P Koch, Ravens’ longest-tenured player, retiresP Koch, Ravens’ longest-tenured player, retires
Punter Sam Koch, who was the Ravens’ longest-tenured player in franchise history, announced his retirement Thursday.
Day: May 19, 2022
Tiger Woods returned to action and here’s how he did over a rough first roundTiger Woods returned to action and here’s how he did over a rough first round
Tiger Woods, in the biggest group on the course alongside Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, gets going at the PGA Championship. We follow his every move.
After good start, Tiger limps in with 4-over 74After good start, Tiger limps in with 4-over 74
Tiger Woods was 2-under after his first five holes of the PGA Championship, but he later started limping more noticeably on his surgically repaired leg and he finished with a 4-over 74.
Bieniemy, Leftwich to attend NFL diversity eventBieniemy, Leftwich to attend NFL diversity event
The NFL announced Wednesday that more than 60 diverse head coach and general manager candidates are slated to attend the inaugural Front Office Accelerator program next week at the NFL spring meetings in Atlanta.
Webb Simpson’s iron switch paying off at PGAWebb Simpson’s iron switch paying off at PGA
TULSA, Okla. – While major equipment switches the week of a major are rare, one is paying off for Webb Simpson at the PGA Championship. Simpson shot 1-under 69 at Southern Hills on Thursday. It was one of the top rounds in a breezy and blustery afternoon at the Oklahoma course. He used a new set of irons, the Titleist T100s, after committing to the new clubs earlier in the week. “Today felt like the golf that I know how to play. It didn’t feel abnormal. I wasn’t surprised. But I’m very thankful to get off to a good start in a really tough condition day,” said Simpson, whose seven PGA TOUR wins include the 2012 U.S. Open and 2018 PLAYERS. It has been a difficult season for Simpson, who entered the week ranked 141st in the FedExCup. He has just two top-25s this season, and none since the calendar turned to 2022. He’s struggled with his iron game, which is traditionally one of his hallmarks. He ranks 84th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green after sitting inside the top 25 for six consecutive seasons from 2015-20. Simpson finally relented and made the switch to the cavity-back Titleist T100 irons this week after playing forged, muscle-back blades for almost the entirety of his career. The T100s are forged and have the look of a blade at address while utilizing a cavity-back to increase forgiveness. “I’ve had a couple of short stints with non-blades in my career but not many,” said Simpson, who had been using Titleist’s 620 MB irons. “I haven’t been hitting my irons great. Approach to the green is typically a strength for me; this year it’s been a weakness, and I’ve struggled out of the rough. I keep getting told that these the irons I’m playing are better out of the rough, better with distance control, better with mis-hits, and so I guess I was being stubborn but finally listened and I really like them. “They’re not a whole lot different than mine the way they look, but we’ve had good results with them so far.” Simpson’s caddie, Paul Tesori, recommended a potential switch after Simpson missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. They experimented with the new clubs at Simpson’s home club, Quail Hollow in Charlotte, last week. That was after Simpson discovered them in his garage after fearing he may have given them away. “I don’t know if Titleist will like this or not, but if I don’t use a set I give it to a friend,” Simpson said Thursday. “I’m trying to spread the word for Titleist, you know. So I might have given to a friend, but I see them in there, we bring them out, and all the numbers we tested were way better. “So I still wasn’t certain that I was going to put them in this week so I have both. The biggest thing for me is when I look down I want to make sure it looks good, and then after that all I care about is the numbers and how it’s going to perform out of the rough. So far they’ve passed the test.”
Gallant, Sutter, Brunette up for coach of yearGallant, Sutter, Brunette up for coach of year
The Rangers’ Gerard Gallant, the Flames’ Darryl Sutter and the Panthers’ Andrew Brunette are the three finalists for NHL coach of the year.
Rory McIlroy authors vintage performance in opening 65 at PGARory McIlroy authors vintage performance in opening 65 at PGA
TULSA, Okla. – Many consider Southern Hills’ 12th the best hole on the property. Its fairway turns left around a bunker before diving down to a green protected by the creek that runs throughout the course. The rolling topography and subtle, but scenic, hazard make No. 12 memorable. The PGA Championship’s headliners arrived there shortly before 9 a.m., while the weather was still cool and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees. Tiger Woods was already under par after an opening birdie that sent the swelling gallery’s collective imagination preparing for a historic Sunday. Woods, leaning on the formula that netted him 15 major championships, hit iron off the 12th tee to ensure he was in the fairway. Rory McIlroy, whose eight years without a major are full of frustrating first rounds, wasn’t interested in the safe play. Though he acknowledged Tuesday that Woods’ conservative approach cuts down on the costly mistakes that have marred McIlroy’s major scorecards in recent years, he wasn’t intent on emulating it. Not this week, at least. The reimagined Southern Hills gives McIlroy room to wield his greatest weapon. And he did. Despite the creek that runs down the left side of No. 12, McIlroy sent his drive sailing over the bunker that guards the corner of the dogleg. The 354-yard tee shot left him just 86 yards to the green on the 461-yard hole. McIlroy’s wedge play often ignites angst, but he stuffed this one to 2 feet. Not exactly the way Perry Maxwell drew it up. But such is the modern game. “I was playing to my spots, and those guys obviously have a different game plan. It’s just different,” said Woods, who parred 12 after hitting his 195-yard approach to 20 feet. “The game is played differently now, and it’s very aggressive.” Few use that strategy better than McIlroy, who seems capable of winning tournaments with his driver alone. Only a handful of players can keep up with him when he’s driving it his best, which he did Thursday, looking like the player who won four majors from 2011-14, including a couple of eight-shot routes. McIlroy shot 65 on Thursday to take the lead after the PGA Championship’s morning wave, averaging 331.6 yards on all tee shots to lead the field in that metric at the midday mark. His two measured drives traveled 369 and 378 drives. And, to top it off, he missed just four fairways. Throw in his final-round 64 en route to a runner-up at Augusta National and McIlroy is now 13 under par in his last two major rounds. It’s just the fifth time that a player has shot lower than 130 in consecutive major rounds. Front-runners have a good history at Southern Hills, as well. The eventual winner in each of the seven previous majors at Southern Hills (four PGAs, three U.S. Opens) has held at least a share of the lead after 26 of the 28 rounds. Every major winner at Southern Hills has held at least a share of the lead after 36 and 54 holes. McIlroy’s birdie at 12 was part of four in a row as he opened with a 4-under 31 on Southern Hills’ back nine. He added two more birdies at Nos. 2 and 5 to put some history within reach, but bogeyed two of the next three holes. He capped the round by holing a 19-foot birdie putt on Southern Hills’ ninth hole. The 65 was McIlroy’s lowest opening round in a major since the 2011 U.S. Open, which was his first victory in a major. “I think when your game is feeling like that, it’s just a matter of going out there and really sticking to your game plan, executing as well as you possibly can, and just sort of staying in your own little world,” McIlroy said. “I did that really well today. It was nice to get off to that good start and sorta keep it going. “I feel like this course, it lets you be pretty aggressive off the tee if you want to be, so I hit quite a lot of drivers out there and took advantage of my length and finished that off with some nice iron play and some nice putting.” Southern Hills’ two par-5s each played more than 630 yards but McIlroy birdied both after reaching a greenside bunker in two shots. He was 4 under on the par-4s, as well. Both his bogeys came on the front nine’s pair of par-3s, but he also birdied the 221-yard 14th after hitting a 6-iron to 25 feet. When Woods won here 15 years ago, he tactically navigated his way around, leaning heavily on his 2-iron stinger to keep his ball out of the thick Bermudagrass rough. That was before Gil Hanse renovated the course to bring it back to its roots. Fairways were widened and trees were removed. The rough is a more manageable 2 inches this week, bringing the dreaded flyer into play while also giving players an opportunity to execute recovery shots. McIlroy’s play was the highlight of Thursday’s marquee group. Woods struggled to a 74 while Jordan Spieth, who’s trying to complete the career Grand Slam this week, shot 72. McIlroy said the wider fairways made the fans feel farther away but he was excited to perform in front of the day’s biggest crowd. “It’s always a cool group to be a part of,” he said. He put on a show Thursday.
Wiggins, Warriors limit Luka in Game 1 victoryWiggins, Warriors limit Luka in Game 1 victory
The Warriors, with Andrew Wiggins as the primary defender, held Luka Doncic in check Wednesday night to take the opener of the Western Conference finals against the Mavericks.
Jaden Ivey: College basketball stats, highlights, best moments at PurdueJaden Ivey: College basketball stats, highlights, best moments at Purdue
Essential stats and highlights from Jaden Ivey’s college basketball career at Purdue, where he averaged 17.3 points his sophomore season and led the Boilermakers to the Sweet 16.
Study: NBA owners have $10 billion in ChinaStudy: NBA owners have $10 billion in China
An ESPN examination found that 40 principal NBA owners hold a collective $10 billion-plus worth of investments in China, giving them ample reason to avoid upsetting the nation’s authoritarian rulers.