Kershaw (back) hits IL day after leaving startKershaw (back) hits IL day after leaving start
The Dodgers on Friday placed LHP Clayton Kershaw on the injured list with low back pain.
Day: August 5, 2022
Rockies claim Lamet, capping wild week for RHPRockies claim Lamet, capping wild week for RHP
The Colorado Rockies have claimed Dinelson Lamet off waivers, capping a week in which the right-hander was traded by one organization and designated for assignment by another.
Tom Kim going places in a hurry, among leaders at WyndhamTom Kim going places in a hurry, among leaders at Wyndham
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Joohyung “Tom” Kim began the Wyndham Championship with a quadruple bogey on his first hole and wasn’t the least bit bothered. The kid seems to be going places in a hurry. Already assured a PGA TOUR card for next season, Kim overcame his rough start with a 6-under 64 on Friday that gave him a share of the lead with Brandon Wu and Ryan Moore in the final PGA TOUR event of the regular season. Kim, a 20-year-old South Korean, has to win at Sedgefield Country Club to qualify for the FedExCup playoffs because he will not be considered a PGA TOUR member until September when the new season starts. Only a victory gives him instant membership. He doesn’t feel extra pressure to get it done. Considering where he was a month ago, Kim is happy to be where he is. Kim — he goes by “Tom” because of his fascination as a kid with Thomas the Tank Engine in the TV series “Thomas & Friends” — finished third in the Scottish Open, made the cut in the British Open and 3M Open, and then finished seventh last week in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. That gave him enough points to be assured of a card next year. And as he has shown in two days, it takes a lot to stop this train. He took eight shots for his first hole on Thursday. Since then, Kim has made 14 birdies and reached 9-under 131 along with Wu (67) and Moore (67). “If you would have told me after the first hole yesterday where I’d be after two days, I definitely would have taken it, so pretty happy,” Kim said. “It’s just one bad hole,” he said, “Told myself, ‘You know what? I’ve got plenty of holes to bring it back if I just play well on my next 35 holes.’ And that’s exactly what I did. I played better than I thought I was going to, so it’s a bonus.” John Huh, who opened with a 61, had a 71 and was one shot behind along with Russell Henley (65) and Sungjae Im (67). A storm late in the afternoon led to a delay that kept the second round from finishing until Saturday morning, and there will be consequences. Chris Gotterup needed a par on the 18th hole for the cut to be 2-under 138. But he went into a bunker, blasted long and faced a 4-foot bogey putt when he returned in the morning. He will finish no better than 1 under, which could let as many as 23 players into the weekend. Austin Smotherman, however, was 1 under and had a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 8, his 17th hole. Smotherman is the equivalent of No. 125 in the FedExCup, and has to make the cut to keep alive his hopes of getting into the postseason. Moore needs a big weekend, too. Coming off a chronic back injury, nothing short of a solo second will be enough for Moore to regain his full card for next season. He’s not thinking about that as much as taking time off to rest and get his back in shape. He said there is deterioration where the rib joint meets the spine, and swinging a golf club isn’t necessarily the best therapy. But he can see the finish line, and a great result this week would help with his status and confidence going forward. As for the top 125 who qualify for the postseason? “I’m so far out of it, it doesn’t even matter at this point,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with this injury for a while. I know what’s wrong now. I just need time to deal with it. So right now it’s just trying to find a little form, a little confidence to spring me into this fall.” Rickie Fowler is getting time off he doesn’t want. He had three straight bogeys early in his second round and rallied for a 69. That left him at even par for the tournament to miss the cut. Fowler is the equivalent of No. 123 and most likely would fall out of the top 125, missing the postseason for the second straight year. Brian Stuard started at No. 137 in the FedExCup and followed his opening 65 with a 68, two shots off the lead. A strong weekend would allow him to get into the top 125. DIVOTS: Jason Day withdrew because of an illness. He had opened with a 67. … Former Masters champion Danny Willett was headed for a missed cut and will finish out of the top 125.
FedExCup update: Moore fighting against the clockFedExCup update: Moore fighting against the clock
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Ryan Moore didn’t exactly come to the Wyndham Championship with visions of playing his way into the FedExCup Playoffs. He was ranked No. 183 on the eligibility list, after all. Not that he’d done the math – Moore maintains he was “just trying to find a little form” this week — but only a finish of second or better would lift him into the all-exempt 125 category and send him into the Playoffs. “I’m trying to do whatever I can this week,” Moore explained. “I’m just trying to gain some confidence going into next season, to be honest.” Mission accomplished, then, at least through the first two rounds. Moore is tied for the lead with Brandon Wu, Sungjae Im and Tom Kim entering the weekend at Sedgefield Country Club. He’s currently projected No. 68 in the FedExCup and could become just the third player to ride a victory at the Wyndham Championship into the top 125. Davis Love III was the first to do so when he moved from No. 186 to 76th in winning the tournament for the third time in 2015. Jim Herman also booked a trip to the Playoffs with his 2020 victory, jumping from 192nd to No. 54. Moore has also won the Sam Snead Cup, capturing the PGA TOUR’s Regular Season finale in 2009, the first of his five victories. He’s battled a chronically bad back of late, though, and he’s been particularly affected this year, missing nearly four months of competition. Doctors have finally identified the problem – Moore has chronic deterioration in a costovertebral joint that connects the rib to the spine. It won’t require surgery, but Moore will need to set aside six to eight weeks of treatment. “I basically just keep spraining it over and over and over again, which you can imagine doesn’t feel great twisting and swinging a golf club as hard as I can,” he said. “I’ll just try to finish out the year and deal with it and then hopefully have some time coming up here to do it.” Moore has missed as many cuts as he’s made this year, but the former NCAA and U.S. Amateur champ has yet to post a top-10 finish. His best is a tie for 24th at the John Deere Classic, a shotmaker’s course like Sedgefield where Moore tied for second last year. Moore’s rounds of 65 and 66 were a study in contrast. He drove it well on Thursday and had three approach shots on his second nine that nestled within a foot of the hole. Friday, though, was a little more “scrappy,” but he managed to scramble well and save par when it counted. “A day like today easily could have been even or so; instead, kept my momentum and ended up at 4 under,” he said. The 39-year-old Moore has never been a big hitter, and he says there are fewer and fewer courses he feels that he can be competitive on. Sedgefield, though, is one where he has a comfort zone – posting six top 10s and a scoring average of 68.25. “This one still remains like more of a shotmaker’s golf course, blind tee shots a lot and shorter and tougher angles,” Moore said. “So, they’re just harder fairways to hit at times and they’re not holes that you can just send it down there as far as you possibly can every single hole, so I think that helps me. It’s more of a position golf course and you don’t have to hit it far around here.” Max McGreevy came to Greensboro having missed the cut in six of his last seven starts. He’s found a comfort zone at Sedgefield, though, where he once played in an AJGA event. The 67 McGreevy fired in the second round of the Wyndham Championship put him in the hunt at 5 under. He’s also projected inside the top 125, moving four spots to No. 122. “I know it’s a stressful week, but I know my game’s been in the right direction the last couple weeks,” he said. “… Just my fiancée and I and our dog this week. It’s just kind of relaxing in a sense, just getting out here, taking care of business and going back and relaxing with them.” That said, McGreevy joked that his future wife should probably have taken his phone away from him the last few days. “I’m pretty bad about checking a lot,” he said. “I already deleted the PGA TOUR app this week and Twitter and all that stuff. Honestly, I’ll look at it a little bit, but at the same time I can only play my game, can’t take care of what everybody else does. “If I play like I did today the next two days, I know I’ll be in good shape.” NOTES: Charlie Hoffman’s streak of making the FedExCup Playoffs every year of its existence is still alive – but he faces an uphill battle. He’s 4 under after matching rounds of 68 but he was projected 146th and likely needs to finish fourth or better to get inside the top 125. … Adam Scott, who is tied at 2 under, and Matt Kuchar (who is 51st and not playing this week) are the other two who have played in the Playoffs every year since the program began in 2007. Scott came into the Wyndham Championship ranked No. 73. … Rickie Fowler shot even par and will miss the cut. While he is exempt for the 2022-23 season, he is in danger of missing the Playoffs for the second straight year. He came in ranked No. 123 and was projected 127th. … Justin Lower shot 4 under on his second nine holes Friday to keep his Playoff hopes alive. Lower, who came into the week ranked No. 128 and projects at 131, shot 66 and made the cut on the number at 2 under. He likely needs to finish 37th or better to play in Memphis next week. … Webb Simpson, who won the Wyndham Championship in 2011, withdrew during the weather delay. The recently named Presidents Cup assistant captain, who has never missed the Playoffs when he was eligible, entered the tournament ranked No. 117 and is projected No. 123. … Martin Trainer moved up nine spots to No. 126 thanks to his second straight round of 67. He likely needs to finish tied for 18th to retain his exempt status and make the Playoffs. PLAYOFFS BUBBLE WATCH Here are the players who were projected to move in and out of the top 125 at the end of Thursday’s first round at Sedgefield Country Club. PROJECTED IN Ryan Moore (No. 183, Projected No. 68): Moore made the biggest move of the day with his round of 66. Max McGreevy (No. 126, Projected No. 122): The rookie birdied his 17th hole of the day to move inside the top 125. Brian Stuard (No. 137, Projected No. 124): Stuard has now shot consecutive rounds in the 60s for the first time since the Valspar Championship. PROJECTED OUT Rickie Fowler (No. 123, Projected No. 127): Fowler bogeyed three of his first four holes but played his next 14 in 4 under to shoot 69. Still, he is 2 over for the tournament and likely to miss the cut. Matt Wallace (No. 124, Projected No. 128): Wallace had an adventurous back nine, making four birdies, four bogeys and just one par. Austin Smotherman (No. 125, Projected No. 129): He was 4 over for the day and 1 under for the tournament through 15 holes when play was called due to darkness. The current projected cut includes 65 players at 2 under or better and 88 players at 1 under or better. Four players can affect the cut on Saturday, including Smotherman, Bo Hoag (3 under through 16), Chris Gotterup (2 under through 17) and Joshua Creel (even through 17).
Smalley honors late friend at SedgefieldSmalley honors late friend at Sedgefield
Alex Smalley was on the putting green at Sedgefield Country Club on July 24 when he heard the approaching sirens grow louder and louder. A fire truck stopped near the sprawling Victorian clubhouse to find out the quickest way to the sixth hole. An ambulance followed. But the emergency personnel were not able to save Jeff Womack, who had collapsed on the course on a hot, humid Saturday. Smalley is wearing the initials JW on his cap to honor the 50-year-old Womack, who died unexpectedly “doing what he loved, playing golf,” according to his obituary. The lumber salesman was a married father of two daughters. Smalley, who joined Sedgefield in 2020, had played golf with Womack several times. He remembers him walking whenever they played and had always felt his friend was in good health. “I think it was hard for the whole membership,” Smalley said. “Obviously (there were) a lot more guys that played with him for a lot longer than I’ve known him, but he just kind of lit up the room whenever he walked into one, just because he had a smile on his face. He knew everybody and was very friendly.” Smalley thought about putting the initials on his cap during last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. But he eventually decided that the Wyndham Championship would be a more appropriate week to honor his friend. The gesture was not lost on the many members and friends who have been in Smalley’s gallery during the first two rounds. “We all went to the first tee (on Thursday) to see Alex tee off and to see that JW on his hat just made me smile,” said Eric Ferguson, the director of golf at Sedgefield. “And Alex is just a wonderful young man and to honor Jeff this week is pretty special to us.” Smalley, who has a two-day total of 5 under and is just four behind the leaders, said he has thought about Womack several times during the first two rounds. “I had a couple good breaks yesterday and I kind of thought, just kind of said, thanks Womack,” Smalley said. “I feel like whenever you can play for something more than yourself you kind of forget about golf. “Golf’s just a game and although it is our job, it pales in comparison to some things in this world. And I think it does help a little bit.”
Kansas City’s rapid offensive line overhaul exceeded almost all expectationsKansas City’s rapid offensive line overhaul exceeded almost all expectations
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Shanahan upset with brawls in 49ers practiceShanahan upset with brawls in 49ers practice
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Burrow remains out, but still involved in campBurrow remains out, but still involved in camp
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