Herbert heroics in vain as Niemann wins LIV Golf Mexico
Sunday specialist Joaquin Niemann delivered yet again to reel in Bryson De Chambeau and claim a third victory of the season as Herbert scorched home to finish joint runner-up.
Like he did in Adelaide and Singapore, Niemann fired a brilliant final-round 65 as he surged to 16 under and a three-shot triumph over Herbert (61) and De Chambeau (71), with Jon Rahm (68) outright fourth.
Niemann's LIV victory matches Brookes Koepka's tally and earned the Chilean a ticket to the US Open at Oakmont Country Club in June.
Despite matching Rahm's course-record 10 under with eight birdies and a chip-in eagle two on the par-4 11th hole, Herbert also had to settle for second in the teams' event as his Ripper GC mates let him down.
For all of Herbert's heroics, Smith (72), Matt Jones (74) and Marc Leishman (74) were a combined eight over on Sunday, leaving Ripper GC two strokes adrift of Rahm's triumphant Legion XIII outfit.
Lucas Herbert has just gone birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie to get within 1 at LIV Golf Mexico. He's 10 under par for his round through 16 holes, this is a serious Sunday charge! 🔥 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/K0mnRTcPMT
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) April 27, 2025
On a day of wildly fluctuating fortunes, the all-Australian team watched a five-shot lead turn into a six-stroke deficit, then briefly a late two-shot advantage.
But ultimately Ripper skipper Smith's failure to fire down the stretch will likely hurt most.
The 2022 British Open champion started the day just one shot behind De Chambeau but ended with his winless drought stretching to 20 months.
Smith couldn't buy a birdie on the front nine, opening with eight straight grinding pars as DeChambeau also struggled to find his A game.
Smith's run of 20 successive holes without a dropped shot ended with a bogey on the ninth as DeChambeau hit the turn with a one-stroke advantage over the charging Niemann.
Despite a couple of late birdies, there was no coming back for Smith after he made a mess of the par-4 11th from the middle of the fairway to slip five behind.
The one-time world No.2 eventually tied for fifth at 11 under with Englishman Tyrrel Hatton (68).
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USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Exclusive: Former NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith talks about league's upcoming CBA tussle
This might be perfect timing for DeMaurice Smith to promote a book reflecting on his personal journey and tenure as executive director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). Lloyd Howell, the man elected in 2023 to replace Smith, resigned last month in shame. JC Tretter, the former center and union president who gained powerful influence in recent years, stepped down, too, from his role as chief strategy officer. And with so many questions linked to a lack of transparency, particularly involving the election process and information from arbitration rulings not shared with the membership, the players union is mired in a big mess as David White begins as interim executive director. Smith's book, "Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America's Game" (Random House, 368 pages, $32), was released on Aug. 5 as quite the coincidence. Leadership is a key theme. 'In no small way, we saw that play out over the last two months, in an unfortunate way,' Smith told USA TODAY Sports. 'My hope is that the players learn from it and spend time with what I'd call 'ruthless introspection' of how did they get here? And with the hope they turn it around. But it has to start and end with the players. It has much less to do with who their leader is.' That last point is debatable, given turmoil stemming from the damning revelations exposed by Pablo Torre on his podcast, "Pablo Torre Finds Out." Torre published a 61-page ruling from independent arbitrator Christopher Downey from a 2022 lawsuit filed by the NFLPA alleging collusion by team owners that was kept secret from the union. He revealed that another ruling determined Tretter encouraged players to fake injuries while engaged in contract talks. And he revealed that Howell was a part-time consultant for The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm approved by the NFL to invest in NFL teams, an apparent conflict of interest. Then ESPN reported that Howell's expense reports for visits to strip clubs ignited further scrutiny into his actions as union chief. Smith, citing a non-disparagement clause in his separation from the union, wouldn't specifically address the cases that blew up for the NFLPA, but he shared perspective on the role that White (the runner-up when Howell was elected) steps into on an interim basis while the search begins for a permanent executive director. White, formerly executive director and chief negotiator of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), was elected by a vote of player representatives from all 32 teams on Aug. 3. Key issues for White? 'First of all, 2030 is not as far off as you'd want to think,' Smith said, alluding to the expiration of the 11-year collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFLPA. 'The changing media landscape is interesting. But I think the most pressing issue is how do you come in and take a group of players who haven't been in a fight and teach them about what a labor union is supposed to do.' When Smith replaced the late Gene Upshaw and began his 14-year tenure in 2009, surely there was no acclimation period. The fight was already on as NFL owners, on the short end of the last CBA that Upshaw negotiated, had already declared that it would opt out of the labor pact and lock out the players in 2011. 'It made teaching and the role of getting players ready for a war a little bit easier, because one was on the horizon,' Smith said. Ultimately, Smith led the NFLPA into two long labor pacts, the last one struck in 2020 during the pandemic, which was passed by players by a razor-thin margin, with the key pushback involving the 17th game the union agreed to. Now, the league is going full-steam ahead on desires to eventually expand the schedule to 18 games, which would need to be negotiated as part of the CBA – and perhaps before the current labor pact expires. That the NFLPA's leadership is in flux undoubtedly looms as an advantage for the NFL in ramping up for the next CBA. The current labor pact allows players to receive 48% of NFL revenues, which fuels the record $279.2 million salary cap for 2025. 'The biggest job for a labor leader is teaching, and how important it is to focus on the right issues,' Smith said. 'Understand you are in labor-management paradigm. That's always a battle.' Reflecting on his tenure – which included the COVID-19 crisis, the Colin Kaepernick-ignited player protests and the evolving concussion protocols – Smith said that one of his regrets is that he got away from the hard-core teaching that he stressed from 2009 to 2017. 'Now is that opportunity for players to go back to their roots,' said Smith, mindful of the turnover in membership that comes when the average player career span is roughly three years. He cites key figures from the timeline over several decades on the NFL front and beyond. 'Even the players who are not going to be there for 2030, if they don't know who Bill Radovich is, if they don't know who Freeman McNeil is, if they don't know who Reggie White was, if they don't understand the significance of Curt Flood or Oscar Robertson, man, you won't get it right. 'Whether the issues are Commissioner discipline, an 18th game or practice time, if players don't understand the history and necessity of fighting, you won't get it right.' Shortly after the resignations of Howell and Tretter, I reached out and asked Smith if he would consider returning to his former role on an interim basis to help the NFLPA navigate through its adversity. He scoffed. 'Absolutely not,' he said. 'This is a challenge the players need to resolve for themselves.' In his book, Smith recalls a frosty exchange with Howell during the transition. Smith said that he wrote a letter for his successor and planned to leave it in his old desk – in the tradition of U.S. presidents – but had second thoughts after his single interaction with Howell. He folded up the letter and stuffed it in his pocket. 'I wrote that letter in the hope that it would help frame what the job is, if someone were truly curious about getting it right,' Smith said last weekend. He wanted to be a resource. Especially having never met Upshaw, who died on Aug. 20, 2008, three days after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 'There wasn't a day on the job where I didn't wake up and wish that I could talk to Gene,' Smith said. 'I kid you not. There wasn't a frickin' day.' He pledged that he's available for White. It's unclear how much White might tap that resource. Smith would certainly share thoughts about how players need to absorb how they are impacted by changing NFL business dynamics. The deal announced last week, with the NFL acquiring 10% equity in ESPN, resonated. 'It reminds you of the scale of this business,' Smith said. 'They're going to do what, $25 billion in revenue next year? This is the competition, and the ruthlessness of this business is far more intense off the field than it is on the field. And it's pretty intense on the field. 'You would want to know if there's a change in the rights fee (for ESPN),' he added. 'Those are the things the union needs to figure out. But most importantly, once you understand it, you're going to have to decide how do you fight it for your fair share? If anybody thinks that was just an idle, off-the-cuff comment from Roger (Goodell) – I forget when he said it, maybe a couple months ago – that he thought the players share was too high, you know that's what they do. They start messaging early.' Which means NFL players are pressed to reset their union priorities in a hurry and buckle up early for the next labor war that is surely coming. Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@ or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell. On Bluesky:
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Why character is key for Bucs GM Jason Licht in roster building and in life
TAMPA, Fla. — Last December, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers personnel staff talked at length about a wide receiver. But from the tenor of their conversation, they could have been discussing an applicant for a C-suite position. Emeka Egbuka's historic production at Ohio State, his rare ball-tracking ability and his knack for creating space weren't given much attention. But they raved about his comfort at the front of the drill line, his diligence and adaptability. Advertisement One of the scouts said Egbuka considered entering the draft the previous year but stayed at Ohio State partly to help Jeremiah Smith get acclimated because the Buckeyes' wide receiver tradition meant so much to Egbuka. Another testified there was a 'very high trust factor' with Egbuka. Trust — that word meant something to general manager Jason Licht. After Licht signed Tom Brady in 2020, the quarterback told him he wanted teammates he could trust, especially in a two-minute drive at the end of a Super Bowl. So with the 19th pick of this year's draft, Licht surprised almost everyone by taking a player he thought he could trust — Egbuka. Every December, the Bucs personnel staff meets for nine days to evaluate attributes of prospects that can't always be seen on game tape. The meeting in which Egbuka was discussed was one of those. Character meetings, they call them. For some general managers, there are better ways to use the time. But to Licht, those meetings are the foundation for the draft, and ultimately the foundation for his team. Since Licht became general manager of the Bucs in 2014, the players he has drafted in the first five rounds have started more games than players chosen by any other team. Among his selections have been nine Pro Bowlers and 11 all-rookie picks. As critical as it has been to find players like Egbuka, it's been just as important to root out others. Licht explained the process in an April interview with ESPN's Pat McAfee. 'It's really not that hard,' he said. 'We put the players that are worthy of being drafted on the draft board like every team does, but then we just kind of take the a–holes and the douchebags off, and the guys that don't love football and guys that have proven they don't like it, that are difficult to deal with, and we just kind of mitigate our risk. We're taking great players that are great humans.' Advertisement By late April, the Bucs have a list of such players, and the day before the draft, Licht gives Bucs owner Joel Glazer a document with the names of those they will not be selecting because they don't fit the Bucs' character profile. This year, four players who were drafted in the first round were on that document. Another on the document was taken in the second round. Over the last four years, 13 players have been drafted who were not on the Bucs' boards because they didn't fit the profile. Players with a criminal history are easily identified and disqualified. Finding players who lack passion for the game is more of an art, but no less important. 'The high draft picks who don't make it are the ones who don't work hard,' Licht says. 'They don't listen to coaching. And they don't do the little things they are supposed to do.' Licht, 54, has tried all the psychological tests. He has relied on a private eye as well as his third eye. But what has been most helpful is intel from his staff. Licht trusts his 26 evaluators and relies on many others as well. When the Bucs host draft prospects for top-30 visits, he wants to know what the janitor, cafeteria server and groundskeeper think. Some of this can be traced to Yuma, Colo., a farming town of 3,500 that's closer to Nebraska than Denver, both geographically and culturally. In Yuma, character evaluation is a front porch swing hobby. During Licht's childhood in Yuma, he saw what teamwork looks like. 'In those small towns, everybody has your back,' his sister, Patti, says. 'They recently had huge hailstorms in Yuma that wiped out crops and caused a lot of damage. And everybody helped one another clean up and get things in order.' Jason and Patti's father, Ron, struggled with alcoholism, which sometimes led to financial issues. Their mom, Karen, was a teacher and the family adhesive. Ron was a dreamer, always thinking beyond the horizon. He started a landscaping business, then a business for irrigation systems, then one that built garages. In good ways, Jason is like his father, who found sobriety when Jason was in sixth grade. Jason is a people person, which led to his ambition of being a small-town doctor. He liked the idea of being rooted in a community and having close relationships with many. Advertisement His family had Nebraska season tickets since before Jason was born, so he went there as a football walk-on. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne remembers taking a chance on Licht because he was willing to work and capable of picking up assignments quickly. By Licht's second season, he was playing guard in mop-up time. Ron drove 12 hours round-trip to Lincoln on every game day, even when he was sure his son never would get a snap. Jason wondered why he didn't stay overnight at a hotel. He found out later that his dad didn't have the money and was paying for gas to make the trip with silver dollars from a collection he had kept for decades. It was obvious Jason didn't have anywhere near the size and ability of starters Will Shields, who later won the Outland Trophy, and Brendan Stai, a future NFL starter, so he transferred to nearby Division III Nebraska Wesleyan. As it often does, the walk-on experience left an imprint. 'Having gone through that, if I lost everything today and had to start at the bottom, just roll up my sleeves and go to work, I probably wouldn't fear that as much as most people,' he says. At Wesleyan, he moved to defensive tackle and was named all-conference twice before graduating with a degree in pre-med/biology. But by then, he no longer wanted to be a doctor. Football had a hold of him. For a while, he worked for his father and tended bar. Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride liked Licht and recommended him for an internship with the Dolphins. After Licht interviewed, a couple of months passed. A job offer came from an insurance company for $35,000 a year. Then the Dolphins offered the internship that paid $6,000 a year. Licht was resigned to taking the insurance job. Until he talked to his father. 'Don't settle on money,' father told son. 'Follow your dream.' Advertisement Ron cashed in more silver dollars so Jason had money to get to Miami. That internship led to jobs with the Dolphins, Panthers, Patriots, Eagles, Cardinals, the Patriots again and the Cardinals again. In those years, he worked with coaching giants and learned more about character. From his time with Jimmy Johnson, Licht came to understand that if he could reason with a person, he had a chance. Bill Belichick taught him how to distinguish between a bad guy and an immature one. The lesson from Andy Reid: just because someone veered once doesn't necessarily mean he will do it again. Of course, Licht already understood that people can get out of a skid because he saw his father do it. The first pick he made with the Bucs in 2014, wide receiver Mike Evans, verified the importance of emphasizing character. Evans has had 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons, tied for an NFL record. Moreover, his selflessness, coachability, intensity and community servantship have set the standard for every Buc who followed. 'The perfect pick,' Licht calls him. The next year, the Bucs had the first pick in the draft and needed a quarterback to get the ball to Evans. Jameis Winston, who had a Heisman Trophy and national championship on his resume, was in many ways the logical choice. But Winston had been investigated for sexual assault, and details were murky. Licht did his research. Then he asked his wife, Blair, to meet with Winston. Blair came with one of their three children, Theo, who was about 16 months old. Theo was fussing. Winston took Theo from Blair, played with him and comforted him. Theo stopped crying. Winston connected with Blair, too. 'I really loved Jameis,' says Blair, who remains a sounding board for her husband on football matters 19 years into their marriage. 'So after that and a lot of discussions with his scouts and owners, Jason felt more comfortable making the decision.' Advertisement Her husband didn't always get it right with character, however. In his first year, he signed offensive tackle Anthony Collins and defensive end Michael Johnson as free agents. Neither justified their contracts, and both were cut after one season. 'I would say they had a passion problem,' Licht says. In the draft that year, he regrettably chose tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the second round. The Bucs cut him at the start of his third season after he was arrested for driving under the influence for the second time. Vernon Hargreaves was the team's first-round pick in 2016. The cornerback coasted through his first three seasons before Bruce Arians benched him for what the coach said was a lack of hustle. The Bucs released him two days later. 'He just didn't want to be part of a team,' Licht says. In March 2017, Licht took a chance on dazzling but challenging wideout DeSean Jackson in free agency. He didn't blend with the quarterback or his coaches, and the waves he created didn't justify the production. 'The me now would never sign DeSean Jackson,' says Licht, who traded him after two years. In hindsight, Licht believes he was fooled in 2019 when he chose linebacker Devin White in the first round. White was a starter for the better part of five years for the Bucs but eventually was let go. He's with his third team since. 'Knowing what I know now, he would have been off my board,' Licht says. 'It was too much about him.' By the time he chose White, Licht had been with the Bucs five years and had a record of 27-53. He hadn't yet gone under but could feel the pull of the undertow. Licht thought he might be replaced with a new GM. Instead, he became one. That year, Licht studied his misses and identified the whys. He pondered the careers of Bucs greats such as Mike Alstott, John Lynch, Warren Sapp and Ronde Barber, who has become his close friend. Then he studied successful players he had been associated with on other teams, such as Brian Dawkins, Rob Gronkowski, Brian Westbrook and Mike Vrabel. Advertisement Each was the kind of teammate who brought out the best in others. They were all accountable, competitive, confident, passionate and resilient — those were the qualities Licht and his staff would be unbending about moving forward. Licht, who signed a contract extension earlier this summer, believes his 2025 roster is devoid of players who don't fit the mold he and his staff created in 2019. Since then, his record is 58-42 with five playoff appearances in six years. Walter's Press Box Sports Emporium, aka The Press Box, opened in 1978 down the street from where the Bucs played, and these days is either showing its age or its character, depending on perspective. It's the kind of sports bar found in many cities, with beer bucket specials and 40 Stephen A. Smiths screaming in high def. The Press Box is Licht's second office. Licht orders a Blue Moon and a basket of wings — during happy hour, wings cost $1 a piece — while presiding over staff meetings there on weeknights, though Blair suspects he goes mostly to play Golden Tee. In his defense, Licht was in The Press Box with his lieutenants eight years ago when the Bucs agreed to a contract with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. At some of his Press box gatherings, Licht has invited Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper and his staff. They do more than watch games. 'I've talked to him in depth about what he values in players, and it's very similar to what I value,' Cooper says. 'It comes down to a lot of team dynamics, and it's not so much about the guy that runs the fastest or jumps the highest. There's a bigger component of piecing all of that together, and I think Jason is a master at that.' Licht is tight with other team builders, including Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, who introduced Licht to Blair, Seahawks general manager John Schneider and former right-hand man John Spytek, now in charge of the Raiders. Advertisement But you don't have to be a big shot to be his buddy. At every game during the Bucs' Super Bowl season, he wore a Metallica T-shirt under his suit jacket and dress shirt. So when Metallica came to Raymond James Stadium in June, Licht had every seat accounted for in his suite as well as the suite belonging to coach Todd Bowles, which Bowles graciously donated and catered. Among Licht's many guests were Cooper, his closest friend from Yuma, his closest friend from college, a Bucs chiropractor, a Bucs video director and his son, a team flight attendant and her husband, and Licht's three barbers, distinguishable by their tattoos and ear gauges. Before the stadium began shaking, Licht was atingle about meeting Metallica frontman James Hetfield in the tunnel leading to the field. 'I was so afraid of what I was going to say to him,' Licht says. 'I mean, there's Michael Jordan, James Hetfield, God …' which deftly delivers Bucs news and opinions, sometimes with a wink, often has referred to Licht as the 'AC/DC-loving general manager.' It's a title he chuckles about. 'The thing that stands out about him is he isn't afraid to laugh at himself,' says Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl, who came to the Bucs with Licht and was with him for the concert. 'He's just a good guy at his core, and I think that kind of bleeds into everything that we try to do here as a staff.' Licht posted photos of the Metallica experience on Instagram. He also posts pictures of Blair and their kids, Charlie, 16, Zoe, 14, and Theo, 11. The Licht family eats dinner together most nights, even if it isn't until 7:30. Sometimes, the kids use the opportunity to give their father football advice. Licht gives each of his children exclusive daddy time. He plays golf with Charlie. He takes Zoe to Starbucks before every game. And he caddies for Theo. Advertisement They enjoy going through his vintage card collection, which includes thousands of cards — there's Wilt Chamberlain, Hank Aaron and rookie Joe Montana. The collection belonged to Jason's father, who gifted it to his son before he died in 2019 as a way to repay the financial help Jason had given him. It wasn't necessary. His father had already given him so much. If not for Ron's encouragement, Jason might be in the insurance business. His passion is player evaluation, and he tries to find time for it every day, watching tape in breaks between practices, meetings, negotiations and fire calls. Licht is always looking for that player who would rather be doing nothing other than what he's doing. Whether or not he sees it that way, he's always looking for that player who might be a little like Jason Licht. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Emma Raducanu pinpoints exciting trend for US Open despite Aryna Sabalenka loss
Emma Raducanu is encouraged by her preparations for the US Open after pushing Aryna Sabalenka close in a competitive defeat in Cincinnati. Raducanu was beaten in a third-set tiebreak by the world No 1 having battled back from a set down to force a decider, and matched Sabalenka virtually stroke for stroke throughout. The 22-year-old, who claimed her only grand slam title to date in New York in 2021, has looked in good touch throughout the American hard-court swing that precedes the year's final major, and had also given Sabalenka a scare at Wimbledon in July. The Belarusian prevailed on that occasion 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 and Raducanu was pleased with an improved performance even on that showing, though it ultimately ended in defeat. 'She's world No 1 for a reason," Raducanu said following her third-round defeat. "I pushed her more than I did at Wimbledon, so that's that's an improvement. 'Also, it was good to have this result on a hard court because it's very different to grass, and I've always thought grass suits me a lot more - and I still believe that. So to have pushed her on a hard court like that, I'm pretty proud." The US Open singles draws will begin on Sunday 24 August with Raducanu set to play alongside Carlos Alcaraz in a new-look mixed doubles event at Flushing Meadows before the tournament proper commences. Raducanu has united with a new coach in Francis Roig, who has previously worked with Rafael Nadal, in recent weeks as she continues to refine her game. "I think starting the point is a big takeaway," the British No 1 said after her defeat to Sabalenka. "I think [Sabalenka] did that incredibly well; in the big moments, she served and returned really well. "I did too, in certain moments of the match, but to kind of hold that level on the starting point for the the whole match, I think that's a big thing for me."
