ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – When Scott Harrington found himself in contention earlier this fall at the Houston Open, he considered having his wife, Jennifer, fly from the couple’s home in Scottsdale, Ariz., to be with him during the weekend.

The couple ultimately decided to not make the trip and the 39-year-old PGA Tour rookie finished runner-up. After an opening 65 on the Seaside course, however, Harrington might need to consider some last-minute travel arrangements for his wife.

“Maybe, it would just kind of depend where I'm at heading into Sunday or maybe even heading into this weekend,” said Harrington, who was tied for fifth place after Round 1. “We might talk about it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I've got a lot of golf to play.”

Harrington is one of the young season’s most compelling stories. The circuit’s oldest rookie took much of the 2017 season off to stay at home with Jennifer who was battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Jennifer Harrington’s cancer is in remission and Scott earned his Tour card thanks to his runner-up finish at the Portland Open on the Korn Ferry Tour, but there are always reminders.

“We get pretty high anxiety when she gets her scans every six months to make sure everything is still gone. There's a lot of anxiety around that, but the relief when we've gotten the positive news has been huge and it definitely lets me kind of just focus on what I'm doing out here,” said Harrington, who birdied two of his first six holes Thursday.

NAPLES, Fla. – Sei Young Kim may be the most underrated South Korean star.

With her 7-under 65 Thursday, she took the first-round lead at the CME Group Tour Championship, positioning herself early for a run at the $1.5 million winner’s check, the richest in the history of women’s golf.

Kim, 26, is looking to claim her third LPGA title this year, the 10th of her career.

How good is that among South Korean stars who have played the American-based tour?

Only Se Ri Pak (25), Inbee Park (19) and Jiyai Shin (11) have won more LPGA titles than Kim.

Pak, Park and Shin all won major championships. Kim is still looking for her first. She’s considered the best player in the women’s game today who hasn’t won one.

“I think she’s going to end up winning all the majors,” said Paul Fusco, her caddie. "We talk about it a lot. Maybe she doesn’t win them all, but it’s just a matter of time until she starts winning them. She believes she can.”

This week’s event isn’t a major, but it’s the next best thing with that winner’s jackpot. Kim won the LPGA’s Mediheal Championship at Lake Merced Golf Club outside San Francisco in May on a course set up like a major.

She won in single digits (-7), showing how her game is suited to any kind of setup, whether par’s a good score or birdies are required in bunches. Kim smashed the LPGA’s 72-hole scoring record winning the Thornberry Classic last year. Her 31-under total there was four shots better than the previous tour record, which Kim shared with Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam.

“Yeah, I’m biased, but when Sei Young is on, nobody can touch her,” Fusco said.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The PGA Tour confirmed Thursday that the policy board approved modifications to the circuit’s pace-of-play policy at its year-ending meeting earlier this week.

Although the Tour doesn’t plan to release details of the modified policy until the circuit initiates an “education process with the PGA Tour’s membership,” one source familiar with the changes characterized the adjustments as “not drastic” and more focused on individual players.

The Tour announced a review of the policy in August which included data collected by ShotLink that could help identify problem areas.

The new policy is aimed at avoiding situations where players take an inordinate amount of time to hit a shot, like Bryson DeChambeau at The Northern Trust in August. The plan is to also empower Tour officials to take action if a player is impacting pace of play.

According to the Tour, the revised policy will go into effect in the second quarter of 2020.

Photos revealed on Twitter show ousted Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino leaving a note thanking his former players.

Ex-Spurs assistant Jesus Perez posted the photos on Thursday which shows Pochettino writing on a whiteboard that read: "Big thanks to you all. We can't [sic] to say goodbye... You will always be in our [hearts]."

#COYS.? pic.twitter.com/mh0v46lWd5

— Jesus Perez (@jesus_perez) November 21, 2019

The Argentine was sacked on Tuesday with the club hiring Jose Mourinho as his replacement the next day.

The photos are the first public acknowledgement by Pochettino since his sacking.

At his first news conference following his appointment on Wednesday, Mourinho paid tribute to Pochettino and said the outgoing manager will find another top job.

"I have to speak about Mauricio," Mourinho said. "I have to congratulate him for the work he has done. This club will always be his home. This training ground will always be his training ground. The door will always be open for him.

"He will find happiness again. He will find a great club again. He will have a great future."

Pochettino has been previously linked to clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich -- although none of those jobs would be immediately available.

Mourinho's new deal at Spurs runs until the end of the 2022-23 season. Sources have told ESPN that the deal is worth around £15 million a year.

Lunch England 329 for 8 (Buttler 29*, Leach 12*) v New Zealand

Tim Southee's three-wicket burst put England on the back foot during an eventful morning session in Mount Maunganui. Having profited from a cautious approach on day one, England's batsmen reverted to type during a middle-order collapse, although an unbroken ninth-wicket stand of 34 between Jos Buttler and Jack Leach did manage to repel New Zealand until lunch.

After a quiet opening, Southee struck three times in 11 balls. Ben Stokes was first to fall, nine runs short of century, and Southee then rounded up Ollie Pope and Sam Curran in his next over. Trent Boult claimed his first wicket of the match to leave England 295 for 8, but Buttler continued to look dangerous as England sought to repair the damage.

The tourists had actually resumed in positive fashion, with Stokes and Pope extending their overnight partnership to 74. Stokes appeared set for his third century in five Tests, picking up regular boundaries as he moved into the 90s, only for Ross Taylor to brilliantly atone for dropping him on day one. With New Zealand having shifted their cordon wide, Taylor had to react instinctively to a chance flying through regulation first slip but clung on one-handed high to his right.

Kane Williamson had initially held Southee back, handing the still-newish ball to Colin de Grandhomme first up. But once Southee had pried out Stokes, he harnessed the conditions expertly to rip through England's middle order.

Operating in the high 120s kph but showing just why New Zealand's attack is so adept when there is a hint of swing on offer, Southee struck twice with consecutive deliveries. Pope, who successfully overturned an lbw decision that went de Grandhomme's way in the third over of the morning, played some eye-catching shots to move past his previous Test best of 28, made on debut against India in 2018, but was lured into flashing at a delivery that left him enough to clip the edge through to BJ Watling.

Curran was then bamboozled by a full inswinger, opting to review despite ball-tracking showing that the delivery would have crashed into middle and leg stumps. Jofra Archer negotiated the hat-trick ball uncertainly, via a deflection for four off his pads, and then fell in the following over as Boult found his outside edge. From the relative comfort of 277 for 4, England had shipped 4 for 18 in 21 deliveries.

With Leach nearly running out Buttler off the first ball he faced, England were in serious danger of folding for around 300. But Henry Nicholls could not manage a direct hit from the covers with the batsman nowhere in the frame, and Buttler hinted at his destructive capabilities a couple of overs later when casually lofting Southee back down the ground for four.

With lunch approaching, he launched Boult high over long-off for six, but with conditions still relatively friendly for batting, New Zealand were the happier of the sides after the morning's progress.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was taught by his mentor, the late Jud Heathcote, to give back to the game by being part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The Hall of Famer is choosing not to do that anymore.

A frustrated Izzo said Thursday that he was resigning from the NABC board of directors after nearly 18 years of service. He said he wanted to focus on his team and family, but he also blamed the NCAA for making what he called "arbitrary decisions" regarding waiver requests, including denying forward Joey Hauser's appeal to play this season.

"Joey did have a strong case and I'm devastated," Izzo said.

Hauser transferred to Michigan State from Marquette in May and requested a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible immediately instead of sitting out the season, per usual transfer rules. The NCAA recently changed its waiver policy to give more undergraduate transfers a chance to become immediately eligible to compete.

"We opened Pandora's box and maybe it will never be shut," Izzo said.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is among the football players who received a waiver to play in 2019 after transferring following the 2018 season. Earlier this week, the NCAA cleared forward Gabe Osabuohien to play at West Virginia this season after approving his waiver request and TCU got a boost when Ohio State transfer Jaedon LeDee was granted a waiver.

Izzo did not reference any specific decision the NCAA has made, but he said the governing body is relying on people outside of the game to make critical decisions.

"Joey didn't come here because he thought he was going to play right away," the coach said. "There was not even any talk about that. But as waivers started to pile up as the summer went on, Joey and his family felt they had a strong case. And I don't really appreciate when some people are getting waivers, and other people aren't.

"All the research I've seen, the consistency and the guidelines for this seem absurd. There's arbitrary decisions being made. And what bothers me the most is they're being made by individuals who don't really understand what's going on in our game."

He said he has tried to be a part of coming up with solutions as part of the NABC, but stepped down from his role because he is fed up.

"I just don't believe I want to be dealing with these problems and banging my head against the wall," he said.

Jim Haney, the longtime executive director of the NABC, said Izzo is not the only coach frustrated.

"There's a lack of trust in terms of the process," Haney said in a telephone interview. "Coaches look at stories about this kid becoming eligible immediately and then find out this kid is not and there's a lot of uncertainty. Tom deeply cares about the game and is a great steward. When his frustration comes to the point that he wants to disengage from the conversation, I think that says something significant."

A message seeking comment was left with the NCAA.

The 6-foot-9 Hauser, who is from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, averaged nearly 10 points and five-plus rebounds last season as a freshman.

The third-ranked Spartans play Virginia Tech next week in the Maui Invitational, where they will also face Dayton or Georgia and potentially No. 4 Kansas.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic and forward Aaron Gordon will remain out after both underwent MRIs for ankle injuries Thursday.

Vucevic has a right lateral ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days.

Gordon was diagnosed with a right ankle contusion, the Magic said. His return to action will depend on how he responds to treatment.

Gordon and Vucevic both suffered their injuries during the second quarter of Wednesday night's loss at Toronto.

The trainer who led Carmelo Anthony's workouts over the summer and before his joining the Portland Trail Blazers cold turkey on Tuesday says the forward was able to stay NBA-ready by embracing an overhaul of his game.

Trainer Alex Bazzell said in an in-depth interview with SNY that they zeroed in on pushing Anthony to improve his defensive effort -- especially against the pick-and-roll -- and to make quicker decisions off the catch and move better off the ball.

Bazzell was adamant the 10-time All-Star was open to change.

"He was completely bought into the [idea that on] the defensive side of the ball, he's got to get better," Bazzell said. "He was bought into not being able to hold the ball [on offense]. We would still work on his mid-post because I think that's going to be a part of his game that he's going to have to rely on to score every now and then. You don't take that away, you keep all of that fresh.

"When we would play one-on-one scenarios, when he'd catch, it's hard because sometimes you just have a tendency to hold it, relax and kind of let the defense make a mistake. It was just trying to break habits that he's built up for so long and he was never defensive about it. He was always 100 percent in agreement with what I was saying."

Bazzell and Anthony worked from June to August in Los Angeles, and in New York before the season and before his Portland debut against New Orleans.

"We were working on moving without the ball because that's something I saw on film he didn't do very well," Bazzell said of Anthony, who had last played Nov. 8, 2018, with the Houston Rockets. "Especially coming from -- let's face it, Houston's offense is four guys standing and watching James [Harden] dribble the ball for 20 seconds. It's tough. So we worked on getting used to [moving without the ball]. Getting used to the actions of catching. His footwork efficiency with rips and jabs and all of that off the catch. He's as smart a player as you're going to find. There's a reason that he's scored as many points as he has. So it was just getting him comfortable with moving in different ways than he has in the past."

Bazzell said their routine consisted of three days on and one day off of workouts that lasted about an hour. Pickup sessions with Nets players after word came that Brooklyn had interest in Anthony also gave him a chance to stay sharp.

"I think that kind of reaffirmed that he belonged in the league because he went up there and played incredible," Bazzell said.

They then "crammed in everything" with five workouts in three days after Anthony agreed to the deal with the Blazers last week.

"But the workouts were much more specific because I actually knew the offense of what Portland was going to run and the touches that he was going to get," Bazzell said. "The first workout was beating on his body a little bit. He'd drive and we'd put a shoulder in him. Just to see how his body was going to bounce back. And then get his cardio up."

Anthony will play in his second game Thursday night when the Blazers visit Milwaukee. He scored 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting, going 2-for-3 from 3-point range with four rebounds and five turnovers in 24 minutes during his debut.

LOUDON, N.H. – The American-Canadian Tour and the Pro All Star Series have announced plans to open their seasons on April 17-18 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during the inaugural Northeast Classic.

ACT and PASS are partnering up as co-promoters for the event that features two of the region’s top touring series. The American-Canadian Tour and PASS North series’ are set for twin 75-lap main events. Both will be point-counting events that open the title chases for their respective series.

The event is ACT’s first visit to NHMS since the 2017 ACT Invitational. It will be the second points paying event for the series at the 1.058-mile speedway, joining the ACT All-Star Challenge in 2011. PASS returns to the Magic Mile for the second-straight year and third time overall after running National Championship Series events in 2015 and 2019.

In addition to ACT and PASS, the Northeast Classic also includes open shows for tour-type modifieds and eight-cylinder Street Stocks. The modifieds will have a 75-lap main event while the street stocks will go 40 laps.

April 17 has been set as practice day for the Northeast Classic with racing on April 18. The rain date will be April 19.  More details on all events will be announced soon.

“We’re beyond excited to return to NHMS,” ACT Managing Partner Cris Michaud said. “A few months ago, an event like this wasn’t even on our radar. But Tom Mayberry and the folks at NHMS worked with us to make it happen, and we’ve put something together that we think racers and fans will love. ACT had a great run at NHMS with the Invitational for nine years, and we’re happy to start a new chapter at this great race track.”

“We’re already looking forward to April,” PASS owner Tom Mayberry added. “A big event always gets a season started on the right foot. What bigger way to open our 2020 Northeast racing season than on the biggest stage in the region? We’re glad to be working with ACT and NHMS on this event and aim to make it a new annual tradition for racers from Connecticut to Quebec.”

The remainder of the American Canadian Tour and Pro All Stars Series schedules will be announced within the next few weeks.