Ryder Cup winner Love’s home destroyed by fire

Click here to read the full article…

Brandon Harkins will tell you that he has a pretty adventurous palate. He never acquired a taste for that thick, salty, black spread that the Australians call Vegemite, though. “Not a fan,â€� Harkins said. “I like a lot of things — but Vegemite, probably not again.â€� But Harkins did become a fan of Aussie Rules Football during the eight months he spent Down Under after graduating from high school. His cousins, who live in Brisbane, Australia, introduced him to the sport. It was a good time to be a Brisbane Lions fan, too. The AFL team, which appeared in four consecutive Grand Finals from 2001-2004, was one of the most feared in the league. “I’d go to a ton of games,â€� recalls the 31-year-old Harkins, who grew up following the San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers — when he wasn’t traveling around Australia and New Zealand, that is. Harkins took full advantage of the gap year gift his mother gave him before heading to play golf at Chico State. “I didn’t even bring my golf clubs,â€� Harkins said. “So I had all this time away from golf and I came back totally ready to play again. (I was) totally ready to go.â€� Harkins’ cousins in Brisbane provided a home base and offered well-informed travel advice. Sometimes they even joined him on trips, as did his mom, his younger brother and his best friend. “They said go here, go there,â€� Harkins recalls. “They helped tremendously.â€� But there were six or seven trips where Harkins, who had gotten an international driver’s license, struck out on his own, often staying in hostels or with friends he met along the way. He went solo to Sydney, Melbourne and Byron Bay, which he remembers as a “really hippie place,â€� as well as up to Cairns near the Great Barrier Reef. “I was totally on my own up in Cairns,â€� Harkins says. “I was probably on my own for a week there. That was a little bit of a learning experience for me. That was probably my first hostel I’ve ever stayed in and by myself.â€� The highlights for Harkins were many during his eight-month excursion. Sydney and its famous Harbour Bridge. The Great Ocean Road outside Melbourne, a city that reminded him of the Bay Area in California where he grew up. “I also really liked getting to know their culture,â€� Harkins says. “It’s a little bit different down there. It’s a little bit slower of a pace and it just seems like from what I was used to that no one was in a rush for anything. That was really cool to see.â€� Harkins, who said he’d like to be featured in Field and Stream Magazine for catching a world record bass someday, saw all kinds of wildlife in his travels, too, including fairy penguins. He hiked. He watched the surfers at Bells Beach and Bondi Beach with great interest — Harkins even tried to learn how to hang ten “to no luck,â€� he said. Harkins also spent some time on New Zealand’s North Island, where he tried his hand at black water rafting. After putting on a full-body wetsuit, he rappelled about 200 feet down into a dark cave with stalagmites and stalactites. “That actually was a little scary,â€� Harkins recalled. “You’re with a guide and you get down and it’s pitch black and you turn your headlamp on. “And then you’re on these zip-lines in these caves. It was really interesting. You’re like walking through the water in the caves. It was a cool experience.â€� Harkins’ travels didn’t stop when he got back from Australia, either. Since graduating from Chico State with a degree in psychology, he has played professionally in nearly a dozen different countries. Harkins even made a 32-hour commute from Nicaragua to Paris about 18 months ago so he could help his mother-in-law celebrate her 60th birthday. Harkins is once again traveling to new places, albeit in his native United States, as a rookie on the PGA TOUR. The Web.com Tour graduate has already posted two top-10 finishes in 10 starts and has found it to be “everything you think it is and more.â€� “I’m just kind of taking it one step at a time, but it’s been a lot of fun,â€� Harkens said.

Click here to read the full article…

Former Presidents Cup star Graham DeLaet has received stem-cell treatment on his back and will remain sidelined while undergoing rehab, the Canadian announced Tuesday on his Twitter account. DeLaet said he recently underwent “conservative treatment that included an intradiscal stem cell injection to assist with my back mobility and long-term stability.â€� He added that the healing process is usually 7-10 days but that he continues to experience tenderness. DeLaet has been plagued by periodic back issues and was forced to withdraw from THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea last October. It was his third WD of the 2017 calendar year. Prior to that, he had made two starts in the 2017-18 season – a tie for fourth at the Safeway Open and a T-54 at the CIMB Classic. DeLaet – who produced a 3-1-1 record at the 2013 Presidents Cup, tying Jason Day for the best performance on the International Team — also had to withdraw from THE NORTHERN TRUST, the opening event of the FedExCup Playoffs. Two weeks earlier, he had finished T-7 at the PGA Championship, his best result in eight major appearances. He said dealing with the back issues helped his mental approach on a weekend in which he shot 68-69, his two-day finish matching that of eventual champion Justin Thomas. “When I was out there, I wasn’t really thinking about where I was at on the leaderboard,â€� DeLaet told The Canadian Press the day after the tournament. “From a mental standpoint, it was actually kind of beneficial. Physically, obviously, I would have liked to have been healthy, but I kept my mind in a pretty good spot.â€� DeLaet has been working since 2011 with Canadian conditioning coach Dr. Craig Davies, who is based out of Orlando, Florida. Davies told The Canadian Press that DeLaet received acupuncture, dry needling and soft-tissue work, and also underwent several other approaches, in order to play at Quail Hollow. “Truth of the matter is, all of what we did would have been for not if it wasn’t for the fact that Graham has this playoff-hockey mentality where he can play through a lot of pain that a lot of players wouldn’t be able to play through. And if they could play through it, they wouldn’t have played at the level he could. It’s a massive testament to Graham,â€� Davies told the Canadian Press. For now, DeLaet’s return is uncertain. “While frustrating,â€� DeLaet said, “I am currently doing everything possible to rehab and return to the course fully healthy.â€�

Click here to read the full article…