When injuries stole basketball from Klay Thompson, he leaned on books and taught himself how to sail. The four-time champion didn’t come back the same player as before — he came back stronger.
After 10 weeks, where do the top MVP candidates rank? Who is trending up or down? Plus, an under-the-radar pick.
If the season ended today, all four teams would make the playoffs. Here’s a look at why each could win the AFC East and their biggest vulnerability.
Rory McIlroy has been in this position many times. For Ryan Fox, it’s a new experience. Two golfers with very different profiles are vying to finish atop the DP World Tour’s season-long points standings entering this week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course in Dubai. McIlroy — who recently won a record-setting third FedExCup and sits atop the world ranking — leads the Race to Dubai standings as he bids to be the DP World Tour’s leading player for the fourth time in his career (2012, ’14 and ’15). McIlroy could be the first player to end a year as the FedExCup champion, DP World Tour champion and No. 1 player in the world ranking. Fox is only narrowly behind McIlroy in second place — the points difference is just 128.1 — after the best year of his career that has seen him win two events, the Ras al Khaimah Classic and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and be runner-up four times. Last month, the New Zealander reached a career-high ranking of No. 23. “Rory is the best player in the world,” Fox said Wednesday. “He’s obviously the favorite but to be in this position is great and I’ve got nothing to lose this week. “Won’t do anything different from what I’ve been doing all year. Just go out and try to beat the golf course and see what happens in that sense. That’s served me pretty well and hopefully I can do the same thing this week.” McIlroy has won the FedExCup and DP World Tour Ranking three times each, but never in the same year. “The way I’ve played throughout the year, I’ve been so consistent, especially the last six or seven months post-Augusta,” said McIlroy. “I feel like my game is in good shape. I would be slightly disappointed if I walked away from here knowing I didn’t play as well as I can, and I know if I do play like that, I’ll give myself a good chance.” Five other players — Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry and Adrian Meronk — also have a chance of pass McIlroy in the Race to Dubai standings but would need both players to have poor finishes this week. Fitzpatrick, the U.S. Open champion, is in third place and has the best chance of the outsiders. A third win at the DP World Tour Championship would see him jump to first place provided neither McIlroy or Fox finish the event in second, while a second-place finish would also require McIlroy to finish lower than seventh. Fitzpatrick feels he has the ideal game to follow up his previous victories at the Earth Course in 2016 and ’20. “I remember when I first came here in 2015, everyone said they didn’t think that it would necessarily suit me because it is a big golf course,” Fitzpatrick said. “But there are things that you have to do well here. Putting is No. 1. That’s the biggest influencer of playing well here, and driving is No. 2. And they are both my strengths. Over the years, particularly as I’ve got longer as well now, that’s obviously been a big bonus and the greens are just so pure here as well.” As for Fleetwood, Hovland, Lowry and Meronk, they all need to win and hope McIlroy and Fox aren’t too close behind them on the leaderboard. Fleetwood, who recently moved to the Middle East with his family, is coming off winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa last week, his first victory in three years, and opening the Tommy Fleetwood Academy at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week. “Dubai is where normal life is for us at this time,” Fleetwood said.
Leading up to No. 6 Kansas’ game against No. 7 Duke, Bill Self preached selfless basketball to his team. And despite being absent from the sidelines Tuesday night, the coach’s message was received in a 69-64 Jayhawks win.
Before you invest any more time into shopping for gifts for the holidays, give the last edition of PGA TOUR Pick ‘Em Live before the break a go. One more prize pool of $5,000 is for the taking at The RSM Classic. The weeklong bets are the same as last week in Houston, and there’s a smorgasbord from which to choose your winner, Top 5 and Top 10. Glass and Rob serve their offerings below. Only one of the six is a PGA TOUR winner, so you get an easy idea of their expectations; well, at least before either slams the trunk on a guy. Round 1 bets were not loaded into the interface as of Tuesday, so we’ve omitted guessing to eliminate confusion. Good luck and have an outstanding holiday season! 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 … Max McGreevy (+35000) Going out with a bang in the Golden Isles! The hope this week is that the full field has its collective eyes on the upcoming holidays or Davis Love III Barbecue. With so many first-time winners and a game that caters to taking chances, I’m going to shoot the moon early. The last time that the Oklahoma native was on coastal bermudagrass, he cashed T8 in Bermuda on another short track. Let’s get weird because we can! Rob … Nick Hardy (+6000) Before we dig into the holiday feasts, kudos to Glass for earning the last honors of the year. It didn’t help that I missed R3 3-balls last week, but those things happen when real-time windows are open for only a short time during tournaments suspended and restarted. No doubt I have the edge in the long-term, but he’s showing why it’s not how you start, play the first half, the middle portion, the early part of the second half and most of the home stretch, it’s how you walk off the calendar. Glass will take me down again if McGreevy hits, and at those odds, I’d love to see it. Stories of someone connecting for real at PointsBet would be worth reading. As for my selection, it’s simple. Hardy hasn’t relented in the 5½ months since returning from a wrist injury. He checks all the boxes, including prior experience at Sea Island (T63, 2021). With value stretched across a good portion of the top of the board, fluctuation in guys who start slow only will make it more difficult to convince me to jump to another charge unless Hardy gets nicked. TOP 5 Rob … Scott Stallings (+1000) Loving this line on a guy not far removed from a torrid stretch that yielded his debut at the TOUR Championship. He has a solid, unspectacular record at Sea Island where all of his most recent trips were either lackluster or unfortunate due to one bad round. Just last year, he sat T5 entering the finale before backpedaling to T29 with a closing 73. Sure, we know that he’s been inconsistent throughout his career, but he’s nearest the best form of his life. Glass … Denny McCarthy (+750) Another stud on this surface, read about his recent performances here in Horses for Courses. Should feel comfortable here and will be looking to take the next step at Seaside. TOP 10 Glass … Davis Thompson (+700) Played here as an amateur three times and was T23 on debut. His results in his first four events with a TOUR card this season include T9 and T12 with zero missed cuts. Oh, and he grew up here. And his dad is the tournament director. Giddy up, youngster! Rob … Henrik Norlander (+1400) Entirely worth the reach. When he got off to the hot start at the Barracuda in July, we were treated to his passion to play on the PGA TOUR. He makes noise so infrequently, but he’s never bashful about running toward the trophy. This has been evident twice before at Sea Island. The first two of his six career top-five finishes have occurred here, in 2016 (P2) and 2019 (T5), so there’s a strong level of comfort on top of his conditioned response. Also just hung up a T15 in Mexico, so there’s enough game of late to warrant this opening bid. 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. Responsible sports betting starts with a game plan. Set a budget. Keep it social. Play with friends. Learn the game and know the odds. Play with trusted, licensed operators. CLICK HERE to learn more at HaveAGamePlan.org.
Michigan State bounced back from a tough loss against Gonzaga on Veteran’s Day to upset No. 4 Kentucky in 2OT at the Champions Classic, led by forward Joey Hauser’s 23 points and 8 rebounds.
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe finished with 22 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks in his season debut but eventually fouled out in Tuesday’s 2OT loss to Michigan State.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 7 points and five blocks in his season debut. Meanwhile, Zion Williamson missed the game with a foot contusion.
Nikola Jokic has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and is out for Wednesday’s game against the Knicks.
