Latest news with #PaulSancya
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cal Raleigh to play for US in World Baseball Classic, joining Judge, Skenes and Witt
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh rounds first base after hitting a grand slam against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) ATLANTA (AP) — Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh agreed to play for the U.S. team at next year's World Baseball Classic, joining captain Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. USA Baseball announced the decision Monday before Raleigh participated in the All-Star Home Run Derby. The 28-year-old entered the All-Star break leading the major leagues with 38 homers and 82 RBIs. Advertisement The 20-nation WBC will be played from March 5-17. Japan is defending champion. Also Monday, the World Baseball Softball Confederation said the baseball tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be played from July 15-20 at Dodger Stadium. MLB is considering whether it can interrupt its 2028 season to allow major leagues to participate. There will be two groups of three teams during a preliminary round over three days, with two games per day. The group winners advance to the semifinals, while the other teams compete in a pair of quarterfinals. Semifinals will be played July 19, and gold and bronze medal games the next day. The softball tournament will be played from July 23-29 at OKC Softball Park in Oklahoma City. A five-day round-robin will be played on July 28 followed by the gold medal game the next day. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
British Open adds Aldrich Potgieter and Brian Campbell among six alternates to Portrush field
Aldrich Potgieter, of South Africa, celebrates after his winning putt in a playoff during the final round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at Detroit Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Aldrich Potgieter and Brian Campbell won PGA Tour events the last two weeks, and it wound up getting them into the British Open next week at Royal Portrush. The Open has a 156-man field, and it became clear two weeks ago that it would have only 150 players who either qualified or met the various exemption criteria. Advertisement The Open uses this week's world ranking for an alternate list. Potgieter was No. 123 in the world when he won the Rocket Classic two weeks ago, while Campbell was at No. 115 when he won the John Deere Classic on Sunday. Both moved high enough in the world ranking to be among the leading six players not already exempt for the Open. The others added to the field were Nico Echavarria, Michael Kim, Bud Cauley and Davis Thompson, who narrowly got the final spot over Si Woo Kim. The Open is July 17-20. ___ AP golf:
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Deere Classic shaping up as a final qualifier in world ranking for British Open
Rickie Fowler reacts to his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Paul Casey, of Crushers GC, smiles on the seventh green during the final round of LIV Golf Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Carrollton, Texas. (Mateo Villalba/LIV Golf via AP) Collin Morikawa hits from the 18th fairway during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Aldrich Potgieter, of South Africa poses with the trophy after winning a playoff during the final round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Aldrich Potgieter, of South Africa poses with the trophy after winning a playoff during the final round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Rickie Fowler reacts to his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Paul Casey, of Crushers GC, smiles on the seventh green during the final round of LIV Golf Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Carrollton, Texas. (Mateo Villalba/LIV Golf via AP) Collin Morikawa hits from the 18th fairway during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, June 26, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Aldrich Potgieter, of South Africa poses with the trophy after winning a playoff during the final round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The John Deere Classic could serve as a final qualifier for the British Open, even though the R&A no longer offers an exemption to the leading finishers at the PGA Tour stop. This qualifier would be determined by the Official World Golf Ranking next week. Advertisement The 156-man field for Royal Portrush on July 17-20 is now at 122 players with the addition of two spots from the Italian Open, two amateurs (European Amateur and Open Amateur Series) and Sergio Garcia getting the lone spot from LIV Golf. Final regional qualifying Tuesday in the United Kingdom provided 20 spots. Five more players from the top 20 in the Race to Dubai on the European tour will earn spots after this week's BMW International Open in Germany. The following week, three more spots will be available in the Scottish Open. That brings the field to 150 players. The other six would come from a reserve list, which is based on the Official World Golf Ranking published after this week. Aldrich Potgieter won the Rocket Classic and moved to No. 49 in the world, making him the highest-ranked player not already in The Open. He is followed by Nico Echavarria, who tied for sixth in Detroit and moved to No. 51. Next on the list is Michael Kim at No. 55. Advertisement Seven of the next eight players in the world ranking not already exempt for The Open — from Bud Cauley at No. 59 to Ryan Gerard at No. 71 — are playing the John Deere Classic. Davis Riley is not in the John Deere field. If it plays out that way, in some respects it would make up for the fact that no one from the PGA Tour qualified from the category that exempts the leading five players from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup standings through the Rocket Classic. The top 28 players in the current FedEx Cup standings already are exempt, eight of them because they already were in the top 50 at the May 25 cutoff. Seven of those 28 were eligible by reaching the Tour Championship last year, and nine others got in as past major champions or from a top-10 finish at The Open last year at Royal Troon. It was only the second time in the last 10 years that everyone from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup already was exempt. Typically no more than two or three came out of that category. Advertisement Golf shots Scottie Scheffler was raving about a 3-iron he hit into a par 5 at the Travelers Championship because it came off perfectly. That led him to recall two other pure shots in recent memory, a 9-iron on the par-3 third at The Players Championship and a 6-iron on the fifth hole at the 2022 Masters. It's not always about the score it yields, just the pureness of the shot. That's why whenever Collin Morikawa thinks about one of the best shots he ever hit, it wasn't necessarily his driver on the par-4 16th at Harding Park that stopped 7 feet away for eagle when he won the 2020 PGA Championship. That was a stock drive with a great bounce. Advertisement Instead, he thought back to his final hole when he won the DP World Tour Championship in 2021 to become the first American to win the Race to Dubai. 'It was on 18, par 5, front left pin,' Morikawa said last week. 'I've watched the shot many times on YouTube because I'm like, 'How do I make it that easy?' Front left pin, water on the left, had 4-iron I think out of the first cut and I hit it exactly where I wanted. I could miss it in the water, lose the tournament; hit it in the bunker, not make up-and-down. It was picture perfect. 'And it's rare you get to do that, but that's why we keep practicing,' he said. 'I'm telling you, it's inches, margins, centimeters, degrees. We're crazy, but we love it.' LIV in 2026 Advertisement The Saudi-funded LIV Golf League won't play its first tournament on U.S. soil next year until a week before the PGA Championship. That's according to a schedule obtained by Sports Business Journal that it said was not finalized but likely to be the final product. According to SBJ, LIV Golf would start in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 5-7, go to Adelaide, Australia, the following week and then go three straight weeks starting March 6-8 in Hong Kong, Singapore and a new stop in South Africa. Instead of playing at Trump Doral the week before the Masters, LIV instead will go to Mexico City a week after the Masters and then have its first U.S. event — listed as 'D.C./Virginia' on May 8-10, the week before the PGA Championship at Aronimink outside Philadelphia. Also new to the schedule is a LIV event in New Orleans a week after the U.S. Open. Advertisement The schedule would have a U.K. event after the British Open, and then conclude with three tournaments in Chicago, Indianapolis and Michigan. The D.C./Virginia event would be the only LIV event before a major. The other three majors would have LIV events immediately after. There won't be stops in Florida for the first time. Also gone from the schedule, according to the SBJ report, is the event in the Dallas area. Monday qualifying at Birkdale The R&A added a new wrinkle to the British Open by announcing the 'Last-Chance Qualifier' to be held next year on the Monday at Royal Birkdale to start the championship week. Advertisement Golf's oldest championship essentially will have a Monday qualifier starting in 2026, the only major that will keep a spot open for one player in what amounts to an 18-hole shootout. The R&A said the qualifier will have 'up to 12 players,' though it did not say how it will determine who gets to play, only that more details would follow. The 'Last-Chance Qualifier' on Monday and a 'Heroes Classic' featuring an abbreviated round of past champions and other guests (most likely celebrities) are in response to a fan survey that indicated a desire for more live golf. 'We have asked them how we can make their experience of attending The Open even more enjoyable and they have been clear — they want more live golf, more opportunities to engage with the traditions of golf's original championship and more activities onsite to watch, listen and play," said Mark Darbon, the new CEO of the R&A. Advertisement Not for a lack of effort Eric Cole leads the PGA Tour in number of tournaments played this season. He is playing the John Deere Classic, his 24th start of the year. The only two tournaments he has missed for which he was eligible were the Mexico Open at Vidanta after he had played seven weeks in a row to start the year and the Rocket Classic last week. He was in the field at Detroit until withdrawing before it started. The other week he was off was the Masters because he wasn't eligible. Cole is No. 64 in the FedEx Cup standings. Divots Alexandra Armas is stepping down after her second stint as CEO of the Ladies European Tour. Armas led the LET from 2005 until 2012, and then from 2020. She will stay on until October. Prize money has more than doubled during her most recent five years. ... Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im became the 50th and 51st players from South Korea with an official LPGA win at the Dow Championship. ... Aldrich Potgieter at the Rocket Classic and Rory McIlroy at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am are the only players this year to win on the PGA Tour while leading the field in driving distance. ... Potgieter was the fifth player in the last 12 months to earn his first PGA Tour victory in a sudden-death playoff. Advertisement Stat of the week Austin Smotherman's victory in the Memorial Health Championship marked the sixth time this year a Korn Ferry Tour winner rallied from a deficit of four shots or more in the final round. Final word 'It's tough out here, it's a very fine line, but I know I'm plenty good enough to win.' — Rickie Fowler. ___ AP golf:
Forbes
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Finding All-Stars To Represent MLB's Six Last-Place Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes throws against the Detroit Tigers in the sixth inning during ... More the second baseball game of a doubleheader, Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) The rules for the MLB All-Star Game roster selections have changed many times since the first Midsummer Classic in 1933, but one of the longest-standing requirements is that every team needs to be represented by at least one player. For the best teams, that's no problem, but for the worst, it can be hard to find someone deserving. Here's a look at the candidates to represent each of the last-place teams in MLB's six divisions. American League The Baltimore Orioles weren't supposed to be the subject of an article like this. They made the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, and their unexpected collapse led to manager Brandon Hyde getting fired in May. They still have plenty of All-Star worthy talent though, with second baseman Jackson Holliday and designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn named as finalists at their positions. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson has a strong case as well with a .275/.347/.436 batting line and a 124 OPS+, indicating his offense has been 24% better than the league average. Finding a representative for the Chicago White Sox is going to be trickier. They're better than last year's club that lost a modern record 121 games, but still have the worst record in the American League by far with a 28-56 mark. Their best player has been Adrian Houser, who has a 1.90 ERA through seven starts since signing with Chicago when he was released in from the Texas Rangers' minor league system in May. Other candidates include outfielder Mike Tauchman, who has a 138 OPS+ but has played just 32 games, or rookie shortstop Chase Meidroth, who has a healthy .352 on-base percentage but only a .315 slugging percentage. The Athletics will most likely finish in the American League West basement for the third time in four years. They'll be represented by rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson, a finalist in the voting, whose .338 batting average is the second-highest in MLB. Designated hitter Brent Rooker has a chance to join him based on his .271/.347/.485 batting line and 17 home runs. National League The Washington Nationals are bringing up the rear in the National League East, as they have in five of the last six seasons since their World Series championship in 2019. Their All-Star is an easy choice; 22-year-old left fielder James Wood has been one of baseball's best hitters with a .283/.386/.552 batting line and 165 OPS+. He also boasts 22 home runs and 11 stolen bases. He could be joined by shortstop CJ Abrams, who is hitting .287/.355/.497 with a 141 OPS+. The Pittsburgh Pirates are another last-place club with an obvious All-Star. Paul Skenes was named the National League's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game as a rookie last year, and he could receive that honor again this season. He leads the National League in ERA (2.12), WHIP (0.91), hits per nine innings (5.7), and pitching WAR (4.1, Baseball-Reference version). It's fitting that the Colorado Rockies are listed last here—at 19-65, they're threatening the 2024 White Sox's record for losses in a season. Their leader in WAR is reliever Jake Bird, who has a 2.68 ERA over 36 games and 47 innings pitched, but their most likely All-Star is catcher Hunter Goodman. He's hitting .287/.332/.512 with 14 home runs, and there isn't a lot of competition at the position this year beyond Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Toronto Sun
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
GOLF ROUNDUP: Potgieter wins in playoff for first PGA Tour victory
Published Jun 29, 2025 • 5 minute read Aldrich Potgieter, of South Africa, celebrates his winning putt in a playoff during the final round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Sunday, June 29, 2025, in Detroit. Photo by Paul Sancya / AP Photo DETROIT — Aldrich Potgieter made an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole, outlasting Max Greyserman to win the Rocket Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The 20-year-old from South Africa is the youngest player on the tour and its biggest hitter. He became the ninth player to win for the first time this season. Chris Kirk, who closed with a 5-under 67, missed a 9-foot putt for the win on the first playoff hole and was eliminated on the second extra hole when he missed a 4-foot par putt. Greyserman missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole in regulation, missing his chance to win and closing with a 67. Potgieter, who started with a two-shot lead, shot 69 to join Kirk at 22-under 266. Michael Thorbjornsen (67) and Jake Knapp (68) finished a stroke out of the playoff. Padraig Harrington of Ireland hoists the Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy after winning the U.S. Senior Open Championship 2025 at Broadmoor Golf Club on June 29, 2025 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Photo by Andrew Wevers / Getty Images PGA Tour Champions Padraig Harrington came out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play in Colorado Springs, Colo., closing his round with seven straight pars at the U.S. Senior Open for a 3-under 67 to beat Stewart Cink by one shot. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington finished at 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this match by hitting his approach to 8 feet on No. 18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one but sat 30 yards in front of him on the fairway. Cink's approach landed on the precipice of a ledge, but spun back to 35 feet away to set up a two-putt. Harrington took two putts for the win, his second U.S. Senior Open title in four years that gets him in the U.S. Open next year at Shinnecock Hills. Patrick Reed of Aces GC holds the individual champion trophy on stage on day three of LIV Golf Dallas at Maridoe Golf Club on June 29, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. Photo by Sam Hodde / Getty Images LIV Golf League Patrick Reed lost the lead with a 3-over 75 and then atoned for it by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a four-man playoff to win LIV Golf Dallas in Carrollton, Texas, for his first title since joining the Saudi-funded league in 2022. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Reed, who started the final round with a three-shot lead, fell behind late in the day at Maridoe Golf Club until Jinichiro Kozuma made bogey on the 18th hole and then made par on his final hole at No. 1 for a 68. That got him into a playoff with Reed, Louis Oosthuizen (68) and Paul Casey (72). On the first extra hole, Oosthuizen drove into the water and Casey took four shots to reach the green on the par-4 18th. Kozuma missed his 25-foot birdie try, setting the stage for Reed. Jon Rahm finished out of the top 10 for the first time in LIV, while Sergio Garcia claimed the one LIV spot for the British Open. Jin Hee Im and Somi Lee of South Korea imitate a selfie while posing with their trophies after the final round of the Dow Championship 2025 at Midland Country Club on June 29, 2025 in Midland, Mich. Photo by David Berding / Getty Images LPGA Tour Somi Lee poured in an 8-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to team with fellow South Korean Jin Hee Im to win the Dow Championship in Midland, Mich., denying Lexi Thompson her first LPGA title in six years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Thompson's partner, Megan Khang, had a chance to extend the playoff, but she missed a 5-foot birdie putt that was on the low side of the hole from the start. The final round was fourballs, but switched to foursomes for the playoff. Thompson made an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th hole for the American duo to finish with a 10-under 60 in fourballs. They were the first to post at 20-under 260. Lee made a 10-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead on the 17th. They shot 62. RECOMMENDED VIDEO European Tour Adrien Saddier claimed his first European tour title in his 200th start with a back-nine charge in the Italian Open in Tuscany, closing with a 4-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Martin Couvra. Couvra, the 54-hole leader, closed with a 69 and appeared headed for victory until Saddier had five birdies over the final seven holes at the Argentario Golf Club on the Tuscan coast. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Saddier and Couvra earned places in the British Open field at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland next month. Calum Hill of Scotland and Dan Bradbury of England finished tied for third, four strokes behind. Read More Korn Ferry Tour Austin Smotherman holed out for eagle to take the lead for the first time and closed with an 8-under 63 for a one-shot victory over Alvaro Ortiz at the Memorial Health Championship in Springfield, Ill. It was the second Korn Ferry Tour victory this year for Smotherman, who moved to No. 1 on the points list and is virtually certain of returning to the PGA Tour next year. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ortiz had a four-shot lead going into the final round and his lead was down to one when he bogeyed the 11th hole. Smotherman followed by holing out for eagle on the 408-yard 12th hole. Both players made birdie on the par 5s coming in and Smotherman held on for the win. Sandy Scott shot 60, with pars on the last two holes, to tie for third. Other tours Jillian Hollis rallied from a three-shot deficit with a 4-under 68 and a one-shot victory over Kelli Ann Strand in the Otter Creek Championship on the Epson Tour. …Tatsunori Shogenji closed with a 6-under 65 for a one-shot victory over Ryuichi Oiwa (62) in the Japan Players Championship, his second Japan Golf Tour victory this year. … Shannon Tan of Singapore captured her second Ladies European Tour title with a 5-under 68 and a one-shot victory over Helen Briem of Germany in the Amundi German Masters. … David Horsey birdied the final hole for a 3-under 69, and then made birdie again to win a four-man playoff against James Allan, Joseba Torres and Daniel Young in Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in France. … Shuri Sakuma closed with a 2-under 70 and won the Earth Mondahmin Cup by one shot over Nana Suganuma on the Japan LPGA. … Jiu Ko closed with a 5-under 67 to hold off Hyungjo Yoo (62) for a two-shot victory in the McCol-Mona Youngpyong Open on the Korea LPGA. Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Sports Toronto Maple Leafs World
