ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. –Historically, Georgia’s Golden Isles has been where PGA Tour careers begin, but Brendon Todd appears poised to make a more forceful statement.

Playing what his caddie dubbed “video golf,” Todd moved into the lead at the RSM Classic and within 18 holes of becoming the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006 to win three consecutive PGA Tour events.

All total, Todd has played his last 11 rounds in 62 under par, a haul that includes his 18-under mark at Sea Island Golf Club where he leads Webb Simpson and Sebastian Munoz by two strokes. In other words, it has been a commanding performance.

It’s also been a wildly unlikely performance.

It’s not that Todd isn’t a talented player, it’s just that when you’ve fallen as far - and as often - as he has, it’s difficult to imagine a way back.

After leaving the University of Georgia in 2007, he struggled to find his way in the professional ranks, and in 2010 the 34-year-old developed what he can now admit was a case of the hitting yips.

“In 2010 I pretty much hit my driver 50 yards right for a year and fought my way out of it,” he admitted this week.

He endured those dark days, and in 2014 he won his first Tour event at the Byron Nelson. It was an abyss most players never recover from, and quietly within Tour circles he became a shining example of how perseverance can overcome even the worst golf can throw at you.

But it wasn’t that easy. For Todd, it never is.

In 2016 he lost his Tour card, and by 2018 he’d fallen into no man’s land. The yips were back and so were the doubts that had made his first bout with mediocrity so debilitating.

For Todd, he sought solace where he could find it. He’d been through this once before and there was no reason to think he couldn’t do it again.

“It didn't actually make it easier. It just provided some of the belief I needed to get through it because this one was unique in that it kind of lasted longer,” Todd said of his most recent swoon.

The first crack of daylight came in August when he finished runner-up in a Korn Ferry Tour event, but it was a familiar tune to begin the fall season on Tour. He missed the cut at the season opener and the Sanderson Farms Championship. He added two more short weeks at the Safeway Open and Las Vegas.

The only indication that he was on the precipice of a historic run was within Todd. He felt he was playing better and things began to change earlier this month at the Bermuda Championship when he carded four rounds in the 60s for the first time since November 2018 and won by four strokes.

Last week in Mexico was just as commanding, with Todd opening with a 63 on his way to a one-stroke victory. It’s nearly impossible to overstate how impressive Todd has been the last three weeks.

“I had some struggles for a couple years, he's had some struggles, so we've been able to talk to each other on the phone and help each other out,” said Simpson, who will be paired with Todd in the final group Sunday. “I've been so proud of him for hanging in there. I mean, I think besides the player of the year [race], his story could be the biggest story of the year, you know, where he was, to come back.”

Simpson has spent a young lifetime going head-to-head with Todd, who moved to North Carolina when he was a junior. He has seen Todd’s best and worst and can attest to how impressive this reemergence has been.

Nearly every Tour player will endure varying degrees of slumps in their careers, but few could expect to emerge from the far side with the flair and confidence that Todd has shown.

D.J. Trahan can certainly relate. Like Todd, Trahan turned pro with high expectations. But after winning twice on Tour in the mid-2000’s, he was slowed and nearly stopped by an ongoing back injury.

“I've been in that dark place and I'm pretty sure he's been right there with me,” said Trahan, who is alone in fourth place at 15 under par. “When you can dig yourself out of that hole, and never mind dig yourself out but do what he's doing right now, it is tremendous. What he's done and what he is doing right now this week is spectacular.”

Fall events often slip through the cracks in the public’s attention with golf overshadowed by football and an absence of many of the game’s stars, but Todd’s is a story that’s impossible to overlook. It’s also impossible to overstate.

NAPLES, Fla. – Here we go again.

Caroline Masson’s chance at winning her second LPGA title was dashed three weeks ago with her fiancé, Jason McDede, helping Nelly Korda beat her at the Swinging Skirts LPGA in Taiwan. McDede is Korda’s caddie. They were all grouped together in the final round, with the competition going to extra holes before Korda prevailed.

Masson is back in the final grouping Sunday at the CME Group Tour Championship, and guess who will be playing alongside her?

Masson will join Korda and Sei Young Kim.

Kim leads Korda by one shot and Masson by four.

And, yes, McDede is still on Korda’s bag.

“It was cool and special,” Masson said of the Taiwan experience. “Maybe not that special anymore.”

Actually, Masson said, it’s an experience to embrace yet again.

“We have a lot of family here,” Masson said. “They'll be happy just to be able to watch both of us at the same time.”

Don’t expect a lot of commiserating between the couple, though.

“We're just going to do it like last time, going about our business, and both doing our jobs and still embracing it,” Masson said.

NAPLES, Fla. – Jin Young Ko is in position to finish off a sweep of the LPGA’s most important season-long awards.

Ko’s 6-under-par 66 Saturday all but mathematically secures the Vare Trophy for low scoring average.

At 10 under for the championship, Ko’s scoring average for the year moves to 69.038.

Hyo Joo Kim’s 69.400 scoring average is the closest to Ko, but the LPGA estimated at week’s start that Kim would have to finish 22 shots ahead of Ko this week to have a chance to pass her. Kim starts Sunday five shots behind Ko.

Ko has a chance to make some scoring history with a strong finish. With a 65 Sunday, she will join Annika Sorenstam as the only LPGA players to average better than 69 strokes for an entire season.

Ko has already won the points-based Rolex Player of the Year Award and the Rolex Annika Major Award for the best cumulative performance in all five majors this season. She also has one hand on the LPGA money winning title with $2,714,281 in earnings, which is more than $700,000 ahead of Jeongeun Lee6.

But, with Sunday’s $1.5 million first-place check, Ko can still be passed.

Lee6 ($1,992,490), Brooke Henderson ($1,519,447), Lexi Thompson ($1,417,609), Nelly Korda ($1,395,909), Sei Young Kim ($1,253,099) and Danielle Kang ($1,241,806) are among those who still have a mathematical chance to pass Ko, but they all must win and hope Ko doesn’t finish well.

Lunch New Zealand 452 for 6 (Watling 148*, Santner 55*) lead England 353 by 99 runs

New Zealand's seventh-wicket pair of BJ Watling and Mitchell Santner adopted a circumspect approach during the morning session as they attempted to bat England out of the game at Mount Maunganui. Only 58 runs were scored from 30 overs, but the lack of impact on the wickets column was the chief concern for Joe Root.

England dutifully went through the motions with the ball, but there was an air of fatalism about their attempts to finish off the innings. Jofra Archer strung together five maidens in a row, while Stuart Broad managed to make one delivery seam past Santner's outside edge; a three-over sally from Root produced an lbw appeal against Santner (ball-tracking showed it would have missed leg) and a delivery that shaved off stump.

In the final over before lunch, Archer raised his pace up above 145kph/90mph once again, striking Watling a glancing blow on the top of the helmet. Having been assessed by the physio, Watling cut the last ball of the session for four to move within two runs of his 150.

New Zealand resumed on day four in control but not in a hurry. Watling had already demonstrated his appetite for crease-occupation by batting throughout day three, and he continued on his way to notch a couple more personal milestones: a new Test best and the most balls faced in an innings by a New Zealand wicketkeeper, surpassing his own mark during the epic rearguard against India at Wellington in 2014.

For Santner, the reward for his application was a third Test fifty, and his highest score since January 2017. Although he was occasionally troubled by the short ball once again, he showed good judgement and a straight bat to eclipse his previous longest innings in Tests.

The morning began with Watling slicing Archer's second delivery for a boundary through gully, but that was a false portent. The next seven overs were maidens, as New Zealand set out their stall to try and bat only once in the game. Only 19 runs were scored in the first hour, but England's frustrations mounted in the face of a second successive century stand featuring the obdurate Watling.

While England could look to the unresponsive surface and envisage a clear path to safety, every run added to the New Zealand lead was one that could come to bear down on them when they are asked to bat again.

LOS ANGELES -- USC true freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis became the first player in school history to throw for 500 yards in a game Saturday as the Trojans beat UCLA 52-35.

Slovis finished the game 37-of-47 for 515 yards with four touchdowns, breaking a record previously held by Matt Barkley (493 yards).

The record came on a 21-yard completion to running back Stephen Carr in the fourth quarter, which eclipsed Barkley's mark from 2012. Slovis' performance was also his third consecutive game with more than 400 yards passing, making him the first player in school history to accomplish that.

He fell five yards shy of former Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon's Pac-12 single-game freshman record (520 yards).

Four USC receivers -- Drake London, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman Jr. -- had more than 100 yards receiving. The Trojans are the fourth team in the country in the past 20 years to have four 100-yard receivers in the same game, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

The NBA fined Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo $35,000 for making "unsportsmanlike physical contact" with Thunder guard Dennis Schroder, "verbal abuse" of an official and not leaving the court in a timely manner following his ejection from Friday night's game.

Rondo was hit with a flagrant foul 2 after he appeared to kick Schroder in the groin era with 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 130-127 win in Oklahoma City.

Rondo could be seen arguing and yelling at officials after getting hit with the flagrant and had to be escorted off the court by teammates.

"I didn't think it called for an ejection, but the refs have to do what they feel best fits,'' LeBron James said after the game. "But, you know, I didn't think it called for an ejection.''

Rondo, 33, is averaging 7.2 points and 5.6 assists in 20.4 minutes per game so far this season.

The inaugural ‘gold’ series will feature 10 events

World Athletics (IAAF) has released further information on its 2020 Continental Tour, billed as a series of the world’s best one-day meetings outside of the Diamond League.

Earlier this month the sport’s global governing body announced the controversial decision to cut the 200m, 3000m steeplechase, triple jump and discus for both men and women from next year’s Diamond League.

For the 2020 season, the Continental Tour gold meeting core disciplines will be the 200m, 3000m steeplechase, triple jump, discus throw and hammer throw, with the same level of world ranking points as the Diamond League set to be available.

A total prize money purse of at least US$ 200,000 will be offered for each gold level meeting.

Wildcard entry to the Oregon 2021 World Championships will also be on offer for the core disciplines.

The ‘gold’ level is one of three which will feature in the Continental Tour, alongside ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’, with each meeting’s status to be determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.

The meetings in the 2020 Continental Tour gold level calendar will take place in Tokyo, Nanjing, Ostrava, Hengelo, Turku, Kingston, Szekesfehervar, Silesia and Zagreb, with one more to be confirmed.

“We are kick starting our campaign to build more quality one-day meetings around the world with the new Continental Tour, which will give more athletes more opportunities to compete across all disciplines, to earn prize money and world rankings points and to build their profiles,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

“Between the Diamond League and the Continental Tour all disciplines will be catered for and many more athletes will have access to top-class competition. Those that have not been included in the Diamond League final next year, will be core disciplines on the Continental Tour.”

2020 World Athletics Continental Tour gold level calendar

May 10 – Tokyo, JPN
May 13 – Nanjing, CHN
May 22 – Ostrava, CZE
Jun 1 – Hengelo, NED
Jun 9 – Turku, FIN
Jun 13 – Kingston, JAM
Jul 7 – Szekesfehervar, HUN
Sep 6 – Silesia, POL
Sep 15 – Zagreb, CRO
*Tenth meeting to be confirmed

Marathon star and world 400m hurdles record-holder receive top prizes at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco

Eliud Kipchoge and Dalilah Muhammad have won world athlete of the year honours at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco.

Kipchoge retained his awards crown as he received the trophy for the second year following successes including his sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna and fourth London Marathon win.

Muhammad received her award following a season which saw her break the world 400m hurdles record twice, first at the US Championships and then again at the World Championships in Doha.

"I'm happy to be the first human being to run under two hours"@EliudKipchoge reflects on winning Male Athlete of the Year ??

?:https://t.co/aLjDEsosYq pic.twitter.com/SUwz2WyZ4Y

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) November 23, 2019

"I'm so thankful to be here"

After a stellar athletics season, @DalilahMuhammad wins Female World Athlete of the Year at the 2019 World #AthleticsAwards. pic.twitter.com/v33HZpS8zH

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) November 23, 2019

Ethiopia’s world 5000m silver medallist Selemon Barega and Ukraine’s world high jump silver medallist Yaroslava Mahuchikh were named winners of the rising star awards.

Brother Colm O’Connell, who has coached athletes including world 800m record-holder David Rudisha, received the coaching achievement award, while Guinea-Bissau’s Braima Suncar Dabo received the fair play award after the help he gave Jonathan Busby of Aruba during their world 5000m heat.

Ethiopian distance running great Derartu Tulu was named woman of the year.

Trailblazing journalist Vikki Orvice, who was one of Britain’s most experienced and admired athletics writers, sadly died earlier this year from cancer and she was remembered and honoured at the event with the Presidents Award.

ENSENADA, Mexico — SCORE Int’l has announced that Ford has entered into a multi-year agreement to become the official truck and SUV of the off-road racing sanctioning body.

The agreement between the two organizations runs through the 2022 season.

The news comes on the heels of Ford debuting the Bronco R during the 52nd running of the Baja 1,000 this weekend.

“SCORE is especially pleased to have entered into this multi-year agreement with Ford,” said Jim Ryan, SCORE Marketing and Sales Director. “Ford has a long and storied history in SCORE racing and this agreement will provide SCORE with a tremendous sponsor partner as our official truck and SUV.”

“Further, having their Ford Bronco R racing prototype in this year’s SCORE Baja 1000 is an extremely viable way to launch this long-term sponsorship. We welcome Ford to our wonderful SCORE sponsor family and look forward to expanding our mutually beneficial relationship.”

“Working with SCORE just makes great sense, especially with some of the Ford trucks and SUVs coming down the pike, starting with the reveal of the new Bronco next Spring,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “Vehicles like Raptor and the all-new Bronco were built to live in the sand of Baja.”