LINCOLN, Neb. – MyRacePass and Firethorn Marketing have partnered to provide unified streamlined services for web-development, software-development, design and support.

The convergence of these two industry titans will undoubtedly assist tracks, series and sanctioning bodies and drivers to improve their online presence, generate numerous new revenue streams and having the full resources of both companies.

This alliance provides the short track racing community a super-team to work with, lean on and grow with in bringing together the knowledge, experience and dedication these two entities have in growing the sport further.

“We’ve worked with Clint (Doll) of Firethorn Marketing for many years now,” said Josh Holt, one of the co-owners and co-founders of MyRacePass. “He always produced great websites and more importantly a great relationship with his clients. I’ve respected him in this industry tremendously for that. Working together only makes sense as we together can provide this promoters industry with everything needed to help manage much of their marketing and race management experience.”

“It was all about partnering with a team that we felt had a clear vision and an unlimited ceiling for the future. I’ve known Josh, Ross and Zach for a number or years and I’ve always admired their vision of where they want and will to take this sport through web-development, Race Management Software and the MyRacePass app,” says Clint Doll, owner of Firethorn Marketing. “Knowing and seeing firsthand the operation they run and how together we can create a better and bigger sport through technology really is what made this deal come together. I couldn’t be more excited about the possibilities that not only our Firethorn clients will have but any and all motorsport entities. It’s going to be an amazing ride for everyone.”

The partnership will allow the MyRacePass team to dedicate additional time to the development of their race management software, web development platform and increasingly popular MyRacePass app while the Firethorn Marketing team will head up the design, development and support of existing and new web clients.

Firethorn Marketing, established in 2004, has grown into one of the leading web-development and design companies in short track racing. Through its growth the goal has always been to create personal relationships with its clients and provide not only an outstanding and easy to use product but just as important the absolute best in customer support and communication.

MyRacePass began as a company called Driver Websites in early 2008, producing nearly 1,000 websites during the last 12 years. MyRacePass was formulated as a company in late 2014 and combined into Driver Websites in the fall of 2015 after the company purchased Speednet, a Florida-based Race Management company.

MyRacePass is now considered the social network of motorsports and the ultimate racing resource. MyRacePass brings all racing related content together and distributes it back through the network via tagged drivers, tracks, racing series/associations, and motorsports related businesses.

MyRacePass specializes in their official MyRacePass app, driver website development, race track website development, race series website development, track and series race management systems, print media including hero cards, event posters/flyers, apparel and just about anything else related to motorsports.

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – The 49th annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park is just more than a week away, affording the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series drivers a chance to make final preparations before the series races four nights during the two-week event.

The event itself runs Feb. 4-15 and includes World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars (Feb. 7-9), Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars (Feb. 5-6), the Super DIRTcar Series (Feb. 11-15), DIRTcar UMP Modifieds (Feb. 4-10) and DIRTcar Late Models (Feb. 10-11), with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models competing Feb. 12-15.

Of the 42 completed World of Outlaws Late Model Series races at Volusia, 2004 series champion Scott Bloomquist leads all drivers in wins with six, his first coming in 2004. Shane Clanton is tied with two-time and defending series champion Brandon Sheppard for second-most with five; 2005 champion Billy Moyer and four-time Series champion Josh Richards follow with four and 2007 champion Steve Francis has three.

Every driver coming into the venue knows the score. Sheppard currently holds a slim point lead after the first three races at Vado Speedway Park, riding on three-straight runner-up finishes. Sheppard has not won a World of Outlaws race since his trip to victory lane at Sharon Speedway last August, where he completed an exciting pass for the lead on Ricky Weiss coming to the white flag to win the 25-lap preliminary feature.

Volusia has been Rocket1 Racing’s playground in recent visits. Sheppard has won the last five World of Outlaws Features held at the half-mile, going back to the final race of the 2018 DIRTcar Nationals. Last year, he swept the competition of more than 50 entrants to win all four Morton Buildings Features and win his first Big Gator trophy as the only late model driver in event history to win four consecutive Features.

This year, Sheppard already has drivers knocking on his door for company, both atop the points standings and in victory lane. Weiss, Chris Madden and Cade Dillard have already won races in Vado and surround Sheppard in points, occupying spots two, three and four. Dillard, in fourth place, sits only 16 points back of Sheppard.

Additionally, several other contenders are expected to make an appearance at Volusia to spoil the Outlaws’ party. Headlining will be the most recent Late Model winner at the facility, Kyle Bronson. Killer swept the DIRTcar Pro Late Model competition of 40+ entrants, winning all three races in the division to become the inaugural DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals championship.

Other big non-Outlaw names expected to be in attendance include (but are not limited to) Josh Richards, Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie, Earl Pearson Jr., Mike Marlar, Dale McDowell, Brian Shirley, Kent Robinson, Brandon Overton and Jimmy Owens.

Joining the Outlaws on the racing card for all four nights will be the big-block modifieds from the Super DIRTcar Series. Hot Laps are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on all four nights.

INDIANAPOLIS – Reigning Indy Pro 2000 champion Kyle Kirkwood has joined Andretti Autosport to pursue the Indy Lights championship.

Kirkwood is slated to drive the No. 28 for Andretti Autosport in Indy Lights competition.

“We are very excited about the addition of Kyle to our Indy Lights program,” said Michael Andretti, CEO and Chairman of Andretti Autosport. “We’ve followed Kyle’s career from when he started in 2018 with the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and have been impressed with his success in every race that led to his Indy Pro 2000 Championship last year. As a championship-caliber team, Kyle displays the desire and talent that we look for in our drivers and are excited to see him hit the track for the 2020 Indy Lights season.”

A native of Jupiter, Fla., Kirkwood started his Road to Indy journey in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship in 2018, where he claimed 12 wins in 14 races (a series record tied with J.R. Hildebrand) and stood on the podium 13 times. In dominating fashion, Kirkwood captured the championship, earning a scholarship to compete in the Indy Pro 2000, where he won nine races in 2019 in his fight for the series title.

“I am ecstatic that I can now say I am competing in Indy Lights with Andretti Autosport this season,” said Kirkwood. “They have established a winning program in Indy Lights and we plan on carrying that reputation throughout 2020.  We are a fantastic match for each other and our Sebring test in December proved that.”

Without a family background in racing, Kirkwood has earned four championships in three years [F4 United States Championship in 2017, USF2000 Championship in 2018, F3 United States Championship in 2018 and Indy Pro 2000 Championship in 2019]. Since 2017, the 21-year old has racked up 47 wins and 55 podiums in 71 starts.

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- A former Minnesota high school hockey player paralyzed during a game in 2011 has been hired by an NHL team.

Jack Jablonski tweeted Thursday that he has a job as a content coordinator with the Los Angeles Kings working in podcasting, radio and TV.

I had always dreamed of signing an NHL contract. Unfortunately, that dream was taken away 8 yrs ago. Today, I'm proud to share that I've started a full time job with the @LAKings as a Content Coordinator & working in podcasting, radio and TV! Thank u to all who have helped me. pic.twitter.com/emurjY8zf4

— Jack Jablonski (@Jabs_13) January 23, 2020

Jablonski recently graduated from USC with a major in communications and interned with the Kings before he was hired full time.

He was a student at Benilde-St. Margaret's School in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, when he injured his spinal cord in a game on Dec. 30, 2011. He was hit from behind and sent headfirst into the boards.

The NHL All-Star Weekend is upon us. Friday includes the Skills Competition, the highlight of the weekend for a large chunk of fans, including old standards like fastest skater and hardest shot, along with new additions like the women's 3-on-3 game and the Shooting Stars event. Saturday will feature the EA Sports Chel Gaming Challenge, and the actual All-Star 3-on-3 round-robin tournament.

The league is constantly making tweaks to the All-Star recipe -- some good, some not so good -- so we've gathered our panel to weigh in on our favorites from the past, our bold predictions for this weekend, and our suggestions for the future.

Read through our entire rundown, or skip ahead to a particular topic:

• What is the most memorable moment in NHL All-Star Game history?

• Add one event to the skills competition portion of the weekend.

• Should there be a penalty for a player choosing to skip the All-Star Game?

• Does the NHL have too much control over the selection process?

• Make one bold prediction for the All-Star weekend.

1. What is the most memorable moment in NHL All-Star Game history?

Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer: I hesitate to mention it because I had a hand in it happening, but of course it's John Scott getting voted into the 2016 NHL All-Star Game. Not only for what happened in the game, with the noted goon scoring a pair of goals, but for the NHL's villainous attempts to undermine him -- from invoking his children to discourage his participation, to refusing to list him among All-Star MVP candidates. (He won it anyway.)

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: Kendall Coyne Scofield participating in fastest skater last year was an iconic moment for me. By placing seventh in a field of eight men, she opened a lot of fans' eyes to the talent level of women's hockey. I'll never forget what she said directly after, facing the media, either: "Obviously I was a little nervous. But I knew it was a moment that was going to break a lot of barriers and a moment that would change the perception of our game."

Chris Peters, hockey prospects analyst: This has to be part of growing up as a hockey-crazed preteen in the 1990s, but Owen Nolan's called shot for the hat trick goal in 1997 is it for me. He was on home ice, he had scored two goals eight seconds apart earlier in the game, and he called his shot on the league's best goaltender at that time, Dominik Hasek.

Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analytics writer: I'll stretch the scope of this out to include the full weekend, and say it's Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of a free car as the last player picked in the All-Star draft in 2015. Watching it in real time was so memorable, largely because you could see him getting progressively more and more inebriated as the night went on. He really wanted that car. There was something so silly and endearing about it, which is exactly what the weekend should be all about.

Victoria Matiash, fantasy hockey analyst: Not nearly as monumental as other happenings in years' past, Ovechkin's prop-riddled routine in the 2009 Breakaway Challenge inspired a perceptible shift in the whole affair for me. When Evgeni Malkin outfitted his supposed "nemesis" in a Canadian-flagged hat and sunglasses, and Ovechkin went at it with two sticks, it felt like the event received a much-needed injection of fun. One that has fortunately endured.

Ben Arledge, NHL editor: I love when a goalie stands out in a game built around scoring. And while 17 goals were scored in the 1994 game at Madison Square Garden, hometown star Mike Richter made 19 saves on 21 shots in one period en route to the MVP. Most notably, the Rangers goalie -- in that excellent white and teal Eastern Conference sweater -- stopped Pavel Bure breaking in alone on a move that foreshadowed his huge penalty shot save on Bure a few months later in the Stanley Cup Final.

Vince Masi, ESPN Stats & Information: Mine has nothing to do with any game-related action. The national anthem during the 1991 All-Star Game in Chicago still gives me chills. It was the first time that a national TV audience (on NBC with Marv Albert doing play-by-play) got to witness what we all know now, with Chicago fans outwardly cheering during the national anthem, especially with the Gulf War serving as a backdrop for fans bringing in American flags and signs supporting the troops.

Sachin Chandan, fantasy hockey editor: So, I wasn't alive to see this moment, but I love watching clips of Gordie Howe's final All-Star game in 1980, when he returned to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit for the game. Howe, at the time a Hartford Whaler, received a four-minute standing ovation, a reminder that at its core, the All-Star game is for the fans.

2. Add one event to the skills competition portion of the weekend.

Wyshynski: Fastest skater relay. As I wrote in my "10 changes we'd like to see for the skills competition" piece, I appreciate the history of the one-on-one fastest skater battles but generally prefer a relay race to a sprint. Connor McDavid, skating the anchor leg? Yes, please.

Kaplan: Allow the players to dress up however they wish to take a penalty shot, and have a panel of celebrity judges rate them on style points. I was just at KHL All-Star game in Russia, and what struck me was that the events were nearly identical -- but the players had more fun with it, which showed off their personalities. One player dressed up as Alexander Pushkin and recited a poem; another delivered the goalie a plate of pancakes. The NHL could use some more of that, which in turn would help promote their stars.

Peters: I've heard this talked about by other media colleagues as well and I love it: Adding NHL alumni to the skills competition. Maybe you make it a 3-on-3 pro-am event similar to the celebrity softball game during MLB All-Star Week, or maybe you have them compete in events they helped make famous like Ray Bourque in accuracy shooting. They might be slower these days, but nostalgia sells.

Filipovic: I'd like to see the best players in the world play a game of H-O-R-S-E. Whether it's with a goalie in net, or simply attempting a sequence of moves that culminates with a shot at a yawning cage, it would be fun to see how far outside of the box they'd think, and what the limits would be to what they're willing to try. As we're seeing with the increasingly common occurrence of lacrosse-style goals, players are practicing (and pulling off) moves that would've been unthinkable for past generations. Let's see what else they have up their sleeves.

Matiash: Wysh's relay proposal is excellent. Make it happen, NHL.

Arledge: I'm a big fan of Dmitri's equivalent of the NHL's dunk contest. H-O-R-S-E would be all kinds of fun. But for the sake of variety, how about a condensed, fast-paced game of 2-on-2 in the neutral zone? Bring the nets in, toss in a puck and let the creativity and bang-bang hockey begin. After every goal, have a full change; two new skaters and another goalie for each side. Let's say first to seven goals wins it. And an added bonus: extra points for creative goal celebrations. Fans would love that.

Masi: Hockey's version of a basketball one-on-one where a forward goes up against another forward and has to use moves before trying to score on a goaltender. It would be really cool to see McDavid just use his stop-and-start skating abilities to blow by another player before bearing down on the goalie.

Chandan: This isn't adding a new event per se, but in between rounds, let's have a few mascots do the skills challenges. Gritty charging right at Bailey in Save Streak. Gnash giving the Hardest Shot challenge a try. Fastest skater coming down to Chance the Gila Monster and NJ Devil. It's quick, it's GIF-able, and an opportunity for comedy between player events.

3. Should there be a penalty for a player choosing to skip the All-Star Game?

Wyshynski: Yes. It's an obligation to help market the league (and to help the league appease its marketing partners, of course). But I do think there needs to be some flexibility on the NHL's part on punishment for skipping it due to exhaustion. An easy, logical starting point: The Alex Ovechkin Rule. The NHL had no problem with him skipping out after the Capitals went on their Stanley Cup run. To the victor go the spoils: If your team hoists the Cup in mid-June, you get a "get out of All-Star Weekend" pass for the following January.

Kaplan: Yes, since it is part of a players' contract to attend if he is selected. However, I wish the NHL would include some exemptions; maybe if you've appeared in five or more, you get one free pass. Or if you're 30 years or older, you also can get one free pass.

Peters: I think there has to be, since it's an important event for the league and stars dropping out takes some of the shine off of it. I respect a player's need for rest, but the NHL simply can't afford to miss opportunities to showcase the stars of the game, which is what this weekend is all about.

Filipovic: Absolutely not. The 82-game schedule is already long enough as it is, and it's completely understandable why someone would want to use this rare break to do something they otherwise wouldn't get to do during the grind of the regular season (whether it's going back home, sitting on the beach, or spending quality time with family). That's especially true for a veteran player like Alex Ovechkin, who has already done more than enough to help grow the game by playing a leading role in past events.

Matiash: Hard yes. These are contracted employees in the field of entertainment. The All-Star Game is part of the gig. I'm not asking anyone to overexert themselves -- just sign some autographs, take a few selfies, tool around on the ice, have some fun with your pals. No one is demanding Alex Ovechkin the surgeon wreck himself over a long weekend before hitting the O.R. early Monday. They're hockey players. And more than a few kids, who bought tickets months ago, are going to be disappointed in not seeing their heroes at a once-in-a-lifetime event. And that's lousy.

Arledge: No way. Look, I get it. You need these big-name guys out there. But at the end of the day, the game isn't serious. It's a glorified publicity stunt that even at its best is no more than an exhibition. Some guys might love the weekend in the spotlight, whereas some might be counting on it for some rest. Play so well in the first half that you're penalized for wanting a break? That makes no sense. And consider that the likes of Brad Marchand, Aleksander Barkov, Ben Bishop, Cale Makar and Max Pacioretty were left off the original rosters. Yeah, there is plenty of fill-in talent out there for guys who just want to take a breather before the stretch run.

Masi: Yes. With the advent of the bye week, there seems to be enough built in time off where going to the All-Star Game wouldn't be much of a taxing experience for players.

Chandan: Yes, but a light penalty. Many players have legitimate reasons to prefer a week off instead of the game. If everybody opts to skip, then it's a problem, but I believe the penalty should be a fine, rather than a suspension, and I believe that the NHL should be more lenient on players who have had IR stints earlier in the season.

4. Does the NHL have too much control over the selection process, and how should players be selected for the game?

Wyshynski: Way too much, and yes I realize that's partially my fault. But well before the John Scott anarchy, the NHL had slowly reduced the fans' influence in the event. As of 2020, fans vote for four division captains and four "last-man in" players that are again separated by division. This is a far cry from the five players (by position) from each conference of yesteryear. It's the fans' event. While I don't necessarily loathe the NHL's curation of the rosters, I think it has created a disconnect with the people who would be most engaged with the All-Star Game.

Kaplan: I don't have a huge issue with the selection process as we typically get a good selection of stars to show up at the event (especially when injuries and no-shows don't completely deplete the roster).

Peters: I think the NHL largely does a fine job, but a way to potentially add more intrigue or fun to the process is to allow designated All-Star legends to select each division's team. Each division gets its own GM -- a legendary NHL player or host team fan favorite not currently working in the league -- who has sole discretion of selections based on some minimal criteria. Perhaps the winning GM gets a large donation to the charity of his choice or something like that.

Filipovic: I'm fine with the voting process for who gets in, but I'd love to see the league get back to incorporating some kind of draft to determine the teams. Like I said above, moments like Ovechkin petitioning to be picked last and Phil Kessel sitting on the stage awkwardly by himself are some of the most memorable images the event has created over the years. It also provides us with a unique opportunity of seeing the players mingle and interact in street clothes, and away from the ice. Some temporarily hurt feelings aren't good enough of a reason to scrap it.

Matiash: I'm happy with leaving the bulk of choices to dispassionate insiders (i.e. the league). As seemingly the only fan on the planet not fully enchanted with John Scott's earlier inclusion -- I'm a monster, I know -- it's worth pointing out the difference between a skills-based All-Star event and a Most Popular Players convention.

Arledge: Every pro sports All-Star Game will have some snubs, and when you approach it through that lens, the NHL is doing all right. I wouldn't mind seeing each of the 31 teams submit a full ballot instead of leaving it to the league office. And to avoid voting in their own guys, include a clause that a team cannot vote for anyone on its own roster. But the bigger concern I have is the division-based team format. Give me something more creative, like a breakdown by nationality: USA, Canada, Scandinavia and mainland Europe?

Masi: I'm fine with the way the NHL is selecting the players who go to the game. I really think the league should bring back a televised draft. Maybe change it up and add in a game-show component where the first player to answer a trivia question gets to steal a player from another roster. Or have a board similar to Jeopardy! where a player picks a number and it reveals which division they must pick from. You could add in a "steal" or a "daily double" where a player gets to make two picks to add some intrigue.

Chandan: I believe the NHL does exercise too much control, but that they generally do a good job of sending the best players to the All-Star Game. I think one way to juice the fan interest is having roles for nontraditional All-Stars, who might not be among the best but are very well liked by the fans who want to reward them with a selection. It could be a veteran in his likely final season, a player coming back from a significant injury, an energy-line grinder, or just a player who connects with the fan base.

5. Make one prediction for the All-Star weekend.

Wyshynski: The Shooting Stars skills competition, where men's and women's players fire pucks from the stands over the crowd at targets on the ice, gets the NHL its most attention from the non-hockey media since the debut of Gritty.

Kaplan: Someone other than Connor McDavid wins the fastest skater competition. Yes, we know McDavid is the best player in the league right now -- and probably the fastest. But after three consecutive wins, complacency sets in and a hungry challenger -- maybe Jack Eichel? -- edges him for the crown.

Peters: The women's 3-on-3 tournament steals the show and becomes one of the biggest talking points of the whole weekend, spurring more momentum for more NHL involvement in forming a new women's league. This will easily end up being the most competitive event of the All-Star festivities, providing the highest entertainment value. Final score: USA 7, Canada 5.

Filipovic: We make it all the way through the games Saturday without some sort of stoppage to review whether a player's skate was millimeters off of the ice while entering the zone, or if someone had vaguely nudged a goalie around the perimeter of the crease leading up to a goal. It'll be a special slice of heaven for fans who otherwise can't watch a hockey game without sitting through one of those delays.

Matiash: After too much complaining about the All-Star Weekend's makeup, timing, or even mere existence in the weeks leading in, a good number of sourpusses will find something to enjoy about it as a fan. As they always do.

Arledge: In the four years the NHL has done the 3-on-3 format, we've seen a team hit 10 goals in a mini one-period game four times, but none have exceeded that number. This is the year you see one of the divisions net 11-plus. And despite the in-season flaws of the Pacific Division, that McDavid-led squad will be the one to do it.

Masi: A potential tying goal by McDavid is wiped out when Todd Reirden uses a coach's challenge for goalie interference in the title round. It's revealed that Leon Draisaitl interfered with Tristan Jarry as McDavid scored, and the Metropolitan Division holds on for a 9-8 win.

Chandan: The new Shooting Stars trick shot competition might have some kinks to work out this weekend, but it will be a memorable part of All-Star Weekend and give the league plenty to build on for an expanded version next year in South Florida.

Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood were well on their way to an early exit at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, before abruptly switching direction on Friday.

The pair of proven European Tour winners were part of a group of players with a 10-shot differential between their first- and second-round scores at Emirates Golf Club.

Fleetwood followed his opening 75 with a 65. Westwood went 78-68.

What’s the reason for the dramatic improvement? Good old-fashioned practice, said Fleetwood.

“Yesterday was disappointing. I actually felt like I played OK. I had a real shocker on the greens," Fleetwood said on Friday. "We practiced for a bit yesterday. I came this morning, practicing my putting again. Felt like I had a better idea of what I was doing.

"The bit of work that I did put in, paid off today."

At 4 under and 2 over par, respectively, Fleetwood and Westwood made the cut. Others, despite their rebounds, are still headed home.

The group includes: Graeme Storm (83-73), Alexander Levy (81-71) and Joakim Lagergren (79-69).

David Howell had the biggest turnaround, going 80-69. The Englishman also missed the cut.

Not every massive shift, however, was positive. Overnight leader Thomas Pieters backed up his 67 with a 5-over 77. He’s at even par and now eight shots back of leader Eddie Pepperell.

In case you haven't heard, Bryson DeChambeau has recently added some bulk to his body. According to him, he's around the 225-pound mark and hitting the ball so far that, by his calculations, slow play will never again be an issue.

DeChambeau showed off his power on Friday at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, dropping Thor's hammer into his tee shot on the 359-yard, par-4 17th hole.

DeChambeau drove the green, his ball finishing in the left fringe. He got up and down from there for his seventh birdie of the round. The defending champion shot 5-under 67 and, at 7 under par, is one shot off the 36-hole lead.

"It’s opened new boundaries that I never thought was possible," DeChambeau said of his increased power.

"I don’t know necessarily how to control all of it yet, but I’m getting to a place where I’m starting to learn what driver I need under the gun, in certain conditions, what to do and how to apply that power that will keep me in the fairway and allow me to have more scoring opportunities. So it’s a gigantic leap for me."

The Ladies European Tour released its 2020 schedule on Friday, a significant upgrade over the last few seasons.

Notably, the good news comes just two months after the LPGA and LET announced they were partnering in a joint business venture.

The new schedule features 24 events with $19.8 million in total prize money. That’s up nearly $5 million over total purses played for last year.

“The LET and the LPGA only began working together in September 2019, but we’ve been blown away with the results in the first 90 days and the positive response from across the golf industry,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said. “With overall purse increases and seven new events, our athletes will have more opportunities for success. It’s exciting to think what we can accomplish after a full year of working with our new board. We have a long way to go, but I’m so happy to say that this is the best position that European women’s professional golf has ever been in.”

The new schedule features seven new events, with the new Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik & Annika featuring a $1.65 million purse and the new Saudi Ladies Championship featuring a $1 million purse.

The LET schedule had withered to just 15 events in 2018.

The tour’s Race to Costa Del Sol bonus pool will offer nearly $276,000 in total to the top three finishers in the official ranking.

Earlier this week, Alexandra Armas was named the LET’s new CEO, a position she was holding on an interim basis.

Whan is the chairman of the new Joint Venture Board, which also includes R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers and European Tour CEO Keith Pelley. The board also features six directors from the LET (Marta Figueras-Dotti, Eleanor Givens, Catriona Matthew, Liz Young, Justin Abbott and Alastair Ruxton), with three directors joining Whan from the LPGA (Liz Moore, Kathy Milthorpe and Mike Nichols).

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – After opening the year with two missed cuts, Eddie Pepperell surged back into form at the Dubai Desert Classic by shooting 5-under 67 Friday to take the lead after two rounds of the European Tour event.

Pepperell led three players – defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (67), Robert Karlsson (68) and Dean Burmester (68), who was involved in a car crash ahead of the event – by a stroke at 8 under overall at Emirates Golf Club.

Tommy Fleetwood birdied five holes in his back nine to shoot 65 for the lowest round of the week, and was four strokes off the lead.

The 61st-ranked Pepperell didn't make the weekend at either the South African Open or the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this month, failing to shoot below 71 at either event.

In Dubai, he opened with 69 and followed that up being 6 under after 13 holes of his second courtesy of seven birdies. He dropped a shot at No. 6 – his 15th hole after starting at the 10th – and parred his way home.

DeChambeau started with three straight birdies and made seven in total in his second round.

If Pepperell and DeChambeau end up going head to head at the weekend, it will make for an interesting dynamic.

In August, Pepperell called the American a ''twit'' while criticizing his slow play at The Northern Trust tournament on the PGA Tour. Pepperell later apologized.

If every Barcelona player had worked as hard and as selflessly as Antoine Griezmann this season, Ernesto Valverde would still be in a job. It's ironic because El Txingurri's fate as Barca boss was 99% sealed when he substituted Griezmann with Barca 2-1 up in the derby match against Espanyol at the start of the month.

Remember what happened from there? This Barcelona side, an eight-stone weakling in big away European contests at Roma and Liverpool, and one that had to cling on for dear life in Prague and Dortmund this season, had become almost as pallid and paper-thin on the road in La Liga.

Think of the limp and rag-doll nature of their defeats at San Mames against Athletic, away to Granada and at Levante. Not to mention long, unimpressive passages of play where the will to compete might have been there but the wherewithal wasn't, like at Osasuna and Atletico. Then, at rock-bottom Espanyol, Barcelona were in the lead and, suddenly, Frenkie de Jong was sent off.

Valverde, incredibly, switched to a 4-3-2 formation, leaving the almost static Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi up front. He rejected the absolutely blindingly obvious idea of taking one of the two 30-something strikers off, reverting to a 4-4-1 and leaving Griezmann to hare around in left midfield, closing down the channels. Espanyol exploited Valverde's choices several times before scoring down that side to claim a 2-2 draw.

The loss of Griezmann, with his utterly ingrained "the team comes first" mentality that had been drilled into him at Atleti like a fundamental rearrangement of brain circuits, stood out.

It's true that Griezmann has been imperfect, his learning process next to Messi and Suarez has been apparent and, as a dad of two young kids, one of whom is 18 months, I know that recuperative sleep has sometimes been at a premium for him. Also he's been operating to new standards but in an underperforming team. But the idea that he, not Suarez or Messi, should be withdrawn against an energized and aggressive Espanyol side, especially one that had just been given a one-man advantage, was a catastrophic error.

What's more, Valverde compounded that mistake by not even using his third substitute during that fevered 10-minute spell (plus added time) during which Espanyol equalised and nearly won. If you saw a third-division coach making a mistake like that, you'd have a word, immediately.

Valverde is top quality, as a man and a football thinker, and the mistakes in that derby were simply a testimony to burnout, how worn down by the kilowatt frazzle any coach experiences when he's head honcho at Barcelona, in good times or bad. Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Barcelona president, made a complete hash of sourcing his replacement, thrashing about with unsuccessful attempts to persuade coach after coach before settling on Quique Setien, but you can at least understand his concerns in the aftermath of a Catalan derbi when two points -- which at this rate could be vital in the title race -- were tossed away.

Before that flashpoint, Griezmann's worth to Valverde had been on the rise. He'd scored opening goals in three of the four matches immediately before the Espanyol contest, then put Barcelona ahead in the Supercopa semifinal against Atleti on a night when, ultimately, Valverde's time was up. But what's galling and, to my mind, inexplicable is that many (fans, media and ex-players) seem to be underwhelmed by, and disparaging of, Griezmann.

- ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!
- When does the transfer window close?

After Setien took charge of his first game last weekend, a 1-0 win at home to Granada, there were plaudits for many other players while Griezmann was accused of being invisible or unimportant throughout the 90 minutes. It's absolute, utter nonsense: in fact, Griezmann was fundamental to the fact that while they struggled to find good, fruitful scoring positions before eventually going up 1-0, despite absolute domination of possession, Barcelona stayed competitive and fluid. All this even though he's a striker, even though Suarez was absent, he made numerous runs to press, to cover and to recuperate the ball.

Three particular moments against Granada stood out. In the 15th minute, Barcelona's high press was easily superseded so that Arturo Vidal, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto were all caught high upfield. Griezmann spotted the danger as Darwin Machis broke away completely on his own and looked to feed Carlos Fernandez. It was a huge opportunity for a side that had already beaten Barcelona once this season, and only €100m striker Griezmann was willing, or able, to react, racing some 70 metres, at least, and diving in to snare the ball off Fernandez's boot as soon as Machis passed to the striker.

Just after half-time, Griezmann sprinted back into midfield to handily intercept Yan Brice Eteki's pass to Victor Diaz. And in the 68th minute, Griezmann sprinted from the Granada penalty box to the halfway line, after Busquets had given the ball away, to tackle Antonio Puertas and prevent a 4-on-3 situation. Exemplary.

I know that last week's intense training under Setien, especially Tuesday's double session, had left all of Barcelona's senior, most-used players pretty tired. The training ground atmosphere, for the moment at least, has changed. Previously, that atmosphere, and the daily intensity around the club, was the product of an unofficial consensus between senior players and Valverde. Now it's Setien's way. No other options.

Against Granada, Barcelona played with a different emphasis on passing, position and possession. But of their 1000+ passes, only about 200 went forward, an indication that players were often static and waiting for a pass, which in turn makes it easier for opponents to defend. With fitness, stamina and sharpness, that should change.

Of Barcelona's six shots on target, Griezmann produced two and set Ansu Fati up for a third. In the best Barcelona move other than their winning goal, it was Griezmann who drops deep, shows for Busquets and flicks a perfect pass to take out two Granada midfielders and set up Vidal to serve Messi. Then he turns and sprints a third of the pitch to draw markers away from Messi so that Ansu's cutback for Messi leaves the iconic No. 10 clear to shoot narrowly wide.

Then came the breakthrough. When Ricard Puig robs Puertas and passes to Busquets, it's Griezmann's run and intuitive flick that serves Vidal for his neat backheel into Messi's path to score. Look back at the Frenchman's speed and vision. It's pretty top-rate. Despite all this, there appears to be an overbearing expectation that Griezmann should be carrying the failing season on his back with oodles more goals and that he's required to look like a superstar at all times.

A few weeks ago, Griezmann told me he was committed to the hard slog, utterly determined to learn and succeed. That it took him six months to even begin to learn the Atleti system when he moved there, and a full season before he felt "at home," ready to be a team leader, was also telling.

Right now, the report card on Griezmann should include "working his socks off," "helping a failing team not fail," "ready to kick on," "needing Messi to instinctively trust him and pass to him," and "defending better than some defenders." He probably won't grumble, and he might face the prospect of Neymar returning next summer -- we can expect another saga there -- but I think Griezmann is made of the right stuff. If everyone in that squad worked as hard as he does and cared as much, Setien would be set fair for a fine first season.

Griezmann's two goals in the 2-1 victory at UD Ibiza on Wednesday, including a 94th-minute winner that rescued Barca from an embarrassing Copa del Rey exit in the cold of January, were only further evidence that his importance to the team is far higher than some of the slow-to-catch-on media and fans understood.

Once he adds to his seven La Liga goals and Setien succeeds with his midseason purge of Barcelona's sluggishness, perception of this diligent French forward will change, and change quickly.