In the latest edition of the Golf Central Podcast, Will Gray and Nick Menta look back at Patrick Reed's WGC-Mexico Championship win, Reed's likely place on the U.S. Ryder Cup roster, and Bryson DeChambeau's apparent kinship with the controversial Captain America.

They also discuss Viktor Hovland's breakthrough win in Puerto Rico, Josh Teater's tearful defeat and look ahead to the week that will be at the Honda Classic. Listen in: 

Act like you’ve been there.

Well, Tiger Woods has been there, and he is indeed acting like it with the Champions Dinner he intends to serve at the Masters.

The five-time Masters champion explained during a conference call with reporters Tuesday that he plans to serve a familiar menu at the game’s most exclusive dinner party.

“Being born and raised in SoCal, having fajitas and sushi was a part of my entire childhood, and I'm going back to what I had in 2006,” Woods said. “So, we'll have steak and chicken fajitas, and we'll have sushi and sashimi out on the deck, and I hope the guys will enjoy it.”

Woods also said he’s considering serving milkshakes for desert like he did during the 1998 dinner.

“That was one of the most great memories to see Gene Sarazen and Sam Snead having milkshakes that night in '98,” he said.

England's World Cup celebrations have continued with Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler collecting honours at Buckingham Palace.

The pair were named alongside their World Cup-winning captain, Eoin Morgan, coach, Trevor Bayliss, and Joe Root on the New Year's Honours list and received their awards from the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William.

Stokes, who also won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in December, was made an OBE for services to cricket and Buttler was made an MBE following a remarkable year for the England team, who beat New Zealand to win the men's World Cup for the first time in the most thrilling of finals at Lord's.

Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 in the final - including two sixes in the last over - to tie the game, and then batted in the Super Over to help England to a memorable triumph. Stokes also hit a stirring 135 not out to hand England victory in the third Ashes Test at Headingley. Meanwhile, it was Buttler who featured in the decisive moment of the World Cup when he gathered Jason Roy's throw and completed the run-out of Martin Guptill, which meant England won the title on boundaries scored.

The pair were joined at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday by Colin Graves, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, who was recognised with a CBE for services to the sport.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, it's two great players and to share the day with them is brilliant," Graves told the Press Association. "You just have to look at the Sports Personality of the Year awards, Stokesy won the main award, the team won the team award, the team won the moments of the year award."

Morgan is due to be appointed a CBE and Root is to be made an MBE, while Bayliss will be made an OBE.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady shared a five-paragraph essay Tuesday that he wrote about how he has been "deeply affected" by the death of Kobe Bryant, Bryant's daughter Gianna, and seven others in a January helicopter crash.

In the piece posted on social media titled "What's really important?" Brady wrote that after witnessing the "outpouring of love and support for the families that had so much left to give," it has helped him reflect and gain perspective. He shared that the tragedy has kept him up at night and led to many tears.

pic.twitter.com/F4qhsWHxLF

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 25, 2020

Brady posted the essay one day after a celebration of Bryant's life in Los Angeles included touching remarks from Bryant's widow, Vanessa, as well as basketball stars Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Diana Taurasi, among others.

"In Kobe, we were able to witness the man in the arena. For many of us, sports show what we are made of, they define our personalities and emotions. We cannot hide from the good or the bad, from the wins or the losses ... the joy and despair, the happiness and the pain," Brady wrote.

"What you see is what it is, we aren't actors. We have found a real life stage where we become vulnerable to the world and are judged based on the outcome of each performance. And we care deeply about what we do.

"For some, these days are the pinnacle of their life, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's clear to me, for Kobe, that was how he lived his life in every way. In his second chapter, you saw even more."

Brady noted how Bryant "had the energy to recognize in others what they could not recognize in themselves."

"I think that's why I will miss him most," Brady wrote, later calling Bryant a "real superhero our world needs.

"That's why we hurt. Because we know that he was always fighting against the norm. He was doing more than his share. Now who is going to do the work that is still here to be done? Who is going to fight and break the norms with love and joy and inspiration? Who is going to discard fear, and doubt, and hate? Who is going to carry the load and be the superhero that he was?

"The answer is simple to me, ALL OF US. Decide to make the change in yourself. If there is anything I have learned and been inspired by through this tragic event, it is this, SEIZE THE DAY. That's what Kobe always did, and that's what he wanted for us too."

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Denver Broncos have no intention of letting safety Justin Simmons hit the open market.

Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway said Tuesday at the scouting combine that the Broncos will indeed use the franchise tag on Simmons if the team and Simmons cannot work out a long-term deal.

Simmons, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft who is set to enter his fifth season, is poised to be an unrestricted free agent March 18 when the new league year begins. But Elway made it clear his goal is to lock up Simmons with new multiyear deal.

"We're hoping to get a deal done before that, but if we don't get something done, we'll use the tag,'' Elway said.

Teams can designate a franchise player between Feb. 27 and March 12. The franchise player then receives a one-year deal that is calculated using a five-year period for the average of the highest-paid players at his position.

The projected franchise tag salary for safeties for 2020 under the current collective bargaining agreement is expected to be about $11.6 million. The franchise player tender is guaranteed for the season as soon as the player signs it.

Elway said the day after the Broncos finished at 7-9 -- the team's fourth consecutive playoff miss -- he had told Simmons the team wanted to re-sign him. Simmons played at a Pro Bowl level in his first year in Vic Fangio's system, as he was tied for second on the team with 93 tackles and led the team with four interceptions as well as 15 passes defensed.

Re-signing Simmons will likely take elite money. The five highest-paid safeties in the league all have contracts that average $14 million and $14.6 million per season. The Broncos, before they've made any roster moves, are scheduled to have more than $60 million worth of salary-cap space.

Simmons has started 48 games in his career, including 16 starts in each of the past two seasons. Simmons has also played every defensive snap in each of the last two seasons.

Elway expressed confidence Tuesday that a long-term deal could be worked out in the coming weeks.

"You would hope so; the bottom line is it's got to be fair for Justin and it's got to be fair for us,'' Elway said. "Hopefully we can get to that point ... I think we'll be able, hopefully, to get something done with Justin. He's an important piece of what we do. We want to get something done.''

INDIANAPOLIS -- The fourth pick in this year's NFL draft can be had for the right price. The New York Giants are "open for business," according to general manager Dave Gettleman.

The Giants join the Detroit Lions, who pick third overall in this April's draft, as willing to at least listen to offers. Lions general manager Bob Quinn recently said he would be "open to any trades."

The Lions and Giants appear to be in the sweet spot if the draft plays out as expected at the top and quarterback-needy clubs fall in love with Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon's Justin Herbert. That would make the third and/or fourth picks especially valuable.

"Absolutely we're open for business," Gettleman said on Tuesday at the NFL combine. "Again, whatever we do is going to be in our best interest. Trading back has its danger. What happens if ... we're at four. Let's say we trade back to eight. There are only four players that we like. What if they're all gone? Now what are you going to do? Trade back again? You can trade yourself back out of good players.

"But, to answer your question, we're open."

It's unlikely to play out that way. This is considered a rather strong draft. There shouldn't be a shortage of upper-echelon players for the first round. Wide receiver, quarterback and offensive line are considered some of the stronger positions.

Trading back later into the Top 10 with a team that needs a quarterback shouldn't prevent the Giants from getting a good player.

"There are a lot of high-graded players," Gettleman said. "I'll tell you that right up front. I'm excited to see where the board ends up. It's a pretty strong draft. It really is."

Making this type of move would be out of character for Gettleman. He has never traded back in any draft as a general manager.

He claims it's not that he's philosophically opposed. It's just the way things have worked out in his first seven drafts as the ultimate decision-maker.

"I've tried to trade back as the general manager," Gettleman said. "The value wasn't there. There was a player we really liked."

Trading down is also rare for the Giants. Per ESPN Stats and Information, the only time the Giants have traded down in the first round in the common draft era (since 1967) is in 2006, when they traded the 25th pick to the Steelers (who selected WR Santonio Holmes) in return for the 32nd pick (Giants selected Mathias Kiwanuka) and two additional picks in the third and fourth rounds.

But this year may be the perfect setup. The Giants drafted a quarterback last year with the No. 6 overall pick. Even though Gettleman and coach Joe Judge wouldn't actually say on Tuesday that Daniel Jones is their unequivocal starter and franchise quarterback, Jones showed enough during his rookie season that people within the Giants organization are confident he's their guy.

Gettleman admitted it's more likely a trade back could work in this scenario. His ears are perked.

The Giants will still be evaluating quarterbacks. They will be paying particularly close attention to the health of Tagovailoa as they know it could greatly affect the draft.

Judge is on board with the open-minded approach the Giants appear to be taking.

"Everything is on the table as far as options," he said. "We'll listen to everybody."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bears general manager Ryan Pace reaffirmed the team's commitment to starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in 2020, but Chicago could change its offensive philosophy next season.

"To be clear, yes it is," Pace said Tuesday morning at the NFL combine, when asked if the Bears' commitment to Trubisky is unchanged. "We believe in Mitch. Mitch knows he needs to be better. We need to be better around him. And that's our goal."

The second overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, Trubisky finished the year 28th in total QBR (39.4), tied for 27th in touchdown passes (17), 21st in passing yards (3,138), 32nd in yards gained per pass attempt (6.1) and 28th in traditional quarterback rating (83.0).

The Bears went 8-8 and failed to reach the playoffs.

In 2018, Matt Nagy's first season as head coach, the Bears went 12-4 as Trubisky passed for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and rushed for 421 yards and three touchdowns.

"I think every quarterback is growing in different areas, and a big growth for a quarterback is understanding coverages, mastering your offense, being comfortable with all the new things coordinators are throwing at you," Pace said.

"... I remember with Drew [Brees], he went through that in 2004 in San Diego; just immersed himself in that. That's Mitch's mindset right now. Just being obsessed with learning NFL defenses, mastering our offense. And when you do those things, it allows you to play faster and with better instincts."

Trubisky underwent surgery in January to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder but is expected to be ready when training camp opens in July. He suffered the labrum tear and dislocated his non-throwing shoulder in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings but missed just one game.

Pace emphasized that the Bears want competition at all positions -- including quarterback -- but the GM stopped short of revealing whether Chicago intends to add another quarterback via free agency or the draft.

The Bears enter the 2020 season with a clear sense of urgency -- particularly on offense, where Chicago ranked 29th in points per game and total yards per game, 27th in rushing yards per game and 25th in passing yards per game.

Nagy shook up the offensive staff last month by firing three assistants; hiring Bill Lazor to be offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach, Juan Castillo as offensive line coach and Clancy Barone as tight ends coach; and promoting Dave Ragone to passing game coordinator.

"As we go through this offseason here, we need to figure out offensively what is our identity," Nagy said. "I think more specifically, too, in the run game, we struggled there. So we got to figure out what our identity is, and that's going to be an objective for us. ... There's a sense of urgency for us going into this year. It needs to happen sooner."

A former assistant under Andy Reid in both Philadelphia and Kansas City, Nagy brought a version of Reid's offense to Chicago when the Bears hired him two years ago. But after a pair of subpar offensive seasons, Nagy hinted that -- like Reid -- he's willing to reinvent himself on offense if necessary.

"Coach Reid in Philadelphia ran a true West Coast offense," Nagy said. "He's not running that anymore. He's been changing. ... When we had Alex Smith [with the Chiefs], he brought in a lot of the [run-pass option] stuff. And now he's got Patrick [Mahomes] and they're doing their things. So to each their own. And it worked. But that also took a little bit of time, right?

"... There's a foundation there of players that has been created over time, and that offense is not the same as what it was when I was there two years ago. That's fun. And now having new ideas from new offensive coaches and what they have, I've gotta tell you, I'm absolutely loving it right now."

As the Chinese Basketball Association remains indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, former NBA players such as Stanford alum Chasson Randle are in limbo waiting to see if or when play will resume.

Players also are waiting to receive concrete information on the status of their contracts, which are often worth in excess of several million dollars per season for top players.

Agent Darrell Comer of YouFirst Sports told ESPN that Randle has twice attempted to sign 10-day contracts with NBA teams, but his client has been unable to resume his NBA career because he can't obtain his FIBA letter of clearance from his club in Tianjin, China.

Comer told ESPN that since Chasson returned to the United States on Jan. 26, there have only been updates on the virus and nothing from the league about when -- or if -- the season will even resume.

"His payments are currently behind with no date provided of when he will receive salary owed," Comer told ESPN. "He has been offered opportunities to sign 10-day contracts with NBA teams, but Tianjin has denied his FIBA clearance despite the fact that the 10-day contracts will expire before all rumored dates if the China season will resume.

"Chasson is not only being prevented from making income, but also from furthering his career as a NBA player. We are speaking to bring awareness to this unfair issue for Chasson, but also for the other talented players who are back from China and may experience similar issues soon."

All international basketball transfers are bound by FIBA letter of clearance rules, which ensure that players are not under contract simultaneously with two separate teams.

Once Randle signed a 10-day contract in the NBA, a formal request was made in writing to the Chinese Basketball Association, by way of FIBA. In both instances, his club Tianjin refused to issue clearance, his agent told ESPN, stating he is currently under contract.

Because payments due to Randle as part of his salary are delinquent, he is entitled to make an appeal to FIBA -- a process that takes 7-10 days.

The State Department issued a travel advisory on Feb. 2 advising U.S. citizens not to travel to China after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency. Airlines around the world have suspended service to mainland China.

Approximately 40 American players -- which include former NBA players Jeremy Lin, Lance Stephenson, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and others -- are currently under contract with the 20 teams that make up the Chinese Basketball Association. Most foreign players were sent home over the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, a source told ESPN, with instructions to prepare to return in mid to late February.

As the outbreak has worsened, teams have unofficially told American players and their representatives to expect the league to be suspended until at least early April -- and possibly cancelled altogether -- pending the containment of the disease.

The closest CBA arena to the center of the outbreak in the Wuhan region is in Nanchang, around 350 miles away.

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 80,000 people globally, and more than 2,600 deaths worldwide have been attributed to the virus. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it.

As the virus continues to spread, the Italian Basketball Federation has announced that it has suspended games in Serie A, Serie A2 and Serie B this weekend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SERGE IBAKA WANTS everyone to know that the scarf -- yes, that scarf -- is not absurd.

It is not over the top or ridiculous, even though it is so long that it nearly touches the floor when worn by the Toronto Raptors' 7-foot center.

Ibaka didn't set out to be an internet sensation. His goal wasn't to be the punchline of a joke or featured on a Valentine's Day card that read: "Serge-ing for a love longer than my scarf."

"It is art," Ibaka said. "It's not funny."

But it did take off.

The photo that the Raptors' team account posted of him walking into the arena in the enormous, pink scarf has garnered over 129,000 likes on Instagram. It has been spun into silly memes and has been featured on nightly highlight shows.

When these Raptors look back on the run they've had -- 15 straight wins before the All-Star break and 17 of 18 heading into Tuesday night's matchup with the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks -- they won't necessarily remember every opponent, every clutch bucket or every team meal.

But they will remember the scarf.

Like Lil' Kev, the magazine cutout-turned-mascot of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2016 championship season, the Ibaka scarf is a totem that will give Raptors players and fans something to look back on from this improbable run up the Eastern standings.

And it all started with a five-minute FaceTime call.

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THE LEGEND BEGAN hours before the Raptors tipped off against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 5.

Ibaka, two days after his now-viral "What about scarves?" moment alongside teammate OG Anunoby, dialed Empire Customs, Ibaka's go-to suit shop in Toronto and a 20-minute walk from Scotiabank Arena.

He had a request.

At around 1:30 p.m., Jordi Sanchez, Serge's manager, marched into the haberdashery with an armful of knitted fabric that resembled a blanket. While most Empire customers consult with the store's tailors and managers over a glass of bubbly champagne or a creamy cappuccino, it isn't uncommon for Ibaka to take in his own fabrics with a design already in mind.

After all, Ibaka is a regular there and managing partner Byron Abad estimates that at any given time during the season, Empire Customs is working on 10 suits for Ibaka.

But this was something ... different.

Empire Customs' tailor, Tamim Ahmadyar, can typically be seen sewing lapels, hemming trousers and nipping and tucking coats to fit just right. He had never before worked on a scarf -- let alone one with temperamental loops that threatened to unravel completely with a single wrong move of his scissors.

"This was actually like if you think of your grandmother knitting at the couch type vibe," Abad said. "We do our best never to say no and say, 'Come on in and give us a shot.'"

Ahmadyar began by cutting the 2 yards of fabric in half, stitching it up as he went along so that its fragile loops wouldn't come undone. He sewed the base of the rectangle to the top of it, creating a loop big enough for Ibaka's 235-pound frame.

By 4 p.m., the scarf was on its way, and less than an hour later, Ibaka was walking into Scotiabank Arena with the fashion statement around his neck. Ibaka exploded for 30 points that night, including a game-winning 3-pointer.

By the time the Raptors put the icing on a 119-118 comeback win over the Pacers that night and extended their winning streak to 12 games, the scarf was already being meme-ified.

"I didn't expect that," Ibaka said. "It surprised me to see it take off. I always do art. That's the culture I come from -- we like to dress nice. It is my thing."

If you ask forward Anunoby, he will grin and gently double down that he thinks he started the scarf fad, no matter how big a statement Ibaka made.

"I don't know what he was thinking," Anunoby said, giggling. "I have always worn scarves. If he wants to say he influenced me, that's OK. I don't want any conflict.

"Even though I did influence him."

AFTER HIS GRAND entrance made headlines, Ibaka started paying the scarf game forward to his teammates.

Ibaka, who serves as a global ambassador for the Canadian outerwear company Nobis, packed dozens of matching fuzzy, orange-and-green camouflage print scarves (250 Canadian dollars each) aboard the Raptors' plane from Minneapolis to Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 11.

"Big Scarf Energy" -- the rallying cry of their winning streak -- was born.

The coaching staff got scarves. The public relations staff did, too. Even the team's trainers and doctors were hooked up by Ibaka -- all given the same 6-foot-long scarves as basketball players, even if they were significantly shorter.

"It's the biggest scarf I've ever seen," head coach Nick Nurse said. "I dozed off on the couch and I used it as a blanket."

Ibaka's gift hasn't been adopted by all the players as cherished pieces of their wardrobes. The scarf didn't make the trip with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson when he ventured to Chicago during the All-Star break, and Kyle Lowry fears that in the hustle of moving from city to city he might have accidentally left his on a team bus.

But the point of the scarves wasn't to make them a nightly staple. Toronto has taken injury blow after injury blow this season. Despite spells without many of the team's top players and even though reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard left for Los Angeles in the offseason, the Raptors have trudged on. The scarves are a reminder of the bond that helped keep this team in contention.

"It is just to create good vibes on the team," Ibaka said. "We need that. We have been playing so well -- it is always important to keep that chemistry and that joy in the locker room.

"To me, it was the perfect moment to do that."

NEW YORK -- A Bronx Supreme Court judge granted a protective order for New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner against a fan.

Gardner, 36, filed the request last week against Gina Devasahayam and said in court documents that she has "harassed and menaced" him and his family, the New York Post reported.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Eddie McShan said he granted the request Monday because of "the possibility of injury."

Gardner has told the court that Devasahayam believes they have some sort of relationship, but he said they have never met in person.

Devasahayam, 46, told the Post outside the courtroom that they met on social media.

The judge gave Devasahayam until Thursday to offer evidence to alter the ruling.