I Dig Sports
DeChambeau (74) on slow-play target: 'It's a bit unfair'
Published in
Golf
Thursday, 30 May 2019 08:03
DUBLIN, Ohio – After struggling to a 2-over 74 to open his title defense at the Memorial, Bryson DeChambeau’s post-round comments focused on a single subject: pace.
DeChambeau played in a marquee grouping alongside Tiger Woods and Justin Rose, and the trio was put on the clock after No. 18, their ninth hole of the day. DeChambeau was subsequently informed of a bad time after taking too long to hit his second shot into the par-5 fifth hole, meaning that another bad time would have resulted in a one-shot penalty.
DeChambeau didn’t have another bad time the rest of the way, but he made a double bogey on No. 6 in the immediate wake of his warning from PGA Tour official Brad Fabel.
“He came up to me and told me I had a bad time. And I was like, do you realize I was deciding between laying up and going for it?” DeChambeau said. “And we’ve had struggles the past three holes in a row, hazards and making bogeys and all that. Was that not factored in? ‘Well, it’s just 40 seconds, it is what it is.’ Well, I don’t agree with that.”
When playing approach shots, Tour regulations afford the first player in the group 50 seconds to play his shot while each subsequent player must hit in 40 seconds or less. DeChambeau’s group spent much of their second nine at least a hole behind the grouping of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas ahead of them.
DeChambeau’s mathematical approach has come under fire before, with Brooks Koepka calling slow play on Tour “kind of embarrassing” following DeChambeau’s detailed pre-shot routine en route to a victory in Dubai. DeChambeau is aware of his reputation, one that he believes is unjustified.
“It’s a bit unfair when you’ve got someone that’s behind you, let’s say, and they’re slower, but they’re quicker through their process. I get up there in the middle of the fairway and I have to wait for them to go, and then I have only my 40 seconds, which is what I’m trying to do everything under,” he said. “People call me slow. I call myself quick with the stuff I do. … A lot of guys out here, they just see it and they hit it. And for me I don’t want to do that because I feel like there’s other variables I get hurt on.”
Playing alongside DeChambeau, Woods shared that officials placing the trio on the clock at the turn “made things a little more complicated” over the inward half.
“It’s one of those things where it’s a group effort to try to get back in position,” Woods said. “The group ahead of us, JT doesn’t take a lot of time, Rory plays quick, and Jordan was 7 under through 13 holes. So they’re obviously playing fast, and we were obviously not.”
DeChambeau shared that he has attempted to earn a spot on the Player Advisory Council for the last three years, in part to influence Tour policy when it comes to slow play, but “nobody’s ever voted me on.” He was quick to provide his proposed solution, one that would factor the time it takes for a player to walk to his ball in between shots rather than specifically focus on the time he takes once it’s his turn to play.
“The time to hurry is in between shots. It’s not over the shot,” he said. “It’s timing how people walk. You have to add that to the equation. If you’ve got somebody walking slow and they get up to the shot and take their 20 seconds, what’s the aggregate time for them to hit that shot in between shots? That’s what really matters. It’s not the shot at hand.”
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Woods: 'Awesome to see' alma mater Stanford win national championship
Published in
Golf
Thursday, 30 May 2019 08:26
DUBLIN, Ohio – Just about the time that Tiger Woods finished his pro-am round Wednesday at the Memorial Tournament, his alma mater was busy polishing off its first national title in more than a decade.
Stanford secured a 3-2 victory over Texas in the championship match in Fayetteville, Ark., prompting many Cardinal alums to voice their support for the squad that’s bringing the first team NCAA championship back to Palo Alto since 2007.
Included among them was Woods, who won an individual title at Stanford in 1996. He tweeted a short video in the hours after the team’s victory, then expanded on his reaction following an opening-round 70 at Muirfield Village.
“That was awesome,” Woods said. “Just to see not only them come back and win the national championship, but I’m so happy for (coach) Conrad (Ray). Conrad and I were teammates a long time ago, but it’s awesome to see him win another national championship.”
Ray was also coaching the Cardinal back in 2007, when they won by 12 shots over Georgia in Williamsburg, Va. The format for the men’s national championship switched to match play beginning in 2009.
Jordan Spieth won a national title as part of the 2012 squad at Texas, and he shared his support for John Fields’ runner-up squad following an opening-round 66 at the Memorial.
“They used up a lot of energy there in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches,” Spieth said. “What an awesome run by them. And they’re really young and only going to get better.”
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Amid inconsistent season, Moore (65) finds consistency for early lead at Memorial
Published in
Golf
Thursday, 30 May 2019 09:02
DUBLIN, Ohio – For a player whose career has been defined by consistency, 2019 has been anything but consistent for Ryan Moore.
After starting his season last fall with a playoff loss at the Safeway Open, he’s managed just one top-10 finish since, which made his bogey-free opening round on Thursday at the Memorial worth enjoying.
“I've had two kind of really good finishes, and then a bunch of very moderate golf up around that,” Moore said. “I'd like to make it a little bit more consistent. I'm a guy that can be up there, like top 5s and top 10s, and either I've had it or haven't had it this year, which is a little unusual for me.”
There was nothing missing from his game on Day 1 at Muirfield Village. Moore birdied five of his first seven holes and played his closing nine in increasingly difficult conditions in 2 under par for the early lead.
His 7-under 65 was his best opening round of the season and was an encouraging start on a course that Moore admits can be a challenge for him being a mid-length player.
“For me, I hit it pretty short and it's not rolling. It's playing 5-, 6-irons into holes I'm used to hitting 7-, 8-(irons) into,” Moore said. “The greens are receptive. You're hitting that 6-iron, it's not one hopping 3 or 4 yards, it's hitting and stopping within 10 feet, which is nice for me.”
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Moore leads at Muirfield as Woods sputters out of gate early
Published in
Golf
Thursday, 30 May 2019 09:36
DUBLIN, Ohio – Tiger Woods got off to a slower start than he would have liked Thursday at the Memorial.
That had more do with a stopwatch than a scorecard.
Ryan Moore opened with five birdies in seven holes and never missed a fairway after the first one, posting a 7-under 65 for his best start in his 14th appearance at Muirfield Village. He was one shot ahead of Jordan Spieth, who chipped in for birdie, for par and holed a 35-foot eagle putt.
Woods made a pair of late birdies to salvage a 70 in his first round since missing the cut at the PGA Championship. He played his second nine in a foursome along with Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose and a rules official in a cart timing them because they were so far out of position.
''We were on the clock most of the back nine,'' Woods said. ''That made things a little more complicated.''
Getting caught up wasn't easy with various tee shots in water hazards, though it was obvious how far behind they were. Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas were the group ahead of them, and McIlroy hit his tee shot on the par-4 second into a backyard. With no official nearby, he had to walk 300 yards back to the tee to hit again. That took time. Still, walking off the fourth green, the group of Woods, DeChambeau and Rose still had not reached the third tee.
DeChambeau, who considers such variables as air density and elevation change in his pre-shot routine, went over his allotted time on No. 5 and was given a warning for a bad time. He made birdie, took double bogey from a fairway bunker on the next hole and began his title defense with a 74.
He was frustrated by being on the clock, and by not getting through to the PGA Tour on how to measure pace of play.
''The time to hurry is in between shots. It's not the shot,'' DeChambeau said. ''It's timing how people walk. You have to add that to the equation. If you've got someone walking slow, they get up to the shot, take their 20 seconds. What's the aggregate time for them to hit that shot in between shots? That's really what matters. That's what I believe. The total time it took me - if you were to take my process and walking time - is the exact time as everyone else.''
Golf still is measured by score, and Moore had the lowest one among the early starters on a rain-softened Muirfield Village. Only two of his seven birdies were longer than 10 feet, and the only time he came close to a bogey was on his opening hole, where he saved par with a 6-foot putt.
Spieth looked as though he couldn't miss for the longest time. On his second hole, the par-5 11th, his wedge came up so short on a soft green that it spun off the front. He chipped in from 50 feet for birdie. Another chip from thick rough caught the slope on the back of the par-5 15th green and rolled down to 3 feet for a birdie.
He went out in 32, made an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 3 and then had consecutive holes that illustrated how his round was going.
On the par-3 fourth, his tee shot was buried in the slope of a mound above the bunker. With his feet well below the ball, he hooked it out onto and across the green into more rough, and then chipped in for par. On the par-5 fifth, his hybrid caught the right side of the green and he rolled in the long eagle putt.
Spieth took only 22 putts for the round.
And then his luck ran out with a tee shot that plugged into the sand left of the green on the par-3 eighth, leaving him two options: go at the pin and run off the green into rough, or aim away from the flag and leave a 60-foot putt for par. He chose the latter and came inches within making it.
''Sooner or later, it was going bite me,'' Spieth said with a smile.
Even so, he had no complaints.
''Six under around Muirfield I'd take any day of the week, no matter what form you're coming into it with,'' he said. ''I felt like I hit more fairways today, gave me some more opportunities, and the putter stayed hot.''
Thomas, in his first tournament since the Masters because of a bone bruise in his right wrist, showed plenty of rust in his round of 71. McIlroy had a 75 with two double bogeys, both from tee shots either lost (No. 15) or out-of-bounds (No. 2).
Anirban Lahiri, Marc Leishman and Martin Kaymer were at 67.
Woods made birdies on all but one of the par 5s. His regret was a few loose iron shots that led to bogey, especially on the 13th when he hit 9-iron from the fairway into a bunker that led to a careless bogey. But he finished strong - eventually - and while 10 players from his side of the draw broke 70, he wasn't too far behind.
At least on the leaderboard.
''That was frustrating, because the last eight holes we were on the clock,'' Woods said. ''The group ahead of us ... JT doesn't take a lot of time, Rory plays quick and Jordan was 7 under. So they were obviously playing fast. And we were obviously not.''
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The United States booked a spot in the U20 World Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win against Qatar in Poland on Thursday.
Tim Weah scored a classy goal in the 76th minute after the U.S. dispossessed Qatar deep in their own territory, the PSG winger cutting back to his right and firing past Shehab Ellethy to put the Americans in the lead.
The U.S. was made to work for the win with Qatar spending plenty of time on the front foot and narrowly missing out on quality chances in both halves.
Qatar keeper Shehab kept his team in the match with a penalty save against Alex Mendez after Brandon Servania was fouled in the area.
The U.S. will be without both Mendez and Chris Durkin in the first game of the knockout rounds after both picked up their second yellow cards of the group stage and will have to sit out a match.
The result, combined with Nigeria's 1-1 draw with Ukraine, sees the U.S. finish second.in Group D.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Juwan Howard expects his return to the Michigan Wolverines as their new head coach will continue to mend ties between the basketball program and the members of its iconic Fab Five teams of the early 1990s.
A little more than a quarter-century after he left the Ann Arbor campus for what turned out to be a 19-year career in the NBA, Howard was introduced as the program's new coach Thursday.
He was part of the unprecedented Fab Five recruiting class that led Michigan to the national championship game as freshmen and sophomores in 1992 and 1993. That group has had an awkward relationship with the school since NCAA sanctions forced Michigan to vacate victories from those seasons, among others.
The university removed the 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners from Crisler Arena. Howard said a discussion with university leaders about the return of the banners -- or finding some other way to recognize those teams -- is back on the table.
"We worked extremely hard. We sacrificed a lot, went through a ton of adversity, earned every minute of it," Howard said when asked about the banners approximately 20 minutes into his first public appearance after accepting the job. "That is something on the table that we as [an athletic department staff] will definitely revisit. We're not making any promises. That's all I can say at this moment."
Former teammates Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Jimmy King all made passionate and public comments in support of Howard when it became clear he was a candidate to take over at Michigan after John Beilein left to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers.
King attended Thursday's news conference and said he was certain the group would be back together at a Michigan game sometime in the coming season.
"We're not bringing any beef or drama here, anything that would distract from Juwan doing his best job here," said King, who was wearing calf-length black Nike socks -- a nod to the Fab Five -- under his suit Thursday. "Immediately, it's over. We will be here this year."
Athletic director Warde Manuel, who graduated from Michigan shortly before Howard and the rest of the Fab Five arrived on campus, said he would be thrilled to welcome them back. Manuel said the program was open to exploring ways in which it could honor that group, but he said pulling down the banners was a university decision. He also said he didn't hire Howard as a way to reconnect with that era of Michigan basketball.
"Juwan Howard is hired to coach our basketball team and lead us to tremendous success," Manuel said. "He's not here to reunite and raise banners."
Manuel said he chose Howard as the team's new coach in part because of the passion he has for teaching and his alma mater. Howard broke down in "tears of joy" when Manuel handed him a jersey with his old college number on it during Thursday's news conference.
Howard said he woke up to 20 new text messages the morning that Beilein announced he was leaving the program. Howard, who has been an assistant on the Miami Heat staff for the past six seasons, said he was preparing to interview for the Minnesota Timberwolves job at the time but couldn't keep his focus off his old school. He said he was offered a position as an associate head coach in Minnesota but opted to turn it down for his first college coaching job at Michigan.
Howard said his biggest challenge in making the transition back to college will be recruiting and learning all of the rules that come along with it. Howard met with his current team for the first time in person Thursday morning. Forward Isaiah Livers said he expects Howard's NBA credentials and his ties to a culturally significant and memorable college team will make the new coach appealing to potential recruits.
"He's a serious dude," Livers said. "He knows what he's doing."
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Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni has ended talks with management on a contract extension, league sources told ESPN.
D'Antoni plans to complete the final season of his deal in 2019-20 -- which could become a pathway to his own free agency the next year.
D'Antoni's agent Warren LeGarie informed Rockets general manager Daryl Morey of the coach's decision on Thursday afternoon, sources said.
There had been conversations constructed around the Rockets idea of a performance-based extension, but those never gained traction with D'Antoni's camp, sources said.
The successes in D'Antoni's three years on the job -- four Western Conference series victories, a conference finals appearance and an NBA coach of the year award -- led D'Antoni to believe that a potential extension would follow the more traditional guaranteed framework of comparable coaching peers.
The Rockets are a franchise in flux, with an entire roster available in trade talks and two high-profile assistant coaches recently told by the organization that they wouldn't be brought back next season.
D'Antoni, 68, had told ESPN recently that he had hoped to coach at least three more years.
"I've let (GM) Daryl (Morey) and (owner) Tilman (Fertitta) know that I'm energized to keep coaching -- and believe that I can continue to do this at a high-level for at least another three years," D'Antoni told ESPN.
"I want be part of a championship here."
D'Antoni is entering the final year of his original four-year contract.
Fertitta called the Rockets loss in the Western Conference semifinals to the Golden State Warriors, "unacceptable." Top assistant Jeff Bzdelik -- who was talked out of retirement in November to address the team's defense -- and respected league assistant Roy Rogers weren't brought back for next season by management.
D'Antoni has averaged 58 victories a year in his three seasons with the Rockets, including four playoff series victories and a trip to Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors eliminated the Rockets in the past two seasons, including a six-game victory in the conference semifinals this month.
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NEW YORK -- The Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins drew 12,653 Wednesday night -- combined.
Baltimore, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Tampa Bay set stadium lows this year. Kansas City had its smallest home crowd since 2011, and Toronto and San Francisco since 2010. The Marlins' average attendance is less than that of Triple-A Las Vegas.
Major League Baseball's overall average of 26,854 through Wednesday is 1.4 percent below the 27,242 through this similar point last season, which wound up below 30,000 for the first time since 2003.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred attributes this year's drop to fewer season tickets but emphasizes that day-of-game sales are up 6 percent.
"Given the explosion of entertainment alternatives and the growth of the secondary market, it is not surprising that season-ticket sales can be challenging," he said. "The clubs are responding to this challenge with creative and effective approaches. For example, sales of subscription tickets are double what they were a year ago. And the Twins recently had a $5 flash sale that produced crowds of over 30,000 in three of four games, and the largest single-game attendance since 2016."
Nineteen of the 30 teams have seen their average fall from a similar point last year, with the largest drops in Toronto (6,963), San Francisco (6,463), Baltimore (3,839) and Detroit (3,686).
Large rises have taken place for Philadelphia (10,383), Oakland (4,027), San Diego (3,465) and the Chicago White Sox (2,311). The Phillies signed Bryce Harper, and the Padres added Manny Machado.
"A lot of it comes down to competition. Fans want to know their teams are doing everything they can to compete for a championship every year," union head Tony Clark said. "I see every empty seat as a missed opportunity. Experiencing a game and seeing players perform in person creates a bond with baseball; our industry needs to find ways to convert those empty seats into lifelong fans."
MLB's average peaked at 32,785 in 2007 -- the last year before the Great Recession and the next-to-last season before the New York Yankees and Mets moved to smaller stadiums. The average was at 30,517 in 2015 before sliding for three straight years, and last season's final figure of 28,830 marked a 4 percent drop, the overall number hurt by unusually cold and wet weather early in the season.
Manfred points to other metrics that please MLB: Games top prime-time cable ratings in 24 of 25 markets, and MLB.tv streaming is up 8.5 percent. He views increases for the Phillies, Padres, Athletics and White Sox as tied to team performance.
Florida remains a problem on both coasts.
Despite a sparkling, eight-season-old ballpark with a retractable roof, Miami is averaging 9,554 in Derek Jeter's second season as chief executive -- below the 9,582 average for Triple-A Las Vegas in its first season at a new 10,000-capacity stadium.
Tampa Bay plays in one of the most outmoded facilities in the major leagues and drew 5,786 against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, the smallest home crowd for the Rays, who started play at Tropicana Field in 1998.
"The more people there are, the more energy there's going to be," Tampa Bay outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said. "No matter what crowd you're playing in front of, you have to get motivated."
A quartet of last-place teams have seen swaths of empty seats.
Miami is on track to have the lowest home attendance in the National League for the seventh straight season. Tampa Bay is at the bottom of the AL for the fifth consecutive year.
"Anytime you're seeing less people show up to the ballpark, I think you're wondering why and you're wondering how you can change that," said Miami first baseman Neil Walker, accustomed to big crowds from his time in New York. "You've got to assume that it has a little bit to do with it being expensive to come to the ballpark."
Having traded many veterans, the Orioles are 28th in the majors at 16,263. Baltimore topped 2 million in 21 of its first 25 seasons at Camden Yards, exceeding 3 million nine times. But the Orioles drew 6,585 against Oakland on April 8, the lowest in the ballpark's 28-season history except for a 2015 game closed to the public at a time when the city was plagued by rioting.
"I wish fans were here. When we played in Wrigley, the energy level was off the charts," first-year Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "I'm hoping that someday soon that will be the case here."
Cincinnati's crowd of 7,799 against Milwaukee on April 1 was the lowest for a Reds home game since 1984 at Riverfront Stadium. That same day, Toronto drew 10,460 against the Orioles, the smallest attendance at the Rogers Centre since 2010.
San Francisco drew 28,030 vs. Pittsburgh on April 10, the Giants' lowest home crowd since 2010.
Kansas City's crowd of 10,024 against the Twins on April 2 was the lowest at Kauffman Stadium since 2011. Minnesota drew 11,465 against Toronto on April 17, the lowest figure in Target Field's 10-season history.
"As a kid, I loved more than anything to go to the ballpark, and I loved nothing more than playing baseball," Walker said. "But I think a lot of people are just -- they want action now. They don't want to be totally consumed with a game maybe that's just not timed."
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Elina Svitolina column: It's impossible to predict a French Open winner
Published in
Tennis
Thursday, 30 May 2019 10:32
World number nine Elina Svitolina, who has won 13 singles titles on the WTA Tour, will be writing columns for the BBC Sport website during the French Open, which runs from 26 May to 9 June.
The 24-year-old Ukrainian, who was at a career-high ranking of three last year, plays 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in a blockbuster of a third-round match on Friday.
The two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist talks about the strength of the women's singles, facing Spanish 19th seed Muguruza and how practising with boyfriend - French world number 17 - Gael Monfils is improving her game.
There are many, many good players in a Grand Slam and I think these days the women's game is at its highest level.
Players like Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki have already gone out, while Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep didn't have it easy.
That shows the depth of the women's game and how strong the draw is.
It doesn't matter if you are playing the person ranked 80th in the world or 20th - they are equally dangerous.
It's impossible to predict how many players could possibly win Roland Garros because there are so many contenders.
But I don't think too much about what is happening in the other parts of the draw.
And when a big name goes out there is not much talk in the locker room about it.
I only think about my part and mostly just the next opponent. If you look too far it can make you a little distracted and unfocused. What comes, comes.
'I need to react quickly to Muguruza'
After beating Venus Williams in the first round I have another tough challenge against Garbine Muguruza - someone who has won the Roland Garros title recently.
I'm not sure how that affects her - whether that brings more pressure on her or helps because she knows she can win here.
I don't know because I have never been in this situation where I have won a Grand Slam and returned as the champion!
I imagine there are plusses and minuses but I try not to think about her situation - I try to think about myself.
Otherwise you have too many thoughts and it is useless to waste energy.
I have a good record against Garbine and have won six of our seven previous matches.
We have only played once on clay - in the 2017 Italian Open semi-finals - and she retired with a neck injury when I was leading 4-1.
But I don't expect her to play any different to any other surface.
Garbine plays very early, she tries to dictate the point. So it is important for me to react really quickly and expect that.
'Practising with Gael is fun and improves me'
I reached the third round in an unexpected way because my opponent Kateryna Kozlova - who I have known since we were children in Ukraine - had to withdraw from our match with illness.
An opponent pulling out doesn't really affect me mentally. It comes, you have to react and adjust yourself.
So I had three hits on Wednesday instead.
Obviously I practised for my match and then when the match was cancelled I practised with Gael.
We were doing a doubles drill from the baseline where I'm attacking the ball and he's defending - he's obviously an amazing defender - so it was tough for me to make a winner.
He is too fit and too quick and too strong! So that's why for me it is good.
I'm approaching and doing volleys and he is always there. It is good practice for both of us and it's great fun.
Thankfully the loser doesn't have to pay for dinner - but whoever loses gets a hard shot hit at their body!
After that practice I then played a set with my hitting partner later on Wednesday. I played my last match on Sunday so I have to be ready and keep my head focused for the next one.
Playing a set obviously isn't the same as playing in the tournament match but that does help keep me a little in 'match mode'.
In a Grand Slam you have to be fresh and ready and straight into the first point because you have to compete at the highest level straight away.
'Relaxing and romantic dinners are important too'
Not playing because an opponent has pulled out means you definitely have time to be able to mentally relax a little as well.
We went for dinner with friends in the afternoon and then it was a quiet night because Gael played on Thursday.
We watch movies a lot but it is tough here in Paris to go shopping or whatever because Gael, as one of France's biggest tennis stars, is obviously very famous here.
People recognise him and it is very difficult to have a calm walk through the Champs-Elysees, for example.
That means we don't go out much, but on Wednesday we did go to our favourite restaurant near the Champs-Elysees - it is actually where we met!
We love that place. So it is a special place and brings back good memories.
Nowadays I would say I'm more relaxed when I'm on the practice court but still, of course, I'm very focused when I have to step on the tennis court.
It is important to do what makes you feel good on and off the court.
'Playing on Chatrier is always special'
I wouldn't say I have a favourite court in the world but I do love the show courts at Roland Garros - they are very special to me.
I always dreamed of playing at Roland Garros because I think it was the only one tournament they would show in Ukraine!
Whether I'm playing Chatrier, Lenglen or Simonne-Mathieu, it doesn't matter to me - I really enjoy playing in all of them.
I thrive on playing on bigger courts, it gives you extra motivation. All the support you get on these courts helps you get through the tough moments and go again and again.
I've been told there have been a lot of empty seats on Chatrier at times - but I didn't notice that when Gael played there on Tuesday.
It was not quite full, but it was a good crowd and he said afterwards the energy was amazing. It really fired him up.
I think the crowd size depends on the weather as well and also in the early afternoon, because in France lunch is almost like a holy thing!
If a stadium isn't very full I don't think about it too much, if it is a Grand Slam or a big tournament you have to push yourself.
Of course it is much better to play when the crowd is there, but playing on Chatrier is always special.
Elina Svitolina was speaking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Roland Garros.
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