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Five years of Javier Baez: Skills, smiles and swag
CHICAGO -- It has been five years of big swings and bigger home runs. It has been five years of adventures on the basepaths few would even attempt. And it has been a half-decade of tags with the sleight of hand reserved for a magician -- hence the nickname "El Mago."
Mostly, it has been five years of swag.
Chicago Cubs star Javier Baez celebrates the fifth anniversary of his call-up to the big leagues on Monday, when the streaky Cubs host the Oakland Athletics with a 1½-game lead in the NL Central.
The Cubs have several stars on their roster, but none bigger than Baez, who plays the game with "fearlessness," according to his manager, with "unbelievable energy," in the words of his teammates, all while being called "adorable" by his, well, adoring fans. Baez has come a long way since he was a brash kid who "swung at everything."
"I was sitting in the stands for one of his early games in 2014," teammate Kris Bryant said over the weekend. "I was getting the minor league player of the year award, and he had a bad game. Swung at everything. You saw the reaction he got then and the reactions he gets now. It's night and day."
Perhaps no Cub in recent memory has been viewed with such skepticism when he first got to the big leagues -- as a first-round pick -- but has turned naysayers into die-hard fans over the course of his five-year career. Seemingly everyone loves Javier Baez.
"He's got that 'it' factor when he steps onto the field," Jon Lester said. "He reminds of me of David Ortiz. When David came on deck, no one cared who was up to bat. But Baez has it on defense too. When the ball is hit to him and when he gets to it, everyone stops what they're doing and pays attention.
"I've never seen that."
That last sentence might be one of the most repeated phrases about Baez. His uniqueness has taken him from free swinger to superstar even though he has just a .311 career on-base percentage and leads the majors in strikeouts. People don't care -- certainly not his manager.
"He's willing to take chances that no one else will because he's not afraid," manager Joe Maddon said. "He plays the game fearlessly. He plays the game as a game, whereas a lot of guys can't do that. The reason is if someone makes a mistake, they feel like they have to make it in a more mundane manner because it's more acceptable.
"And in the same token, if you make a mistake in a more flamboyant manner, it's going to be frowned upon. He doesn't care. And I don't want him to ever care."
Asked why Baez might be the biggest star on the team, Bryant -- a star in his own right -- said this:
"The energy. The persona. The flashiness and ease he goes about things. People love that stuff. The tags and the baserunning. He has an eye for the camera. He's so unique. No one is like him."
That, more than anything, is what attracts even casual fans to Baez.
"He's my favorite, for sure," said Cubs fan Jill Oldham, from Highland Park. "I love watching him. And I love his smile."
Oldham isn't a season-ticket holder or even someone who watches or attends that many games. But she'll stop what she's doing when "El Mago" is doing his thing. And Baez's smile tells you everything you need to know about his attitude toward the game.
"It's fun," Baez said. "It's fun everyone knows you and expects big things from you. I don't let that get into my game. I have to play my game, and when I make mistakes, it happens. Just play the game hard."
Lest you think a low on-base percentage or high strikeout total takes anything away from his game, consider his accomplishments over five years: co-MVP of the 2016 NL Championship Series, runner-up for NL MVP in 2018, All-Star starter at second base and shortstop in consecutive seasons and, of course, a World Series winner. Like several of his teammates, over his four full seasons in the big leagues, his team has never missed the postseason.
Since his debut in Colorado five years ago Monday -- he homered in that game -- Baez is third on the Cubs in hits, home runs, RBIs and runs scored while leading the team in stolen bases. And he wasn't an everyday player until 2017.
"Just making adjustments," Baez said of how he has progressed. "That's the hardest thing, but you have to do it."
Although he might have been brash at one time, that isn't how Maddon views him. What the manager calls Baez's "attentiveness" to his sister Noely, who had spina bifida and died in 2015, was a window inside the Cubs star.
"That will always be part of his fabric," Maddon said. "There's no questioning Javy as a human being. ... How has he changed over the past five years? He hasn't. I'm seeing the same guy. He's so grounded."
On the field, Maddon's deft hand in his player's ascension to stardom over the past half-decade might be some of his best work.
He let Javy be Javy.
"The game on the field? Less mental mistakes," Maddon said. "When I first saw him, he didn't always make the routine play routinely. Now he does that and still makes his fabulous plays. I've said it many times: I never want to coach the aggressiveness out of him."
Baez says he'll never change because he simply can't play the game any other way.
"A lot of people change, but what got me here is me being me," he said. "I want to stay the same."
That sounds like a promise for another five years of more. More tags. More crazy risks on the bases -- which normally work in his favor.
And more swag. Not everyone has it.
"He has that charismatic feature about him," Lester said. "I love watching him."
"It's been a pretty fast five years," Baez said. "I've been through a lot of ups and downs. I feel great. And I'm healthy. Why can't I keep it up?"
Malaika Mihambo leaps 7.16m in Berlin – weekly round-up
Highlights from the German Championships, Norwegian Championships, World Para Athletics Junior Championships, England combined events action and more
Coverage of national league action, with Thames Valley and Birchfield retaining their respective UKWL and BAL titles, can be found here.
A report on Sharon Gayter’s JOGLE record, as she ran from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 12 days, 11 hours, 6 minutes and 7 seconds, is here.
Other recent highlights from both the UK and overseas are below.
German Championships, Berlin, August 3-4
Malaika Mihambo was among those in national championships action to impress as she set a PB and world-leading long jump mark of 7.16m (0.4m/sec).
It continued a run of great form for the 25-year-old, who first cleared seven metres at the beginning of June and since then has remained undefeated. Her results include 7.07m at the Rome Diamond League, 7.05m in Dessau, 7.02m at the Müller Anniversary Games in London and then 7.16m in Berlin to win her national title.
Mihambo also equalled her PB of 11.21 to place third in the 100m, with Tatjana Pinto claiming a sprint double with times of 11.09 to win the 100m and 22.65 PB to win the 200m.
Konstanze Klosterhalfen clocked a national record of 14:26.76 to win the 5000m title, moving to fourth on the European all-time list, while Andreas Hofmann and Christin Hussong won javelin titles with respective throws of 87.07m and 65.33m.
Raphael Holzdeppe won the men’s pole vault title with a 5.76m clearance, while Gesa Felicitas Krause won the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 9:28.45.
Norwegian Championships, Hamar, August 2-4
After winning the 400m hurdles in 47.43, the third fastest time of his career, Karsten Warholm took the 400m title in 45.54.
Each of the Ingebrigtsen brothers claimed a title, with Jakob winning the 1500m in a championship record of 3:36.33, Filip winning the 800m in 1:48.45 and Henrik winning the 5000m in 13:50.77.
Sondre Nordstad Moen won the 10,000m in 28:13.14 after placing third in the 5000m in 13:57.88.
Isabelle Pedersen clocked 13.16 (+1.2m/sec) to win the 100m hurdles, while Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal won the 3000m steeplechase in a solo 9:24.53.
Chinese trials, Shenyang, August 2-3
Lyu Huihui improved her Asian javelin record and world lead to 67.98m, while world champion Gong Lijiao threw 19.16m to win the shot put and world silver medallist Wang Zheng threw 73.81m to win the hammer.
Xie Wenjun won the 110m hurdles in 13.43.
Xie Zhenye and Liang Xiaojing both secured sprint doubles, with Xie winning the men’s 100m in 10.03 and 200m in 20.34, and Liang clocking 11.27 (-1.2m/s) for the women’s 100m title and 22.93 for the 200m.
World Para Athletics Junior Championships, Nottwil, Switzerland, August 1-4
USA topped the medals table with 16 gold, three silver and nine bronze medals ahead of India and Germany, with a total of seven world records set over the four days of competition.
Among the world record-breakers was South Africa’s 14-year-old Puseletso Mabote, who won the T45-64 200m in 26.36 to slice 0.08 off the previous T63 mark set in June by Atsushi Yamamoto.
The Great Britain team placed ninth in the combined under-17 and under-20 medal table, with four gold, nine silver and four bronze medals.
Karim Chan won the under-20 men’s T20 long jump, while Barney Corrall won the under-20 men’s T35-38 long jump and Zien Zhou secured a winning double in the under-20 men’s T33-34 100m and 200m.
The T33-34 200m podium. Photo by Luc Percival
Zhou also secured silver in the 400m, while other GB silver medallists were Matt Cooper in the under-20 men’s T33-34 100m, Abbie McNally in the under-20 women’s T35-38 100m and 200m, Eden Rainbow-Cooper in the under-20 women’s T54 400m, 800m and 1500m and team captain Kirsty Taylor in the under-20 women’s T44-64 100m and 200m.
GB bronze medallists were Cooper in the 200m and 400m, Ethan Kirby in the under-20 men’s T20 400m and Prince Reid in the under-20 men’s T20 1500m.
England Athletics Combined Events Championships, Manchester, August 3-4
In the senior men’s decathlon international, Elliot Thompson took the title with a score of 7025 points, watched by his father, two-time Olympic champion Daley.
Elliot Thompson was among the winners at this weekend's England Athletics combined events champs. He scored 7025 to win the senior decathlon and was watched by his famous father, Daley. pic.twitter.com/p64ESgY6QO
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 4, 2019
The senior women’s heptathlon event was won by Katie Stainton with 5989 points.
Adam Hoole won the under-17 men’s decathlon (5504 points), while Abigail Pawlett took the under-17 women’s heptathlon title, with her score of 5324 points moving her to second behind Morgan Lake (5474) on the UK under-17 all-time list.
Sammy Ball won the under-15 boys’ octathlon and Erin Lobley the under-15 girls’ hexathlon.
Bern, Switzerland, August 3
Marcin Lewandowski ran 1:46.12 to win an 800m loaded with Brits. Behind the Pole, Andrew Osagie was fourth in 1:46.87, Charlie Grice fifth in 1:46.95 and Kyle Langford seventh in 1:47.19.
Other Brits in action included Feron Sayers who won the long jump with 7.86m (-0.8m/sec), David Smith who won the high jump with a 2.21m clearance and Asha Philip who clocked 11.45 in the 100m. In 400m hurdles action, Meghan Beesley clocked 55.75 and Jessica Turner 55.95, while Chris McAlister ran 49.39 and Jacob Paul 49.87. Mari Smith clocked 86.69 and Ellie Baker 88.31 in the 600m.
Beach to Beacon 10K, Cape Elizabeth, USA, August 3
Alex Korio (27:34) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (31:05) won the 10km, with some strong GB performances including a third place by Charlotte Purdue in 32:17, fifth for Callum Hawkins in 28:55 and sixth for Jess Piasecki in 32:51.
Tromsø Skyrace, Norway, August 3
World ultra trail champion Jonathan Albon claimed victory in the 57km Skyrunner World Series event, while his fellow Brit Holly Page was second in the women’s event behind Johanna Åström.
?AMAZING?
Look at the three leaders of @TromsoSkyrace running and jumping in the Hamperokken ridge ?
? @albertjorquera pic.twitter.com/Sg4dEbdP8f
— Skyrunning (@Skyrunning_com) August 3, 2019
Leiria, Portugal, August 3-4
Taylor Campbell threw a PB of 74.26m in the hammer, while Osian Jones set a Welsh record of 73.85m to make it a GB 1-2.
Kirsty Law threw 57.13m and Zane Duquemin 61.02m in the discus.
Aled Davies threw 15.96m in the shot put.
Sunshine Coast Half Marathon, Australia, August 4
Lisa Weightman broke the Australian all-comers’ record with her winning time of 68:48 ahead of Sinead Diver (69:08) and Ellie Pashley (69:14).
Kevin Batt won the men’s race in 64:12 from Louis McAfee (64:14) and James Coleman (64:20). Defending champion Jack Rayner had crossed the line first a couple of minutes earlier but had gone off course and was disqualified.
Soar Summer Mile, London, August 3
Dom Brown won the evening’s final race in 4:01.97.
Revee Walcott-Nolan was the fastest woman, her 4:37.27 easily winning race 10.
Revee Walcott-Nolan is fastest woman at the Soar Mile with 4:37.27 in easily winning Race 10 at London Marathon Community Stadium pic.twitter.com/qVs7zLQkhr
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) August 2, 2019
In her 53rd race of 2019, Clare Elms improved her world W55 mile record to 5:10.39 for her 19th world or British record of the year.
ABP Barry Island 10K, Wales, August 4
Josh Griffiths and Natasha Cockram backed up their victories in Porthcawl as they rounded off the Healthspan Wales 10K Series with wins in the ABP Barry Island 10K, clocking respective times of 30:22 and 34:43.
Birmingham Relays and BMC Gold Standard Races, August 2
In the steeplechase events, Georgia Winkcup achieved a world championships qualifying time and BMC record with 9:37.43, while Phil Norman won the men’s race in 8:30.43.
In the 4x800m, a ‘BMC Juniors’ team of Callum Dodds, Yusuf Bizimana, Finley Mclear and Josh Lay ran 7:20.82 for a world under-20 record, subject to ratification.
The women’s race was won by a University of Birmingham team featuring Isabelle Boffey, Emily Thompson, Maisie Grice and Saskia Millard as the quartet clocked a British under-20 record of 8:39.73.
Malonno, Italy, August 3
The ‘PizTriVertiKal’ vertical kilometre races were won by Italy’s Henri Aimonod (34:50) and Austria’s Andrea Mayr (37:20).
Britain’s Jacob Adkin was third in the men’s race in 35:27, with Andrew Douglas seventh in 37:28 and Joseph Dugdale eighth in 38:09.
In the women’s race, Britain’s Heidi Davies was third in 41:38, Ireland’s Sarah McCormack seventh in 43:16 and Sophie Noon 10th in 49:08.
With info from corsainmontagna.it
Malonno, Italy, August 4
Heidi Davies returned the following day to win the 21km FlettaTRAIL in 1:41:25 as Sarah McCormack was third in 1:45:55. Davies’ fellow Brit Emma Clayton was eighth in 1:54:29.
The men’s race was won by Italy’s Cesare Maestri in a course record of 1:25:26 ahead of Britain’s Robbie Simpson (1:25:37). Andrew Douglas was fifth (1:27:43).
With info from corsainmontagna.it
KENT, Wash. – John Force powered to his 150th Funny Car win on Sunday, rolling to the milestone victory at the 32nd annual Magic Dry Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals.
While Force earned his 150th career win, John Force Racing teammate and Top Fuel rookie Austin Prock picked up his first win as part of a historic day for John Force Racing.
Matt Hartford also won in Pro Stock at the 16th of 24 races during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. It was the final of three races on the famed NHRA Western Swing.
Force, the 16-time Funny Car world champion and the NHRA’s winningest driver, beat Ron Capps in the final round thanks to his run of 3.971 seconds at 320.58 mph in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro. Capps ran 4.018 seconds at 309.91 mph in the final round. It marked Force’s first victory in 25 races dating back to last season and his ninth win at Pacific Raceways.
“I give credit to a lot of crew chiefs over the years,” Force said. “I got the monkey off my back and it drove me nuts. But it taught me to focus on my car if I want to do (well). I had to get to know my car and sometimes you need a slap in the face. That was the monkey that made me focus. I’ve been living it here the last 4-5 races and we found something real critical. I may not be as young as these kids, but I’m excited. I can calm down now and not live with that thinking that I’ll never get it.”
Force beat Jim Campbell, teammate and points leader Robert Hight and Jack Beckman to reach the final round for the 253rd time in his NHRA career. Capps, who is second all-time in Funny Car wins to Force, beat Tim Wilkerson, defending world champ J.R. Todd and Matt Hagan to make his 121st final round.
Force, though, prevailed in the 103rd head-to-head matchup between the two longtime rivals on Sunday in the championship round.
“Give me a good race car and I can race,” Force said. “I know Capps wanted to beat me and he was giving it all he had. He’s the real deal, he’s a real great racer, and today luck was just with me and I got the win. Ron was the first one over to congratulate me and that’s the kind of guy he is. But there’s certain tracks I’m really happy at and I’ve always loved Seattle. I’m in the hunt and that’s all I ever wanted to do was to be in the hunt.”
Top Fuel rookie Prock picked up his first professional win by going 3.875 seconds at 307.86 mph in his Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster to beat defending world champ and points leader Steve Torrence in the finals.
Prock beat Leah Pritchett, Clay Millican and Mike Salinas to reach his first career final round as well.
Torrence advanced to his 52nd final round by beating Steve Chrisman, Antron Brown and Shawn Reed. Prock was motivated to try and knock off Torrence, who has eight wins this season, in the finals after watching Force pick up his 150th win the pair before him.
“This is just unbelievable,” Prock said. “I have to thank John Force for giving me this opportunity. I’m still speechless. This is a dream come true. I’ve wanted this ever since I was knee-high. Ever since I could think, I wanted to drive a Top Fuel car. We said when John gets 150, I’m going to get my first one and it all came together perfectly. We put all the pieces of the puzzle together today. I wanted to race (Torrence) in the final round. I wanted to be the guy that stopped him.”
In Pro Stock, Hartford denied Greg Anderson the chance to sweep the Western Swing, going 6.606 seconds at 209.33 mph in the final round in his Total Seal Camaro to beat Anderson on a holeshot. Anderson went 6.596 seconds at 210.31 mph, but Hartford was quicker off the starting line to pick up the win for the first time this season and second time in his career.
Hartford beat points leader Bo Butner, No. 1 qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Deric Kramer to reach the final round, while Anderson knocked off Fernando Cuadra Jr., Erica Enders and Alex Laughlin to earn his 156th finals appearance.
Anderson had a chance to become the first driver in NHRA history sweep the Western Swing twice, but Hartford delivered an impressive final-round showing in a rematch of the opening race of the Western Swing. Hartford also picked up his first career head-to-head win against the four-time world champ.
“We had a win light against Bo, which really set the momentum for the day,” Hartford said. “Greg Anderson is obviously one of the best that’s ever raced in the class and he’s closing in some monumental records. But he had beaten me 10 out of 10 times and, once again, we went up there knowing we had to go ‘A to B’ and whoever leaves first should win the race. We figured we had a good chance, the driver just had to be on his game.”
DUBUQUE, Iowa – He hit the gas early and never looked back.
Matt Gansen raced to the front from his fifth starting position and won his second race in the last three tries at Dubuque Speedway Sunday evening.
The Merfeld Brothers Automotive IMCA Modified ace took the non-stop 20-lap affair over early leader Timmy Current, Bryce Garnhart, Jed Freiburger and Jeff Larson.
Jason Roth finally got the monkey off his back in the Peosta Warehousing Logistics IMCA SportMods 15-lap finale. After leading the previous three, he kept it on top this night for the win. Fellow Wisconsin driver Travis Fecht, Jake Murphy, Justin Becker and Mitch Current followed. Becker started the race in the rear.
Cole Mather topped the K Motorsports IMCA Stock Car 10-lap feature one more time. Freiburger in Justin Brimeyer’s machine, Reece Norton and Kenny Taylor were next.
Daniel Wauters made a late slide job on Shane Oberbreckling work and hung on to win the Kinsella Concrete IMCA Hobby Stock 10-lap main. Brian Brunscheen, Brandon White and Roger Winkers followed.
Jason Robbins used the low groove en route to the 9:1 Limited Late Model 15-lap win. David Webster recovered from an early spin to take second ahead of D.J. Sweet, Jeff Schmidt and Steve Schueller.
Fifty-one race teams hit the track for 12 total events plus mechanics races and racing was completed about 8:30 p.m.
Hovland (65) off to Korn Ferry Finals after falling short of earning Tour card
GREENSBORO, N.C. – It was another stellar performance for nascent pro Viktor Hovland at the Wyndham Championship, but in the end even a fourth-place finish wasn’t enough to secure a PGA Tour card for next year.
Hovland was low amateur at both the Masters and U.S. Open earlier this year, and he has now finished inside the top-20 in four of five starts as a professional. That includes his performance this week at Sedgefield Country Club, where he went 64-65 over the weekend to finish at 19 under, three shots behind winner J.T. Poston.
“I feel like I’ve just been playing better and better every single week,” Hovland said. “Obviously this is my best finish throughout the five tournaments that I played. I’ve just got to keep it going in the Korn Ferry Finals and hopefully I’ll make it through.”
Hovland has watched former NCAA standouts Matthew Wolff and Collin Morikawa win Tour events in recent weeks, and he hoped to join them with a victory Sunday that would have qualified him for the playoffs that begin next week. While a tie for second would have left him out of the field for The Northern Trust, it still would have meant enough FedExCup points for a full PGA Tour card in 2020.
Instead he fell 67 points short, the equivalent of a 12th-place finish, and will now head to the Korn Ferry Finals with hopes of earning one of 25 PGA Tour cards available in the three-event series.
“Shot a couple good rounds or really low rounds, but mostly it’s just been very consistent,” Hovland said. “I think that gives me a lot of confidence going into the (Finals), because there are three tournaments and I know that if I just play my game, I should make it through.”
Hovland’s point total only included his results since turning pro, meaning he received no credit for his T-12 finish at Pebble Beach or his T-32 result at Augusta National since those came when he was an amateur. While that technicality ultimately cost Hovland guaranteed status for next season, he harbored no ill feelings.
“I already knew that it wasn’t going to count. So I mean, it is what it is,” Hovland said. “I just should have played a little bit better and it wouldn’t have been a problem. No, I don’t have any complaints.”
Should Hovland fail to secure a card at Finals, he would retain at least status on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour for 2020 with the option of accepting up to seven sponsor invites into PGA Tour events in an effort to gain his card.
How Simpson secured seven-figure payday at Wyndham without winning
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Webb Simpson didn’t win the Wyndham Championship, but he still found a way to turn a trip to one of his favorite Tour stops into a seven-figure payday.
Simpson closed with a flourish at Sedgefield Country Club, birdieing four of his final five holes to finish the week at 21 under. That left him alone in second place, one shot behind winner J.T. Poston.
It’s Simpson’s second runner-up in as many weeks, and it’s the second straight year he has finished as a runner-up in Greensboro. The former U.S. Open champ earned his first career victory at this event back in 2011 and has now finished T-6 or better five times since.
“I want to win here again so badly, but we’re on a golf course which I love, and I love this part of it, but every day there’s going to be low numbers,” Simpson said. “So (caddie) Paul (Tesori) and I were talking out there, I don’t think you’ll see a guy win by a lot here because the scores, every day low numbers can be shot. And J.T. went out and did it, shot 62.”
Simpson received nearly $670,000 for his solo runner-up finish, but that was only part of his overnight direct deposit. He also moved from 13th to ninth in the final regular-season points race, allowing him to snag another $550,000 bonus as part of the first year of the Wyndham Rewards program.
“Honestly, it wasn’t even on the radar going into Memphis. I was too far back, I thought, unless I did something crazy,” Simpson said. “I’m so thankful to Wyndham for feeling the need to jump in and be the first one to sponsor a regular-season bonus for play that’s been going on since October.”
Brooks Koepka will get an additional $2 million from Wyndham as the regular-season champ, with $1.5 million going to second-place Rory McIlroy. Paul Casey, who tied for 13th in Greensboro, stayed in eighth place for $600,000. Simpson’s result bumped Jon Rahm to 10th and $500,000 while Justin Rose fell from 10th to 11th and won’t receive any regular-season bonus.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Scores of players had their 2020 PGA Tour status finalized with the conclusion of this week’s Wyndham Championship. While several big names are inside the top 125 and will tee it up at next week’s Northern Trust, some notables ended up outside the all-important number.
The various layers of PGA Tour status run deep, and a few recent winners are saved by the fact that Tour victories carry multi-year exemptions. Among those who will remain exempt next season despite missing the top 125 are Austin Cook (130th), Jason Dufner (136th), Zach Johnson (154th), Jimmy Walker (158th) and Brendan Steele (171st).
But here’s a look at some of the marquee players who finished on the wrong side of the bubble and are not fully exempt for the 2019-20 season, with trips looming for many to the Korn Ferry Tour Finals later this month:
Martin Kaymer (150th): The German has not won anywhere since the 2014 U.S. Open, and his five-year Tour exemption for that victory at Pinehurst is officially over. Kaymer made only 14 official starts this season, meaning the Tour could potentially strip him of top-150 conditional membership for failing to meet the 15-start minimum.
Bill Haas (140th): Haas played this season on conditional status, and he’ll remain in that category next season unless he improves his position at KFT Finals. He has not won since Jan. 2015 and had only two top-10 finishes this season.
Hunter Mahan (184th): Mahan got his card back last year at KFT Finals, but a return to the main tour didn’t prove fruitful. The veteran made 20 starts but finished no better than a T-15 at the RSM Classic in November.
Daniel Berger (131st): Berger was on the Presidents Cup team two years ago, but he won’t return next week to Liberty National. After missing the fall because of injury, he’ll likely receive a medical extension to start next season with which he can return to fully-exempt status.
Beau Hossler (145th): Hossler came within inches of winning last year’s Houston Open, but did not find similar success in his sophomore campaign. In 26 starts, Hossler finished no better than his T-15 at the Genesis Open in February and he’ll head to Finals in order to improve on his conditional status after staying inside the top 150.
Ollie Schniederjans (180th): Two years ago Schniederjans nearly caught Henrik Stenson at Sedgefield, but this year he missed the top-125 number by a wide margin and hasn’t teed it up since missing the cut at last month’s Barbasol Championship.
Sam Saunders (173rd): With a bloodline bearing golf royalty, Saunders has had at least conditional Tour status each of the last four seasons. But he’ll need to return to KFT Finals to keep that streak alive after recording just two top-25 finishes.
Curtis Luck (175th): The former U.S. Amateur champ emerged from KFT Finals last year, but he couldn’t find further success with a full card. Luck missed 12-of-22 cuts and his lone top-10 finish came at the two-man Zurich Classic.
Harris English (149th): English has won twice on Tour, most recently in 2014, and he’s been a staple on Tour since his rookie season of 2012. While he moved into the top 150 with a T-40 finish at Wyndham to snag conditional status, he’ll need a KFT Finals run to regain a full card.
Sangmoon Bae (205th): Bae missed two years of his prime because of mandatory military service in his native South Korea, and he won a KFT Finals event last year to regain his card. But he struggled mightily, missing 13-of-21 cuts, and because he finished outside the top 200 he is not eligible for a Finals return. Instead, he’ll be equipped with only lower-level past champion status next year.
Wyndham purse payout: Poston collects nearly $1.2 million
Here is a breakdown of prize money and FedExCup points for winner J.T. Poston and the rest of the players who made the cut at the Wyndham Championship:
| Finish | Player | FedEx | Earnings ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.T. Poston | 500 | 1,116,000 |
| 2 | Webb Simpson | 300 | 669,600 |
| 3 | Byeong Hun An | 190 | 421,600 |
| 4 | Viktor Hovland | 0 | 297,600 |
| 5 | Si Woo Kim | 110 | 248,000 |
| 6 | Josh Teater | 81 | 181,129 |
| 6 | Brice Garnett | 81 | 181,129 |
| 6 | Brian Harman | 81 | 181,129 |
| 6 | Billy Horschel | 81 | 181,129 |
| 6 | Sungjae Im | 81 | 181,129 |
| 6 | Jason Kokrak | 81 | 181,129 |
| 6 | Rory Sabbatini | 81 | 181,129 |
| 13 | Joaquin Niemann | 54 | 109,533 |
| 13 | Kyle Stanley | 54 | 109,533 |
| 13 | Paul Casey | 54 | 109,533 |
| 13 | Fabián Gómez | 54 | 109,533 |
| 13 | Patton Kizzire | 54 | 109,533 |
| 13 | Johnson Wagner | 54 | 109,533 |
| 19 | Roberto Díaz | 45 | 80,600 |
| 19 | Andrew Landry | 45 | 80,600 |
| 19 | Matthew Wolff | 45 | 80,600 |
| 22 | Bud Cauley | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Cameron Davis | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Denny McCarthy | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Patrick Reed | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Ryan Armour | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Corey Conners | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Charles Howell III | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Mackenzie Hughes | 34 | 53,044 |
| 22 | Shawn Stefani | 34 | 53,044 |
| 31 | Russell Henley | 24 | 36,766 |
| 31 | Collin Morikawa | 24 | 36,766 |
| 31 | Scott Stallings | 24 | 36,766 |
| 31 | Brian Stuard | 24 | 36,766 |
| 31 | Adam Svensson | 24 | 36,766 |
| 36 | Paul Peterson | 0 | 30,483 |
| 36 | Brandon Harkins | 19 | 30,483 |
| 36 | Scott Piercy | 19 | 30,483 |
| 39 | Daniel Berger | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Tyler Duncan | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Harris English | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Carlos Ortiz | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Roger Sloan | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Brandt Snedeker | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Sepp Straka | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Vaughn Taylor | 13 | 22,940 |
| 39 | Richy Werenski | 13 | 22,940 |
| 48 | Branden Grace | 9 | 15,773 |
| 48 | Russell Knox | 9 | 15,773 |
| 48 | Sebastián Muñoz | 9 | 15,773 |
| 48 | Chez Reavie | 9 | 15,773 |
| 48 | Aaron Wise | 9 | 15,773 |
| 53 | Roberto Castro | 6 | 14,154 |
| 53 | Joel Dahmen | 6 | 14,154 |
| 53 | Zach Johnson | 6 | 14,154 |
| 53 | Bill Haas | 6 | 14,154 |
| 53 | Chesson Hadley | 6 | 14,154 |
| 53 | Anirban Lahiri | 6 | 14,154 |
| 53 | Wes Roach | 6 | 14,154 |
| 60 | Kiradech Aphibarnrat | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Scott Brown | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Alex Cejka | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Alex Noren | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Ted Potter, Jr. | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Seamus Power | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | José de Jesús Rodríguez | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Sam Ryder | 4 | 13,144 |
| 60 | Harold Varner III | 4 | 13,144 |
| 69 | John Chin | 3 | 12,400 |
| 69 | J.J. Spaun | 3 | 12,400 |
| 69 | Boo Weekley | 3 | 12,400 |
| 72 | Austin Cook | 3 | 12,028 |
| 72 | Lucas Glover | 3 | 12,028 |
| 72 | Peter Uihlein | 3 | 12,028 |
| 75 | Michael Thompson | 3 | 11,780 |
| 76 | Mike Weir | 2 | 11,656 |
| 77 | Tom Hoge | 2 | 11,532 |
| 78 | Kyle Jones | 2 | 11,284 |
| 78 | Hank Lebioda | 2 | 11,284 |
| 78 | Jordan Spieth | 2 | 11,284 |
| 81 | Wyndham Clark | 2 | 10,912 |
| 81 | Alex Prugh | 2 | 10,912 |
| 81 | Patrick Rodgers | 2 | 10,912 |
Blair clinches PGA Tour return with Ellie Mae Classic victory
Zac Blair is headed back to the PGA Tour.
Blair recorded his first Korn Ferry Tour victory Sunday at the Ellie Mae Classic, winning by a shot to secure his place among the 25 card earners after next week’s regular-season finale in Portland. Blair moved from 31st to 10th on the tour's money list.
“I’ve been playing really good the last four or five weeks, kind of knew that I was close, but at the same time I was kind of in a weird situation where I was playing a lot, so I knew I had to either take a break or get my card,” Blair said after shooting 3-under 67 to finish at 17 under, just ahead of runner-up Brandon Crick. “It was nice to lock it up, get it done, and [I’m] excited to get back out there [on Tour].
The 28-year-old Blair, who played four seasons on the PGA Tour before losing his card prior to this season, was competing for the sixth straight week on the Korn Ferry Tour. Before that, he had just one week off after capping a nine-week stretch with a missed cut at the U.S. Open.
Yet he had enough in the tank to post four rounds of 67 or better at TPC Stonebrae. His final round included just three birdies, but he also made no bogeys. He nearly dropped a shot at the last, leaving himself a ticklish 3-footer after missing his birdie roll from 35 feet.
“Not really the putt you want on Poa annua greens, last in, but at the same time, any putt to win obviously is a pretty good one,” Blair said. “Glad I made it.”
In his four previous seasons on Tour, Blair only cracked the top 100 in points once, finishing 59th in his rookie season in 2014-15. His last top-10 finish on Tour came at the 2017 Houston Open. But he has seemingly rediscovered his game of late, notching four finishes of T-11 or better in five weeks prior to the Ellie Mae.
Finishing two shots back of Blair was Stanford product Maverick McNealy, who bogeyed his final hole to drop into solo third at 15 under. However, McNealy’s finish moved the 2015 Haskins Award winner to 20th in the money list, which is likely good enough to clinch a spot among the top 25 after next week. He's 88 points ahead of No. 26 Marty Dou.
The top 25 money leaders following the Portland Open earn PGA Tour cards while 25 more cards will be available during the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which begin in two weeks.
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