I Dig Sports
This week in golf (Feb. 24-30): TV schedules, tee times, info
Here's a look at what's happening in professional golf this week, and how you can watch it:
PGA Tour
Honda Classic
Thursday-Sunday, PGA National Resort and Spa (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Course specs: Par 70, 7,125 yards, designed by Tom Fazio and George Fazio (1981), redesigned by Jack Nicklaus (1990, 2002, 2006)
Purse: $7 million
Defending champion: Keith Mitchell
Notables in the field: Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Lucas Bjerregaard
Tee times: TBD
TV schedule: Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Friday, 2-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)
PGA Tour Live: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 7:15 a.m.-6 p.m. ET
European Tour
Oman Open
Thursday-Sunday, Al Mouj GC, Muscat, Oman
Course specs: Par 72, 7,452 yards, designed by Greg Norman (2012)
Purse: $1.75 million
Defending champion: Kurt Kitayama
Notables in the field: Martin Kaymer, Min Woo Lee, Haotong Li, Pablo Larrazabal, Benjamin Hebert, Justin Suh, Thomas Detry
Tee times: TBD
TV schedule: Thursday-Friday, 1:30-3:30 a.m. and 5:30-8:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-7:30 a.m. (Golf Channel)
PGA Tour Champions
Cologuard Classic
Friday-Sunday, Omni Tucson National (Catalina), Tucson, Arizona
Course specs: Par 73, 7,218 yards, designed by Robert Bruce Harris (1961), redesigned by Tom Lehman (2005)
Purse: $1.7 million
Defending champion: Mark O'Meara
Notables in the field: Ernie Els, Bernhard Langer, Scott McCarron, Steve Stricker, John Smoltz, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Billy Mayfair
Tee times: TBD
TV schedule: Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 4:30-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Korn Ferry Tour
El Bosque Mexico Championship
Thursday-Sunday, El Bosque CC, Leon, Mexico
Course specs: designed by Steve Newgent (2009)
Purse: $650,000
Defending champion: Martin Trainer
Notables in the field: Davis Riley, Braden Thornberry, Marty Dou, Nick Hardy, Vince India, Byron Meth, Andy Pope, Tyrone Van Aswegen
Tee times: TBD
Asian Tour/PGA Tour of Australasia
New Zealand Open
Thursday-Sunday, Millbrook Resort/The Hills GC, Arrowtown, New Zealand
Course specs: Millbrook – designed by Bob Charles (1993), redesigned by Greg Turner (2010); The Hills – designed by John Darby (2007)
Purse: $886,743
Defending champion: Zach Murray
Notables in the field: K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy, Pernilla Lindberg, Daniel Chopra, Richard T. Lee, Zach Bauchou
Tee times: TBD
Streaming schedule: Wednesday-Thursday, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. ET; Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m.-midnight ET
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said that he understands if his side are labelled as "underdogs" when they face Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stages on Tuesday.
Bayern had a tough start to the season, replacing manager Niko Kovac with Hansi Flick in November, but have since seen a resurgence and lead the Bundesliga. The German side won all six of their Champions League group games earlier this season, including an emphatic 7-2 away win over Tottenham Hotspur in October.
Tuesday's match is the first time that the teams face each other since the memorable 2012 Champions League final in Munich, which saw Chelsea beat Bayern on penalties.
Lampard, who captained the Blues in that 2012 final, said that Chelsea can be benefit from an underdog status in Tuesday's clash.
"I understand if people do call us the underdog because they [Bayern] are so strong. Being the underdog, it's there for us to turn it around," Lampard said.
"I think the underdog talk is better to come from outside, from people looking from out to in. When you look at their team -- the talent they are already have, the medals they already have -- maybe we don't have that experience.
"Being the underdog, if so, then it's for us to turn it around. Those are the best stories in sport."
Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic did not echo his manager's comments, saying that Chelsea enter the game on an even level with the Bundesliga champions.
"It's always better to be the underdog but I don't think we are," Kovacic said. "We are similar, there is not much difference between us and Bayern."
Chelsea will be tasked with finding a way to contain Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, who scored his 38th goal of the season in all competitions during a 3-2 win over Paderborn on Friday.
"Lewandowski is in form of his life," Flick said. "He is full of confidence. As a leader up front he is very important for us.
"He is absolutely brilliant. I don't even know how many goals he has scored this season but I know that he is way up there."
Lewandowski is the joint-top scorer in the Champions League this season with 10 goals in five games, alongside Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, who began the campaign with Austrian side FC Salzburg.
Chelsea's Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and N'Golo Kante have been ruled out for Tuesday's match through injury.
Liverpool took another step toward their long awaited Premier League crown with a dramatic 3-2 win over West Ham United on Monday.
- When can Liverpool win the Premier League title?
The win at home put them 22 points clear of second-place Manchester City. Liverpool now need 12 points from 11 games, with the quickest way to clinch the crown is with four victories.
Liverpool's 21st straight victory at Anfield broke the record for most consecutive home league wins in English top-flight history, set by themselves in 1972. The win also equalled City's record for 18th consecutive Premier League victories.
Liverpool and West Ham exchanged early header goals with Georginio Wijnaldum giving the hosts a brief lead off Trent Alexander-Arnold's corner-kick in the 12th minute, only to see Issa Diop equalise three minutes later.
West Ham then gave the Anfield crowd another shock when Pablo Fornals' shot to the far post went just beyond the reach of Alisson for the go-ahead goal in the 54th minute.
Lukasz Fabianski had his own goalkeeper mishap when Mohamed Salah's close-range shot squirmed through his hands and legs for the 68th minute equaliser.
Sadio Mane gave Liverpool the lead for good in the 81st minute when he flicked the ball into an empty net after Alexander-Arnold hooked a cross toward the back post.
The waning moments did provide some heartstopping moments with VAR ruling Mane offside on a would-be goal and Alisson making a game-clinching save on Jarrod Bowen's counter-attack effort.
Liverpool's upcoming schedule include matches vs. Watford (a), Bournemouth (h), Everton (a), Crystal Palace (h). If both Liverpool and Man City win all their upcoming fixtures then the Reds will be champions on March 21 against Palace.
The guard of honour would then come at reigning champions City on April 5.
However, March 21 is reserved for FA Cup quarterfinal ties, so the Palace game may be postponed to a later date. If that is the case, they could win the title with a draw at Man City, then the guard of honour would come at home to Aston Villa.
Reports: Vegas lands goalie Lehner from Chicago
The Vegas Golden Knights acquired veteran goaltender Robin Lehner from the Chicago Blackhawks in the final hour before the NHL trade deadline on Monday, according to multiple reports.
As the deadline hit at 3 p.m. ET, Chicago's return for Lehner was not immediately clear.
Though the teams had yet to confirm the trade, Lehner thanked Blackhawks fans on Twitter and wrote that he was really excited to join Vegas.
Thank you Chicago. What a great city. Fans were unbelievable and I'm not going to forget the short time there. I believe in this team and still do. Great teammates! gonna miss all of you. The city and guys deserve the best. ?was born in Chicago.
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) February 24, 2020
Really exited to join Vegas. Going to be a ride. Can't wait to get there but please no drums at the airport I'm shy...
— Robin Lehner (@RobinLehner) February 24, 2020
Lehner has been a bright spot for the Blackhawks this season, going 16-10-5 with a 3.01 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. But when combined with teammate Corey Crawford's 11-17-3 record (2.80 GAA, .915 save percentage), Chicago is in last place in the Central Division and facing a third straight season without playoff hockey.
Lehner, 28, signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Blackhawks during the offseason, after a career-resurrecting campaign with the New York Islanders in 2018-19, when he was a Vezina Trophy finalist.
He also won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication; he has spoken about seeking treatment for his mental health and substance abuse after his issues came to a head during his last season in Buffalo, 2017-18.
Lehner will pair up with Vegas starter Marc-Andre Fleury as the Golden Knights gear up for a third straight postseason appearance. With 76 points, Vegas is in first place in the Pacific Division.
Also Monday, the Knights acquired forward Nick Cousins from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2021 draft.
Cowboys prefer deal over franchise tag with Dak
INDIANAPOLIS -- Time might be running out, but Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones remains confident a long-term deal can be worked out with quarterback Dak Prescott before the organization will need to use the franchise tag.
Jones said there are no talks scheduled with Prescott's agent Todd France, but the team intends to meet with him at some point this week during the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Jones said there is no scenario in which the Cowboys would move on from Prescott in 2020.
"I mean, Dak's our quarterback. He's our quarterback for the future and we have nothing but the greatest respect for him," Jones said. "He's a competitor. He's won a lot of football games for us. Obviously, he, like us, we all want to take that next step and get into a championship game and get to the big game and ultimately win a championship. So there's no thoughts like that."
Jones acknowledged the sides have not spoken since September when the Cowboys thought they were closing in on an agreement that would have made Prescott among the top-five paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
"It just kind of stopped. We kind of left it where it was," Jones said. "I wouldn't say there was anything acrimonious. They felt they were done where they were. We felt like we were kind of where we were and we never really got going again."
Despite the inactivity, Jones believes a deal can be consummated before March 12, the final date in which the club can use the franchise tag. That is two days later than the original deadline because of the ongoing discussions with the NFL and the NFL Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement. Jones said there are "a lot of moving parts," that go into negotiations when it is the final year of the CBA. With a new CBA, the Cowboys would lose the chance to use the franchise and transition tag but it would ease up some of the issues in getting a long-term deal completed.
Jones would not get into whether the Cowboys would use the non-exclusive franchise tag, which would cost $27 million but allow Prescott to shop the market, or exclusive tag, which would cost $33 million and prevent teams from signing him.
"I just don't think we've had our hands around what the next steps are," Jones said. "Obviously we didn't end up getting it done because they were pretty entrenched with their thoughts and we were pretty entrenched with our thoughts. I think really that's the facts of the world we work. Certainly we've done a lot of thinking about it and looking at it and we'll see where it ends up."
Prescott is not the only high-profile free agent the Cowboys want to re-sign. Wide receiver Amari Cooper, cornerback Byron Jones and defensive end Robert Quinn are also set to be free agents. Without a CBA extension, the Cowboys could theoretically use the franchise tag on Prescott and transition tag on Cooper. If there's a new CBA, then they would only be able to use one tag, thus making it more likely Cooper, Jones or Quinn could hit the market.
"We haven't gone into any details with players since the end of the season. We are really wanting to see where the CBA is," Jones said. "The way I look at these contracts, the two we are talking about (Prescott and Cooper), when things get momentum they can happen in 24 hours. It's a just a matter of can you get some traction and headed in the right direction."
Pacers G Lamb done for season with knee injury
Indiana Pacers guard Jeremy Lamb needs surgery on his injured knee and will miss the remainder of the season.
The Pacers announced Monday that Lamb has a torn ACL, a torn lateral meniscus and a fracture in his left knee.
Lamb suffered the injury in Sunday's loss to the Toronto Raptors. Initial X-rays on his knee were negative, and Lamb told reporters after the game that he hoped the injury wasn't "too serious."
The Pacers have not determined a specific date for Lamb's surgery.
Lamb, 27, averaged 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 46 games this season, his first with the Pacers.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Diamondbacks knew Madison Bumgarner lives on a ranch but were unaware of his recently revealed side career as a rodeo participant.
Bumgarner has been competing in rodeo events under the alias "Mason Saunders" and won $26,560 in a team-roping competition in December, he confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday.
Arizona general manager Mike Hazen said Monday he was aware Bumgarner was "a very strong horseman," and added that even though he didn't know about the rodeos, that knowledge wouldn't have affected the team's decision to sign the left-hander to an $85 million, five-year contract.
The GM said he wouldn't comment on what the team will allow the 2014 World Series MVP to do in his spare time or any specifics of the contract or guarantee language.
"Madison's a grown man and we know he's committed to helping us achieve our goals as a team," Hazen said. "Those have been the conversations that we've had from the time we first talked to him until very recently."
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo called Bumgarner's past rodeos "a non-issue" and said his new pitcher is a great teammate. The manager said he wants players to have outside lives but also remember what it takes to win.
Bumgarner, 30, told The Athletic that he had been competing in rodeo events for a while, including last March, two days before pitching for San Francisco in a spring training game.
"I want him to be safe, I want him to be healthy, I want him to come out and pitch every fifth day," Lovullo said. "Those will be the types of things we talk about."
Bumgarner injured his shoulder in 2017 in a dirt bike accident and missed three months of the season. He apologized at the time and called it a "stupid" decision that likely violated his contract. The Giants are not believed to have pressed the issue with the four-time All-Star.
Lovullo acknowledged that even though he wants Bumgarner to be safe, his star pitcher's side hustle was interesting.
"I don't know Mason Saunders yet but he's a pretty impressive guy, I'll say that," Lovullo said with a grin. "I've seen pictures of him doing some pretty amazing things. That's not easy."
Major progress, Brian Mutua makes statement
Four groups, players finishing in first and second positions advancing to the main draw, the no.15 seed, after experiencing defeat at the hands of Togo’s Kokou Dodji Fanny, the no.8 seed, in four games (11-8, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7), he overcame one of the most experienced player on view.
The Eastern African champion, he beat the no.10 seed, South Africa’s 40 year old Shane Overmeyer in a full distance contest (11-8, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8).
After taking the first game, Mutua was stunned by the veteran Overmeyer who captured the next two games before recovering to force a decider; from the start of the fifth game the Kenyan played with a great deal of caution, avoiding unforced errors.
“Despite winning the first game, I never believed I could win against Overmeyer. I knew he is one of the continent’s most experienced players having watched him play in 2018 in Nairobi.
In the third game, I was leading but he caught up with me to win the game; when I was able to win the fourth game for the match to be at 2-2, I started having a positive mind and believed that I could win. I reduced my errors which had caused my loss to the Togolese. Also, I varied my service and this really helped me a lot in the tie.
One thing I have learnt from playing against some of the top players is that a good player should not be bothered by the pedigree of his opponent; just focus on the game because in table tennis, anything can happen on table.
Playing against Overmeyer, I forgot about who he is, I just played my game. I am so happy what happened to me two years ago has been averted here in Tunis and I hope I continue to improve from here; this vital win will surely spur me on when the Olympic qualifying tournament starts later this week.
I am hopeful that it will serve as a good preparation for the qualifiers.” Brian Mutua
In the concluding group stage contest, Brian Mutua faces Egypt’s Ahmed Ali Saleh, the no.2 seed and hitherto unbeaten; Kokou Dodji Fanny confronts Shane Overmeyer.
Musical artistry heralds colourful official opening
The presentation of team flags by young Tunisians added glamour to the occasion, flagbearers were regal in their flowing traditional Tunisian attire.
Undoubtedly, the icing on the cake was the choreography presentation from an Ivorian group which thrilled the fans with their synchronised display mounted against a background modern and traditional music.
In his welcome address, Lotfi Guerfel, President of Tunisia Table Tennis Federation, thanked both the International Table Tennis Federation and the African Table Tennis Federation for selecting Tunisia to stage the continent’s most important tournaments of the year, the ITTF-Africa Top 16 Cup and African Singles and Mixed Doubles Olympic Qualification Tournament.
“We are grateful to ITTF and ATTF for selecting Tunisia to host these events and we believe this will help the sport to grow. We welcome all our top stars from all over Africa. We hope you will enjoy your stay in the beautiful city of Tunis.” Lotfi Guerfel
Meanwhile, Khaled El-Salhy, the President of African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) was grateful to the government of Tunisia for agreeing to host these important events.
“I must commend the government and people of Tunisia for their warm hospitality; for us at ATTF, we hope that our top stars will enjoy every moment of their stay in Tunis.” Khaled El-Salhy
The ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup is a qualifying event for the ITTF World Cup tournaments; the Olympic Qualifying Tournament provides an opportunity to gain places in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Valerie Thompson is returning to Lake Gairdner Australia to attempt new speed records on four wheels, piloting the Treit & Davenport Target 550 Streamliner at two premier land speed racing events.
Her goals include breaking multiple records, including the 415.867-mph class record for a four-wheel, blown-fuel streamliner powered by a piston engine.
Hosted by Dry Lakes Racers Australia, the 30th annual Speed Week competition is held March 23-27. Immediately following Speed Week, the team will also attempt new records at the second annual World Speed Trials March 28-30.
Speed Week records are determined by DLRA specifications, while the World Speed Trials records are sanctioned by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile rules.
The 43-foot long Target 550 Streamliner features a unique wind-tunnel-inspired design powered by two supercharged Dodge Hemi engines capable of generating 5000 horsepower on alcohol fuel.
“The team is delighted to be back in Australia for Speed Week and the World Speed Trials. These events provide two opportunities to set new records for our unique vehicle,” said Target 550 project coordinator Marlo Treit.
“We have new crew members, two new engines and a great new driver. I’m looking forward to seeing strong results with all this new talent,” Treit added.
Thompson set a motorcycle streamliner record of 328.467 mph during the 2018 Speed Week competition, earning her membership in the DLRA 200 and 300 MPH Clubs.
She was also honored with the “Fast Lady on the Lake” award.
“This will be my first full-on assault on the 415 mph record driving the Target 550 Streamliner. I’ve had three successful tests with a 290-plus mph run on less than optimal salt conditions,” said Thompson.
Thompson is hoping to become the first woman to surpass 400 mph in a piston-powered engine vehicle.
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