NAPA, Calif. – Phil Mickelson found reason to be optimistic even after opening his new season in disastrous fashion.

Mickelson was only a few holes into his first competitive round in more than a month when he peeled two straight approach shots out of bounds on the par-5 fifth hole at the Safeway Open, leading to a quadruple-bogey 9. The blunders came on a hole where Mickelson made triple bogey during last year’s final round at Silverado Resort & Spa, and they proved to be a big reason why he’s near the bottom of the early leaderboard following a 3-over 75.

“I tried to carve, kind of cut a 5 (iron) and then ultimately a 6-iron out of the rough, and the ball just kind of shot left off the face out of bounds. And it happened twice,” Mickelson said. “So that hole has bitten me.”

Mickelson made just three birdies on the day, the last coming when he curled in a 23-foot putt on the 18^th green to give the afternoon fans reason to cheer. But his tee-to-green game was just as wayward as it was during his underwhelming summer, as Lefty found just 3 of 14 fairways and hit only 11 greens in regulation.

Trailing co-leaders Adam Scott and Andrew Landry by 10 shots and in danger of missing the cut, Mickelson has plenty of work ahead of him on a course where he has finished no worse than T-17 in each of the last three years. But after speaking early in the week about a more optimistic attitude and sunnier disposition inside the ropes, Mickelson didn’t allow one bad round to alter his early-season outlook.

“If it were a few months ago, I would let it get to me a lot more than it did today,” Mickelson said. “I actually have a lot more confidence and energy and excitement to play, and my attitude’s just a lot better. So I’ll come out tomorrow, I’m going to shoot a good round. I’ll shoot 6, 7 under par tomorrow. I really believe that. I believe the game is close enough to do that.”

Mauricio Pochettino has always spoken highly of Jose Mourinho and has great respect for the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager, even describing him as the "best in the world" in January 2018, but there are signs that the Tottenham coach is now beginning to adopt the more destructive elements of the Portuguese's character.

For so long, Spurs under Pochettino have appeared to be a team on the up, with everyone marching in unison towards the same goal of delivering tangible long-term success to the club. But the cracks in the facade are starting to show and Pochettino is doing as much as anybody to inflict the damage.

Tuesday's Carabao Cup defeat on penalties to Colchester United, who are 10th in League Two, was a humiliation for a Spurs team that contested the Champions League final less than four months ago and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it prompted a brutal assessment of his players' shortcomings by Pochettino after the game.

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Pochettino spoke of "different agendas" within his squad and the need to "build togetherness" among "unsettled" players. If his postmatch remarks were an isolated incident, they could be taken as a natural release of frustration after seeing a route to silverware closed off by a team three divisions below the Premier League. But Pochettino has been chipping away for months now, with the Argentine allowing the build-up to June's Champions League final against Liverpool to be dominated by speculation over his future and whether he would leave the club in the summer.

Since then, he has admitted during the preseason tour of Singapore that he would probably have quit had Spurs won the Champions League in Madrid, has complained about the club's transfer policy and been heavy-handed in his dealings with midfielder Christian Eriksen, who lost his place in the starting line-up after refusing to sign a new contract.

Rewind just over 12 months and there are similarities between Pochettino's recent approach and Mourinho's during what turned out to be his final six months at United. Harmony has gone out of the window and Pochettino is becoming increasingly outspoken, both against his bosses in the boardroom and the players in the dressing room.

It is never a good combination for a manager to fight battles on two fronts, as Mourinho discovered at United, and also at Chelsea, where his previous reign ended in December 2016 after months of sniping at his players and distracting off-field controversies. In both instances, bad results ultimately cost Mourinho his job, but the mood music did not help in either situation.

In Pochettino's defence, he is not in Mourinho's league yet when it comes to damaging power battles, but the early signs are there and it does not bode well for him or Spurs.

Recent results offer proof that something is not right. The Colchester defeat was bad enough, but in the Premier League, Spurs have lost 10 times in 2019 -- more than any of their "Big Six" rivals -- and have not picked up three points on the road since January.

The excuse of playing at Wembley no longer works, considering Spurs have been in their new stadium since April, but the return to their roots has done little to develop a sense of unity. Even Harry Kane, the poster boy of Tottenham's rise to prominence in recent years, has begun to question the development of the team by voicing his frustrations after a 2-0 lead was thrown away during the 2-2 Champions League draw against Olympiakos in Athens last week.

"We're not young any more, we're not inexperienced," he said. "We've played in a big games for club and country. I can see why the manager is frustrated because he's been here for six years now and we're still making similar mistakes to the ones we were in his first year."

Those mistakes could be down to Pochettino, or a result of the players not listening to his message, but either way it reflects badly on the coach because, whatever his message is, it is not getting through.

It was a similar story at both Chelsea and United under Mourinho. Over time, players can switch off from the instructions of their manager and the only way to solve that problem is by changing one or the other. Managers tend to be the fall guy in that situation and perhaps that is why Pochettino is beginning to be more critical and outspoken, because he has to spark a reaction somehow.

There is no doubt that Pochettino is cutting an unhappy figure right now and the next two games, against Southampton and Bayern Munich -- both at home -- could be crucial in shaping his future. He simply has to find a way to stop the rot in the Premier League, but the draw against Olympiakos has also increased the pressure to beat Bayern in the Champions League next Tuesday.

These are challenging days for the Tottenham manager, but if he continues to go down the Mourinho path of confrontation and criticism, it is difficult to envisage a positive outcome.

Barbados Tridents 192 for 5 (Duminy 65, Charles 58, Carter 51, Pierre 2-24) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 129 (Bravo 28, Walsh 5-19, Duminy 2-24) by 63 runs

The fastest CPL fifty ever, a superb catch in the field and two wickets with the ball, JP Duminy dazzled in every possible manner as Barbados Tridents ended their eight-match losing streak in home games and trounced Trinbago Knight Riders by 63 runs.

Building on a 110-run opening stand between Johnson Charles and Jonathan Carter, Duminy raced away to fifty in just 15 balls, breaking Evin Lewis' record of 17 balls set earlier this month. He struck seven sixes and four fours during his 20-ball 65 to power Tridents to 192 for 5.

Tridents' dominance, however, wasn't entirely down to Duminy's efforts. Knight Riders were 74 for 3 in eight overs in their chase, with Darren Bravo and Denesh Ramdin at the crease and Kieron Pollard and Jimmy Neesham yet to come in. At this stage, USA legspinner Hayden Walsh stepped up in grand style, picking 5 for 19, including three wickets in one over, to break the back of the chase as Knight Riders were bundled out for 129 in 17.4 overs.

Charles, Carter set the platform for Tridents

Openers Charles and Carter started solidly for Tridents, scoring 28 for 0 in the first four overs. Carter, promoted to open in place of Alex Hales, had hogged most of the strike till then, facing 18 balls for 19 runs but Charles then made up for it by smashing Ali Khan for three fours in the fifth over.

Sunil Narine, returning from a finger injury, pulled things back by bowling a maiden to Carter but Charles, at the other end, ensured the bad balls were put away and brought up his half-century off 33 balls. The duo took the side to 100 at the end of the 13th over before Carter decided to switch gears. The left-hand batsman reached his maiden CPL fifty, off 44 balls, with back-to-back fours of Narine. The bowler, however, had the last laugh and had Carter caught at the deep midwicket three balls later.

Duminy tees off with a record fifty

Khary Pierre dismissed Charles and Alex Hales in the 15th over while giving away just four runs. Next over, Narine conceded only two and it started to look like Tridents would have to settle for a much lower total than they were aiming for at one stage. Duminy, however, had other ideas. After scoring only three from his first eight balls, he smashed Ali Khan for three sixes and a four in the 18th over. Pollard was forced to turn to Neesham for the damage control but that move was ineffective. Duminy hit Neesham's first five balls for 4, 6, 6, 4, 4 - the second six taking him to fifty as Tridents plundered 49 from overs 18 and 19. Duminy smashed the first ball of the 20th over - bowled by Pollard - for yet another six but fell on the next ball. Tridents, however, had enough on the board by then.

Knight Riders start strongly

Knight Riders started the chase well, with Narine hitting Jason Holder for a four and a six in the first over, and they were also helped by some sloppy fielding from Tridents. The second over saw four extra runs in overthrows and four byes, apart from a boundary each from Narine and Lendl Simmons, as Knight Riders raced to 29 for 0. After Narine fell to Holder, bowled for 19 off 9, Colin Munro kept the scoring rate up, hitting a six each off Holder and Duminy. Harry Gurney dismissed Simmons and kept troubling Ramdin with frequent changes of angle and an assortment of slower balls, but Knight Riders had reached 67 for 2 by the end of the Powerplay.

Duminy's super catch before Walsh turns the tables

It was Duminy who, once again, brought Tridents back in the game. Munro had raced to 22 off 12 balls when he mistimed a loft against Raymon Reifer towards long-off. Holder ran backwards from mid-off but was never in with a chance. Sprinting from long-on, Duminy completed the catch and sent the set batsman back. Knight Riders were 69 for 3 in the seventh over.

That soon became 75 for 4 when Walsh castled Ramdin in the ninth over. The worst, however, was yet to follow for Tridents. In his next over, Walsh first dismissed Pollard caught by Holder at long-off, the fielder taking off in a celebratory run after the catch. Neesham failed to read the googly and was taken at slip first ball. Seekkuge Prasanna survived the hat-trick ball but was caught off the next when he mistimed the slog to deep square leg. Knight Riders were suddenly reeling at 83 for 7, with Walsh's figures reading 2-0-4-4.

Any lingering Knight Riders' hopes were dented in Walsh's final over. Two balls into the over, Bravo smashed the legspinner for a massive six but the bowler responded by tossing one wide outside off. Bravo once again went for it, only to top-edge it to backward point. Duminy then wrapped up the game by picking up the last two wickets.

India's T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and 19-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been on the radar of at least two teams, are unlikely to feature in the first standalone Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) - set to start much earlier than usual - from October 18 to December 8.

The tournament is likely to clash with India's month-long tour of the Caribbean, leaving the players with a very limited window towards the end of what will be the fifth season of the WBBL. ESPNcricinfo understands that the Indian team, currently playing a T20I series at home against South Africa, is tentatively slated to depart for the Caribbean on October 23. India will also play three ODIs against South Africa, with the last match on October 14.

Scheduling aside, it is understood that the players were keen to be fresh for India's tour of Australia next year which will feature a tri-series involving England - from January 31 to February 12 - ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup to be held there in February-March. India will take on hosts and defending champions Australia in the tournament opener on February 21.

The scheduling meant Sydney Thunder did not offer a contract extension to Harmanpreet, a key player in their line-up since 2016-17. Harmanpreet, however, was approached by the Melbourne Stars. Mandhana, who was contracted with the Hobart Hurricanes, was set to continue for a second consecutive edition. She had earlier been part of the Brisbane Heat in 2016-17.

Rodrigues' wait for a WBBL contract is set to continue. She enjoyed a breakthrough KSL season for Yorkshire Diamonds, finishing the season as the second-highest run-scorer. Her fearless approach in limited-overs formats has impressed many - including Australia captain Meg Lanning - since her international debut in February last year.

Rodrigues' high-scoring exploits on foreign soil - in South Africa (February 2018), New Zealand (earlier this year) and in the KSL, coupled with her chart-topping tally at the Women's T20 Challenge at home in May, made her a sought-after player among two WBBL franchises.

"The BCCI doesn't discourage any of our women's players from taking part in overseas leagues as long as their participation [in those tournaments] doesn't clash with their national duties," BCCI's general manager (cricket operations) Saba Karim told ESPNcricinfo. "In this case, there's an international series to be played, so that will automatically be on top of their list of priorities."

The standalone WBBL marks a departure from its preceding four seasons. With the exception of the women's final last season which was accorded a standalone slot, on Australia Day, the women's competition had traditionally run parallel to the men's tournament.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It doesn't look like the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to be able to repair the relationship with cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who reiterated on Thursday that he still wants out of Jacksonville.

In the latest episode of Uninterrupted's "17 Weeks" Podcast on Sirius XM/Pandora, Ramsey said he has lost respect for the franchise and that's not something he believes he can get back.

"I'm not sure if I've played my final game for the Jags yet or not but my trade request still stands," Ramsey said. "For me, respect is a huge thing. I kinda touched on it a little bit last week in last week's podcast but once respect is lost for both parties I think it is time to part ways.

"I'm going to continue being a top corner in this league for years to come. The money will come, but money isn't everything. Peace and happiness means a lot more than the money."

Ramsey has made it clear that he doesn't believe he'll find that in Jacksonville.

That's why he treated the Jaguars' 20-7 victory over Tennessee on Sept. 19 as if it was his final game with the franchise that drafted him fifth overall in 2016. He called it an emotional night -- especially because he didn't know if he would be cheered or booed -- and spent a few moments after the game hugging several teammates, including cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and D.J. Hayden.

"We were just kind of living in the moment, sinking in the moment of, man, if this was the last one it's been an honor to play alongside those guys," Ramsey said. "It's been a good ride; it's been a fun few years playing alongside those guys. So we were kind of just sinking in the moment and just enjoying that win at the time."

It doesn't appear the Jaguars will be parting ways with the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback any time soon, though, because league sources say owner Shad Khan does not want to trade Ramsey. The trade deadline is Oct. 29.

It has been an interesting week for Ramsey and the Jaguars. Ramsey did not practice Monday because of an illness -- Ramsey said on the podcast that he threw up "at least four times" and needed IVs -- and also missed Wednesday's practice with a back injury. However, that wasn't without some drama. Three hours after coach Doug Marrone said he didn't know when Ramsey suffered the injury, the team released a statement saying Ramsey actually did report back soreness to the team's medical staff during the fourth quarter of the game against the Titans.

Ramsey isn't with the team now, either. He left Wednesday to return to Nashville for the birth of his second child. In a statement announcing Ramsey's departure, Marrone said Ramsey would return "when he's ready."

Ramsey missed the first week of training camp in 2018 for the birth of his first child.

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn told reporters on Thursday that once Melvin Gordon is up to speed, he will be the team's starter moving forward.

"He was our starter for a reason," Lynn said. "I like the way Austin [Ekeler] and JJ [Justin Jackson] have been working. They've done an excellent job and proved they can play in this league. They will still have a major role in this offense, but as soon as Melvin's ready, he'll go back to being our No. 1 guy."

Gordon ended his 64-day holdout due to a contract impasse with the team on Thursday. Lynn said Gordon passed a physical and was cleared to practice, and Gordon worked out on the field for the first time this season.

The Chargers (1-2) received a two-week roster exemption for the Pro Bowl running back, according to Lynn, which means he can return to the active roster as late as Week 6, when the Chargers are getting ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Los Angeles.

Lynn said Gordon is unlikely to play on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, although he could travel with the team.

Gordon arrived early on a dreary Thursday morning in Southern California. He expects 2019 will be his final season with the Chargers, a source told ESPN's Josina Anderson.

Ekeler, who has served as the team's starter with Gordon out, welcomed his teammate back to the fold with open arms.

"We've got a little swag back in the room," Ekeler said. "It's good to see Melvin back in the office. We've got one of our playmakers back on our team. I'm glad they got everything figured out and he's back with us."

Chargers offensive guard Michael Schofield III said the addition of Gordon, along with Ekeler and Jackson, should give the Chargers a strong running game.

The Chargers are No. 13 in the NFL in rushing through the first three games without Gordon, averaging 112 yards per contest. Ekeler has 160 rushing yards and four total touchdowns.

"It's exciting to have Melvin back," Schofield said. "With the way JJ and Ekeler are playing, now we have three solid backs, so that's only going to open our offense more and obviously it's going to keep them all healthy.

"He's one of the best backs in the league for sure. JJ's a little more shifty; Ekeler's more of a speed guy and he can run you over. But Melvin's kind of got it all."

Gordon desired a contract extension that would put him among the league's top-paid running backs, such as Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley II, David Johnson and Le'Veon Bell. The Chargers had offered Gordon a contract that would have doubled his salary to roughly $10 million annually.

Gordon and his representation also have to resolve how they will handle the fines that have piled up during his absence.

According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, as a player on his fifth-year option of his rookie deal, Gordon can be fined $30,000 per day for missing training camp, along with one week's regular-season salary for each preseason game missed -- a total of about $2.22 million. He also can lose $989,118 worth of base salary for missing three regular-season games. He can still earn $4,615,882 if he reports and plays on his contract.

The team will seek to collect the fines, a source told ESPN.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Packers running back Jamaal Williams was taken off the field on a gurney after taking a hard hit during the first quarter of Thursday night's 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The third-year pro was immediately transported via ambulance to a local hospital, where he was being evaluated for head and neck injuries, ESPN's Michele Steele reported. The Packers announced that Williams had movement and feeling in all of his extremities.

Williams was injured on the Packers' first play of the game, a screen pass, when he was immediately met at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Nigel Bradham. With his forward momentum stopped, Williams took a big hit by Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett.

Barnett was penalized for unnecessary roughness on the play.

Williams raised his left arm and gave the thumbs-up sign as he was taken off the field by three members of the Packers' medical team.

Williams, who started the game in the backfield alongside fellow running back Aaron Jones, was listed on the injury report this week because of a neck injury, but he was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Jones capped the first drive with a 3-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 7-0 lead on a drive that featured the Packers' longest offensive play of the season -- a 58-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams.

Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga suffered a shoulder injury in the first half and was questionable to return. He remained out to begin the second half and was replaced by Alex Light.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his foot, an injury he suffered while he was working with Team USA this summer, the Lakers announced.

Kuzma, 24, has not been cleared for full practice or game participation and will miss at least the first three weeks of training camp, the team said. Kuzma averaged 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Lakers last season.

Camp opens Saturday for the Lakers, who are traveling to China in October to take part in two preseason games against the Brooklyn Nets as part of the league's international preseason games. They will play on Oct. 10 in Shanghai and Oct. 12 in Shenzhen.

The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 22 against the LA Clippers.

Kuzma will travel with the Lakers to China and is scheduled for an MRI when the team returns. A status update will be given at that time.

The Lakers also announced that rookie guard Talen Horton-Tucker continues to receive treatment for a stress reaction in his right foot and will have limited participation in training camp.

Rookie forward Jordan Caroline underwent successful surgery on his fifth metatarsal on Sept. 6, the Lakers said. He is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.

PITTSBURGH -- The Chicago Cubs will have a say in the NL Central race after all -- albeit as spoilers only.

The Cubs finish their regular season this weekend in St. Louis, where the first-place Cardinals are holding on to a one-game lead on the surging Milwaukee Brewers.

Already eliminated from the postseason this week, Cubs manager Joe Maddon was asked if he'll play his regular lineup against the Cards.

"We're going to put a good team out there, but of course they're going to bitch," Maddon said with a laugh. "Of course they are. I get it. But quite frankly, there are certain things I don't give a s--- about. And that would be one of them."

Cubs pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish have been shut down, and stars Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez are all nursing injuries. Righty Alec Mills will start Friday's series opener against Dakota Hudson, and Cole Hamels is slated to pitch a few innings Saturday against Cards starter Miles Mikolas. Hamels has been out with a sore shoulder and is only pitching to prove he's healthy entering free agency.

"This is the first time I'm going into free agency and I don't want that in the back of team's heads," Hamels said.

The Cubs haven't announced a starter for Sunday and could just go with a "bullpen game." Maddon says his team will still compete; it just won't be with many of the regulars.

"I will put out the guys that I think are the appropriate guys to play based on what's good for our people, not for their people," he said. "But we're going to put a good team out there, regardless."

The Brewers complete their regular season in Colorado, having already clinched at least a wild-card spot. The Cardinals, who swept a four-game series against the Cubs last weekend, also have locked up at least a wild card.

After Thursday's 9-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago has now lost nine straight games.

Mike Minor's 200th strikeout of the season for the Texas Rangers came with some controversy Thursday.

With one out in the ninth inning and Minor a strikeout away from reaching the mark for the first time in his career, the left-hander got the Boston Red Sox's Chris Owings to pop up a 1-2 pitch into foul territory. Minor, catcher Jose Trevino and first baseman Ronald Guzman converged on the ball, but Guzman let it drop in front of him, allowing Owings' at-bat to continue.

Minor struck him out on the next pitch for his ninth strikeout of the game and 200th of his season.

"We were yelling, telling [Guzman] to drop it because there's going to be two strikes," Minor said. "He dropped it, and then he looked at me like, 'What? Why?' And then everybody started booing or whatever. I had to thank him for that, because [the fans] didn't understand."

"Everybody was yelling. ... I heard a lot of 'Drop it!' So I had to drop it," Guzman said.

It was Minor's 126th pitch of the afternoon, and Rangers manager Chris Woodward then took him out for Jose Leclerc, who got the final out of a 7-5 Rangers home victory.

"I didn't love the idea that we dropped the popup at the end," Woodward said. "But on the other side of that, they swung at three pitches in a row in the eighth inning down by two. If they have any beef with that, obviously I'm pretty sure [Red Sox manager Alex] Cora did, they chose to not try and win the game as well. They were trying to keep him from striking a guy out."

Asked what he was thinking when Guzman let the popup drop in, Woodward said: "He better strike [Owings] out."

"I would have taken him out [if he didn't]," Woodward said. "It was borderline crossing the line."

Asked about the play, Cora -- who remained in the Boston dugout for several minutes after the game, staring out toward the field -- didn't comment on it specifically, only saying: "I'm just happy our guys are playing the right way."

The 126 pitches are the most Minor has thrown in a single game in his career and are tied for third-most in a game this season in the majors.

Minor (14-10) struck out six of his first 11 batters. He got another in the fifth but didn't get his eighth until Sam Travis ended the seventh on Minor's 117th pitch, which matched his career high.

When Minor walked the batter before Travis, Woodward took a step out of the dugout toward the mound before getting waved back by the 31-year-old.

"I told him that I couldn't give him too many pitches," Woodward said. "From a number standpoint, I know it's just a number [200 strikeouts], but it's a big deal. This guy has been our best pitcher all year. ... All year he's just been unbelievable. I felt I owed it to him."

Boston went 1-2-3 in the eighth on three pitches, two groundouts and a popout. So Minor came back out for the ninth. Sandy Leon flied out before the Owings at-bat.

"It's just an accomplishment that I was looking at this past offseason of wanting to improve on this year," Minor said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.