Dawson, Super Bowl-winning QB for Chiefs, diesDawson, Super Bowl-winning QB for Chiefs, dies
Len Dawson, a Pro Football Hall of Famer as both a quarterback and a broadcaster, has died at the age of 87, according to his family.
Day: August 24, 2022
The story behind Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom putterThe story behind Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom putter
U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is known for his dedication to detail. He enters intricate stats about every shot he strikes into a spreadsheet, so it should come as no surprise that it took 30 custom prototypes to find a putter that fit him perfectly. This is the story of how Fitzpatrick found his custom Bettinardi putter, one that’s based on a flatstick that hasn’t been available for a decade. This custom putter helped him to a win in this year’s U.S. Open and to his TOUR Championship debut. He is 15th in the FedExCup entering the season-ending TOUR Championship, and thus will start the week seven back of leader Scottie Scheffler. Fitzpatrick began using a Yes! Golf Tracy II when he was 16 years old. That putter was known for its unique C-Groove configuration. The C-Grooves, half-circle grooves facing downward, were said to produce a truer roll on the greens. U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen famously used a Yes! putter to win two U.S. Opens, and Fitzpatrick used his Tracy II to win another national championship in the United States, the 2013 U.S. Amateur. He continued to use the putter long after he turned professional and had no intentions of switching out the flatstick that brought him such success until he started running into a serious problem around 2016. He needed a reliable source for backup putters, but that became difficult after Yes! filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and was purchased by Adams Golf the next year. Without the option to purchase from Yes! Golf directly, Fitzpatrick began scouring eBay and exhausting his options to find a replacement. Around that time is when Sam Bettinardi, the current Vice President of Bettinardi Golf, stepped in with a lifeline. Bettinardi Golf is a putter manufacturer located in Tinley Park, Illinois – near Northwestern University, where Fitzpatrick played for a semester before turning pro — and the company has machining capabilities that would allow it to custom-make a putter to fit what Fitzpatrick was looking for. Bettinardi just needed a way to get in contact with Fitzpatrick to tell him about it. A mutual friend provided the crucial connection. “I approached his friend … (and) said, ‘Hey, I know you’ve played some golf with Fitzpatrick. … We would be the perfect company for him. We can make him all the putters he wants. We can dial it in,’’ Sam Bettinardi recently told GolfWRX. “And he goes, ‘You know what? That’s a good idea, Sam. The problem is Matt’s never going to switch. He’s been using the same putter since he was 16. But I’m happy to make an introduction to his father.’” And with that conversation, Sam had one foot in the door. When he finally got ahold of Fitzpatrick, it was clear Fitzpatrick didn’t want a new putter. He wanted a replica of his Yes! Golf original. “I started talking to Matt,” Bettinardi said, “and the premise of the conversation was, ‘If you can duplicate my (Yes! Golf Tracy II), I will use your putter. … I want it to be the exact same as what I have now. But I want to be able to go to somebody if I need tweaks, or I need backups, or I want to change anything. I want to go to a reliable company, … but you have to duplicate it.” What Sam Bettinardi didn’t know at the time was just how precise Fitzpatrick’s hands and eyes were. Fitzpatrick knew exactly what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to budge until he got it. “We took that Yes! Tracy II and made him six putters that were very similar,” Bettinardi said. “And that was in 2017. He goes, ‘You know what, you guys are close, but the feel is not there. Change this, change that.’ We made him six more, and he goes, ‘Hey, this is close, but the offset isn’t right. I need it to be this specific offset, and this specific weight.” Fitzpatrick’s challenge was proving more difficult than Sam Bettinardi and team originally thought. “Out of all the players I’ve dealt with and worked with – I’ve been working for Bettinardi Golf for 10 years — … Matt has to be up there in the top three most discriminating players. I’m not going not say picky. I’m going to say discriminating because he’s arguably a top-five putter in the world. He knows exactly what he wants. And if the offset was a slight tick off, or it was one gram different, he could tell.” Thirty prototype putters later, Fitzpatrick found an acceptable replacement. “It was a very, very tough project for us, but after about 30 putters, he finally found one where he was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to put it in play,’” Sam Bettinardi explained. “I believe he put it in play in 2018 for a short period of time. He then took it out and put it back into play again in 2021 for most of the season.” Fitzpatrick used his custom Bettinardi putter to win the biggest title of his career, the U.S. Open, earlier this year. Ironically enough, it was on the same course in Brookline where he used a Yes! Golf putter to win the 2013 U.S. Amateur nine years earlier. What is it that he loves about the C-Grooves? He explained Tuesday, saying, “If I just picked up a regular blade putter out any milling, it feels very fast off that putter. Mine feels a little bit softer. “Not only that, though, for me when I’ve hit putts with just a regular-faced putter I feel like it slides on the face a lot,” he added. “Like if I maybe don’t quite strike it perfectly, I feel like it slides off in a direction. With the C-groove that I have, I feel like it helps start it online much better.” Although it was a long and complicated process, Bettinardi Golf learned a bit along the way, including the secret behind the C-Grooves’ success, allowing the company to improve upon the earlier technology. “The (Yes! Golf) C-Groove has grooves that are milled at an angle, and after studying them, we learned they got the ball into a forward roll, or a true roll faster,” Sam Bettinardi told GolfWRX. “We took that and perfected it, and took it into our Roll Control face, which is what you see in our Inovai and Studio Stock line now. So we bettered that C-Groove for feel purposes, and got the grooves a little bit sharper with our precision machining techniques. … The best part for us was that the company was out of business and the patent on the C-Groove expired.” Now, Fitzpatrick continues to use the custom Bettinardi putter that’s made exactly for his preferences, which happen to be the exact same as they were when he was 16 years old using a Yes! Golf Tracy II putter. His former self would surely be proud of his recent accomplishments in 2022, but also of his custom flatstick.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports announces TGL, a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA TOURTiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports announces TGL, a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR
ATLANTA – Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports today announced TGL, a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TGL will showcase team matches fusing advanced tech and live action from a custom-built venue in primetime on Monday nights, which will complement the current PGA TOUR schedule. Woods and McIlroy are the first two golfers committed to compete and the league’s inaugural season will kick off in January 2024. The announcement was made today by Woods, McIlroy, and TMRW Sports CEO and founder Mike McCarley. TGL, the golf league of TMRW Sports, will feature: • Teams: Six teams of three PGA TOUR players; • Tech-Infused Venue: A first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course complete with a tech-infused, short-game complex; • Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: High-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live within a 2-hour, primetime televised match; • Season: 15 regular season Monday night matches followed by semifinals and finals matches, kicking off in January 2024 Woods said: “TGL is the next evolution within professional golf, and I am committed to helping lead it into the future. Embracing technology to create this unique environment gives us the ability to move our sport into primetime on a consistent basis alongside so many of sports’ biggest events. As a big sports fan myself, I’m excited about blending golf with technology and team elements common in other sports. We all know what it’s like to be in a football stadium or a basketball arena where you can watch every play, every minute of action unfold right in front of you. It’s something that inherently isn’t possible in traditional golf — and an aspect of TGL that will set it apart and appeal to a new generation of fans.” McIlroy said: “I have the utmost respect for the game of golf, and the TGL, while rooted in the traditions of the game, is taking a bold step into the increasingly tech-fueled future of sports. TGL will tap into the appeal of team golf within an exciting, fan-friendly environment, comparable to sitting courtside at an NBA game. TGL will widen the appeal of golf to younger and more diverse fans and serve as another avenue to introduce people to the game I love.” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said: “The TOUR has been committed to aligning our athletes with innovative technology and this initiative combines that vision with a unique golf atmosphere. A primetime experience featuring PGA TOUR players will help attract a broader audience to our sport and the world’s greatest players.” McCarley said: “We’re blending a sport with 600 years of history with technology on a grand stage, built specifically for a live, primetime competition. This innovative league provides fans a fresh, short-form version of golf in an unmatched coliseum environment designed for a modern audience. We began working on this concept nearly two years ago and we’re happy to be unveiling it today with Tiger and Rory, golf’s two biggest stars.”
‘He’s got all the help he needs’: Trey Lance won’t have to be savior for loaded San Francisco 49ers‘He’s got all the help he needs’: Trey Lance won’t have to be savior for loaded San Francisco 49ers
With the wealth of talent around him, Lance won’t have to be a superstar for the 49ers to fulfill their lofty expectations.
Golf’s top players make ‘unprecedented’ commitment to TOUR, future scheduleGolf’s top players make ‘unprecedented’ commitment to TOUR, future schedule
As the pre-eminent tour in the world, the PGA TOUR is continually evolving to better serve its players, fans, sponsors and media partners. That was illustrated again Wednesday at the TOUR Championship as PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan announced further enhancements to the TOUR and its schedule. Four key items highlighted Wednesday’s announcement, which built upon the innovations introduced earlier this year to bring the game’s top players together more often. Additional Elevated Events for 2023, and a commitment from top players to compete in at least 20 PGA TOUR events per year, were announced, as were an expansion to the Player Impact Program and guaranteed league-minimum earnings for full TOUR members. The addition of four Elevated Events brings the total to 12 for next season. Top players have made an unprecedented commitment to play all 12 events, in addition to the four majors and THE PLAYERS Championship, and add three PGA TOUR events of their choosing to their schedules, Commissioner Monahan announced. “Our top players are firmly behind the TOUR, helping us deliver an unmatched product to our fans, who will be all but guaranteed to see the best players competing against each other in 20 events or more throughout the season,” he said. The additional Elevated Events – which will join the Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and the three FedExCup Playoffs events (FedEx St. Jude Championship, BMW Championship and TOUR Championship) — will be announced in the coming weeks and have purses of at least $20 million. An expanded Player Impact Program and the introduction of the Earnings Assurance Program were also part of the announcement. Effective this year, the Player Impact Program will double to award $100 million to 20 players who resonate the most with fans and media. New metrics also will be implemented to better capture awareness from both casual and core fans. The Earnings Assurance Program replaces the previously-announced “Play15” program. All Korn Ferry Tour graduates and above in the TOUR’s priority ranking who compete in at least 15 events will earn no less than $500,000 per year, as the TOUR will fill the gap for players who fail to meet that benchmark. A travel stipend program also will be implemented for non-exempt members (players in the 126-150 category and below). Those players will receive $5,000 for travel and tournament-related expenses when they miss the cut. The stipends will not impact tournament purses. Other changes include added benefits for TOUR Championship qualifiers and enhancements to the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Beginning this year, qualifying for the TOUR Championship will bring a two-year exemption and qualify players for the following year’s Sentry Tournament of Champions. The Sentry will also award 550 FedExCup points to the winner, aligning it with the player-hosted invitationals (Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and Memorial Tournament presented by Workday) and World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Finally, players will earn life membership immediately upon reaching 20 wins (eliminating the requirement for 15 years of membership). “Today is a culmination of a strengthened partnership between the TOUR and the players, and amongst the players themselves,” Commissioner Monahan said. “It’s unprecedented for our TOUR and a testament to who these guys are and what they believe in.” Here is a closer look at Wednesday’s announcements: 1. Top players will commit to at least a 20-event PGA TOUR schedule (assuming they qualify), which includes: A. 12 Elevated Events 1. FedExCup Playoffs A. FedEx St. Jude Championship – $20 million B. BMW Championship – $20 million C. TOUR Championship/FedExCup Bonus Pool – $75 million 2. The Genesis Invitational – $20 million 3. Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – $20 million 4. the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday – $20 million 5. WGC-Dell Match Play Championship – $20 million 6. Sentry Tournament of Champions – $15 million 7. To be announced: four additional Elevated Events – purses of at least $20 million each B. THE PLAYERS Championship – $25 million C. The Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, The Open Championship D. 3 Additional FedExCup events (of the player’s choosing) 2. For the 2022-23 season, a “top player” will be defined as: A. Players who finish in the top 20 under the current Player Impact Program AND players who finish in the top 20 under the revised PIP criteria 3. Expansion of the Player Impact Program A. Reward 20 players a total (up from 10) for 2022 and 2023 B. Total bonus pool of $100 million (previously announced as $50 million) in 2022 and 2023 C. For 2022, any player on the revised criteria list who is not on the current criteria list will receive a payout equal to 20th position (most likely two or three players) D. Players will receive their PIP bonus at the end of the season after competing in the 12 Elevated Events and three non-elevated events, as outlined above 4. Launch of “Earnings Assurance Program” A. For fully exempt members (Korn Ferry Tour category and above) B. Guaranteed league minimum of $500,000 per player (TOUR funds any gaps in earnings) C. Rookies and returning members will receive money up front D. Must participate in 15 events E. Replaces “Play15” Program 5. Travel Stipend Program A. For non-exempt members (126-150 category and below) B. Receive $5,000 for every missed cut C. Subsidizes travel and tournament-related expenses D. Does not impact tournament purses
Pick ‘Em Preview: TOUR ChampionshipPick ‘Em Preview: TOUR Championship
And now for something completely different… The TOUR Championship isn’t a flying circus, of course, but explaining how Starting Strokes works to your uninformed neighbor could be a silly walk into comedy. As it pertains to PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live, the To Win, Top 5 and Top 10 bets are influenced by Starting Strokes, so pay attention only to overall score in relation to par and you’ll be doing it right. (Note that Top 5 has supplanted Top 20 as the weeklong. With only 30 golfers in the field and no cut, even if there was a Top 20 market, it’d have no impact on your performance.) When Will Zalatoris withdrew on Tuesday, Starting Strokes were not reallocated. This means that no one will move up to replace him at 7-under. However, and this could be significant, all 27 golfers below him on the opening leaderboard shifted up one position on the leaderboard. This contributes to our advice and selections below. Unless you find the holy grail of long odds for the eventual winner on a moment’s notice early in the tournament – remember Tom Kim at Sedgefield and Zalatoris at TPC Southwind – you’re going to make your most hay betting on ties in 2-balls. Even if there’s another withdrawal before or during the tournament, it’d be just a flesh wound as we’d still be poised for 14 2-balls in each of the first three rounds. (Of course, what Low6 actually makes available always is TBD, but there should be enough of a sample size to generate churn in the ranks.) With only six 2-balls expected per usual for the finale, and with weeklong odds shortening on the weekend, if you’re not sitting on a lottery ticket found in that aforementioned moment’s notice, you’ll want to position yourself strongly by the conclusion of R3, and you’re not going to be able to do that picking one guy in 2-balls. The narrative hasn’t changed since the beginning: take the ties every time. Who cares if you’re luckier than good, you can celebrate that, too. 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 … Jon Rahm (+1400) I’m looking for VALUE here over four rounds, so keep that in mind. He’s 23-under over the last two years at East Lake and the co-medalist in 2021. Bogey-free on the weekend at Wilmington Country Club provides the evidence that he’s in proper GRIND mode. Read Horses for Courses and Statistically Speaking if you need more evidence on why he won’t be bothered coming off the pace this week. Rob … Sam Burns (+2200) In the three years that Starting Strokes has determined opening position, two eventual champions opened atop the leaderboard – Dustin Johnson (2020) and Patrick Cantlay (2021). The other was Rory McIlroy in 2019. He was 5-seed and started at 5-under, so he’s five back. That’s where you’ll find Burns this week. Burns can be aggravating in any short-term situation, but he also can be extremely rewarding, so his explosiveness is worth the early call in PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live. With rain softening East Lake, scoring should be low on the par 70, so it’s going to be more difficult to come from way back and prevail. When McIlroy took the title in ’19, the field averaged 70.03. That’s the high-water mark in recent history and more of the kind of challenge that caters to a special talent in a small field getting white-hot. Keep this in mind when you’re thinking about swinging for the fence. You’ll likely have better success with a guy nearer the lead, thus my attraction to Burns. TOP 5 Rob … Justin Thomas (+290) It’s fun to toy with this bet one time, but if it was a weekly fixture, its impact might be too strong for the natural elegance of the structure. Of course, we’d all be playing the same game, but the dispersion of coins would separate the gamers who connect even more from those who don’t. JT starts at T10 and just one stroke back of the top five, so this is a no-brainer for the guy who hung up 11-under 269s in the last two years at East Lake. As noted in my Power Rankings in which he’s slotted at No. 6, his career scoring average in six appearances is 68.08. Sure, the form has been sketchy at times, but these odds are not going to get any longer. And even if they do, there’s no guarantee that this bet will unlock. Glass … Collin Morikawa (+800) Been a bit of hit and miss recently so I get why the odds are long. If he decides to figure it out all of the way this week, it will be off the tee and into the greens. He SHOULD be challenged sitting nine strokes off the lead before the first round begins, but once the switch flips, it flips. One hole killed him last week, not multiple hiccups. With a limited field and condensed tee times, I’ll have no problem reconsidering another selection if the tee to green doesn’t fire. TOP 10 Glass … Adam Scott (+440) T5-T5 entering the week doesn’t suggest I’ll need to have his form kick into gear. He’s played this routing plenty of times and shouldn’t be surprised around any doglegs or green complexes. I get that he’s 10 back but to find an outsider here points in his direction. He’s worked too hard to get here to mail in these final 72 holes. My only concern is he’ll need all four rounds to cash this ticket. I hope he embraces the pressure and continues his fine run. If not, yep, I’ll change it up when necessary! Rob … Same as Glass, deal with it I don’t even care if I’m not awake if this window opens, the Aussie has earned the reach. Through zero holes, he’s only three back of T10. I’m positive that I’ve pivoted to a couple of guys after 54 holes who were that far back for a top 10 in a full-field event, and while I can’t remember if any converted, the reality occurs almost every week. When this bet has unlocked after R3, I almost always pluck a guy either just inside or just outside the bubble, so that we get four rounds for Scott to finish the job in these Playoffs is like taking candy from an unattended porch on Halloween. ROUND 1 LEADER Glass … Rory McIlroy (+2000) There’s nobody more notorious for hopping on the first tee and blasting away. I’m hoping he’s in the mood for 62 as he sits six back. That’s probably the minimum of what it takes. I’m ready to pivot if necessary but if anyone is going to torch the place it’s him. Rob … Xander Schauffele (+800) In full disclosure, I like Patrick Cantlay much, much more. He gets a two-stroke head start on Schauffele, but he’s +250. So, when we get to play with live odds, there’s no reason to begin with a value that low. It’s possible that Cantlay could slide higher once the guys ahead of him begin posting scores, but he’s probably not going to hit Schauffele’s kickback, and even if he did, it means that Schauffele’s value will rise as well because they go out in successive pairings, so I’d probably cancel and reselect, anyway. The bigger narrative here is that there are no waves in a 30-man field and the tee times are determined by opening position, so there’s zero benefit in circling an early starter like we have all season. A guy at the bottom of the leaderboard will have too much ground to gain in too short a period of time. Think of it as picking the winner entering any final round. There are only so many guys who realistically have a chance to prevail, especially in a field as strong as this one, so plan on accepting shorter odds and building your bank elsewhere. 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.
Commanders DE Young out at least first 4 gamesCommanders DE Young out at least first 4 games
The Commanders moved defensive end Chase Young to the reserve/physically unable to perform list Monday, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the 2022 NFL season.
Chargers CB Jackson (ankle) will miss 2-4 weeksChargers CB Jackson (ankle) will miss 2-4 weeks
Los Angeles cornerback J.C. Jackson, who had eight interceptions last season with the New England Patriots, underwent ankle surgery on Tuesday, the Chargers announced, and the veteran is estimated to return in approximately 2-4 weeks.
Ravens RB Edwards to miss at least four gamesRavens RB Edwards to miss at least four games
Ravens running back Gus Edwards was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list Tuesday, which will sideline him for at least the first four games of the regular season.
Raiders QB Carr undeterred amid Brady headlinesRaiders QB Carr undeterred amid Brady headlines
Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr seemed indifferent Tuesday speaking about the assertion by UFC president Dana White that he had brokered a deal with for Tom Brady to come to the Raiders in 2020, saying, “It really doesn’t matter.”