I Dig Sports
Rookies see Reddish, not Zion, having best career
Published in
Basketball
Monday, 19 August 2019 14:23
Zion Williamson has been hailed as the next big thing in the NBA, but his colleagues in the incoming rookie class aren't sold on the idea that the No. 1 overall pick will have a great NBA career.
In the league's annual survey of rookies, players were asked which member of the 2019 class would have the best career. Williamson received only 5% of the votes.
Cam Reddish, Williamson's teammate at Duke, garnered 19% of the votes. Reddish went to the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick of the draft.
Reddish was followed by Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies with 16% of the votes and De'Andre Hunter of the Hawks with 11%.
Williamson was tied with RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks, Coby White of the Chicago Bulls and Williamson's teammate on the New Orleans Pelicans, Jaxson Hayes.
It was the sixth straight year that a Duke player finished first in the category, with Reddish following in a line that includes Jabari Parker (2014), Jahlil Okafor (2015), Brandon Ingram (2016), Jayson Tatum (2017) and Wendell Carter Jr. last season.
The survey was posted Monday on NBA.com.
Williamson was picked to win Rookie of the Year by his colleagues, earning 35% of the votes to edge Morant, who received 27%. In the 10 years of the survey, the rookies have tabbed the eventual Rookie of the Year only once. That came in 2007, when they correctly named Kevin Durant.
Williamson also was chosen most athletic by a wide margin, getting 87% of the votes to 8% for the Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke.
Denver Nuggets center Bol Bol was tabbed as the steal of the draft, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was chosen as the best shooter, Philadelphia 76ers swingman Matisse Thybulle the best defender and Morant the best playmaker.
For the third straight year, the rookies chose LeBron James as their favorite player.
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Pop's plans, scrimmage woes and more big Team USA takeaways
Published in
Basketball
Sunday, 18 August 2019 15:14
After training camps in Las Vegas and Southern California over the past two weeks, Team USA travels to Australia to continue preparation for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. And with roster shakeups and questions surrounding the strength of Gregg Popovich's crew, what should we expect when tournament play tips off on Aug. 31?
Brian Windhorst and Ohm Youngmisuk discuss the biggest talking points for Team USA:
BW: I was really surprised De'Aaron Fox pulled out over the weekend. I thought he looked great in the practices and was a lock to make the team. But he didn't play much in the games. After he played only six minutes in the exhibition against Spain, maybe he wasn't totally sure he would make it and didn't want to go all the way to Australia only to have to come back in a week.
OY: I'm pretty stunned. I recently wrote about how he seemed poised to not only be on the team but be a potential breakout candidate. Marcus Smart and Kemba Walker raved about Fox being the fastest player in the NBA, and Fox told me how he was picking up leadership tips from Kyle Lowry. He said that even if he didn't make Team USA, he already has become a better player from the practices and learning from Pop. I thought he would make the team with Lowry's thumb injury, and this would propel him into the season and possibly ignite a breakout year. He played only six minutes against Spain, but I thought it was because Pop wanted to see what Derrick White could do with this team.
BW: I don't know, maybe that was an issue. Maybe he thought if it came down to him or White that Pop might lean toward the Spur. Trae Young left the Select Team because his eye was infected, but only after he found out White was getting promoted to the senior team ahead of him. We'll see whether Fox addresses it later, but I doubt Pop would choose anyone except the best player for each spot.
OY: Right.
BW: White has had a hell of a 12 months, no? He was in the G League mostly as a rookie. Then he got a chance in San Antonio when Dejounte Murray got hurt, and now here he is on the verge of making the national team.
OY: I was sitting there in the first half watching White and thinking how I've already witnessed some of his best and worst in just the past few months. I covered that first-round series between the Nuggets and Spurs when he absolutely dominated a couple of games and looked as if he were on the verge of stardom before the Nuggets made defensive adjustments. And then in the first half on Friday, he had a few plays where he struggled a little before making a nice assist off penetration and then a nice floater late in the game.
BW: Who has impressed you the most? Donovan Mitchell has impressed me -- Jayson Tatum's shooting, too. And Khris Middleton, after looking bad in the first week, was way better Friday night.
OY: Donovan has impressed me the most. From the first practice in Vegas to the most recent exhibition, I love the aggressiveness from him and, perhaps even more importantly, I love what I'm hearing from him every time he talks. He sounds like this is an opportunity to win gold for USA in the Olympics and not just a World Cup that many are taking for granted.
He's treating this not only as an honor to represent his country but to really take another step forward in his progression. He's not just starting, but I think we're going to see him run point at times to spell Kemba and create for teammates. I also think his athleticism and scoring will make him stand out in the World Cup.
BW: The way he moves reminds me so much of Dwyane Wade. He's got a strong lower body, so he moves side to side with such power. I know I'm not the first to say that.
OY: Mitchell sure is a bright spot, but what concerns you about this team? I wonder sometimes whether they're going to be consistent enough shooting from the perimeter in international play. I feel like they have some streaky shooters, and as a result, Joe Harris, the only true knockdown specialist, could play a role next month in games when they might get tight and shoot poorly.
BW: If you've ever watched much international basketball, and maybe I've seen too much, so often it comes down to the 3-pointer. The Europeans were ahead of us in spreading the floor with bigs who could shoot and pass.
It's like an NCAA tournament game. Team USA will always have a No. 1 seed and always the most talent. But if the Americans run into the wrong hot-shooting team on the wrong day, beware. That's why Harris will make it -- he's a zone-buster. He made one shot Friday: a 3 against a zone that helped salt away the win. That's why he's here.
OY: You're taking me back to some of Michigan State's NCAA games over the years. Too many scares.
BW: Sparty seems to do quite well -- I seem to remember seeing photos on your IG from the Final Four last year. The Euro game is how Pop wants to play. What'd you think of his mood this week?
OY: I was impressed with Pop's mood this entire last week. He has been patient with media members he doesn't know or see here around Team USA compared to during the regular season. He has fielded question after question and offered up some longer answers, some even with a little humor. I thought he'd be moodier.
BW: What about after that scrimmage when they got hammered by the Select Team this week?
OY: You could hear Smart imploring the team to play better by saying how embarrassing it was that they got beat so bad. It was 36-17 in just 10 minutes. P.J. Tucker and others thought the media was blowing it out of proportion, especially after the team had just gone through a two-hour practice. But some coaches watching in the stands were just as surprised as many of us were.
1:34
Team USA out-hooped by Select Team
Team USA's main roster loses 36-17 in a scrimmage against the Select Team, which is primarily made up of G League players.
BW: Well, they lost some scrimmages to the Select Team in Vegas. One was like 23-9 or something. Then they killed them in the real game. Maybe it's all part of Pop's plan: He probably wants the team to face some level of adversity. Maybe he even would secretly be OK if they got humbled in Australia this week. They play two games in the national rugby stadium in Melbourne in front of 50,000 people and then play the Canadians in Sydney.
OY: Oh, Windy, you missed one important development. Brook Lopez shaved his beard! I asked him why: He said it was driving him crazy and that he knows his mother will be watching him and he wanted to look more presentable. LOL!
BW: Yeah, but she lets Robin get away with that hair. Thanks for covering the team this week while I got ready to go overseas. See you in September after I'm back from the World Cup in China.
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NEW YORK -- Al Jackson, a tough left-hander who provided a rare glint of hope in the early days of the woebegone New York Mets, has died at 83.
His death was announced by the Mets, for whom he worked for 50 years as a pitcher, major league coach, minor league pitching coordinator and front-office adviser. He died Monday at a nursing home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after a long illness.
The Mets said in a statement it would be "impossible to calculate the number of players and staff he touched and influenced during his career."
Jackson pitched in the majors for 10 seasons, and no season was more challenging than the one in 1962 when the expansion Mets entered the majors and lost 120 games. "Little" Al Jackson, although he was 5-foot-10, had a record of 8-20 and 4.40 ERA. The next two years he went 13-17 and 11-16.
Jackson was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966 for Ken Boyer. He joined the majors with Pittsburgh in 1959 and for his career went 67-99 with a 3.98 ERA. He later was pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
Jackson was born in Waco, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Nadine, sons Reggie and Barry and two grandchildren.
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Nationals ace Max Scherzer expects to return to Washington's rotation Thursday after missing nearly four weeks with a rhomboid strain, declaring himself "ready to pitch."
Scherzer discussed his schedule for this week on Sunday, one day after throwing a 65-pitch simulated game. The three-time Cy Young Award winner will throw a bullpen session Monday and, unless he suffers a setback, will be activated from the 10-day injured list to start Thursday against the Pirates.
"He'll be on his normal schedule now, and then if everything goes well, he's probable for Thursday," Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters.
Scherzer said he experienced "anticipated" soreness Sunday morning and that "everything feels right where it should be."
"There's no extra soreness other than what I anticipated," he said. "To me, that's right on par."
The Nationals (67-56) enter Monday 5½ games behind the first-place Braves (74-52) in the National League East but are 1½ games ahead of the Cubs (66-58) for the league's first wild card.
Scherzer originally hit the IL on July 13 before returning to pitch against the Rockies on July 25, allowing three runs in five innings and throwing a season-low 86 pitches.
Four days later, Scherzer again landed on the IL, where he's been since. The right-hander is 9-5 with a 2.41 ERA in 20 starts this season and is second in the NL with 189 strikeouts.
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Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale is expected to avoid Tommy John surgery after a second opinion on his injured left elbow from Dr. James Andrews confirmed a previous diagnosis of inflammation, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.
Sale, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, flew to meet with Andrews on Monday, sources said. The 30-year-old is in the midst of the worst season of his 10-year career after this spring signing a contract extension that begins in 2020 and pays him $145 million over five years.
Following his last start six days ago, Sale felt soreness in his elbow and underwent an MRI. Initial readings showed changes from the MRI he had in the spring but weren't clear enough to definitively judge whether there was damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.
Monday's news delivered a collective sigh of relief to Boston. The course of treatment for Sale is unclear, as is his timetable to return, though both are expected to be determined in the coming days, according to sources.
With a 6-11 record and 4.40 ERA, Sale has struggled despite an American League-best strikeout rate and an elite strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has struggled with home runs, allowing 24 in 147 ⅓ innings, more than 60% higher than what he's averaged in his illustrious career.
Sale is coming off arguably the best season of his career, even though a shoulder injury sent him to the injured list twice in the second half of 2018. He nevertheless pitched to a 2.11 ERA, and while his stuff in the playoffs was substandard, Sale finished the Red Sox's dominant World Series run by striking out the side to clinch the championship.
The diminished velocity on Sale's fastball didn't scare the Red Sox away from handing him a long-term deal the year before he reached free agency. Boston, which is paying Sale $15 million this year as part of his first contract extension, owes him $30 million in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and $27.5 million in 2023 and 2024.
Early-season velocity worries this year eventually waned, and occasional flashes of brilliance reminded of classic Sale. Just 10 days ago, Sale shut out the Los Angeles Angels for eight innings, allowing two hits, walking none and striking out 13. In his last start, against Cleveland, he punched out 12 in 6 ⅔ innings. His elbow began hurting the day after that start, sources said, and after informing the team of the issues Friday, Sale underwent an MRI Saturday.
Even with his struggles, the loss of Sale for any period of time will hurt the Red Sox as they try to claw back into the playoff picture. A 13-7 victory Sunday finished a sweep of Baltimore and extended their winning streak to five games, but the Red Sox still find themselves 6 ½ games behind the Rays for the second wild-card spot and five games back of the Athletics as well.
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England win at Manchester International – weekly round-up
Published in
Athletics
Monday, 19 August 2019 06:54
Highlights from the past week of athletics action, including results from the Manchester International, Scottish Championships and Folksam Grand Prix
Find a report on men’s events action at the Müller Grand Prix in Birmingham here, while women’s events coverage can be found here.
Other recent highlights are below.
Manchester International, Sportcity, August 14
This team event, which took place at a wet Sportcity, saw the England team finish on top.
The best performances came in the hammer.
In the women’s event, Jessica Mayho strengthened her hold on second position in the UK rankings behind Sophie Hitchen as she improved her PB to 66.44m with a two-metre plus win over Scotland’s Rachel Hunter.
The men’s event saw a win for Osian Jones as the Welshman threw a quality 73.09m to gain victory over Craig Murch.
In the men’s discus, former NCAA champion Nick Percy won with a 61.09m throw which gave him a clear win over top UK-ranked Gregory Thompson.
Cameron Corbishley showed good speed for the upcoming 50km in Doha with a 11:44.98 win in the 3000m race walk.
Britain’s two European under-20 800m champions both won with superb kicks. Oliver Dustin won by over a second in 1:50.08, while Isabelle Boffey took the women’s race in 2:06.98.
Another junior who kicked to victory was European under-18 3000m champion Thomas Keen in the mile.
Kimbely Baptiste followed up her England Championships successes with another sprint double with wins in 11.61 and 23.55.
Adam Thomas won the men’s match 100m in 10.44 though Sam Gordon went quicker with 10.31 in another race.
There were impressive para-athletics wins for Sophie Hahn with a 12.72 200m and American Mikey Brannigan in the 1500m, which he won in 3:54.72.
Scottish FPSG Senior & U17 Championships, Grangemouth, August 17-18
Winners on day one included Michael Olsen (10.38, +2.5m/sec) and Katy Wyper (11.85, +3.2m/sec) in the 100m, Annabel Simpson (16:40.28) in the 5000m, Kirsty Law (53.28m) in the discus and Nikki Manson (1.87m) in the high jump.
Jax Thoirs set a championship best performance of 5.33m to retain his pole vault title.
JAX THOIRS SOARS #FPSGathletics
Top photos @Bobby_ThatOneMo from Grangemouthhttps://t.co/XgQEhTvVIX@SALMarkMunro @JaxThoirs @VP_Glasgow_AC @JomaSportUK @SALDevelopment @MaguireSal @JulieWy1 @FCTrust @VincoSport @SAL_Coaching pic.twitter.com/xkRFBy2IYh— scottishathletics (@scotathletics) August 18, 2019
On day two, Nick Percy claimed a fourth men’s discus title with his throw of 59.92m, while Rachel Hunter claimed her second hammer title with a best throw of 64.01m.
Two GB internationals – senior Neil Gourley and European under-20 finalist Sarah Calvert – won the 800m titles in respective times of 1:48.79 and 2:08.37.
Sarah Inglis took the 1500m title after running 4:13.42 and Welsh athlete Kristian Jones won the 5000m in 14:15.66. Sarah Warnock retained her long jump title with a leap of 6.07m.
After her high jump win, Manson also won the javelin with a throw of 40.01m.
Kayleigh Haggo improved the world record in the women’s RR2 race running 400m with her time of 82.52.
Lee Valley Sprint Double 100m Open Series, August 14
Romell Glave, racing with a 2.5m/sec tailwind, had a sensational 100m breakthrough with 10.06.
The 19 year-old’s previous fastest was a legal 10.21 in winning at the British Under-20 Championships in 2017.
Cork City Sports International, Cork, Ireland, August 14
World champion Luvo Manyonga won the long jump with a meeting record of 8.20m (+0.6m/sec).
USA’s Candace Hill ran 11.37 (+3.2m/sec) and 23.07 (+1.6m/sec) in the sprints.
Britain’s Asha Philip ran 11.47 for third in the 100m, while Ashleigh Nelson clocked 23.16 in the 200m ahead of Finette Agyapong with 23.18.
USA’s Isaiah Harris won the 800m in 1:47.41 ahead of GB’s Spencer Thomas (1:47.83) and Jake Wightman (1:47.95).
BMC Regional Races, Tipton, August 13
Sarah McDonald achieved her first sub-two-minute 800m, paced by Lynsey Sharp.
1.59.91!! I finally broke 2 mins for the 800 ?? HUGE thanks to Lynsey Sharp for pacing ?
— Sarah McDonald (@SarahAMcDonald) August 13, 2019
Her 1:59.91 puts her fifth in the 2019 UK rankings as she won the race by over five seconds.
Folksam Grand Prix, Gothenburg, Sweden, August 16
European champion Armand Duplantis won the pole vault with 5.90m before three attempts at 6.00m, while Kalle Berglund improved his Swedish record to 3:34.89 to win the 1500m.
There was a British one-two in the women’s long jump for Shara Proctor (6.56m, +1.0m/sec) and Jazmin Sawyers (6.44m, +1.2m/sec).
Algeria’s Abdelmalik Lahoulou won the 400m hurdles in 49.66 from GB’s Dai Greene in 50.05.
British Athletics Parallel Success, Newham, August 18
European silver medallist Rafi Solaiman broke the RR3 race running 100m world record by 0.02 with his time of 17.24.
Racing for the first time this year, Richard Whitehead clocked 24.35 (-0.8m/sec) for 200m.
New Balance Falmouth Road Race, USA, August 18
Leonard Korir became the first American man to win the seven-mile race in 31 years, breaking the tape in 32:11.
Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi won the women’s race in 36:29.
Britain’s Tish Jones and Lily Partridge finished fourth and 15th with respective times of 37:43 and 39:48.
Athlete Night Games, Fukui, Japan, August 17
In the men’s long jump, Shotaro Shiroyama broke the 27-year-old Japanese record with a leap of 8.40m (+1.5m/sec). Behind him there were also PBs for Yuki Hashioka with 8.32m (+1.6m/sec) and Hibiki Tsuha with 8.23m (+0.6m/sec).
【Athlete Night Games in Fukui?】
城山正太郎‼日本新??????
8.40(+1.5)
9.98スタジアム pic.twitter.com/Vm4MVl0WZ2— JAAF（日本陸上競技連盟） (@jaaf_official) August 17, 2019
There were also national records by Shun-ya Takayama with 13.25 (+1.1m/sec) in the 110m hurdles and Asuka Terada with 13.00 (+1.4m/sec) in the 100m hurdles.
World Orienteering Championships, Østfold, Norway, August 12-17
The women’s distance race was won by Skyrunning world champion Tove Alexandersson of Sweden by more than six minutes ahead of her team-mate Lina Strand. Britain’s Jo Shepherd was 21st and Charlotte Watson 36th.
Olav Lundanes won the men’s title on home soil, a minute and a half ahead of his team-mate Kasper Fosser. Great Britain’s Hector Haines and Graham Gristwood finished in 20th and 21st.
The next day, Alexandersson and Lundanes both also won the middle distance events. GB’s Megan Carter Davies, Jo Shepherd and Catherine Taylor finished in 21st, 24th and 27th respectively in the women’s race, while Ralph Street was 19th and Peter Hodkinson 31st in the men’s event.
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Thomas heads into uncharted territory at East Lake after dominant BMW win
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 18 August 2019 13:10
MEDINAH, Ill. – Thanks to a dominating weekend performance at Medinah Country Club, Justin Thomas will head to the Tour Championship as the man to beat.
Thomas started the final round of the BMW Championship with a six-shot lead after shattering the course record with a third-round 61, and while things got a little more interesting than he would have preferred he still managed to win the season’s penultimate event by three shots over Patrick Cantlay. It means that Thomas, not Player of the Year frontrunner Brooks Koepka, will tee off at East Lake with a two-shot lead at 10 under using the Tour’s new staggered scoring format.
Thomas bogeyed the opening hole Sunday, and he nearly found disaster on the par-5 10th when a double-crossed 3-wood was kept in bounds only after bouncing off a boundary fence. But the former world No. 1 steadied his nerve from there, curling in four birdies over his final eight holes to keep at bay the charges of Cantlay and third-place Hideki Matsuyama, who closed with a 63.
The win was the 10th of Thomas’ career, and his first since the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational more than a year ago.
“It’s been awhile,” Thomas said. “It’s always easy when things are going well. When your back is up against the wall, or when you get pressured or put a little heat on you, I think how you respond is sometimes a little bit better or shows a little bit more.”
Thomas won the FedExCup two years ago to cap a remarkable season that included five wins and his maiden major. Now he’ll begin the 30-man event with a quantified advantage, two shots clear of Cantlay, three clear of third-place Koepka and 10 shots ahead of Nos. 26-30 in the standings.
“Definitely beats the position I was in at the beginning of this week,” Thomas said. “I can certainly say, a thousand percent, I’ve never slept on a Wednesday lead. But I’m definitely excited for that, and I’m just going to try to win the golf tournament as if everybody starts at zero.”
Thomas suffered a wrist injury earlier this year, one that led him to withdraw from both the Wells Fargo Championship, where he won his PGA title, and the PGA Championship at Bethpage. Thomas expressed at the time that those decisions were made out of an abundance of caution, and that strategy appears to have paid off based on the torrid stretch with which he has closed the season.
Thomas has channeled his 2017 form in recent weeks, finishing T-12 or better in each of his last four starts. And that was before he bent Medinah to his will, shooting 15 under par over his final 36 holes on a course with a major pedigree.
“I just kept telling myself I was beating everything by six through three rounds with a very mediocre Friday,” Thomas said. “I felt I was playing better than everybody else, and I felt that I was and I felt that I was good enough that I was going to be just fine. You’re going to have bogeys.”
Now Thomas will make the trek south to Atlanta, where two years ago he won the season-long prize but not the Tour Championship title. With the two trophies now unified under the Tour’s new scoring format, he’s eager to head into uncharted waters equipped with an enviable position at the top.
“I truly have no idea. There’s nobody in the history of this sport that has experienced it, so nobody knows,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be weird. It’s going to be different, I know.”
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Ogletree rallies to take down Augenstein in U.S. Amateur final
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 18 August 2019 13:52
PINEHURST, N.C. – Andy Ogletree was in danger of being blown out of the U.S. Amateur final. He kept his poise - and his confidence - and came back to win.
Ogletree won the U.S. Amateur on Sunday, rallying to beat John Augenstein, 2 and 1.
"Everyone on (his Georgia Tech) team says Andy's blood pressure's got to be negative," Ogletree quipped.
Ogletree was 4 down early in the morning round of the 36-hole final at Pinehurst's renovated No. 4, but won four of the final seven holes on the No. 2 course to claim the championship matchup of 21-year-old college seniors.
"I showed a lot of resilience out there and never gave up," Ogletree said. "Kept telling myself I'm going to win this tournament and always believed that. Even when I was 4 down through six (holes), I just kept telling myself ... keep hitting fairways, keep hitting greens and it'll eventually go your way."
The Mississippian became the third Georgia Tech player to win the Amateur, joining 1997 winner Matt Kuchar and five-time champion Bobby Jones.
He ended it on the 17th, sticking his tee shot on the par-3 hole on the green and two-putting for par. Augenstein placed his tee shot on the left fringe and four-putted for a double bogey.
"I fought my hardest, but in the end, I didn't make enough putts or hit enough great shots to beat him," Augenstein said. "He was really super solid and made no mistakes."
Augenstein, from Kentucky, was the first Vanderbilt player to reach the final since Luke List in 2004. At No. 38 in the world amateur ranking, he was the highest-ranked player to reach the semifinals and the only one in the top 100.
Ogletree kept himself within striking distance and was never worse than 2 down during the afternoon round. He squared the match on the 13th hole after landing his second shot within 5 feet of the flagstick and tapping in for a birdie, then took the lead on the 14th after Augenstein pushed a short par putt wide left.
"I just kept putting the pressure on John," Ogletree said, "and it worked out for me."
This was the first time the U.S. Amateur's final was split over two courses, finishing at No. 2, which has become a regular USGA championship host. Overlooking the 18th green is a statue of the late Payne Stewart marking his victory in the 1999 U.S. Open with a fist-pump.
During match play, neither of these players saw it very often.
Only one of Ogletree's matches reached the 18th while three ended on the 15th hole or earlier. For Augenstein, four of his first five matches were wrapped up by the 16th, and - until the final four holes of the final - the only time he trailed came on the third hole of his semifinal match with William Holcomb V. Holcomb's 1-up lead was gone a hole later.
Early on, it looked as though this was Augenstein's match to lose. He went ahead 4 up during his hot start that included winning four straight holes and reeling off three birdies in a row on Nos. 3-5. Ogletree clawed back, finished the morning round at 2 down to begin his comeback.
"I got off to the start that you always want to get off to on one of these days," Augenstein said. "It's 36 holes. If I was in his position, I'd be thinking the same thing - there was a lot of golf left. I wasn't at all complacent about thinking I've got this thing won through six holes."
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U.S. Am finalists join America's team of 10 for Walker Cup
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 18 August 2019 14:46
PINEHURST, N.C. – John Augenstein accomplished one of his goals Sunday.
He was named to the U.S. Walker Cup team.
That was his stated goal before the start of the week, and even though he lost, 2 and 1, to Andy Ogletree in the scheduled 36-hole final of the U.S. Amateur, Augenstein had done enough to impress the USGA committee and earn a spot on the 10-man roster that will compete against Great Britain and Ireland on Sept. 7-8 at Royal Liverpool.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, because I was told about 30 seconds after I lost the match,” Augenstein said. “That’s going to be a dream come true. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait.”
Ogletree was automatically added to the team after his breakout victory at Pinehurst. He admitted that making the squad wasn’t even a consideration at the start of the week.
The rest of the team was finalized after the championship match.
The USGA announced that Brandon Wu, Isaiah Salinda, Steven Fisk, John Pak and Alex Smalley will round out the squad, which hasn’t won on foreign soil since 2007. Cole Hammer, Akshay Bhatia and Stewart Hagestad had already been named to the team by virtue of their standing in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
Along those left off were former Texas A&M standout Chandler Phillips and incoming Florida freshman Ricky Castillo. They were named first and second alternates, respectively, even though Phillips didn’t take the news well. On Sunday night he tweeted, “Ever(sic) 2 years someone gets boned and I just got the call letting me know I have been chosing(sic) for this award! Lol thanks!”
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'Life is fixin’ to change': Ogletree goes from bagging groceries to U.S. Am champ
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 18 August 2019 14:43
PINEHURST, N.C. – U.S. Amateur champions don’t come from Little Rock, Mississippi, the no-stoplight, unincorporated community of less than 2,000 residents. It’s where the post office sits in a trailer. Where boys go backroading for fun. Where the most happening place on a Friday night is Chesney’s Grocery & Cafe, the gas station that offers a seafood buffet with fried catfish and boiled shrimp (4 1/2 stars!).
And then along came Andy Ogletree.
Growing up in this small town he practically lived on the golf course, but to earn a little cash he’d bag groceries at his father’s Piggly Wiggly for $7.35 an hour. “I always told him: ‘If this doesn’t work out, you’re going to be bagging groceries the rest of your life,’” Jim Ogletree said. “He dug a little when I said that.”
This weekend the elder Ogletree received a call from one of his friends back home. All of the customers waiting in line were glued to their phones, watching Andy bomb drives and hole clutch putts and eventually make history.
“I don’t think he wants to do the grocery business,” Jim said with a chuckle, “and he sure ain’t going to have to now.”
No, Ogletree’s future seems as secure as ever.
During a taut championship match at Pinehurst, Ogletree overcame a big early deficit, took his first lead on the 32nd hole and hung on to capture the U.S. Amateur with a stunning 2-and-1 victory over John Augenstein.
It’ll all come the 21-year-old’s way now: The Walker Cup. The major exemptions. The early-round tee times with Tiger Woods at Augusta National. But so will the myriad distractions, the toll that’s paid when the small-town hero makes it big.
Ogletree might have lived in the middle of nowhere, but he had no shortage of golf options growing up. He learned the game at age 5 and took free lessons from Jimmy Gamblin, the former head pro at Northwood Country Club in Meridian. Within a year Ogletree was competing in national tournaments, even though much of his time was spent honing his game in the backyard. Jim and the boys built a practice facility by themselves, digging out a bunker and installing a parking lot light over the putting green. “I’ll always call that place home,” Andy said.
His rural upbringing didn’t stunt his development. Ogletree still won the Class AA state high school title five times, including one year by 16 shots. While playing in an AJGA tournament, he caught the attention of Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler. Onto the tee wandered this skinny redhead with horn-rimmed glasses, and then he striped a drive down the fairway. Heppler was smitten. “He looks like he’s smart and a nerd,” Heppler recalled, “and I’m going, There’s my guy. I’ve been all-in ever since.”
Not everyone in Little Rock was onboard, however – and apparently neither were some of Ogletree’s family members. After committing to Tech, Ogletree’s younger brother wrapped an arm about Heppler and whispered, half-jokingly, “You just made the biggest mistake of your life. Andy ain’t smart enough to go to school here.”
Ogletree also harbored some doubts about his ability, constantly comparing himself to some of the state’s more prominent players, especially in this golden age of Mississippi golf with the emergence of NCAA champion Braden Thornberry and former Alabama star Davis Riley.
“I think it hurt him at the start because he couldn’t see himself being great,” Heppler said. “I just kept telling him that we’re gonna be better than all of those guys. He didn’t see himself, and hopefully now he does. You just have to believe or you don’t have a chance.”
When Ogletree arrived on campus, he weighed 145 pounds and despised the weight room. Now, he’s 33 pounds heavier, with a muscular torso and thick lower body. One of his teammates recently showed him a picture from his freshman year. “I look like a different human,” he said.
His game bears little resemblance, too. Though Ogletree has always been a ball-basher, he took his game to another level during his junior season. During the fall break Heppler summoned Ogletree to a meeting and told him that, to make it on the PGA Tour, he needed to improve his short game. Drastically. So Ogletree put in the work, spending time with Jeff Patton and even receiving a helpful tip from teammate Noah Norton that straightened out his hook putting stroke. Averaging five three-putts a tournament, Ogletree went three events in a row without a three-jack, shedding a stroke and a half off his scoring average and posting six consecutive top-15 finishes. By season’s end, he was ranked inside the top 20 in the country.
This summer he won the Monroe Invitational to further bolster his confidence, but he never strayed far from his roots. Instead of playing in the Western Amateur and appeasing the USGA’s Walker Cup committee, Ogletree instead unwound at the Neshoba County Fair, where he crammed into a cabin with 40 to 50 family members.
The extra R&R proved helpful for what turned out to be the longest week of his career. Ogletree played a pair of practice rounds, two days of stroke play and then blew through five matches in four days. In the 36-hole championship match he faced off against Augenstein, the Vanderbilt senior who has become a match-play savant, boasting a 17-3-1 record in singles since spring 2017.
Early Sunday morning, on Pinehurst No. 4, it looked as though Ogletree might become Augenstein’s next victim. Ogletree fell 4 down through five holes, but he never lost hope. He assumed, correctly, that Augenstein’s hot start was unsustainable (even though he’d go on to shoot a course-record 65) and that his game was plenty sharp, too. Ogletree made four birdies of his own, none bigger than his 25-footer from the fringe on 18 that cut the deficit to just 2 up heading into the two-hour break.
“The whole lunch I was ready to go and ready to get back out there,” Ogletree said.
Ogletree was still 2 down heading to the back nine, but he won the 11th hole with a par and then tied the match on 14 after stuffing a wedge shot when he laid back on the driveable par 4.
“That definitely turned the match,” he said.
Ogletree took the lead for the first time on the 32nd hole, then persevered it with a par save on 16 that underscored just how far he’s come. In the greenside bunker on 16, Ogletree delicately splashed out to 10 feet.
“I’m not sure he gets the ball on the green by himself eight months ago,” said Heppler, but Ogletree pulled it off, with thousands of people watching and the U.S. Amateur on the line.
The gutsy par save kept him in front, then he closed out the match after Augenstein made a mess of the par-3 17th.
Ogletree was unflappable for eight hours, but he finally let loose when he was mobbed on the green by his caddie/assistant coach, Devin Stanton, and family and friends.
Asked how his victory would be received in Little Rock, Ogletree smiled. “There’s no telling,” he said. “I’m sure there’s a lot of adult beverages going down right now.”
The next year figures to be a whirlwind. Ogletree doesn’t own a passport, but he’ll head late next week to England for the Walker Cup. He’ll soon become a hot commodity for player agents and tournament directors. The Masters looms next spring. The summer Opens, too. Suddenly, his pro outlook looks brighter than any of the other recent Mississippi products.
“He’s really good, y’all,” Heppler said. “Looking at his skillset, it’s as good as we’ve had.”
And for Jim Ogletree, well, that’s unbelievable to hear. He grew up in the same small town. The Piggly Wiggly has been in the family business for nearly a century. His wife, Melissa, has worked as a first-grade teacher for the past 25 years, and she recently contemplated retirement.
“Probably now wishes she would have,” Jim Ogletree said. “Life is fixin’ to change.”
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