MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Early in the PGA Tour’s return to competition Rory McIlroy was asked about some of his fellow players who had decided not to endure a two-week quarantine to play in the United States.

“If I were in their shoes and I was asked to come over to the States and shelter in place or quarantine for two weeks before these tournaments, I would have done that. Because if you really care about your career and care about moving forward, you should be here,” McIlroy said in June at the RBC Heritage.

On Wednesday at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational the Northern Irishman was asked if the roles were reversed would he be willing to quarantine for 14 days to play The Open, which was cancelled this year.

“If it was an Open Championship and I had the chance to go over and play, I would probably take the risk and go and play,” McIlroy said.

However, McIlroy appeared to soften his stance on players who have made the decision to not travel despite a recent move by the White House to allow players and caddies coming to the United States to play Tour events to avoid the two-week quarantine.

“That’s not to say what Lee [Westwood] and Eddie [Pepperell] are doing isn't right, that they feel safer and they feel that their time is better spent at home and not exposing themselves to more people and not having the chance of getting sick or getting someone else sick,” McIlroy said. “I completely understand where they're coming from.”

Both Westwood and Pepperrell opted not to compete either this week or next week at the PGA Championship despite the quarantine waiver.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Without fans, there’s not much that distinguishes one PGA Tour event from another, and that includes next week’s PGA Championship, the first major championship played in over a year.

“All these tournaments are created by their atmosphere and everyone has a different feel, and every tournament since coming back off the lockdown has felt the same, whether it's the Colonial or the Travelers Championship or the Memorial or whatever it's been,” Rory McIlroy said on Wednesday at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. “It's the people and the atmosphere, that's what makes a tournament and when you don't have that, there's nothing really for them to differentiate themselves.”

After Wednesday’s announcement that the U.S. Open in September will be played without fans, it remains unclear when galleries will return to the Tour. For a player like McIlroy the answer is simple – when it’s safe.

“I guess when there's less of a chance of people getting sick. Whether that's they discover more with the virus or there's different treatments. I don't know,” McIlroy said. “Whether it's a vaccination or whether it's something happens where there's a breakthrough and we know a little bit more about what's going on with the virus, but I probably can't give you a definitive answer about when I would be comfortable with crowds again.”

The Tour recently moved to finish this season without fans or pro-ams, although a recent change to the circuit’s health and safety protocols will allow for up to 50 tournament and sponsor guests a day at select events. The earliest the Tour could reintroduce fans to tournaments would be in the fall portion of the 2020-21 schedule but that’s looking more unlikely as COVID-19 hotspots continue to flare up around the country.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the second consecutive tournament Justin Thomas will need a replacement caddie after his regular looper, Jimmy Johnson, became ill.

About halfway through the third round at the Memorial two weeks ago, Johnson left the course after becoming light-headed because of the intense heat. He was replaced for the remainder of the event by Thomas’ father, Mike.

On Wednesday, Thomas’s father was again on the bag and Thomas confirmed to Golf Channel that he will have Jim “Bones” McKay on the bag this week at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and next week at the PGA Championship.

Johnson returned home and said via text that he plans to undergo testing on Thursday.

McKay recently returned to caddying after working for NBC Sports/Golf Channel as an on-course analyst. He spent two weeks on Matthew Fitzpatrick’s bag and the Englishman finished T-27 at the Workday Charity Open and third at the Memorial.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Following months of silence from the Premier Golf League, the offshoot circuit resurfaced last week with a report in The Guardian that several top players had received formal offer letters to join the PGL.

Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler are among those who have been linked with the breakaway tour that has reportedly offered millions in guaranteed money and a new team concept.

Although one top player who has been mentioned as a possible PGL convert said last week that he’d received no offer from the league, on Wednesday at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Stenson didn’t dismiss the notion.

“We've seen some of the things in the press and, yeah, I know a little bit what's going on behind the scenes and I'm following it closely, like a lot of other people,” said Stenson, who is making his first start since the pandemic halted play in March. “Yeah, we'll see what happens in the future, really.”

As for whether he received a formal letter, the Swede was coy: “Well . . .,” he said with a smile.

In March, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan appeared to quiet the growing PGL drumbeat when the circuit unveiled its new media rights agreements which came with substantial increases to the previous deals.

“I think that it's flattering when any entity is looking at what's happening on the PGA Tour and they see growth, they see momentum, they see a broadening reach to a larger fan base domestically and internationally, and it's no surprise that someone is coming to try and take a piece of that. That's the nature of business,” Monahan said on March 10.

Two days later, the Tour halted its schedule until early June because of COVID-19.

Gaby Lopez won’t get the chance to add to her two LPGA titles when the tour makes its restart at the Drive On Championship in Toledo, Ohio, this week.

She is the first LPGA player to test positive for COVID-19, in pre-tournament testing at Inverness Club.

Lopez has been withdrawn from the tournament and is in self-isolation. Tour and health officials are working with her on contact tracing. She was tested on Monday.

“I was very excited to get back to playing on tour after this long break and while I’m disappointed that I’ll have to wait a little longer, I am glad that I was able to get tested and to make sure I do not put anyone else at risk,” Lopez said in a statement. “I am self-isolating and will be following all the CDC and LPGA guidelines to get back to competing on Tour in a safe manner. I’m feeling good and looking forward to when I can return to playing on Tour.”

The LPGA will have full pre-tournament testing results for the Drive On Championship later this week.

LPGA protocols require Lopez to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. She will take another saliva test on the 10th day and undergo a medical evaluation to determine if she is cleared to return to competition.

Lopez, 26, a former University of Arkansas standout from Mexico, won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions earlier this year and also the Blue Bay LPGA in 2018.

And then there were eight. Both of last season's MLS Cup finalists, Toronto FC and the champion Seattle Sounders, were knocked out in the MLS is Back Tournament's round of 16, leaving a diverse field of quarterfinalists comprised of clubs vying for the Supporters' Shield, along with one or two surprise packages for some added drama.

With just six matches remaining before the final on Aug. 11 (8 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN), we look ahead to the quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, Friday and Saturday to tell the story of how the teams made it this far, and whether they'll be able to continue their journey in Orlando.

Philadelphia Union vs. Sporting Kansas City
July 30, 8 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN)

For the first time all tournament, Philadelphia controlled the pace of play in their knockout-round win over New England, but its opponents created more shots and more shots on target -- something that's emerged as a theme from the Union's play in Central Florida.

Jim Curtin's side has ground out results throughout the competition, drawing one match and winning the other three by single-goal margins. But what Philly lacks in gaudy attacking figures it makes up for in depth of scoring, with all five goals scored by five different players -- including just one by forward Kacper Przybylko, and none from 19-year-old rising star Brenden Aaronson.

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- MLS is Back schedule, TV info: What you need to know

Sporting Kansas City have scored six goals in four matches in Orlando, but dig a little deeper and the numbers suggest an attack that is limping mightily. One of those goals came from the penalty spot, another two were scored in the 86th minute or later against opponents desperately chasing a result, and in the round of 16, they were shut out and taken to penalties by Vancouver -- a team that had conceded seven goals entering the contest. Alan Pulido was (expensively) brought in to alleviate SKC's scoring woes from a year ago, but he hasn't struck from open play yet in this tournament.

Both these clubs have kept it relatively tight at the back in Central Florida, and with both struggling to find the back of the net heading into Thursday's match, this has the makings of a hard-fought battle that will be determined by the plans and in-game adjustments of the league's longest-serving manager, Peter Vermes, and one of its brightest young tacticians, Curtin.

Our pick: Philadelphia

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— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 29, 2020

Orlando City SC vs. LAFC
July 31, 7:30 p.m. ET

Orlando's narrow 1-0 knockout-round win over an organized Montreal side perhaps gave little reason for optimism in the remainder of the tournament, but consider how effective it was in the group-stage win over NYCFC, who dictated the tempo and controlled possession.

The Lions were exquisite on the counter-attack, with the work rate and pace of Chris Mueller particularly effective in that match. That will be their blueprint for success against Los Angeles, who averaged 64% of the ball in the group stage, giving the MLS is Back hosts a pristine opportunity for a famous upset.

Of course, that blueprint will be worth no more than the paper it's printed on if LAFC alter their game plan, like they did in a 4-1 round-of-16 win over defending MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders. Last year's Supporters' Shield winners wreaked havoc in transition, finding countless opportunities against a Seattle defense that routinely found itself scrambling to get organized following turnovers. LAFC have scored 15 goals in four matches, with seven of those coming from Diego Rossi, who has proven more than capable of picking up the slack left by the absent Carlos Vela.

Bob Bradley demonstrated against the Sounders that his side have an effective Plan B to call upon when necessary, and against an Orlando team that poses such a threat on the counter, he may have to turn to such quick-strike tactics again.

Our pick: LAFC

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota United FC
Aug. 1, 8 p.m. ET (stream live on ESPN2)

San Jose has out-possessed and out-chanced its opponents in each of the four games it has played at MLS is Back, outscoring them 11-5 in the process. Chris Wondolowski has been the Quakes' leading scorer in Orlando with three goals in just an hour's worth of action spread across four games.

At the other end of the pitch, the Earthquakes have even found the stamina to execute Matias Almeyda's man-marking system in the heat and humidity of Central Florida, limiting opponents to just two goals in the past 211 minutes of action and keeping a clean sheet in their opener against Seattle. Of course, in between those two stretches, San Jose conceded three times in the space of 52 minutes.

Minnesota manager Adrian Heath took every opportunity to remind anyone who would listen that the whole world had counted the Loons out of their round-of-16 confrontation with Columbus long before it began, and while we did pick the Crew to advance, the characterization of an unbeaten-in-2020, third-placed team in the Supporters' Shield standing as a David matching up against Goliath misses the mark by some margin.

For the third time in four matches in Orlando, Minnesota was out-possessed and out-shot against Columbus, and for the third time this tournament it got to the end of 90 minutes with the score tied, but Heath's side kept Columbus's silky attack at arm's length as only a Gyasi Zardes penalty kept Tyler Miller from recording a clean sheet. Not to worry, though: five clinical penalties in the shootout booked their ticket to the quarterfinals.

This quarterfinal matchup pits the most unpredictable team of this tournament against the most predictable. San Jose has oscillated between benign and brilliant, but its quick-strike capability has made it perhaps the neutral fans' favorite in Orlando. Minnesota, meanwhile, has quietly cemented itself as one of the best organized and most defensively sound outfits in the league. Its composure at the back could spell trouble for the Quakes, but the Loons will need more from Luis Amarilla and the rest of the attack if they're to move on instead.

Our pick: Minnesota

New York City FC vs. Portland Timbers
Aug. 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

Where was this New York City FC side in the group stage? Averaging nearly 57% of possession, they scored just twice in their three matches before the knockout-round contest vs. Toronto. Against the reigning Eastern Conference champions, though, NYCFC saw just 44% of the ball but struck three times in an emphatic upset of the Reds.

Maxi Moralez was only fit enough to go 54 minutes against Toronto, but he still managed to assist on one goal and score one of his own. He's proven to be the straw that stirs NYCFC's drink in his three-plus seasons in the Bronx, and City and their young attackers will go as far as Moralez's playmaking can carry them.

Portland found opportunities limited against a compact and well-organized Cincinnati side in the round of 16, requiring penalties to move past the second-year club, but there were silver linings in a frustrating 90 minutes. Alongside Jeremy Ebobisse, Jaroslaw Niezgoda has scored in each of the Timbers' past two matches, demonstrating that Giovanni Savarese has no shortage of options up front to complement the creativity of Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco. And against more willing opponents, there will be opportunities aplenty for Portland's attacking threats.

NYCFC just happens to be one of those more willing opponents. While they were clinical in their counter-attacking play against Toronto, they won the possession battle in every group-stage match they played -- often by a wide margin -- creating the sort of opportunities in transition that Blanco in particular can feast on. But, just as Toronto learned, NYCFC have incredibly sharp attacking threats of their own, and if a Portland defense that has looked vulnerable throughout isn't hyper focused, they too could find themselves upset by a club that got out of its group by the skin of its teeth.

Our pick: Portland

For the past month, much of the talk at the MLS is Back Tournament has been about the players and staff living in the bubble, the self-contained, Truman Show-like environment designed to keep out COVID-19. But Charlie Lyon isn't just living in the bubble, he's also existing in a pool.

This is not to suggest that Lyon has taken up residence in the Grotto Pool in between the Swan and Dolphin hotels. Rather, Lyon is one of two pool goalkeepers, players signed with MLS but who don't have a team. They are on call -- at least in theory -- for every team in the league in case of a keeper emergency due to injury or suspension. It can make for an odd existence. You could get called into a team for three days or three months, depending on how things go. Or you could find yourself doled out to several teams in a matter of weeks. There are new teammates and coaches that a pool goalkeeper constantly has to adjust to. Yet Lyon has found a way to compartmentalize all of those complications.

"It kind of goes without saying that the advice for a pool goalkeeper is really the same for any goalkeeper: that when you get your opportunity to just be ready and make the most of it," Lyon said via telephone. "As much as it's odd -- the circumstances of the way that I can be playing for a different team -- the particulars still remain the same: keep the ball out of the back of your net, and do the best you can."

The concept of a pool goalkeeper was thought to be one of those MLS anachronisms, a holdover from a bygone era when smaller rosters meant teams didn't always carry three keepers. These days, not only do teams have three keepers each, but using short-term loans from USL reserve teams and affiliates lessens the need for a pool goalkeeper. But the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent creation of the bubble, guaranteed the need for the role this season.

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The itinerant nature of his position has already been on display at MLS is Back. Lyon entered the bubble with the Portland Timbers, the team he trained with prior to the tournament. Upon arrival he was assigned to New York City FC, who he practiced with in preseason. When Sporting Kansas City found itself down to one available goalkeeper after Tim Melia's red card against Minnesota United, Lyon was brought in for cover. He would have been utilized by the Vancouver Whitecaps after injury and absence left them only with 20-year-old Thomas Hasal, but complications over Lyon's International Transfer Certificate prevented him from joining up with the 'Caps. At each stop he had to clear a round of team-specific COVID-19 tests. For now, he's still training with Kansas City.

"It's been odd right from the start," he said about his experience during the tournament. "I've gotten pretty good at learning names on the fly, but I do better on the field. I think I need everybody in a formation and I'll learn them a lot faster."

Lyon doesn't have to look far for inspiration. Kansas City No. 1 Tim Melia survived his own stint as a pool goalkeeper in 2014, to sign a permanent deal with SKC and win Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017. Melia said he's glad the concept of a pool goalkeeper is still around, if for no other reason than it's a chance -- however unorthodox -- for a keeper to shoehorn his way onto a roster.

"It's almost like you're getting to skip the line a little bit when you're in a pool goalkeeper situation," Melia said. "Say I come into a team, I'm new, I'm a third goalkeeper. When you're a pool goalkeeper here you're almost brought in an emergency basis because obviously there's a lot of injuries. So you're just that much closer to getting an opportunity on the field."

Melia's red card meant he was back quickly, lengthening the odds that Lyon would get playing time, but he likes what he sees from the St. Charles, Illinois native.

"[Lyon's] got a great attitude," said Melia. "He's just one of those guys who just hops in and goes and that's the type of mentality you have to have."

The irony is that Lyon thought he was done with the sport professionally.

At age, 28, Lyon has bounced around the league ever since he was drafted by the Seattle Sounders in 2015. After two seasons with the Sounders, he spent a year in the USL Championship with Orange County SC before latching on with LAFC in 2018. That lasted just for one season before spending last year as one of the pool goalkeepers. He was needed by one team -- the Philadelphia Union -- over the course of the 2019 campaign.

When a preseason stint with NYCFC didn't pan out, Lyon opted to see what life was like outside of a different kind of bubble, that of a professional athlete. He took a job with a logging company -- no small feat in the middle of a pandemic -- in Woodland, Washington, and found that life in the working world wasn't as bad as he envisioned.

"Showing up on time, working with others and working hard, that's the bare minimum for being a pro," said Lyon. "So it wasn't hard to transition into that. Doing something active with my body and being outside, that was familiar. That felt normal to me."

A call from his agent in May changed all that. The offer was to return to his spot as a pool goalkeeper. Lyon immediately felt a wave of mixed emotions.

"There's that young kid in me that set out to be a pro, and he hears that the dream is still alive and you're all in. 'I absolutely need to do this,'" he said. "And then there was the part of me that had gone through a pro career that hadn't played out exactly how I pictured it. I was like, 'Okay, are we really gonna do this again?' And so I was torn at first because pro athletics is not an easy thing to begin with. Add the role of the roaming training goalkeeper, it's not it's not an easy thing to open yourself back up to."

There was also his wife Jacie to consider. But Lyon's time away from the game -- and in the working world -- had given him a new perspective on the game and his approach to it.

"I think having seen the other side, and having a little bit of that understanding, a little bit of that freedom, a little bit of that weight off my shoulders, I wanted to try to bring that into the game this round," he said. "Because I don't know if I ever truly got out from underneath the weight of feeling like I was playing for my job all the time. And when I came to a little bit of an understanding that I can find work, and I'm gonna be okay outside of it and in the midst of a pandemic no less, go get a job, it was a little bit like, 'Okay, I have to try it from this perspective, and see if I can change maybe some of the things that I wish that I had changed earlier in my career.'"

So Lyon took the plunge back into the pool, although the extent to which his refined mindset has paid off is still unknown. In the short term, Lyon isn't sure what will happen if Kansas City is eliminated. Will he pack up and attach himself to another team? Lyon said Portland is his "ride home." What happens if the Timbers are eliminated?

As for the long-term future, Lyon isn't looking past his current contract, which lasts through the end of the year. And given the uncertain nature of how the rest of the season will pan out, he understands now is not the time to be asking such questions.

"I think most people are just trying to make it through the next game," he said.

That goes for Lyon as well. He admits that at the moment, he doesn't fully comprehend the strangeness of his existence. Perhaps that will change in time, but for now, keeping things simple works best.

"Each day, maybe the crest on the jersey is different but you're still trying to catch a soccer ball," he said.

Even at the deep end of the pool.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a second starter from their Super Bowl LIV victory opt out because of coronavirus concerns, as running back Damien Williams informed team officials he would sit out the 2020 season.

"As an organization, we certainly understand and respect Damien's choice, knowing it was made in the best interest of his family,'' general manager Brett Veach said Wednesday. "He means a lot to our football team as a player and a person, and we're going to miss having him around this season.''

The Chiefs drafted a running back, Clyde Edwards-Helaire of LSU, in the first round this year. They also have two of their running backs from last season, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson, and free-agent addition DeAndre Washington.

Williams, because of various injuries, was limited to 11 regular-season games and six starts in 2019 but he still led the Chiefs in rushing with 498 yards. He not only started the Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers but was a star. He rushed for 104 yards and scored the game's final two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one on a 5-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes that gave the Chiefs the lead and the other on a 38-yard run that gave them a final 31-20 margin over the 49ers.

Williams scored six touchdowns in the Chiefs' three postseason games.

Williams joined the Chiefs in 2018 after four seasons mostly as a backup for the Miami Dolphins. He replaced Kareem Hunt as the Chiefs' featured back late in the 2018 season.

Starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif also opted out of the 2020 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly received an eight-game suspension from Major League Baseball on Wednesday for his role in a benches-clearing confrontation at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Tuesday night.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was issued a one-game suspension and Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker was fined, MLB announced.

Under the 60-game format, an eight-game suspension would account for more than 13% of the schedule.

Kelly, who threw a fastball behind Alex Bregman's head and later taunted Carlos Correa on the way back to the dugout, will appeal his suspension. MLB, in reaching its conclusion, cited that Kelly had previously been suspended for "intentional throwing" at a hitter. Kelly was suspended for six games in April 2018 after hitting Tyler Austin of the Yankees.

Roberts will serve his suspension during Wednesday's series finale in Houston, prompting bench coach Bob Geren to act as the interim manager.

Kelly denied intent after the Dodgers' 5-2 win on Tuesday, saying: "My accuracy isn't the best." After his 3-0, 96 mph fastball sailed behind Bregman, Kelly also threw four pitches high to Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel and later brushed back Correa with a couple of inside curveballs.

After striking out Correa, Kelly made a pouty face at Correa on his way back to the dugout. Baker said Kelly also yelled, "Nice swing, b----."

Speaking Wednesday, Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. had no doubts about Kelly's intent.

"Joe Kelly threw a ball behind Bregman's head on 3-0 on purpose," McCullers said. "Not only did he take it upon himself to send a message, but he wasn't even part of the team during that [2017] season. We knew coming into the game that he likes to go off script. It is what it is. It was done unprofessionally. What he did after he punched out Correa was unprofessional. Running into the dugout was unprofessional. So it is what it is. We're here to play baseball. We just wanna win. That's it."

The Astros defeated the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, a controversial championship because of Houston's sign-stealing scandal.

The GB international ultra runner ran the length of Britain in 12 days, 30 minutes and 14 seconds

Carla Molinaro has broken the women’s record for Land’s End to John O’Groats, running the length of Britain in just 12 days, 30 minutes and 14 seconds.

The GB international ultra runner started her 874-mile journey on Thursday July 16 when she left Land’s End in western Cornwall. She arrived at John O’Groats in the far north of Scotland on Tuesday July 28, with her time beating the previous world record of 12 days, 11 hours, 6 minutes and 7 seconds which had been set by Sharon Gayter last year.

READ MORE: Sharon Gayter breaks JOGLE record

Gayter had recorded her record travelling the opposite route, from John O’Groats to Land’s End, and was among those supporting Molinaro during her own challenge, joining her for part of the journey through Cumbria.

“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life but battling the brutal winds and rain for 24 hours and trying to stay awake all night made finishing this morning bloody worth it!” Molinaro said on completing her challenge, which required her to cover over 70 miles per day.

In a video posted on Instagram in which she gave thanks to her support team, the 36-year-old added: “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I managed to run from Land’s End to John O’Groats but it should because my ankles are very sore!”

Ahead of the record attempt, the HOKA ONE ONE athlete had said: “I have always been a runner in some way, shape or form. When I started running at a club at the age of 15 the idea of running a marathon was crazy, I never thought I would do one as it was so far. But 15 years later, after building up the distances over the years, I did my first marathon (in an Ironman) and from then I got hooked on the long stuff.

“When lockdown kicked in, I started to run up and down my driveway. This made me start to daydream about going on a running adventure. LEJOG popped into my head and it stuck there so I started to plan to run the length of the UK and decided to try and break the world record at the same time.”

During her ultra running career so far, Molinaro’s achievements have included representing Great Britain at the 100km World Championships, clocking 8:23:45 for the distance in 2018. That same year she ran 6:50:31 to place ninth in the women’s race at the Comrades Marathon and if that wasn’t challenge enough, she was also part of a six-strong group which first ran from Cape Town to the start of the Comrades race – 90km a day – over 20 days.

More about Molinaro’s LEJOG journey can be found on her Instagram feed.