From following Kupcho to opening Augusta National Women's Amateur in 70, Hollenbaugh comes full circle
That doesn't mean that Hollenbaugh is afraid to take on pins; she just doesn't fire at every one.
The results have followed.
Hollenbaugh kicked off the year with a solo third at the Patriot All-America before winning the Sally, a prestigious amateur event. She then she's won three more times in four college starts, including against a loaded field at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge and most recently at the Clemson Invitational.
After rising to a career-best 22nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking on Wednesday, Hollenbaugh continued her sizzling run with a 2-under 70 at Champions Retreat in what was her debut round at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.
It wasn't her first time at this tournament, though.
When Hollenbaugh was 14 years old, her dad, Paul, took her to the inaugural ANWA in 2019. A family friend hooked them up with a ticket, though Paul had to scalp his after finding out that it was originally just one ticket. That final round, the Hollenbaughs followed the last six holes of Jennifer Kupcho's epic duel with Maria Fassi.
'Honestly, the way that they interacted with each other, like they're kind of rooting for each other,' Hollenbaugh said on what she took away from that day. 'And it was really cool to see at the end how Maria Fassi just kind of praised Jennifer Kupcho. Like if you're going to lose, you want someone to win it, you know. I think that Jennifer Kupcho did that.'
DUBLIN, OH - SEPTEMBER 16: Kary Hollenbaugh hits a drive during the girls 12-13 driving competition during the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Muirfield Village Golf Club on September 16, 2017 in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo byfor DC&P Championship)
Kirk Irwin
During Monday night's dinner for the players inside Augusta National's clubhouse, highlights from that first ANWA were played.
'It brought back so many good memories of me as a kid wishing to be here,' Hollenbaugh said. 'So, it's cool to see it come full circle.'
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New York Times
7 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tiger Woods will head new PGA Tour competition committee, new CEO announces
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Fox Sports
36 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Chaos, Dynasties, Nittany Lions: What We Learned From College Football 26 Simulations
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Ohio State only made the College Football Playoff on 16 occasions in the 50 simulations. In order to get as many realistic, undiluted results as possible, we used default settings and chose lower-tier teams from Group of 5 conferences to "play" as in each dynasty file. We did not recruit or play any games, but rather skipped ahead to the end of the regular season in order to find the Heisman Trophy winner, conference champions and CFP field. We then skipped ahead to the end of the CFP to find the national champion. Our hope was to get some definitive expectations and predictions for the upcoming season, while also figuring out who could cause the most chaos in 2025. Our very first simulation might have been our most chaotic. Duke ran the table in the ACC, going 12-0 before losing to Pitt in the conference title game. However, the Panthers didn't make the CFP because they weren't one of the five-highest-ranked conference champions. That loss also didn't derail Duke from making a deep CFP run, reaching the semifinals. Duke lost to Texas Tech in that game, with the Red Raiders taking down USC in the national championship game. Oh, and SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings won the Heisman in that simulation — he currently has the 19th-best odds to win the award (+5000, via DraftKings Sportsbook). ADVERTISEMENT Chaos, indeed! So, let's dig deeper and unveil what we learned from our simulations. National champions There's a three-way tie atop the leaderboard for the team that won the most national championships over the course of our 50 simulations. Clemson, Georgia and Penn State each won it all eight times. Those three schools having success in the game shouldn't be too surprising. All three were recently ranked in the top five of the preseason AP Top 25 poll, with Penn State coming in at No. 2, Clemson at No. 4 and Georgia at No. 5. 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But the Red Raiders, even with their reported massive spending to upgrade their roster, would seem to be a bit of a shock, as they were ranked 23rd in the preseason poll. The most surprising national champions in this exercise, based on preseason rankings, were Duke and Nebraska. Both defeated Ohio State to win the national championship. Texas, ranked No. 1 in AP Top 25 poll and in RJ Young's Ultimate 136, only won the national championship once. Going by conference, the Big Ten and SEC each won the national championship 16 times. An ACC team won the national championship on 13 occasions, while Texas Tech represented all four of the Big 12's national title wins. Notre Dame also won a national championship. Power 4 Conference Champions No team had a larger stranglehold on its conference in the 50 simulations than Texas Tech, winning the Big 12 a total of 28 times. The Red Raiders were the only power conference team to win their conference at least 20 times in this exercise, which is a bit of a surprise since the consensus seems to be that the Big 12 is wide open entering the 2025 season. Baylor (11), BYU (4) and Iowa State (3) were the only other teams to win the conference on multiple occasions. Kansas, Colorado and Utah were also among the teams that won the Big 12. In the Big Ten, Penn State prevailed the most, winning the conference 19 times as James Franklin's Nittany Lions seek to get over the hump in 2025. Oregon had the second-most Big Ten titles with 12, while Michigan (6), USC (6), Illinois (2), Indiana (2) and Ohio State (2) were the other multi-time Big Ten winners. Nebraska won the conference once, too. While Georgia was king of the SEC in our 50 simulations, there was an extreme amount of parity in the conference. The Bulldogs won the SEC 11 times, with Alabama (8) and Texas (7) coming second and third, respectively. Six other teams won the SEC in our simulations, as Florida (6), Oklahoma (5), South Carolina (5), Texas A&M (4), LSU (2) and Tennessee (2) all won the conference multiple times. No team prevailed in the CFP more than Clemson, but the Tigers played second fiddle to Miami in the ACC. The Hurricanes won the conference 19 times over our simulations, while Clemson won the ACC on 15 occasions. Duke was the only other school to win the conference at least 10 times, winning it exactly that number of times. Virginia Tech (3), Pitt (2) and SMU (1) were also among the schools to win the ACC. Heisman After a breakout season in 2024, Cade Klubnik emerged as the top player in college football in more than a handful of our simulations. The Clemson quarterback won the Heisman 13 times, which was the most of any player. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had the second-most Heisman wins with nine. Smith's number of Heisman wins shouldn't come as a major surprise as the "College Football 26" co-cover star also has the highest rating of any player in the game. The most surprising multi-time Heisman winner might have been USF quarterback Byrum Brown. He won the Heisman four times, even though the Bulls didn't make the CFP once in the 50 simulations. Oregon had a couple of multi-time Heisman winners in the 50 simulations, with quarterback Dante Moore and running back Makhi Hughes each winning it twice. So did Ohio State, with quarterback Julian Sayin winning it twice. Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, who joined Smith on the cover of the video game, was a two-time Heisman winner in our 50 simulations. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (2) rounds out the players who won the Heisman on multiple occasions in our simulations, which would be welcomed news for the Sooners fans. Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein, Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza each won the Heisman once. Toledo quarterback Tucker Gleason was probably the most unlikely player to win the Heisman across our 50 simulations. He had the lowest overall rating (80) among the 17 players to win the Heisman in our exercise, but his strong dual-threat ability in one of the 50 seasons was good enough for him to take home the award. He threw for 4,047 yards, 31 touchdowns and two interceptions to go with 416 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores in his Heisman-winning season, leading Toledo to a MAC title. However, the Rockets were not ranked high enough to reach the CFP. Best team: Penn State Is this the year that James Franklin finally breaks through and wins big games? "College Football 26" seems to think so. The Nittany Lions won the national championship eight times, which we already mentioned was tied for the most. But they also made the CFP 42 times in the 50 simulations, which was more than the two other teams that also won the national championship eight times in the simulations (Clemson, 32; Georgia, 31). Penn State also made the national championship game on 10 occasions, so winning it eight times is pretty impressive. Biggest surprises: Duke, Texas Tech North Carolina might have the greatest coach in football history joining its sideline this season, but another school on Tobacco Road achieved great success in "College Football 26." The Blue Devils were consistent contenders in this exercise, winning the ACC 10 times and making the CFP on 26 occasions. They also reached the national championship game four times, winning it once. As for Texas Tech, the 23rd-ranked Red Raiders' relative dominance of the Big 12 stood out, but they also were able to make a handful of deep runs in the CFP, too. In addition to their four national championships, quarterback Behren Morton also won the Heisman once. Biggest disappointments: Ohio State, Texas We already hit on how underwhelming the Buckeyes were earlier in this story, but here's some added context: Ohio State has the highest-rated offensive (Jeremiah Smith) and defensive (Caleb Downs) players in the game. So, even with that elite talent, Ohio State still couldn't break through once. As for Texas, the Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in several preseason polls, but "College Football 26" isn't feeling "Arch Mania." Not only did Texas only win it all just once, but Manning only finished in the top five of the Heisman voting twice. He didn't win the award once in 50 simulations, which would be a shock as he enters the season as the betting favorite to win the Heisman. Chaos sim Simulation No. 1 might have been the most chaotic, with Texas Tech winning it all while beating Duke in the semis along the way. If it wasn't that one, then it was simulation No. 44. Duke, an 11th-seed, defeated sixth-seed Miami, third-seeded Texas and 10th-seeded Penn State before taking down ninth-seeded Ohio State in the national championship game. BYU was the other semifinalist, while the ACC had five teams make the 12-team CFP. The SEC only had one representative. Coaching carousel Of everything that happened in these 50 simulations, the most chaotic thing might have been the coaching carousel. With real-life coaches being included in the game for the first time, the coaching carousel brought a lot of interesting twists and turns. If "College Football 26" is to be believed, Michigan's Sherrone Moore has one of the hottest seats in the nation. He was fired in 20 of the simulations, even getting axed after leading Michigan to the CFP on one occasion. Texas' Steve Sarkisian replaced Moore on 17 of the 20 occasions, which is interesting as Sarkisian doesn't have any obvious connections to the program. As for the other three times Moore was fired, Michigan hired Oregon's Dan Lanning, who left Eugene for Ann Arbor after helping the Ducks reach the national championship on one occasion. But Lanning pulling a Kalen DeBoer wasn't the only jaw-dropping thing to come from the coaching carousel. Four years after shockingly leaving Oklahoma for USC, Lincoln Riley returned to Norman in two of the 50 simulations. In one of those instances, Riley became Oklahoma's head coach again after coaching USC to the title game. Speaking of DeBoer, he either left or was fired by Alabama in 11 simulations. Dabo Swinney replaced him each time, including after a Clemson national title. South Carolina's Shane Beamer and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin were the most frequent coaches to replace Swinney at Clemson, while Kiffin was also the most frequent coach to replace Sarkisian at Texas. As for Moore, he was able to land a head coaching job each time he was fired. He mostly got head coaching roles with non-power conference schools, but Washington, Louisville and Kentucky each hired him in different simulations. Penn State's James Franklin left Happy Valley to become Notre Dame's head coach after winning the national championship in one of the simulations. Franklin replaced Marcus Freeman in all six instances that he was fired, and even hired Baylor head coach Dave Aranda to be his defensive coordinator after he coached the Bears to the CFP in one simulation. While no coach has seemingly dealt with more pressure than Ryan Day in recent years, Ohio State kept him after all 50 simulations. Maybe the national championship brought him some stability? Nebraska's Matt Rhule was fired a whopping 22 times in our simulations, but resurfaced as a head coach at Big Ten schools nearly every single time (Wisconsin, Maryland, Rutgers). He also made the bold move to go back to the NFL after one of the seasons. Finally, while Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders aren't in the game, the avatars portraying them each went to the NFL once over the 50 simulations. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. What did you think of this story? share
New York Times
37 minutes ago
- New York Times
What's up with MLB's left-handed pitching surge? Plus: Yankees-Mets paralellism
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. It's the year of the southpaw. Why are left-handed pitchers so dominant this year? Plus: Ken on Sonny Gray's no-trade clause, we tell you about two Guardians pitchers with compelling back stories, and … are the Yankees and Mets in a codependent relationship? I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup! I love when someone makes me think about something I've never thought to think about. Why does the needle make the vinyl play my favorite song, anyway? Why is it OK to salvage moldy hard cheese, but not soft cheese? Why do we put adjectives in that order? Today, Stephen Nesbitt has done this, but for a baseball truth: Why are left-handed pitchers harder to hit? Advertisement The standard answer to this question has been: You don't see as many of them, so when you do, it messes up your usual line of sight. Maybe so, but as Nesbitt points out (with numerous graphs and charts), lefties are getting more dominant. Left-handed people make up 10 percent of the world's population. This year, lefties have started 26.2 percent of big-league games. And of the top 10 pitchers in bWAR, they make up a full 60 percent. Some of that, yes, is a lack of exposure. But part of it is that left-handed pitchers are doing the same things that right-handed pitchers are doing: going to Driveline, Tread and other facilities, learning how to better shape their pitches and adding a broader variety to their repertoire. If the soft-tossing lefty of yesteryear was tricky, how much more so now that they're throwing 99 with a filthy sinker? It's a good read, well-researched and thought-provoking. Oh, and by the way, if you were curious … here's what I found to explain vinyl, cheese mold and adjectives. To this point, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray has been unwilling to waive his no-trade clause. But this offseason, his stance might change. Gray turns 36 in November and still feels he can be productive. He said he wants one more crack at winning, one more chance to pitch in the postseason. His last three starts were high-profile — at Dodger Stadium, on 'Sunday Night Baseball' against the Chicago Cubs and on Fox's 'Baseball Night in America' against the New York Yankees. After two poor starts coming out of the All-Star break — Gray said he fell out of baseball rhythm while spending a few days at home — the bigger spotlight helped him get back on track. 'I do want those moments more,' Gray said. 'It's just more fun for me.' Those moments likely will be rare in St. Louis next season, when Gray will be in the last guaranteed year of his contract. Chaim Bloom, taking over as president of baseball operations in place of John Mozeliak, will continue the Cardinals' retooling. The team's average attendance of 28,828 this year would be its lowest for a non-strike, non-COVID season since 1984, making it highly unlikely to spend big. Advertisement Gray would not specifically answer a question last weekend about whether he would waive his no-trade protection. If he is willing, the Cardinals almost certainly would need to include cash in the deal. Gray is owed $35 million next season, and another $5 million on a buyout for 2027. 'I do know that I do have a lot left in the tank. I feel I showed that last year, and I've shown it this year,' said Gray, who had a 3.84 ERA last season and is at 4.30 this season. 'This year, there has been a lot of good, a lot of really good. But there have been a few more, probably four to five games, that have just been really bad.' If Gray allows the Cardinals to shop him, his no-trade protection would give him the ability to effectively choose his next club. 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In our most recent edition of the power rankings, we picked one 'Rated Rookie' for each team. Some of mine were easy, but the most difficult one for me was the Guardians. Joey Cantillo was worth the most fWAR and had been so successful as a reliever that he has transitioned to the rotation. He has pitched a lot more innings than the guy I picked. Advertisement But I couldn't overlook Erik Sabrowski (a left-handed pitcher, of course). At the time, Sabrowski's ERA was 1.02 in 17 1/3 innings pitched (it's down to 1.00 after last night). I sent a message to Zack Meisel, our Guardians beat writer, to ask if I was being stupid. He said it was fine, and informed me he was actually writing a story about Sabrowski and fellow reliever Nic Enright, so … good timing. Well, it's here. Both relievers have overcome immense odds to be in a big-league bullpen at all. Sabrowski has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, a concussion and (of all things) a golf ball to the ankle on his path to the big leagues. Enright overcame a cancer diagnosis. The two are part of a bullpen that has been a major factor in the Guardians' resurrection from midseason irrelevance to the thick of the AL wild-card race. And they've done it with closer Emmanuel Clase on administrative leave while the league conducts a gambling investigation. Since Clase's last game (July 26), Cleveland's bullpen ERA (2.87) was third-best in baseball going into last night's game. More Enright: In May, when Enright was on the verge of making the big leagues, Meisel profiled the pitcher's return from cancer. More pitchers overcoming adversity: Fabian Ardaya has the incredible story of Dodgers prospect Patrick Copen, who lost vision in his right eye but is still pitching at a high level. The Cubs managed to stop the bleeding yesterday, sweeping a doubleheader against the Brewers. Meanwhile, as the Kyle Tucker reset continues, here's what we know. I loved this: Tyler Kepner spent a game in the GM suite with Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, talking about everything from this year's Mariners to a crank(y) phone call from Tug McGraw. Tarik Skubal vs. Hunter Brown did not disappoint last night. The two matched zeroes as Detroit beat Houston 1-0 in extras. Cody Stavenhagen starts with that matchup, and makes a case. Advertisement Relax: Mookie Betts isn't moving (back) to right field. An update on Victor Robles, who threw a bat at the pitcher on a rehab assignment Sunday night: He has been suspended for 10 games. The suspension will be served in the big leagues. By playing his 746th consecutive game last night, Matt Olson passed Pete Rose for the fourth-longest games-played streak of the divisional era. On the pods: Blue Jays manager John Schneider joined 'Starkville' this week to talk about — among other things — Alenjadro Kirk's recent stolen base and Max Scherzer's job as 'assistant manager.' And on 'Rates & Barrels,' Tim Britton joins the pod to discuss the Mets. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
