ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Anyone who watched Tyler Duncan navigate a cold wind, a four-shot 54-hole deficit and three grueling trips down Sea Island Golf Club’s 18th hole Sunday would think the 30-year-old is devoid of emotion.
As he calmly explained following his playoff victory over Webb Simpson at the RSM Classic, that’s simply not the case.
In an out-of-character moment, Duncan fist pumped after holing a 25-footer for birdie at the 72nd hole to move into a tie with Simpson at 19 under par, and then spent the next 30 minutes waiting for Simpson to complete his round nervously pacing.
“I just tried to stay calm and walk around and lower my heart rate a little bit and just kind of bring everything down to, you know, normal really,” he said.
Duncan missed a similar birdie attempt at Sea Island’s 18th hole during the first playoff hole but on the second extra frame he converted from 12 feet for birdie and his first PGA Tour victory. In fact, it was his first victory of any sort since the 2011 Indiana Amateur.
He admitted, however, that Sunday’s finish may not be the most nervous he’ll be this fall. Duncan is scheduled to be the best man at fellow Tour player Adam Schenk’s wedding later this year.
“I was definitely nervous today, so I'll be nervous for the [best man] speech still, for sure,” he said. “I'm not great at standing in front of people and giving any conversations, but I'm doing better and I think that I was probably a lot more nervous on those couple putts there on 18 than I will be during the speech.”
PALM CITY, Fla. — In some cases, it was hard to identify the pros from the members in this weekend’s Pro-Member at The Floridian. The best news for Presidents Cup playing captain Tiger Woods was the status of Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, neither of whom has hit a shot that counted since Aug. 25, in the final round of the Tour Championship.
Fowler, who spent his time away ensconced in a marriage and honeymoon, birdied his first four holes on his way to an opening-round 63 in a net better ball that he called, with a smile, his "first day of competition.” He was paired with Jim Crane, owner of both the Floridian and the Houston Astros.
Johnson, coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, played alongside fabled swing instructor Butch Harmon, who has a golf school on the property and designed the club’s par-3 course that is used for the two-day tournament.
In the days leading up to this Pro-Member, Fowler and Johnson had been practicing at facilities in the area, including Michael Jordan’s course in Hobe Sound, Grove XXIII. Both Fowler and Johnson “know their golf swings very well,” per Harmon.
“Yes, they haven’t played much. But, the both of them know what to work on when they come back," he said. "The thing that impressed me today playing with them is that Ricky putted the ball beautifully. Dustin putted the ball beautifully. They’d hit a loose drive here and there, but in general they both played beautiful golf. You can’t hide talent. Natural talent. Natural ability. It’s just a matter of going back to work, going back the things you’ve always done. You try new equipment. When we went on the first tee, DJ brought out 10 putters 30 minutes before we teed off. He fooled around with the one he picked and putted beautifully.”
While the Presidents Cup scheduled for Dec. 9 at Royal Melbourne, these were actually practice rounds before the real practice rounds at the Hero World Challenge, Dec. 4-7. Both Rickie and D.J. have reputations of being able to scrape off the rust without much trouble.
“This is the longest break I’ve ever had,” Fowler explained while mentioning the demands of the new schedule. "One of the biggest things is being rested and ready to get back and playing. It’s been nice to be refreshed. I still played a lot prior to the wedding.”
What lengthened Fowler's downtime and withdrawal from the Mayakoba Golf Classic Nov. 14-18 was an intestinal bacterial infection, a case of food poisoning.
As for Johnson: “I know even after a long layoff what it takes to be ready in tournament shape," he said. “Obviously simulating tournament rounds is very difficult. Stuff like this helps, though. I know it’s pretty relaxed, but you still can put a little pressure on yourself. You’ve got to make some putts so it definitely helps."
The only thing Johnson didn’t like about his break was that it was forced on him. "It’s a little different being forced to take time off,” he said. “It would have been nicer to take time off for just myself.”
Asked if he missed being away from competition, Johnson paused for a second before saying with a playful smile, “No. Not really.”
As for the final leaderboard, Fowler and Crane were runners-up to winners Corey Conners and Kevin Sullivan, with Johnson and Harmon tying for fourth.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – For the second time at the RSM Classic, Webb Simpson played well enough to force a playoff but not earn the victory.
Simpson closed with a 67 for a 19-under total but was matched by Tyler Duncan, who won the event with a birdie at the second playoff hole.
“I know, another close call. Good for Tyler for making birdie on the last two holes in regulation and again there, so happy for him,” said Simpson, who also lost a playoff to Ben Crane in 2011 at Sea Island and finished third last year.
Despite coming up short, Simpson said his play at the RSM Classic gives him confidence going into next month’s Presidents Cup and proves that the consistency he’s been seeking continues to give him opportunities to win.
“My game is continuing to build and go in the right direction. Putting in time this fall in the gym with [caddie] Paul [Tesori], with [swing coach] Butch [Harmon] and [short game coach] Pat Goss, it's been going in the right direction for a while and looking forward to playing again soon,” he said.
Simpson missed a 28-footer in regulation at No. 18 to win the event and a 36-footer for birdie on the first playoff hole. His drive on the second extra hole (No. 18) found the left rough and his approach found a greenside bunker before Duncan won with a birdie.
NAPLES, Fla. – Jin Young Ko finished off her dominant season.
She swept the LPGA’s major season-long awards with her finish Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship.
Ko added the Vare Trophy and the LPGA money-winning title to the honors she had already clinched. She joined Yani Tseng, Lorena Ochoa and Ariya Jutanugarn as the only players to win the Player of the Year Award, the Vare Trophy and the money-winning title while holding the Rolex world No. 1 ranking.
“I want to say that this is not the end but only the beginning,” Ko said at the Rolex LPGA Awards dinner. “I will work even harder to become a better golfer.”
Ko, whose four victories this season included two major championships, closed with a 1-under 71 Sunday to finish the CME Group Tour Championship tied for 11th. She ended the year with a 69.062 scoring average and with $2,773,894 in earnings.
Do Arsenal really think this is going to get better?
It's gotten to the point now that you wonder whether the decision-makers at Arsenal are actually watching the games. The trick to assessing whether a manager should stay is not to react when things are going badly, but the ability to spot when things are not going to improve.
What evidence do they have that good times are ahead under Unai Emery? That they didn't lose to Southampton? Well, big whoop. Emery set up, at home, against a team who have very recently lost 9-0, with five defenders and two holding midfielders. But it was more the intent that was galling and excessively negative, and indicated that after 18 months at the club, he has yet to instill any sort of method or style of play -- or at least any sort of style that anyone wants to watch. Or that wins games.
Arsenal haven't done that at all in their past six, and only twice in the league since August, and neither of those were especially convincing.
The team isn't winning, they're playing bad football, the crowd have turned and there are a selection of potential replacements out there. Keeping Emery has turned from admirable but misplaced patience to negligence.
Statistic of the weekend
To borrow a statistic from the BBC's Simon Stone, Liverpool now have more points than Manchester United and Arsenal combined.
United might not have needed their fightback
If you were being generous, you could say there was some logic in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer matching up his Manchester United side's system with Sheffield United's. Fight fire with fire and all that. But it was more like watching a man rubbing two sticks together fight another with a flamethrower.
Or, perhaps more accurately, one man who had been using the flamethrower for a few years against another who had just picked it up. Eight of the outfield players who started on Sunday were with Sheffield United last season, when they played 3-5-2 or variants thereof every week. United have used it once in the Premier League this term, against Liverpool's 4-3-3, and that time for a very specific purpose: to shut down their rivals' full-backs.
Man United were 'abysmal' for 70 minutes against Sheffield United
Craig Burley says a tactical change helped Man United to come back in a 3-3 draw with Sheffield United.
What did Solskjaer think was going to happen? They, of course, deserve credit for the extraordinary seven minutes in which they pulled back the two-goal deficit and went ahead, but had they not tried to compete with a system that is second nature to their opponents, the comeback might not have been required in the first place.
Liverpool plough on relentlessly
Of course, plenty has been said about Liverpool's mentality, and Jurgen Klopp never tires of talking about it, but their reaction to in-game adversity really is extraordinary. Wilfried Zaha's equalising goal -- a fabulous, flowing, team effort that deserved better than to be ultimately meaningless -- might have put most teams on their backsides. But parity with Crystal Palace lasted two minutes before Roberto Firmino scuffed home the winner, their ninth goal after the 75th minute in all competitions this season, and they've collected eight points with goals after the 85th.
They're relentless, haven't lost a domestic game since the FA Cup defeat to Wolves in January, and if they avoid defeat against Brighton next weekend, then they will equal their record league unbeaten run of 31 games.
They didn't play especially well against Palace, but they keep winning with these sort of performances. So often that it's impossible to think it's a coincidence.
Moreno: It feels like destiny now for Liverpool
After another dramatic win, Ale Moreno says there's too many signs Liverpool will win the title.
A victory for City, but at what cost?
Manchester City needed the win against Chelsea: a nine point-gap is already looking pretty tough to close, but 12 would have been edging toward the impossible.
But at what cost did the win come? David Silva's injury isn't ideal, but they have adequate cover. Sergio Aguero's could be longer term, but they have Gabriel Jesus. Oddly, Rodri's could be the most costly, if it keeps him out for an extended period.
Pep Guardiola seems determined to stick with Fernandinho as a central defender, which means they need someone else to be the reliable screen in front of the back four. Rodri has been performing that role, but if he's missing, then they will have to rely on Ilkay Gundogan in a position that is not his best.
For a team so expensively assembled, suddenly squad depth is looking like a problem.
Man City 'desperately needed' win against Chelsea
Ale Moreno says Man City's comeback win over Chelsea kept the door to the Premier League title slightly open.
They couldn't ... could they?
Leicester's win over Brighton took them to 29 points from 13 games. It's worth pointing out that at the same stage of their title-winning season in 2015-16, they had 28 points.
Could perception of winning help Spurs?
Harry Kane's words after Jose Mourinho's first game in charge of Tottenham were interesting: "He wants to win, he's a proven winner," said Kane of his new manager. "I've made it clear that I'm at the stage of my career where I want to win trophies.
"I've made it clear I want to win them here, and it's a big year for this. Realistically, we look at the Champions League and the FA Cup to try to do that. We will see how that goes, and, from my point of view, I will keep doing what I'm doing and keep fighting for this club on the pitch."
While there are obvious and valid philosophical concerns about Mourinho's appointment, it could pay off in the short term at least, simply because of the perception that he's a manager who wins things. Mauricio Pochettino, for all his strengths, has never won a thing, and it would be interesting to discover whether that harmed his standing in the dressing room after five excellent but trophyless years.
Burley: Spurs looked like their old selves under Mourinho
Craig Burley feels Jose Mourinho will get the most out of Tottenham based on the players' effort vs. West Ham.
Even the idea of Mourinho as a manager who will bring medals to these players could help: that could make them more likely to commit to his ideas, which could not only lead to success in cup competitions, but also carry over into their league form. In the short term, at least, Mourinho's reputation could be his biggest asset.
Pellegrini won't last if he keeps picking Roberto
West Ham apparently do not know when Lukasz Fabianski will return to action, which must be profoundly troubling for Manuel Pellegrini, one of a few Premier League managers in danger of losing their jobs at the moment.
Never mind mustering only two draws from their past seven games, you could make a case that Pellegrini deserves to go if he picks Roberto in goal again. If a goalkeeper had saved Son Heung-Min's opener for Tottenham, then he probably wouldn't have deserved much praise, it being a moderately well-hit effort at the fabled "good height" for a keeper to stop. But Roberto let it pass his hands like it was a flaming cannonball, leading one to wonder if he is actually a professional keeper or if we've all been taken in by an elaborate prank.
David Martin was on the bench on Saturday. Under normal circumstances, it would be a big call to throw him in against Chelsea next weekend, but now it seems like the only responsible thing Pellegrini can do. If he's still in charge then, of course.
Silva won't last until Christmas
The good news for Marco Silva is that, even after the defeat to Norwich that completed the sought-after treble of losing to all three promoted sides before the end of November, the sense is Everton are reluctant to sack another manager after getting through Roberto Martinez, Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce in the past three years.
The bad news is that their next three games are against Leicester, Liverpool and Chelsea. Don't bet on Silva still being in place by the second week of December.
This must be the start of something for Norwich
The trick for Norwich is to now put some sort of run together. Their previous wins this season, over Newcastle and Manchester City, were followed by two defeats and one point from seven games, respectively.
The victory over Everton lifted them off the bottom of the table, but they will need plenty more where that came from, and their next two games are winnable: at home to beleaguered Arsenal, and away at Southampton. These games could be crucial, not just for the points they might gain, but the confidence for the rest of the season they could bring.
TossEngland 353 and 98 for 4 (Denly 21*, Stokes 13*) trail New Zealand 615 for 9 declared by 164 runs
New Zealand claimed the key wicket of Joe Root on the fifth morning at Mount Maungenui, but they were limited to a single breakthrough in the session. Signs were that bowling out England would be hard work, despite the pitch increasingly offering assistance to spin, as Joe Denly and Ben Stokes battled through until lunch.
Stokes, in particular, required one or two moments of luck against Mitchell Santner, at one point bending to look in agonised fashion between his legs as the ball deflected down and spun back past his stumps. The rough outside the left-hander's off stump was of particular interest to Santner, with several deliveries misbehaving - though Stokes showed great composure in dealing with what was thrown at him, which included an over from Kane Williamson before the interval.
Denly added 14 runs to his overnight score, to be unbeaten on 21 from 97 balls having largely resisted the temptation of New Zealand's seamers probing outside his stump; Stokes took 25 balls to get off the mark, punching Santner through the covers for one of five boundaries in the session, and was 13 off 56.
New Zealand's efforts were disciplined, with Santner looking threatening and Colin de Grandhomme chipping in with the wicket. However, the sight of Trent Boult heading off after bowling just one over, complaining of pain in his ribs, was a concern for Williamson.
The teams resumed for the final day at Bay Oval with two outcomes on the table. Either New Zealand would take the seven wickets required, and possibly knock off a few runs, to claim victory and a 1-0 lead in the series, or England and the pitch would conspire to deliver a draw in Mount Maunganui's maiden Test.
Following Santner's starring role on the fourth day, he resumed mid-over and extended his spell to 20 overs, probing away for any signs that the surface was beginning to wear. Tim Southee was first man Williamson opted to go to from the other end, but it was the switch to de Grandhomme that brought dividends just before the hour mark.
Root, fresh to the crease after Jack Leach's dismissal from the final ball of day four, had looked reasonably assured, clipping a couple of fours off Santner but otherwise taking his time to get in. However, facing a field with three catchers in the covers, and surprised by de Grandhomme going short, he steered limply to gully and walked off having failed to make a significant contribution to the England innings for the second time in the match.
Trent Boult is likely to miss the second Test of New Zealand's series against England after leaving the field due to a pain in the right-hand side of his ribs on the fifth day of the first Test.
Boult, who bowled one over on the final day before going off, will undergo an MRI scan tomorrow to determine the extent of the injury.
The second Test at Hamilton starts on Friday, and with New Zealand starting a three-match series in Australia soon after that fixture, it seems unlikely he will be risked. Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are the other seam-bowling options in the 15-man squad.
Boult has missed only three Tests since 2016, and just six of New Zealand's 70 since his debut.
When addressing Dwayne Bravo from here on out, you must do so as "Mr. Champion", after the West Indies allrounder led his Maratha Arabians franchise to the Abu Dhabi T10 title on Sunday night. Asked why the Arabians were able to succeed where other franchises fail and back up their early pace setting by sealing victory in the final, Bravo said it was "because most teams don't have the champion".
Bravo, who recently hinted at an international comeback, took Maratha to their first T10 trophy courtesy of a comfortable eight-wicket win over Deccan Gladiators that was just reward for the team that has dominated since losing the opening match of the tournament to reigning champions Northern Warriors 10 days ago.
This was their sixth win from their seven subsequent matches, with the rain the only thing to get the better of them in that time. And in leading the only franchise to survive all three editions of the tournament, Bravo said it was time to put a formal title to his "Champion" moniker.
"Officially my name changed from 'Master Champion' to 'Mr Champion', so now you have to address me as 'Mr Champion', okay?" Bravo said before hailing the experience of his squad for maintaining their form throughout.
"When all of us put our thinking caps on and we come together to come up with a game plan, we stick with it. I'm the captain, yes, but it's not all my way, all my decisions. I have experienced guys who have a lot of knowledge and I lean on these guys for information and advice.
"I think that's the main reason we were so successful throughout this tournament. We lose the first game but it was a way of us learning how to play this game. It's a pattern and I think we are the only team in the tournament to play with that pattern."
One of those players Bravo has been able to rely on has been Chris Lynn and "Lynnsanity" has firmly taken hold of the Abu Dhabi T10 with the Australian in inspired form en route to taking Player of the Tournament honours. Lynn, who topped the league's run-scoring charts with 371 runs from eight innings and finished with the most runs in a single T10 season, was the driving force behind Maratha's dominance.
His stunning sequence included four knocks over 50, including the two highest scores in the league's history. Both of those - 91 not out against Team Abu Dhabi and 89 versus Delhi Bulls - were greater than Maratha's 88-run target in the final and while Chadwick Walton's superb 51 not out stole the show, Lynn has been the form player this year.
"Most credit I must give to [Lynn] for the way he played and he showed he is still one of the best white-ball batsmen in the world," Bravo said. "The way he dominated single-handedly throughout the tournament, he put a lot of fear in the opposition and he took the leadership role as the senior batsman in our team and he led from the front."
Lynn, who put this form up there with his 2016-17 Big Bash League performances that also secured Player of the Tournament honours, added: "I think the biggest thing for us was our communication. Right from day one [Maratha Arabians coach] Andy Flower and Dwayne set the standard that communication would be key, especially in a tournament that's so short, with players we haven't played with, we gelled really nicely and we executed to a tee out in the middle."
By virtue of topping Group A and Group B respectively, it was the first time Deccan and Maratha had met. Having been put into bat first, Mohammad Shahzad got Deccan immediately up and running with four from Mitchell McCleneghan's first ball - the fourth time Shahzad has hit the opening ball for a boundary in nine innings, a run that includes three sixes - but captain Shane Watson was back in the hutch just four balls later.
It started Deccan's slide to just 87 for 7 from their 10 overs, the third-lowest total and fewest runs of any team batting first this year. It was a disappointing end to the tournament for Watson but his solitary run did take the 38-year-old's tally to 237, a record only bettered by the frankly ridiculous return of countryman Lynn.
While Watson missed out with the bat in the final, he had an otherwise fine tournament, hitting two unbeaten half-centuries and a highest score of 75 not out. It shows he is more than keeping up with cricket's most frantic format and while the fire still burns, Watson the player has no plans to hang up his boots just yet.
"I just absolutely still love playing," Watson told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of the final. "I love playing [T10] because it's a great skill-development format for my Twenty20 batting. I love being able to continue to refine what I'm doing technically [and] mentally, with being around these amazing team environments, meeting new people.
"I'm not sure how long I'm going to continue to play for but while I'm still loving it and feel I still can play at my best, I don't know how long it'll last for."
LANDOVER, Md. -- As the Washington Redskins offense ran back onto the field, ready to take the victory formation, quarterback Dwayne Haskins was taking a selfie with a fan. That left the Redskins needing to trot veteran Case Keenum onto the field to take the final snap.
It was an unusual ending to Haskins' first NFL victory as a starter.
"I was so hyped, I broke a water bottle," Haskins said. "I look up and we're in victory [formation]. I thought the game was over with already, but I'll get it next time."
Interim coach Bill Callahan said the coaches were looking for him. He didn't come across as upset, but he didn't shrug it off.
"No, I don't laugh at it," Callahan said. "I'm happy we won. We'll address that. I'm just pleased we won the game. I just have to find out."
Former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann wasn't happy about it, based his postgame tweet. After the draft, Theismann gave Haskins his blessing to wear the No. 7 again; it had been out of commission since Theismann retired in 1985. But Theismann wasn't a fan of what happened Sunday, calling the selfie "unprofessional and wrong."
The fan who took the selfie with Haskins disagreed.
Callahan, Haskins weigh in on final snap
Redskins interim coach Bill Callahan and QB Dwayne Haskins discuss Haskins' absence from the final snap of the game.
It's easy to see why Haskins was celebrating. He helped lead a 19-16 comeback win over the Detroit Lions. After going 7-for-20 for 88 yards to start the game, he went 6 of 9 for 68 yards on his final two possessions. Both drives ended in field goals. The second one resulted in the game-winner, a 39-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins with 16 seconds remaining. After that, Haskins was seen in a tight embrace with offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell and then tackle Morgan Moses on the sideline.
But Haskins was needed for one more snap after corner Fabian Moreau intercepted his second pass of the day.
Teammates certainly understood why Haskins would want to celebrate after enduring a six-sack game in a 17-point loss to the New York Jets a week ago. Teammates also liked how he responded to a tough day. Before the final two drives, he had struggled with overthrows to open receivers. Haskins said he injured his right wrist, which at times impacted his ability to grip the ball as he wanted.
"It's big. Obviously he comes from a big program; he's not used to losing. It's a sour taste in his mouth," right tackle Morgan Moses said. "We all know he has big-play potential. This is about composure."
M.Wishnowsky kicks 58 yards from SF 35 to GB 7. T.Smith to GB 26 for 19 yards (T.Moore).
2NO.
20.0AVG
21LONG
0TD
NBC
1
2
3
4
T
Packers
0
0
0
49ers
10
10
20
first Quarter
GB
SF
TD
13:02
Tevin Coleman 2 Yard Rush, C.McLaughlin extra point is GOOD, Center-K.Nelson, Holder-M.Wishnowsky.
1 play, 2 yards, 0:05
0
7
FG
3:13
Chase McLaughlin Made 29 Yrd Field Goal
7 plays, 40 yards, 3:43
0
10
second Quarter
GB
SF
FG
2:55
Chase McLaughlin Made 27 Yrd Field Goal
7 plays, 59 yards, 3:16
0
13
TD
0:58
Deebo Samuel Pass From Jimmy Garoppolo for 42 Yrds, C.McLaughlin extra point is GOOD, Center-K.Nelson, Holder-M.Wishnowsky.
3 plays, 61 yards, 0:58
0
20
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