for lower spin and a penetrating ball flight. While some may assume that a player with such speed may require specific alterations to the clubhead, Srixon says that Matthews uses a mostly neutral setup. “His driver setup is pretty normal,” the Srixon rep said. “It is weighted very neutral, but with lower loft than most guys play these days. He plays a stout shaft, but it’s not absurd considering his speed. His feels are important to him. Brandon likes to see a lot of heads and compare them, really prefers the “sit open at address” look. He likes to see a hair more spin than some might say is ideal. He feels that when spin gets too low, his ball moves too hard left to right.” According to Srixon, Matthews doesn’t use his driver to hit draw shots. When he wants to turn the ball from right-to-left, he opts for a fairway wood or driving iron, instead. By selecting just one shot shape, Matthews can find more consistency off the tee despite his long distances. “Brandon always prefers to see the ball move left to right with the driver,” Srixon said. “He has really committed to that and has been very disciplined in using 3-wood and driving irons when he wants to move it right to left. He’s so talented, he can do just about anything. But being more committed to a particular shape with the big stick is paying dividends for him.” And it should be wowing fans on the PGA TOUR sooner than later. Brandon Matthews’ big-hitting game is headed to the PGA TOUR. The 27-year-old Temple alum is playing this week’s Wells Fargo Championship on a sponsor’s exemption and looks likely to become a PGA TOUR member later this year. Matthews is near the top of the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points list after a posting a runner-up and victory in back-to-back weeks in February. Matthews, who’s 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, led the Korn Ferry Tour in driving distance in 2019 (331.3 yards) and is capable of pushing 200 mph of ball speed off the tee. At last week’s Hunstville Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, Matthews went without a driver because of the tight venue and the fact that he could carry his 3-wood 320 yards. To gain more insight into Matthews’ game, and how he sets up his driver to hit it such impressive distances, we spoke to the Cleveland-Srixon team that works closely with Matthews on his equipment; Matthews has been a Cleveland-Srixon staffer since 2019.
The third-year guard made a splash this season while Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were sidelined with injuries. He’s been preparing for this moment for two years.
