Not since 1960 has NASCAR stripped a driver of his victory because of technical infringements. That changed on Sunday night in Pocono, and there’s likely to be more to come.
Bronny James and several other top recruits will take the court, but what do you need to know about their games?
LIV golfer Sergio Garcia said he’s had a change of heart and does not plan to resign his DP World Tour membership, keeping open the possibility of playing on the European Ryder Cup team.
The 2021-22 PGA TOUR regular season has arrived at its final fortnight. It always feels like the last few days of senior year in high school. Once class it dismissed, the field for the FedExCup Playoffs will be determined, as will the qualifiers for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Many golfers will reunite sooner and later, while some never will. Get those yardage books signed now, fellas. RELATED: Play Pick ‘Em Live | The First Look | Inside the Field Donald Ross designs will serve as the stages for both of the next two tournaments. Detroit Golf Club hosts this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic for the fourth time, and a field of 156 has assembled. For what it should expect inside the ropes, how Cam Davis completed the mission en route to his breakthrough victory, and more, continue reading beneath the ranking of those projected to contend. POWER RANKINGS: ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Cameron Tringale will be among the notables reviewed in Draws and Fades. Although its bones can be traced to the 19th century, Detroit GC very much caters to the 21st-century approach of relying on advances in equipment to mitigate trouble found off the tee, the worst rough of which will reach four inches. In short, it pays to be long. That said, much like Ross’ Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, site of next week’s Wyndham Championship, Detroit GC allows for all skills sets to shine. Proper tracks oblige like that. The stock par 72 tips at 7,370 yards for the second straight year. There are two courses on the property – the North and the South – and almost all of the North Course is utilized. Because the par-4 third hole uses a tee on the South Course and a green on the North Course, the routing for the RMC is classified as a composite. Not unlike last week at TPC Twin Cities, capitalizing on the par 5s in Motown will matter. They frequently do on par 72s but compared to its siblings – the par 3s and par 4s – the four par 5s stand tallest. Last year’s field averaged 4.71 to position Detroit GC as T16-hardest among 51 courses during the super season of 2020-21. En route to his playoff victory, Cam Davis led the field in par-5 scoring at 4.25. He was bogey-free 12-under with an eagle and 10 birdies. Even though he’s one of the longest off the tee, his skill set has played up on shorter tracks more often, so last year’s success is evidence both of how the course rewards execution and his capacity to adapt. It’s a good thing, too, because the Aussie didn’t dazzle like most winners, but he maximized on his chances. He ranked T24 in greens hit, but he averaged just three GIR above field average over 72 holes, 55 to 52. Yet, he ranked second in converting his looks into par breakers. Detroit GC made possible his coronation as a PGA TOUR winner with spikes of brilliance atop a balanced bag. The 5,150-square foot greens feature a common blend of Poa and bentgrass. They should reach the max prepared length of 12½ feet on the Stimpmeter deep into the tournament, too. After early-week rain passes, sunny and dry conditions will drop anchor. Wind could be a mild factor early, but it won’t be generating any headlines. Daytime highs will be in the 80s. It’s customary summer weather in the Lower Peninsula. 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 & 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.
Here’s a closer look at the four players who qualified for this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, the second-to-last event of the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season. The qualifiers include Chris Naegel, who has qualified for five PGA TOUR events this summer as he tries to make a late push for a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, as well as Luke Guthrie, who once ranked among the top 60 players in the world, and a former college teammate of Collin Morikawa and member of an NCAA title-winning team at UCLA. Chris Naegel (6-under 66) Age: 39 Hometown: Wildwood, Missouri Alma mater: Missouri Baptist/Mississippi PGA TOUR starts: 8 Cuts made: 4 Best finish: T16, 2022 John Deere Classic Notes: His summer stretch of qualifying continues…Has made four TOUR starts this season, all since June…Started with T56 at the U.S. Open, followed by qualifying for three TOUR events: John Deere Classic (T16), Barracuda Championship (MC) and 3M Open (MC)… He stood T6 entering the final round at TPC Deere Run before closing with a 2-over 73…Also finished T56 in the 2018 U.S. Open… Currently holds 52 non-member FedExCup points as he chases the equivalent of a season-ending top-200 position that would secure Korn Ferry Tour Finals entry; the No. 200 spot currently holds 83 points…Has four top-10s in 73 career starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the 2019 WinCo Foods Portland Open. Luke Guthrie (6-under 66) Age: 32 Hometown: Quincy, Illinois Alma mater: Illinois PGA TOUR starts: 105 Cuts made: 59 Best finish: 3rd, 2013 Honda Classic Notes: Will be making his second start of the season after also Monday qualifying for the Valspar Championship (MC)…Best known for his summer of 2012 when he started his pro career with three straight top-20s on the PGA TOUR, including a T5 at the John Deere Classic, and four straight top-10s on the Korn Ferry Tour before winning back-to-back starts later that season…Finished second on the 2012 Korn Ferry Tour money list in just 10 starts thanks to seven top-10s, including four top-3s…Reached a career-high of 58th in the world ranking in 2013…Has conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour after finishing 147th on the points list in the combined 2020-21 season…Has made two cuts in four Korn Ferry Tour starts this season…Won back-to-back Big Ten titles in 2011 and 2012, the first player to do so since Luke Donald…Has made the cut in 72 of 127 career Korn Ferry Tour starts, including 13 top-10s. KK Limbhasut (5-under 67) Age: 26 Hometown: Bangkok, Thailand Alma mater: Cal PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 0 Notes: Made his lone PGA TOUR start at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, missing the cut with rounds of 69-75…Finished 94th on the Korn Ferry Tour points list in the combined 2020-21 season…Has missed five cuts in six Korn Ferry Tour starts this season…Was teammates at Cal with Collin Morikawa…Said he was inspired to watch golf after watching Tiger’s chip-in on the 16th hole in the final round of the 2005 Masters. Moved to Southern California at 14 to pursue college golf opportunities…Four-time winner at Cal. Erik Flores (5-under 67) Hometown: Grass Valley, California Alma mater: UCLA PGA TOUR starts: 1 Cuts made: 0 Notes: Made lone PGA TOUR start at the 2011 Fortinet Championship, missing the cut with rounds of 73-74…Finished T30 in that year’s PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, missing his card by two strokes after shooting 67-68 – including just one bogey — in the final two rounds…Finished 115th on the Korn Ferry Tour money list in 2012 with one top-10 in 25 starts…This will be his fourth start in an OWGR-recognized event since 2014…Member of UCLA’s 2008 NCAA Championship-winning team that also included PGA TOUR winner Kevin Chappell…Finalist in the 2008 Western Amateur, losing to future TOUR winner Danny Lee, who also went on to win that year’s U.S. Amateur, in the championship match…Three-time All-American at UCLA.
Tony Finau figured he was playing for second midway through the final round of the 3M Open – and so too did the bettors at BetMGM sportsbook as Scott Piercy moved to near unbackable favorite. But golf is hard. And closing out a PGA TOUR win is even harder. Piercy coughed up a five-shot lead he held over Finau with 10 holes remaining at TPC Twin Cities which provided a huge swing in the odds in short time, proving that betting on golf remains one of the most unpredictable and erratic, yet opportunistic sports to wager on in the world. As such Finau claimed his third TOUR win – his first in front of his entire extended family. Before the final round Piercy had moved himself to -18, four clear of Emiliano Grillo and five in front of Finau. But Finau would post up a 4-under 67 to win by three shots while Piercy dropped five shots in his last six holes to settle for a 76 and a calamitous T4. “I was almost chasing 20 under all day I felt like. Seemed like Scott wasn’t letting up all tournament, so to all of a sudden have the lead, I will say I got quite nervous on 17 just because it was a whole different feel on how the week was going,” Finau said after his victory. “I never was near the lead. I was near the top of the leaderboard, but I was never within four or five shots. All of a sudden, I was the one leading the golf tournament. Sometimes you’ve got to learn how to play with a lead… but I didn’t know I was going to be in that situation. A couple squirrelly shots on 17 and 18, but I willed my way in and really happy to get that W.” Take a look below at the wild swings that played out over Sunday’s crazy final round. ODDS TIMELINE – Tony Finau and Scott Piercy to win the 3M Open Before Round: Finau (-13) +450; Piercy (-18) -143 After playing brilliant golf for three days Piercy rightfully held court at the top of the odds. If you put $10 on Piercy you stood to win $6.99 profit while the same bet on Finau would profit you $45. Piercy Birdies the 2nd hole: Finau (-14) +500; Piercy (-19) -250 Finau had an early birdie to his name on Sunday but Piercy matched it with a birdie on the second hole, moving his odds in tighter. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $50; Piercy $4 Finau Birdies 4th hole: Finau (-15) +300; Piercy (-19) -167 The big-hitting Finau converts his 10-foot, 10-inch birdie putt on the 189-yard par-3 fourth hole to move within four of the lead. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $30; Piercy $5.99 Piercy Birdies 6th hole: Finau (-15) +450; Piercy (-20) -222 In what appears to be a crucial junction, Piercy takes care of the par-5 sixth with a birdie after Finau had failed to do so in the group ahead and extends his lead over him to five shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $45; Piercy $4.50 Piercy hits 8th green in regulation, Finau misses 9th green: Finau (-15) +700; Piercy (-20) -714 With a safe shot on to the par-3 eighth green Piercy appears to be in control as Finau’s approach to the tough ninth ahead finds the rough. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $70; Piercy $1.40 Piercy Bogeys 8th, Finau Bogeys 9th: Finau (-14) +500; Piercy (-19) -714 Having been brilliant with his putter throughout the opening rounds Piercy makes a minor error by three-putting the eighth green for a bogey but Finau also bogeys up ahead to keep the gap at five shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $50; Piercy $1.40 Piercy Bogeys 9th: Finau (-14) +550; Piercy (-18) -500 The difficult ninth also trips up Piercy and the lead drops to four shots but the bettors still believe he’s the man heading into the back nine. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $55; Piercy $2 Finau birdies 11th: Finau (-15) +300; Piercy (-18) -333 The first signs of a potential shift in things pops up with Finau drops in a brilliant 15-footer for birdie on the par-4 11th. It brings him within three shots of the lead. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $30; Piercy $3 Piercy birdies 12th: Finau (-15) +350; Piercy (-18) -400 With his tournament starting to look shaky Piercy steps up and makes a great bounce back birdie on the par-5 12th to hopefully steady his ship and get back on track for the run home. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $35; Piercy $2.50 Piercy bogeys 11th: Finau (-15) +225; Piercy (-17) -200 The faith in Piercy really starts to wobble now as he three-putts the 11th green for another bogey and now the lead over Finau is just two shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $22.50; Piercy $5 Piercy tee ball on 13 finds terrible lie right: Finau (-15) +250; Piercy (-18) -200 Just when it appeared Piercy might have put things back together his tee shot on the 13th hole finds deep rough to the right of the 13th green. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $25; Piercy $5 Piercy bogeys 13th: Finau (-15) +175; Piercy (-17) -133 The shot gained a hole ago is given back as Piercy is unable to get up and down from the long grass. With five holes to go his lead is now two shots. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $17.50; Piercy $7.52 Piercy tee shot on 14 sails into plugged bunker lie: Finau (-15) +150; Piercy (-17) +110 A tough break for Piercy as an average shot into a fairway bunker is punished to the max by plugging deep into the face of the hazard. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $15; Piercy $11 Finau birdies the 14th; Piercy’s second shot on 14 stays in sand: Finau (-16) +100; Piercy (-17) +150 For the first time during the final round Scott Piercy is no longer the favorite to win as his second shot stays in the bunker while up ahead Finau makes an eight-foot birdie putt to pull within a shot. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $10; Piercy $15 Piercy third shot on 14 goes into water: Finau (-16) -118; Piercy +800 It’s all coming undone now as Piercy’s third shot on the 14th comes up well short and into a water hazard. His lead will be gone by the end of this hole, the question is how far back will he be? $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $8.47; Piercy $80 Piercy fifth shot on 14 comes up short / makes triple bogey: Finau (-16) -250; Piercy (-14) +1800 In the final washup of a diabolical 14th hole Piercy walks away two shots off the pace. Will he be able to regroup? $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $4; Piercy $180 Finau birdies 15th hole: Finau (-17) -714; Piercy (-14) +2500 Although claiming he had no idea what had transpired behind him at this point Finau provides a crushing blow with an incredible 31-foot birdie bomb on the 15th green as Piercy is still trying to figure out what happened to his tournament. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $1.40; Piercy $250 Piercy bogeys 15th hole: Finau (-17) -3333; Piercy (-13) +20000 With his ears still ringing from the cheers for Finau’s birdie bomb and the haymakers he took on the 14th Piercy misses a short par putt on the 15th green to drop four behind with three to play. $10 Bet profit at this point: Finau $0.30; Piercy $2000 Finau birdies 16th: Finau (-18) -10000; Piercy (-13) +20000 With his third birdie in a row Finau sets up a five-shot buffer over Piercy, the same margin he sat behind the same player just two hours prior. $10 bet profit at this point: Finau $0.10; Piercy $2000
Championship-worthy cars are hard to come by in F1. Charles Leclerc let a golden opportunity slip further away by crashing out of the French Grand Prix.
The PGA TOUR turns to the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club, a par 72 measuring 7,370 yards with poa annua-bentgrass greens in Detroit, Michigan this week. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1M Pitch + Putt [$250K to 1st] STRATEGY With just a few weeks until the FedExCup (FEC) playoffs begin, golfers like defending FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay ($10,700), plus Will Zalatoris ($10,400), Tony Finau ($10,600), Cameron Young ($10,100) and Adam Scott ($9,300) are making their way to Detroit Golf Club to either bolster their points, or pick up some much needed ones. The scorecard will have the full complement of par 5s and par 3s along with an even balance of par 4s ranging from 372 yards (No. 8) to 461 yards (No. 6). Past winners in the field include Cameron Davis ($9,700) and Nate Lashley ($6,800). Detroit Golf Club features two courses (North and South), and the tournament will feature 17 holes from the North and one from the South (third hole). The golfers should play this as a typical Donald Ross design with precise approach shots into contoured greens while navigating tree-lined fairways. In the past the course has yielded higher-than-average returns in driving distance; greens in regulation and fairways hit, meaning players should need to score at an impressive rate. Last season the course was gettable, ranking as the fourth easiest in scoring relative to par with the sixth-most eagles and third-most birdies on TOUR. The course will have 87 bunkers with just one water hazard that will only come into play on one hole, much different than last week. Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, putting and birdies or better gained should be the key statistics we should focus on when building our lineups. The guys should be able to score on the par 5s, but we should also focus on those who play short par 4s particularly well with four under 400 yards on the scorecard. Ross courses highlight those who hit it well into the back-to-front pitched greens, but those who struggle must be solid around the greens that feature runoff areas. Over the last few years, the winning daily fantasy golf lineups have all used the entire $50,000 salary. Also, only two of the 18 (six golfers per lineup, over three years) total golfers were above $10,000, and 22% (4) were at $6,900 and below. Don’t be too cautious about rostering high-sentiment golfers this week. More than half of the golfers in the winning lineups were in the double digits for ownership. GOLFERS TO CONSIDER Cameron Young ($10,100) Bryson DeChambeau was rostered in 27.7% of lineups the year he won (2020) and was in the winning Fantasy Golf Millionaire lineup. Young is fourth in the field in driving distance and first in birdie or better gained over the past two dozen rounds. He also possesses one of the best putters on TOUR when he’s hot. Runner-up finishes at The Open Championship, the Wells Fargo Championship and the Genesis Invitational this season prove Young is on the precipice of victory. His ownership may be the highest in the field with how well he sets up at Detroit Golf Club, but he’s too good to pass up. Maverick McNealy ($8,800) There are good and bad outliers, and McNealy’s final two holes on Sunday last week fall into the bad bucket. A bogey-quadruple bogey finish erased four birdies through seven holes on his inward-nine. McNealy totaled 15 birdies and two eagles last week, but he couldn’t stay away from hitting it into hazards. He’s played a lot of golf over the previous two months, so fatigue may be a factor. Still, he sets up nicely and tends to play solid golf in this part of the TOUR schedule. We should also be heading back to Davis Riley ($8,600) this week. Nothing materialized last week, even though he was coming in with great form. Like Young, Davis has been trending all season, and it’s only a matter of time before he wins. Mark Hubbard ($8,000) A WD last week may keep people from rostering Hubbard as much as they should this week. Ranking 21st in birdies or better gained, fifth in approach and fifth in putting over the last 12 rounds is what you want in a golfer who doesn’t hit it a mile off the tee. He’s made six straight cuts and has finishes of third at the Barbasol Championship, 13th at the John Deere Classic, 15th at the Honda Classic and 16th at the Fortinet Championship. He’ll be my favorite daily fantasy golf sleeper this week. Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $1M Pitch + Putt [$250K to 1st] Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game. All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests. The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 (ONT), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA). 21+ (18+ NH/WY; 19+ ONT). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/ONT/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions. DraftKings operates pursuant to an Operating Agreement with iGaming Ontario. Please play responsibly.
Our insiders break down what to expect from the NBA players who missed the entire 2021-22 season, including Zion Williamson, Ben Simmons and more.
Will Juan Soto get traded? Which contenders will make the biggest splash? Here’s our latest intel as 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 2 approaches.
