New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is scheduled to start baseball activities on Sunday after getting a blood patch to aid in his recovery from an epidural injection to treat his ailing lower back.
The Atlanta Braves won their eighth straight on Friday night and finally jumped a half-game ahead of the Mets in the East after chasing them for five months.
Olympic silver medalist France moved into the EuroBasket quarterfinals by holding off Turkey 87-86 in overtime, while Luka Doncic scored 35 points to help defending champion Slovenia advance with a win over Belgium.
Darren Waller has agreed to a three-year extension with the Raiders that includes $51 million in new money for the tight end.
The NBA has told teams that, based on current projections, the salary cap will reach $134 million for the 2023-24 season, with the luxury tax set at $162 million.
After a two-week break, the new PGA TOUR season begins with the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California. Cal product Max Homa will return to defend his title from last season, when he would win twice and qualify for the TOUR Championship for the first time in his career. Last week he was named as a captain’s pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup Team. FIELD NOTES: Homa, who finished fifth in the FedExCup, edged Stanford product Maverick McNealy, also in this week’s field, at Silverado last year… There will be plenty of Presidents Cup flare in Napa before the squads assemble at Quail Hollow. The International side will have Hideki Matsuyama, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, and Cam Davis, while Homa and American assistant captain Webb Simpson are also playing… Korn Ferry Tour graduates making their debuts as full-fledged PGA TOUR members include Justin Suh, who topped the combined Points List and will be fully exempt this season; Erik Barnes, who at 34 will be a TOUR rookie this season; and Kyle Westmoreland, who was No. 25 on the Korn Ferry Tour Finals Points List and will become the first graduate of the American Air Force Academy to play on TOUR… Zac Blair and Kyle Stanley are playing their first events of a major medical extension… Sponsor exemptions include Harry Higgs, Dylan Wu, Chris Gotterup and Jacob Bridgeman… Jason Dufner, Ryan Moore, and Jimmy Walker are using Career Money Exemptions this season and will be in the field in Napa… Other notables include 2020 winner Stewart Cink, plus Californians Cameron Champ (the winner here in 2019) Rickie Fowler, and Rookie of the Year nominee Sahith Theegala. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: Silverado Resort and Spa (North), par 72, 7,123 yards. Located in the heart of California wine country, the course, opened in 1955, was refreshed by TOUR legend turned broadcaster Johnny Miller about a decade ago. This is the seventh playing of the Fortinet Championship at Silverado. The layout moves through mature trees and has undulating fairways and challenging greens. Last season’s scoring average was 71.038 as Max Homa relied on impressive ball-striking (second in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, sixth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee) to capture his third TOUR title. STORYLINES: This marks the final tune-up before the return of the Presidents Cup… It’s a big week for rookies on the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour grads keen to keep TOUR status for next season… Earning valuable FedExCup points in the fall has become even more important as only 70 golfers will earn their way into the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs… This marks the end of the wraparound-season era after a decade-long run. The PGA TOUR will return to a calendar-year schedule in 2024… Notable Korn Ferry Tour grads this season include Carl Yuan (who topped the Regular Season Points List), Robby Shelton (two-time winner in 2022), Paul Haley II (re-earned TOUR status for the first time in 10 years), and long-hitting Brandon Matthews. 72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Cameron Beckman (2008 at Grayhawk GC), Kevin Sutherland (2008 at Grayhawk GC), Troy Matteson (2009 at Grayhawk GC), Rickie Fowler (2009 at Grayhawk GC), Jamie Lovemark (2009 at Grayhawk GC). Silverado record: 267, Stewart Cink (2020) 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Mark Hensby (2nd round, 2007 at Grayhawk GC), Kevin Stadler (2nd round, 2008 at Grayhawk GC), Troy Matteson (2rd & 3rd rounds, 2009 at Grayhawk GC), Mike Weir (4th round, 2009 at Grayhawk GC), Chesson Hadley (2nd round, 2017 at Silverado). LAST TIME: Max Homa fired a 7-under 65 – tied for the low round of the day – to win by one over Maverick McNealy. It was Homa’s third PGA TOUR win, and he would later bank his fourth victory at the Wells Fargo Championship. In the final round at Silverado he birdied three of the last four holes on the front nine, bogeyed the par-4 10th, and dunked his approach for an eagle on the par-4 12th. He followed that with birdies on No’s 13, 16, and 17 to nip McNealy, who was leading Homa by three with seven holes left. It was a wild finish for McNealy – who was hunting for his first TOUR title – as he birdied No.16, double-bogeyed 17, and eagled 18 to shoot a 4-under 68. Mito Pereira finished 16 under, his third-place result kickstarting a 2021-22 campaign that saw him contend at the PGA Championship and ultimately earn a spot on the International Presidents Cup team. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday: 6 p.m.-9 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Radio: Thursday-Friday, 3 p.m.–9 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
A season like the one that PGA TOUR Player of the Year Scottie Scheffler put together is built a little at a time, with a succession of great shots. Some of those, like a near hole-out to go 4 up on world No. 1 Jon Rahm in their singles match at the Ryder Cup, provided no FedExCup points but infused Scheffler with vital self-belief for the season ahead. Others, like his chip-in birdie in the final round of the Masters, are so obviously game-changing they practically come with a thunderclap. And others still, like a crucial putt to ensure making the cut at the WM Phoenix Open, where he collected his first win two days later, can be fully appreciated only in retrospect. These 10 shots tell the story of how Scottie Scheffler put together his successful season. 10. BIRDIE PUTT WM Phoenix Open, second round Par-4 8th, TPC Scottsdale Scheffler was right on the cut line Friday at the WM Phoenix Open. After a so-so 68 on a low-scoring Thursday, the promising but winless PGA TOUR pro had made three birdies, two bogeys and a double in his second round. He was in danger of missing the cut with two holes to play. Facing an early exit, Scheffler, finishing on TPC Scottsdale’s front nine, was far from pleased with his approach from 148 yards at the par-4 eighth hole. But he rammed home the 34-foot birdie putt to create a buffer between him and the cut line. Scheffler signed for a 71 in the second round and made the cut with a shot to spare. Little did he know that the made birdie putt would lead to so many more, and his first TOUR win two days later. His victory at TPC Scottsdale would open the floodgates for an epic season. 9. APPROACH SHOT Ryder Cup, Singles session Par-4 4th hole, Whistling Straits There’s self-belief, and then there’s self-belief. Playing as a Ryder Cup rookie last fall, and the only man on the U.S. Team without a victory, Scheffler drew a tough assignment in the third match of the Sunday singles: then-world No. 1 Jon Rahm. Not to worry. Scheffler jumped out to a 3-up lead, then, from the fourth fairway, hit a towering approach that rode the right-to-left wind before landing, checking, and cozying up to within kick-in range for his fourth birdie in a row to take a 4-up lead. It was the moment when everyone, not just Rahm and his peers, began to appreciate the outsized talents of the 2020 Rookie of the Year. Scheffler would win, 4 and 3, to earn the United States’ first point, and while it would not technically provide any points toward his FedExCup-winning season, it informed what was to come. It also opened the eyes of veteran caddie Ted Scott. Watching the Ryder Cup on TV – and thinking he might retire after having parted ways with Bubba Watson – Scott would gain a new appreciation for Scheffler’s skills and they would join forces at The RSM Classic later that fall. 8. BIRDIE PUTT WM Phoenix Open, third playoff hole Par-4 18th, TPC Scottsdale After shooting 62 in the WM Phoenix Open’s third round, Scheffler’s magic seemed to have left him for the final round. He negated four birdies with four bogeys over the first 12 holes to sit three shots off the lead heading into the final stretch. Still in the honeymoon phase with new caddie Ted Scott, Scheffler, undeterred, birdied four of the last six holes to force a playoff against reigning FedExCup champ Patrick Cantlay. The two matched each other on the first two extra holes, with Scheffler making a clutch 6-footer to extend on the second playoff hole before making his move on the third extra trip down 18. Despite driving the ball into a bunker, Scheffler found the putting surface at a respectable 25 feet. Cantlay, however, knocked his second shot to 11 feet. Scheffler stepped up and sent his putt on its way. When it dripped over the front edge and in, he let out a primal roar. Cantlay missed his birdie try and Scheffler had his first win. 7. BIRDIE PUTT Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, second round Par-3 14th, Bay Hill Club & Lodge Sitting at even par for the tournament and 2 over for his second round through 13 holes, Scheffler was much closer to the cut line than the leaders, who sat 9 under. He found the green on the par-3 14th but was still 53 feet from the pin, a three-putt looking more likely than make birdie. Scheffler needed just one putt, however, curling in the monster for what would turn out to be the longest putt he made this season and another illustration that every shot does matter, especially en route to a victory. Scheffler went on to win his second TOUR title by a single stroke. The floodgates were officially open. 6. PAR PUTT Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, final round Par-4 15th, Bay Hill Club & Lodge On a brutal final day at a baked-out Bay Hill, Scheffler found an inner strength others failed to muster. He was in deep trouble on the par-4 15th, in the pine straw and behind a tree, when he tried to hit a punch hook up the fairway. The ball dribbled out only 23 yards into thick rough, leaving 149 yards to the hole from a tough lie. Scheffler did well to get his next shot onto the front of the green but was still 22 feet away. A bogey looked imminent, but when he coaxed that par putt home it kept his momentum alive and he grinded out three more pars – including an up-and-down from 67 yards on the par-5 16th — to finish a shot ahead of Viktor Hovland, Billy Horschel and Tyrrell Hatton for his second win in three starts. 5. EAGLE HOLE-OUT World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, quarterfinals Par-5 16th, Austin Country Club Runner-up at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play the year before, this time Scheffler had to hole a 6-foot putt on the sixth hole of a playoff against soon-to-be U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick just to advance to the single-elimination Round of 16. He had survived a tough Round of 16 match against Billy Horschel, prevailing 1 up on Saturday morning, before meeting Seamus Power in the quarterfinals. Scheffler had given up an early two-hole advantage against the Irishman to be tied through 11 holes before wins on 12 and 13 established a buffer. The alum of the nearby University of Texas closed things out in style, holing a 30-yard chip from the upslope short of the green to advance to the semifinals. 4. BIRDIE BUNKER SHOT World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, championship match Par-5 12th, Austin Country Club For Scheffler, playing in front of family and friends, it wasn’t just a prestigious World Golf Championships on the line. If he could win the championship match, he would become world No. 1. Through 11 holes he seemed near impervious to nerves or discomfort as he set up a commanding 3-up lead and sat just off the side of the par-5 12th green in two shots. Kisner had knocked his third to close range when Scheffler seemed to open the door, dumping his third shot, a short chip, into a small bunker. Was the match about to turn? Nope. With Kisner eying a 6-footer for birdie to cut into the lead, Scheffler jarred his bunker shot for his own birdie to maintain his 3-up advantage. Three holes later he had his third win in five starts and we had a new top player in the world, a title he’s held ever since. 3. APPROACH SHOT The Masters, third round Par-4 18th, Augusta National Golf Club The hottest player in golf seemed unfazed even by playing at Augusta National, and after he birdied the par-5 13th in Saturday’s third round he was 11 under for the week, ahead by five. But Masters nerves were a new challenge, and back-to-back bogeys on 14 and 15 gave the chasers a flicker of hope. He birdied the 17th before a hooked tee shot on the 18th hole that looked like it could change the course of the tournament. His ball wound up in an unplayable lie; after a drop, Scheffler still faced a 250-yard third shot from the pine straw. As three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo mused about what sort of layup Scheffler was contemplating, Scheffler pulled out a 3-iron and gave the ball a mighty lash. As it soared up to the green and ran a little long behind the putting surface, effectively taking a big number out of play, the patrons could only applaud in awe. “You can’t keep this man down,” Faldo said on the broadcast. “I didn’t see that one coming.” Scheffler got up-and-down to avert further disaster, and his well-earned bogey secured a three-shot lead heading to Sunday’s final round. 2. EAGLE HOLE-OUT U.S. Open, third round Par-5 8th, The Country Club A day after holing out for eagle at the U.S. Open at The Country Club – and getting zinged for misfiring on his celebration with caddie Ted Scott – Scheffler holed out again in the third round, jarring a 102-yard wedge shot at the par-5 8th hole. Scheffler had found the right rough with his tee shot and had to lay up but landed his third behind the pin and watched as the ball backed up and rolled into the cup. The fans went wild for the Masters champion and world and FedExCup No. 1, and this time player and caddie executed a perfect chest-bump celebration. Although the shot gave him the solo lead, Scheffler would ultimately finish tied for second the next day, one behind winner Matthew Fitzpatrick. Still, the shot was yet further confirmation that he can dazzle with any club, anywhere, any time. 1. BIRDIE CHIP The Masters, final round Par-4 3rd, Augusta National Golf Club To win at Augusta National you need a little luck, but you also make your own luck. Despite holding it together for a few opening pars, Scheffler was under assault from tenacious Australian Cameron Smith in the final group. Smith birdied the opening two holes to pull within one before Scheffler pull hooked his tee shot on the par-4 third into pine straw and trees. But thanks to a large scoreboard Scheffler was given line-of-sight relief, allowing him to get a clean look at the green rather than one obstructed by trees. Despite this, his approach with a wedge came up fractionally short of the green and fed back down the steep embankment. Smith’s approach was almost identical, sucking back to just a foot in front of Scheffler’s. Facing a tricky uphill chip, Scheffler played a low, skipping ball into the bank that hit the pin dead center and disappeared for a nerve-settling birdie. Smith was unable to get up and down from the same spot, and the three-shot buffer was back. That cushion allowed Scheffler to play smart golf the rest of the way home to set up a fourth win in six starts and his first major triumph.
Medicals extensions in order of the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Priority Ranking ^ – Nick Hardy and Ryan Armour are fully exempt via the Korn Ferry Tour Graduate Reshuffle category, but if either meets the terms of his medical, he’ll be promoted to the Major Medical category. * – In the field at the Fortinet Championship as of Sept. 9.
MLB will voluntarily recognize minor league players’ effort to unionize with the MLB Players Association.
Major League Baseball passed a sweeping set of rules changes it hopes will fundamentally overhaul the game, voting Friday to implement a pitch clock and ban defensive shifts in 2023 to hasten the game’s pace and increase action.
