Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin is divesting his 11-year stake in the 76ers and Devils as his company expands into sports betting and individual player partnerships.
For years, PGA TOUR players have used raw wedges to help maximize spin around the greens for increased control of their wedge shots. Raw wedges, versus those that have a finish or coating applied, reduce the material between the golf ball and the grooves to ensure maximum friction as the ball runs up the face of the wedge. Callaway’s new Jaws Raw wedges – which replace the previous Jaws Mack Daddy 5 (MD5) wedges – have raw faces and extremely sharp grooves to enhance greenside spin. While Callaway is officially launching the Jaws Raw wedges to PGA TOUR players this week at the Travelers Championship, a number of players have already put them into play. Marc Leishman, Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner, for example, have each used the wedges in recent weeks. In fact, as Callaway reports, nine Jaws Raw wedges were in play at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. “I love the look,” said Marc Leishman. “I actually used to grind the leading edge of my old wedges to look like this (straighter leading edge). I’ve actually been playing with it since (the Zurich Classic of New Orleans), I took it from the photo shoot.” The relatively quick adoption of these wedges — very, very quick in Leishman’s case — can be attributed to Callaway’s willingness to work with TOUR players when developing the new wedges. Legendary wedge designer Roger Cleveland and the Callaway team used feedback from TOUR players to make a number of changes to the new Jaws Raw wedges compared to the previous Jaws MD5 models. The new Jaws Raw wedges introduce tungsten weighting and progressive hosel lengths to provide the optimal center of gravity for increased feel, trajectory control and forgiveness. The higher-lofted wedges have longer hosels that are balanced by two tungsten weights in the toe section. This configuration helps balance CG from heel-to-toe, but also moves it slightly higher to influence a lower shot with greater spin. The lower lofted wedges, on the other hand, have shorter hosels and less tungsten weighting in the toe sections to help lower CG for higher-flying shots from the fairway. Kevin Kisner, who’s been using the 52-degree Jaws Raw wedge, told GolfWRX.com on Monday that the “grooves are more aggressive, and I find it easier to hit from the fairway on full shots.” The raw-faced wedges have ultra-sharp grooves with a 37-degree wall angle. They also have groove-in-groove technology, which feature micro-milled grooves at a 20-degree angle to promote added spin on both straight-faced and open-faced shots. Golfers will notice that the new Jaws Raw wedges have a straighter leading edge, the toe pad has been muted to reduce glare, and they feature a smooth transition from the hosel section to the heel area that doesn’t show a pronounced “hook.” This feedback comes directly from TOUR players, according to Callaway. With 17 loft-grind combinations in total, the Jaws Raw wedge lineup introduces an all-new “Z” grind. The Z grind – which Callway says is used by Leishman – is a low-bounce option, but there’s significant chamfer, or roundness, on the leading edge to help reduce digging at impact and eliminate chunk shots. Other grinds in the Jaws Raw family include the standard S-grind, the versatile C-grind, the wide-soled W-grind, and the high-bounce X-grind. Available to the public on July 22 for $179.99 in steel, $189.99 in graphite, the Callaway Jaws Raw wedges will be available in either a Raw Face Chrome or un-plated Raw Black Plasma option. Brian Stuard, for example, opts for the Raw Black Plasma option, as pictured below. It’s important to note that the faces of the wedges are raw, which means they will rust over time. The stock shaft options include True Temper Dynamic Gold Spinner 115 grams (steel) and Project X Catalyst 80 grams (graphite), with a stock Lamkin UTx Charcoal grip. Callaway’s Jaws Raw wedges will have up to 13 color options to choose from within the Callaway Customs platform, as well as different medallions, emojis, and stamping options for further personalization.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin is divesting his 11-year stake in the 76ers and Devils as his company expands into sports betting and individual player partnerships.
Daniel Snyder conducted a “shadow investigation” of allegations that he had fostered a toxic work culture within the Commanders organization and worked with the NFL to bury the findings from an internal investigation, according to a House committee.
Ravens outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson has died at the age of 26, the team announced. The former third-round pick had played three seasons in Baltimore.
When Vermeil surprised the NFL by retiring in 1982 at just 46 years old he was “eroding.” When he returned to coach 14 years later, the game had changed, but so had he.
The Avalanche star has yet to tally a goal in the Cup Final, and Colorado is counting on him to reverse that trend soon.
The veteran won Stanley Cups in his first two seasons with Tampa Bay — and is playing a crucial, multi-faceted role as the team pushes for three straight.
For J.J. Spaun, it was a no-brainer. He had just won the 2020 Travelers Championship’s Umbrella at 15/12 Charity Challenge, getting closest to the hole from 85 yards to a floating umbrella-shaped green at TPC River Highlands. After hitting a delicate wedge to 19 inches, Spaun knew exactly what he would do with the $10,000 prize. He gave it to the JDRF, which is dedicated to finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes. The donation was particularly important to Spaun, who had been diagnosed with diabetes in 2018 after an unexplained weight loss sent him to the doctor. At the time, he was diagnosed as Type 2, but he would find out after further tests in February 2021 that he had Type 1, late onset. A day after the charity competition, Spaun was in the player dining room when Andy Bessette, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer for Travelers, introduced himself. Bessette told Spaun that his son Chris, who is now in medical school, had been diagnosed as Type 1 before heading off to college. “He gave me a big hug and was like, ‘Thank you for donating,’” Spaun said. “That was so awesome because his son is a diabetic as well. And he and his wife, they donate a lot of money to this foundation trying to give people the resources to find cures and find ways to battle this disease.” Bessette also told Spaun that he and his wife Cherrie would match Spaun’s donation. “It meant the world to me,” Bessette said. “J.J.’s a nice young man and I was very impressed. We had more of a conversation. And then I said to him, ‘J.J., if I can ever help you, let me know.’” Bessette got that chance earlier this year at THE PLAYERS Championship. He was sitting in a golf cart with Harold Varner III, waiting to film some promos for the Travelers Championship, when the amiable pro from North Carolina received a disheartening text from Spaun. “I said, ‘Well, what’s up, what’s wrong?’” Bessette said. Varner told him that Spaun wasn’t feeling great and was having some issues managing his Type 1 diabetes. “I said, ‘Harold, you tell him to call me.’” Bessette said. “So, Harold texts and he showed it to me: ‘Call Andy. He might be able to help you.’ So, I love Harold to death because you know what a big heart Harold Varner has. … And he connects me back with J.J.” A few days later, Spaun reached out to Bessette, who set up a call with Aaron Kowalski, the president and CEO of JDRF, who is also a Type I diabetic. Kowalski told Spaun about a new inhalable insulin that is absorbed quickly and could be used on the course, if necessary, rather than an injection. During their conversation, he also texted a doctor in Los Angeles who works with elite athletes on how to handle their blood sugar levels. “I’m learning all these new things through Andy and his connections,” Spaun said. “It’s been great. Definitely something that I didn’t think would happen for me, but that’s the beauty of golf. “You kind of meet all these people and next thing you’re being helped out in an extraordinary way.” Spaun is essentially a self-taught golfer, and he has taken a similar approach with researching and learning to manage his diabetes. Having the counsel of people like Bessette and Kowalski helps, and while Spaun is the first to admit he doesn’t have it 100 percent figured out, sometimes everything comes together. Take the Valero Texas Open, for example, which was played about two weeks after that conference call. The 31-year-old was rock steady as he won his first PGA TOUR event, besting Matt Jones and Matt Kuchar by two strokes and earning his first Masters invitation in the process. “I was crying,” Bessette said. On the golf course, Spaun wears a Libre blood sugar monitor that he checks with his smartphone every 30 minutes or so. “It’s part of my golf bag now,” he said. If the number is too high, he can have blurry vision and fatigue; when it gets low, he’ll feel lightheaded and shaky and reaches for something with sugar or carbs to eat. Spaun is back up to a healthy weight of 175 pounds after losing more than 50 pounds during the first three years he lived with diabetes. He has worked hard to get his strength back and together with instructor Andy Patnou has found the “magic move” in his swing from when he played his best golf. “He kind of gives me the recipe, and I kind of bake the cake my own way,” Spaun said. Bessette knows what it’s like to play sports at the highest level. He made the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team as a hammer thrower, although he did not get to compete in Moscow due to the American boycott. His experience as an athlete provides a particular appreciation for Spaun has accomplished while dealing with Type I diabetes. “I don’t know that I could have done it,” Bessette said. “I don’t think I’m that tough. It’s just amazing to me. That’s why I love J.J. I’m going to help him as much as I can. I so respect what he goes through, not just the struggle of being a world-class athlete and being competitive on the PGA TOUR, but just what he’s dealing with on all fronts of his life. He’s a young man, he’s got a young family and that has its own set of challenges, too.” Since his victory at the Valero Texas Open, Spaun said he has been contacted by diabetics around the world who tell him how much they appreciate him sharing his story. “They have made me feel like the biggest winner of all because they are saying that I was like a hero to them or inspiring to them or a great ambassador of what this disease does to them,” he said. And the communication works both ways. The unassuming Spaun made it a point to go over and talk with a young girl in his gallery at the Sanderson Farms Championship last fall because she was wearing the same glucose monitor that he does. He signed a glove for her and told her not to let her diabetes hold her back.
If it feels like it’s a treat to able to lean on course history as a tool, you’re right. Of the most recent eight completed tournaments, only the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday were contested on courses with enough reasonable history to apply to our decisions. This week’s Travelers Championship has been at TPC River Highlands for decades. That kind of bank of data not only can weed out a few talents, it serves as entry-level intel for rookies among us. That said, when scanning over your considerations in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live, historical record is but one component to the madness, er, responsibly generated preview material. Yeah, that’s it. In addition to combing through our stand-alone content for the Travelers, Rob and Glass have zeroed in on opening selections for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live below. Naturally, they’ve used said stand-alone content because, well, they reviewed the data, analyzed it and compiled it for the purposes of all. Here’s your chance to use it against them if you don’t scale into the top five as well. Register for PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live here and monitor Rob’s and Glass’ progress as Influencers. For a broader explanation of the format and FAQs, click here. TOURNAMENT TO WIN Glass … Mackenzie Hughes (+12500) Trending nicely, yet quietly, with T24-T28-T37 in his last three. He’ll enjoy the “break” this week as the three above were The Country Club, St George’s and Muirfield Village. The Canadian is 5-for-5 here and opened with 60 en route to T3 in 2020. Rob … Beau Hossler (+10000) Glass has owned me for three weeks, but his mini-reign of terror, er, terrific form ends now. Beau knows. One of the most popular questions posed to me this week was how Hossler could start as fifth alternate despite slotting 56th in the FedExCup. If you, too, are curious, understand that only invitationals use in-season FedExCup standings to fill fields. It’s how he got into THE PLAYERS, Schwab and Memorial. However, opens like the Travelers use the season-opening Priority Ranking in which he’s way down in Category 32 on conditional status. The category reorders but he can’t be promoted from it without a victory. Although the 27-year-old never has won on the PGA TOUR, he’s going to be a popular pick to do just that at TPC River Highlands. It’s the site of one of his pair of runner-up finishes (2018) and he finished T10 last year. He’s a phenomenal putter who will need to sharpen his tee-to-green game to elbow for position come Sunday, which is when the real fun begins. In 11 final rounds this season, he’s broken par just twice – neither for a sub-70 – and ranks 202nd in final-round scoring average.. TOP 10 Rob … Kevin Streelman (+900) Because this window unlocks every night, I’m comfortable in reaching, but is it, really? Streels famously walked off the win here with seven straight birdies in 2014. It’s one of five top 10s in 14 consecutive trips, the last a solo second in 2020. In this week’s edition of “PGA TOUR: The CUT,” he reiterated his affinity for TPC River Highlands, the tournament and the community, and that’s plenty good for me. Glass … Brendan Steele (+500) No point overlooking the intersection of form meeting course history! Steele has found another gear after a dreadful winter. It’s six straight cuts made on his own ball with a T9 at Southern Hills and a T10 at Memorial in his last two. His eight paydays from 11 starts at TPC River Highlands are T25 or better. DNS at The Country Club, so he should be fresh as well. TOP 20 Glass … Hank Lebioda (+750) I was lined up early last weekend for changes and they worked out quite well. Something about early birds and worms! Taking chances in this format is what makes the action round to round enjoyable, so try to take advantage. The lefty has found a bit of form lately and his best round of the spring was 66 to close in Canada last time out. He’s never MC here in three tries, and he cashed T5 last season, so let’s try and catch him on the up. If not, I’ll switch my horse. Rob … Tommy Fleetwood (+270) Unlike Glass, I can’t stay up late enough in Arizona for this window to open on weekends – I’ve tried! – so I need to cast aside that plan. The proper adjustment is to choke up and accept what the pitcher gives. In his only prior appearance, the Brit finished T13 in 2019 with a set of sub-70s, and he’s piled up the top 20s worldwide in 2022, eight to be exact. Since the kickback on this play doesn’t have as strong of an impact on other bets – even if Glass connect with Lebioda at +750 – easing off the throttle should contribute to the enjoyment. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Jason Day (+5000) Posted 62 here in Round 2 last year and 63 in Round 2 in 2019, so he’s got the LOW figured out. Now, just shift it into Round ONE and we have action. Well, we ALWAYS have action, and the Aussie is out at 7:15 am on No. 10. Not perfect but plenty of time to chase down whoever is leading if not him! Rob … Xander Schauffele (+3300) Not that we need incentive in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live to circle an early starter, but rain overnight and into Thursday morning will present TPC River Highlands for target practice when the balls start flying. Because the nines are equal enough, I’m not partial to either side of the draw. I just want a guy who’s comfortable being aggressive in part because he’s done it here before. In three trips, Schauffele (7:35 a.m. ET) has scored 66, 67 and 63 in opening rounds of the Travelers. The tail of that trio was in 2020 when Mackenzie Hughes opened with 60. Hughes also co-led with an opening 64 in 2019. Jordan Spieth can match the multiple with at least a share of the R1 leads in 2017 and 2018, both times with 63. I’d have plucked either of those two, but both go out in the afternoon. So, they are Plans 1b and 1c. NOTE: While Glass and Rob typically stick with their selections as detailed in Pick ‘Em Preview, they are allowed the right to make changes at any time.
