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NBA Draft 2024 second round grades on every pick, including Bronny James and more nba,draft,second,round,grades,on,every,pick,including,bronny,james,and,more,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft,draftkings

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The 2024 NBA Draft marks the first time the league has split its draft over two days. After the full round was full of surprises on Wednesday night, the second round follows on Thursday afternoon with some talented players still on the board.

Check out our list of the 30 best players still available after the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. There are three players still on the board who were mocked as top-20 picks at various points in this cycle in Tyler Smith, Kyle Filipowski, and Johnny Furphy. Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek is another big name expected to come off the board early in round two, and there’s also some fun sleepers with San Francisco wrecking ball Jonathan Mogbo, UCLA big man Adem Bona, and Serbian wing Nikola Djurisic.

Bronny James is also still available. Why isn’t anyone talking about this? Just kidding.

We already graded every pick of the first round. Now let’s grade every pick of round two.

31. Toronto Raptors: Jonathan Mogbo, F, San Francisco: Mogbo is a super long forward (6’6 with a 7’2 wingspan) who plays with great energy and can impact the game as a rebounder and passer. He can’t shoot, but he finds a way to get in on the play in a bunch of different ways. Grade: A

32. Utah Jazz: Kyle Filipowski, C, Duke: How did Filipowski not go in the first round? Flip lacks ideal length and athleticism for an NBA center, but he’s still a 7-footer who can make plays as a passing hub, stretch the floor as a shooter, and even put the ball on the floor as a handler. This is a great value: Grade: A

33. Milwaukee Bucks: Tyler Smith, F, G League Ignite: I had Smith ranked as a lottery-caliber prospect, so this is obviously an amazing value in my mind. Smith is a 6’10 forward who can rip three-pointers and is athletic enough to hammer dunks on the inside. A tall shooter with good athleticism who was productive against G League competition is always a good bet, especially in the second round of a weak draft. This makes up for the Bucks’ bizarre first round pick. Grade: A

34. New York Knicks: Tyler Kolek, G, Marquette: Kolek is a tough four-year college point guard who can space the floor and run the pick-and-roll effectively. He was one of the best playmakers in college hoops and made 38.8 percent of his threes this past year. Grade: A

35. Indiana Pacers: Johnny Furphy, F, Kansas: Furphy is a 6’9 wing who can space the floor and make plays in transition. He was an efficient scorer once he got a chance at real minutes for Kansas in the second half of the year. Grade: A

36. San Antonio Spurs: Juan Nunez, G, Spain: Nunez is a 6’5 Spanish point guard who lacks athleticism but has tremendous passing vision and creativity. He doesn’t get to the rim and isn’t yet a reliable shooter, but it’s hard to find players with his size and passing combination still available in the second round. Grade: B+

37. Detroit Pistons: Bobi Klintman, F, Sweden: Klintman is a 6’10 forward who shows a projectable spot-up three-point shot and some rebounding ability. The Pistons need all the shooters they can get, and Klintman is a nice value at this point in the draft after getting first round hype for much of the last year. Grade: A-

38. Oklahoma City Thunder: Ajay Mitchell, G, UC Santa Barbara: Mitchell is a crafty 6’4 guard out of Belgium who can mix scoring and playmaking. He averaged 20 points per game on his way to Big West Player of the Year honors after making a big leap as a shooter this past season. Grade: A-

39. Memphis Grizzlies: Jaylen Wells, F, Washington State: Wells was playing D2 ball before transferring to Washington State and hitting better than 41 percent of his threes. He’s one of the better front court shooters in this class. Grade: A-

40. Phoenix Suns: Oso Ighodaro, C, Marquette: Oghodaro is a gifted playmaking center with plenty of athleticism to finish dunks around the rim. He’s weird little push shot became a deadly weapon at Marquette. He’s a little small for an NBA player, but his IQ and leaping is appealing. Grade: B+

41. Philadelphia 76ers: Adem Bona, C, UCLA: Bona was one of my favorite second round bets as a long, strong, and explosive center. Bona crushed the glass and hammered dunks throughout his sophomore year at UCLA, and showed off his physical gifts by jumping 40-inches at the combine. He’s short for a center and doesn’t have much perimeter skill, but Bona is a freak athlete and that’s worth betting on. Grade: A

42. Charlotte Hornets: KJ Simpson, G, Colorado: Simpson was one of the best guards in college basketball this past year. He’s a high volume three-point shooter who can score from all three levels and make plays for his teammates. His just very small and will struggle to defend at the NBA level. Grade: A-

43. Atlanta Hawks: Nikola Durisic, F, Serbia: Durisic is a tall wing out of Serbia with a nice scoring package who has been productive in multiple settings. Grade: B+

44. Miami Heat: Pelle Larsson, G, Arizona: Larsson is a 6’5 off-ball guard who can rip three-pointers. He hit 39.7 percent of his threes across four years of college hoops, as well as better than 81 percent of his free throws. Grade: B

45. Toronto Raptors: Jamal Shead, G, Houston: Shead is the best guard defender in this class. He plays with a wildly high motor on every possession, making multiple efforts and showing tremendous toughness despite his lack of size. His offense is a work in progress, but his defense will endear him to coaches. Grade: A-

46. Los Angeles Clippers: Cam Christie, G, Minnesota: The younger brother of Lakers wing Max Christie, Cam has a little bit more of a scoring bag than his brother and made 39 percent of his threes on high volume as a freshman with the Golphers. He can rip shots off the catch or pull-ups. Grade: B+

47. Orlando Magic: Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky: Reeves was an awesome scoring guard at Kentucky after transferring in from Illinois State. He has a quick trigger and NBA range on his jump shot, but he’ll have to work to defend at the NBA level. Grade: B

48. San Antonio Spurs: Harrison Ingram, F, North Carolina: Ingram is a big forward with shooting ability. He hit 38.5 percent of his threes on 169 attempts this year. He also showed impressive rebounding ability this past year at UNC. He doesn’t create much and he’s not an elite athlete, but he has the strength and shooting to have a chance in the NBA. Grade: B

49. Indiana Pacers: Tristen Newton, G, UConn: Newton will go down as one of the best transfers ever after leaving East Carolina for UConn and helping the Huskies win back-to-back national titles. He’s a 6’5 guard who reads the game at a high level and has some fascinating passing flashes. He’s also a pretty good shooter. After being named Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Newton gets his NBA shot. Grade: B+

50. Indiana Pacers: Enrique Freeman, F/C, Akron: Freeman made Akron’s basketball team as a walk-on and eventually became MAC Player of the Year. He shined in multiple pre-draft settings and got an invite to the NBA Draft Combine, where he again impressed scouts with his energy, toughness, and developing jump shot. What a cool story. Grade: B+

51. New York Knicks: Melvin Ajinca, F, France: Ajinca is a 6’6 Frenchman who can really shoot it from the perimeter. He’s been productive in different settings and shows some ability to make some plays off the bounce. Grade: B+

52. Golden State Warriors: Quinten Post, C, Boston College: Post is a stretch center who can really shoot it. He hit better than 40 percent of his threes in each of the last two years, and shows decent rebounding and playmaking ability. Grade: B+

53. Memphis Grizzlies: Cam Spencer, G, UConn: Spencer is a crazy competitive guard as the younger brother of lacrosse legend and Warriors G League guard Pat Spencer. He was an incredible addition for UConn this past year as a transfer from Rutgers, adding movement shooting and a little more playmaking than expected. Grade: B

54. Boston Celtics: Anton Watson, C/F, Gonzaga: A versatile big man out of Gonzaga who can hit the glass, set hard screens, and show solid defensive versatility. Grade: B

55. Los Angeles Lakers: Bronny James, G, USC: James’ freshman year at USC started with a terrifying heart episode early in the offseason, and he never really found his footing after that. James is short for a guard at 6’1.5 barefoot, but he has long arms, a strong chest, and a good mentality for a role player. James isn’t a big scorer, but he fights for loose balls, defends bigger players, and spaces the floor as a three-point shooter. He needs to shoot it at a high level to stick in the NBA, but he’s shown enough at the high school level at Sierra Canyon to have a chance to stick. Grade: B

56. New York Knicks: Kevin McCullar Jr., F, Kansasa: McCullar is a really well rounded role player who finally made strides as a shooter this past year at Kansas. He was getting first round hype before a late season injury ended his campaign. McCullar is a tough defender, a good passer, and does all the little things that help teams win. This is a nice value at No. 56. Grade: A

57. Toronto Raptors: Ulrich Chomche, C, NBA Academy Africa: Chomche has a 7’4 wingspan, moves well, and plays with tons of energy. He’s the youngest player in the draft and first player to ever be drafted out of the NBA Africa Academy. He has great tools but has a long way to go in terms of his skill and feel for the game. Grade: B

58. New York Knicks: Ariel Hukporti, C, German: A big German center who plays with power, Hukporti is a rim roller who once won MVP at Basketball Without Borders. His stock has seemingly dropped over the last year, but he has great size and he’s been on the radar for a long time. Grade: B

NFL Sunday Ticket verdict: Jury enters massive verdict against the league in class-action lawsuit nfl,sunday,ticket,verdict,jury,enters,massive,verdict,against,the,league,in,class,action,lawsuit,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl

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Following nearly a full day of deliberations, which began on Wednesday and concluded on Thursday, the jury in the federal class-action lawsuit against the National Football League and all 32 member teams involving the “Sunday Ticket” service returned with a verdict against the league.

And it is a verdict with a lot of zeros.

The jury found that the NFL and the league’s member teams violated federal antitrust law regarding the “Sunday Ticket” package on DirecTV, which required out-of-market fans to purchase the service if they wanted to see their favorite teams play.

The jury returned a verdict in favor of both classes of plaintiffs on Thursday. With respect to the commercial class of plaintiffs — which represented bars, restaurants, and taverns that purchased “Sunday Ticket” as a means of attracting customers on NFL Sundays — the NFL and the member teams were ordered to pay $96 million in damages.

Regarding the residential class of plaintiffs — individuals who purchased the “Sunday Ticket” package for use at home — the NFL and the member teams were ordered to pay $4.7 billion in damages.

Under federal antitrust laws, that damage amount is tripled, meaning the NFL is on the hook for over $14 billion in damages.

Both classes of plaintiffs, through counsel, alleged a “conspiracy” of sorts which resulted in higher prices paid by consumers. First, that the teams have agreed not to compete with each other when it comes to producing telecasts of their games, instead conveying those rights to the league, and giving the NFL “exclusive” rights to enter into broadcast agreements.

Next, the Plaintiffs allege that the NFL has entered into agreements with broadcast partners — specifically CBS and FOX — to create a “single telecast” for every Sunday afternoon NFL game. Under the agreement, according to Plaintiffs’ theory of the case, those networks are given the “exclusive” right to broadcast a limited number of games free and “over-the-air.”

The third pillar of the conspiracy, according to Plaintiffs’, is that the league then exclusively (there is that word again) licenses to DirecTV the copyrights of those telecasts, which DirecTV then bundles into NFL Sunday Ticket. This means that out-of-market fans who want to watch their favorite teams play are forced into buying the “premium offering” of NFL Sunday Ticket.

The result, according to Plaintiffs? DirecTV was able to “charge supracompetitive prices for Sunday Ticket because fans unwilling to pay for Sunday Ticket cannot, for example, purchase out-of-market games individually or by team.” Plaintiffs assert that absent this agreement — or “conspiracy” as they term it — fans would be able to access all NFL games at “lower prices.”

In a statement, the NFL indicated that they will be appealing the decision:

What might this mean for the league and its fans?

Beyond the dollar amount, which will drive the headlines, many analysts and experts theorize that this decision paves the way for single-team packages. For example, the residential class of plaintiffs, who were purchasing “Sunday Ticket” for use at home, were often fans of an out-of-market NFL team. As an example, consider a New England Patriots fan living in the Baltimore, Maryland market. The only way to watch most Patriots games is to purchase “Sunday Ticket.”

Now, that fan might theoretically have access to a “Patriots Package” as part of “Sunday Ticket.”

For the commercial plaintiffs, this could open the door to a competitive service along with “Sunday Ticket,” which could allow those establishments to pay lower prices to view broadcasts of every NFL game.

There will be more to come on this matter, including the league’s appeal and any post-trial motions, in the days and weeks to come.

Senior Open: Padraig Harrington deep dives into worst golf swing advice senior,open,padraig,harrington,deep,dives,into,worst,golf,swing,advice,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-champions-tour,golf-news

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Playing golf well takes a lot of time and practice. Even the greatest players in the world continue to fine-tune their craft throughout their careers.

Swing advice comes from all over: the teaching pro at the golf course, YouTube, Twitter or the extra guy who got added to the foursome.

Recent Golf Hall of Fame inductee Padraig Harrington is no stranger to working on his game. He is a range rat, loves to find ways to play golf better and enjoys helping weekend golfers.

However, with good advice comes terrible tips.

Instead of providing some of the best swing tips, he decided to do the opposite ahead of the U.S. Senior Open.

“I don’t know what the best one I’ve got because there are all sorts of things at different points in your life that really are important,” Harrington said. “It’s easier to pick up on the worst piece of advice.”

Harrington shared three things that he considers to be the worst swing advice he has gotten.

“Staying still is probably the worst thing,” he said. “Keeping your feet still on the ground. Keeping your head still. Keeping your head down. Swinging slowly. These are all terrible things.”

The tips given are all things that could benefit a player’s swing if done correctly.

Keeping your feet still is not nearly as common as it used to be. Now, people can use their feet to generate more power and hit the ball farther.

Harrington did a video a few years back about why keeping your head still is not good advice.

Swinging slowly could hurt players when generating power. Golfers should learn to swing hard and then teach themselves how to contact the ball properly.

Power is such a game-changing skill in golf that not everyone has.

Golf is a unique sport. It is not like other competitive things. No two golfers have the same swing.

“Golf is quite counterintuitive,” he said.

Harrington explained what his first coach, Howard Bennett, told him about the golf swing.

“People who don’t play golf, if they came to golf and did the absolute opposite of what they think, they’d be better off,” Harrington said.

The three-time major champion has tried many different tactics and knows what does not work.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

ESPN reporter fires back at Bronny James nepotism complaints: ‘The NBA is full of nepotism’ espn,reporter,fires,back,at,bronny,james,nepotism,complaints,the,nba,is,full,of,nepotism,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft,draftkings,dot-com-grid-coverage

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As expected, the topic of nepotism came up during the broadcast of the 2024 NBA Draft as the inevitable selection of Bronny James by the Los Angeles Lakers neared. And with Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, reportedly telling any team trying to draft him that LeBron James’ son will play in Australia if he’s selected against his will, it’s no surprise that some unfamiliar with how common that specific agent tactic is would get upset.

But NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski had a message for viewers watching ESPN at home: Anyone crying about nepotism influencing the Bronny pick should turn their eye to the entire league, not just LeBron James, Bronny and the Lakers.

Woj is right. From Thanasis Antetokounmpo with the Bucks to Chris Smith with the Knicks back in the day, one can argue there are plenty of cases of NBA roster spots throughout history going to a slightly less talented player as a favor to keep their more heralded sibling happy. And it’s not just rosters: NBA coaching staffs are littered with sons of current or former head coaches (or even players’ fathers), and front offices frequently populated with the progeny of previous execs… not to mention, often, the owners’ kids as well.

Plus, it’s not like Bronny is totally unqualified. Previous to the cardiac arrest he suffered in 2023, he was widely mocked as a first-round pick, or even a lottery selection. And even after a mostly underwhelming season at USC, our own Ricky O’Donnell still gave the Lakers’ selection of him a B grade:

James’ freshman year at USC started with a terrifying heart episode early in the offseason, and he never really found his footing after that. James is short for a guard at 6’1.5 barefoot, but he has long arms, a strong chest, and a good mentality for a role player. James isn’t a big scorer, but he fights for loose balls, defends bigger players, and spaces the floor as a three-point shooter. He needs to shoot it at a high level to stick in the NBA, but he’s shown enough at the high school level at Sierra Canyon to have a chance to stick.

None of this is to say nepotism is good. It’s just to say that this situation is only exceptional nepotism by NBA standards in one sense: We’ve literally never seen an NBA player good enough, for long enough, to not only play with or against their son, but to be talented enough still to push their team to draft him.

But while LeBron and Bronny are 1/1 in that respect, family members helping each other get jobs in the NBA, either on a roster or in the coaching and executive ranks? That’s nothing new, so we shouldn’t act like it is.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Akshay Bhatia’s low massive bogey-free start rocket,mortgage,classic,akshay,bhatia,s,low,massive,bogey,free,start,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Akshay Bhatia brought his momentum from finishing runner-up at the Travelers Championship to Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He carded an 8-under bogey-free 64 at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday with six birdies and an eagle.

“I guess I missed one green today, so I got that up and down,” Bhatia said. “All in all, I hit it pretty nice with the irons and made some putts.”

Bhatia birdied two of his first four holes but would settle for seven straight pars. Then his putter got red hot for him.

In his final seven holes, the 22-year-old went 6-under, coming home in 30 shots. That included a birdie-eagle-birdie finish.

“Yeah, it’s always nice to finish like that,” he said. “This tournament’s always kind of a birdie-fest, so birdies and eagles help a lot. It’s nice to finish that way.”

Last week’s Travelers Championship was also a birdie fest. Prior to that, the U.S. Open and Memorial tournaments put players to quite the test.

For Bhatia, though, he appreciates both challenges.

“Played the U.S. Open, it was really hard. Then you come last week and this week, and you’re making a lot of birdies, so you feel like it’s pretty fun again,” Bhatia said. “I think a mix of it is really good, and I’m just happy we get to play an old-school golf course for once.”

The two-time PGA Tour winner enjoys classic golf courses like Detroit Golf Club. It fits his game well. As one of the better iron players on Tour, he likes the shot choices that come with playing this track.

“I feel like I can be creative like I normally am,” he said. “It’s also nice because these greens are pretty tricky. They have a lot of small slopes, but they’re soft, so you can still be aggressive towards a couple of these pins.”

Bhatia leads the Rocket Mortgage Classic by one shot after the first 18 holes. Taylor Montgomery and Michael Kim sit behind him at 7-under.

He plays Friday at 7:18 a.m. ET alongside Stephen Jaeger and Min Woo Lee.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Bronny James’ agent told teams don’t draft him or he’s going to Australia, per report bronny,james,agent,told,teams,don,t,draft,him,or,he,s,going,to,australia,per,report,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft,draftkings

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During Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Draft, ESPN analyst and former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers dropped a bombshell of a rumor surrounding guard Bronny James, via his agent Rich Paul.

James, a guard from USC, is currently projected to be selected at the 55th pick, when the Lakers are on the clock. According to Myers, Paul is telling teams picking before the Lakers not to take James, pulling the strings in order to get James playing with his father LeBron in the NBA.

If Bronny is in fact selected by the Lakers, he and his father would be the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time. While this is a big announcement regarding the rest of the NBA Draft, this isn’t unusual. There have been reports and rumors in previous years of players forcing their way onto teams via their agents telling teams not to draft them. Perhaps the most famous example also involves the Lakers, with Austin Reaves telling the Detroit Pistons not to draft him so he could choose the opportunity in Los Angeles on a two-way contract.

Especially in the modern second round, players can force their way onto teams who need roster spots filled, and Bronny is simply going to be the next player who does that.

As polarizing as Bronny is, this more than likely will only fuel the flames of detractors around his draft stock. The media circus surrounding him will only increase as the rumors swirl with more intensity, taking away from what could turn into a pretty solid NBA career. This rumor, while valid reporting, probably won’t smother those flames anytime soon.

Many NBA Draft pundits have James’ stock coming around the late areas of the second round, but the question now is if teams will call Rich Paul’s bluff and pick James. I doubt it, because Paul is the head agent of Klutch Sports, arguably the most powerful agency in the NBA. If they upset Paul, they risk upsetting other major NBA players affiliated with Klutch Sports.

It’ll be interesting to see who picks James, and if he gets picked at all. Will James end up actually playing in Australia? It seems unlikely, but is apparently now on the table.

Adrian Wojnarowski roasting Stephen A. Smith is the highlight of Day 2 of 2024 NBA Draft adrian,wojnarowski,roasting,stephen,a,smith,is,the,highlight,of,day,of,nba,draft,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft,draftkings

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For the first time in history, the NBA Draft is taking place over two nights.

Ahead of the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the gang on ESPN got together to ponder a number of questions. Atop that list? Where might Bronny James come off the board? After falling out of the first round — as was largely expected — James is waiting to hear where his NBA journey begins.

As is his father, LeBron James.

That led Stephen A. Smith to ponder a once-in-a-lifetime scenario: Bronny coming off the board during the second round to the New York Knicks, and LeBron joining the Knicks on a league minimum salary to play with his son, and the rest of the loaded Knicks roster.

However, Adrian Wojnarowski had a rebuttal question.

Who would Stephen A. Smith take such a big paycut for?

That left Smith — who is usually ready with an answer for anything — searching for a response.

You can see the entire exchange in this below clip, with Wojnarowski’s question coming in at the 1:14 mark:

Of course there is some context that is helpful here, as Smith is entering the final year of his current contract at ESPN. Smith has reportedly received an offer in the $18 million range annually, but is reportedly seeking a contract in the neighborhood of $25 million. All of that context makes this clip even better.

We have 28 picks left to go — the first two picks are now in for the second round — but it might be hard to top this moment tonight.

LIV Golf’s Lee Westwood wishes U.S. Senior Open adopted this policy liv,golf,s,lee,westwood,wishes,u,s,senior,open,adopted,this,policy,sbnation,com,golf,golf-champions-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

LIV Golfs Lee Westwood wishes US Senior Open adopted this
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Lee Westwood opened the U.S. Senior Open at Newport Country Club with an impressive 4-under 66, but nobody could have guessed that he felt bothered by a longstanding policy out on the course.

And no, it is not the fact that this championship is 72 holes, unlike LIV Golf events and tournaments on the PGA Tour Champions, which are 54 holes.

“I think I can manage it,” Westwood said of the 72-hole competition.

“It’s playing in trousers that’s bothering me more.”

Unlike other top men’s circuits, LIV Golf allows players to wear shorts. The PGA Tour and major championships, meanwhile, do not let men dress in anything but pants during competition.

“72 holes won’t be a problem,” Westwood continued.

“It’s looking down and seeing me legs in trousers. I prefer to get me legs out.”

With his legs out last week, Westwood posted his best finish in a LIV Golf event since joining the Saudi-backed circuit in the summer of 2022. He parlayed that T-3 finish with a strong start at Newport Country Club, where he sits in a tie for third with Padraig Harrington, Jeff Maggert, Alex Cejka, and Bob Estes at 4-under. This group is three strokes behind leaders Richard Green and Hiroyuki Fujita, who carded 7-under 63s on Thursday morning.

Lee Westwood hits a shot during the first round of the 2024 U.S. Senior Open.
Photo by Jonathan Ernst/USGA

“Playing a bit more, I think, and just having a run of a few weeks where I’ve not put the golf clubs down altogether. This is a good time of year to play a few tournaments. When I’m not at tournaments, keep my eye in, do a bit of practice. Weather is getting a bit better in England so green conditions are a bit better and that makes me want to practice. Yeah, that’s basically it. Just that sharpens me up,” Westwood said of his recent stretch of strong play.

“Always played well and been sharper when I’ve not gone home and put the clubs away. It’s a balancing act. I don’t want to play all the time now, and I can’t play all the time. It’s just not good for my body. I try and do what I can when I’m away from the golf course. I focus more on the gym work and staying flexible and strong. Injury prevention more than anything.”

Westwood began the championship with an eagle on the par-5 1st hole after sticking his second shot to 10 feet away. He made the putt and went on to play his final 17 holes in 2-under, highlighted by four birdies but beset by a pair of bogies on the par-4 8th and par-4 15th.

Not bad for a guy who wishes he could play in shorts.

“You notice most of the guys wear shorts in practice,” Westwood added.

“You can see how many people are comfortable, especially when it gets a bit warm putting a pair the shorts on.”

Maybe that will be another change the professional game adopts soon. But for now, Westwood and every other player at Newport this week will have to continue to don trousers, whether he likes them or not.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

PGA Tour: Rocket Mortgage Classic champion drains first ace pga,tour,rocket,mortgage,classic,champion,drains,first,ace,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Forty-one-year-old Nate Lashley, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2019, started this year’s tournament with a bang.

He aced his second hole of the day, the par-3 11th, which measures 217 yards and is typically known as one of the more difficult holes at Detroit Golf Club. It also marked the first hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career.

“It was one of those shots, just a little right of the pin. I hoped it would carry the bunker, but it must have just taken a perfect bounce and gone in the hole,” Lashley said after his 2-under 70 on Thursday.

“Pretty decent shot, but also a lot of luck involved there.”

Lashley pushed his 4-iron a tad, but it caught the side-hill perfectly and rolled right into the hole. After his round, the former Arizona Wildcat revealed that he had previously posted an ace in a Korn Ferry Tour event. He also said he had a hole-in-one on Pebble Beach’s 7th hole, perhaps the most famous par-3 in the world, during an AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am practice round three years ago. Lashley said he had 11 holes-in-one before Thursday’s ace, marking his first during a PGA Tour competition.

“Something I’ll always remember,” Lashley added.

“This golf course has a lot of memories, so just another one right there. Having a hole-in-one, being my first on Tour will be another fun thing for me here in Detroit.”

The highlight of Lashley’s career came at Detroit Golf Club in 2019, when he won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in wire-to-wire fashion. He opened with a 9-under 63 that year and never looked back, winning his first PGA Tour event by six strokes.

He has not won another PGA Tour title since, but he did tie for third at the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this season. His next best finish came at The Players Championship, where he tied for 13th. On the flip side, Lashley has missed nine cuts in 15 events he has played, as he has made plenty of bogeys this season.

More bogies followed after his ace on Thursday.

“A little disappointed with my round today, a lot of bogeys really,” Lashley said.

“I hit it okay, missed a few fairways, and got in some bad spots, but can’t make five bogeys around this golf course. It’s a lot of birdies out there, so hopefully something to improve on [Friday].”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Paige Spiranac drops eye-popping handicap; quiets trolls with receipts paige,spiranac,drops,eye,popping,handicap,quiets,trolls,with,receipts,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-news

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Paige Spiranac has more followers than Tiger Woods across social media platforms.

Many love her because she is beautiful and funny. She also loves to clap back at the haters. However, besides these attributes, the influencer is an excellent golfer.

Earlier this year, Spiranac shared that her love for golf had returned. She has played numerous times since then, so on Jun. 26, she posted her handicap on X, formerly known as Twitter, after so many lost it over a swing video.

Spiranc currently holds a +3.4 handicap, according to the USGA Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN) app.

Of course, her tweet went viral. Many people questioned her number and about handicaps in general.

So, she tweeted her post to set the record straight on handicaps.

“1. A + handicap is better than scratch,” she wrote.

“2. A +3 handicap is good, but nowhere close to competing against the best in the world. I don’t think people realize how good they are, how hard the courses are set up, and all while doing it under extreme pressure. It’s a different game they play.”

She then explained how to calculate a golf handicap, which can confuse many players, and whether pro golfers have one.

“3. You calculate your golf handicap by taking the average score of the best eight of your last 20 scores,” Spiranac wrote.

“Meaning you can still have some pretty shitty rounds and still be a low handicap. Pros don’t keep a handicap, but someone calculated Tiger at a +9 once, which is insane.”

Of course, her explanation tweet brought in the trolls.

One user said she would not break 90 at his home track, but he did not give that course or any other context. Spiranac usually avoids trolls, but she owned this one.

“I shot in the 70s at Pine Valley, which is known as one of the hardest tracks,” she responded. “I haven’t shot in the 90s since I was 13.”

Talk about mic drop, but that troll did not stop there. He wanted to see her scorecard from Pine Valley.

So, Spiranac uploaded the receipts to the Internet and displayed her scores from some of the country’s most challenging courses.

A 74 at Pine Valley is incredible. A 75 at Oakmont, the site of next year’s U.S. Open, is also astonishing.

The 31-year-old could have just dropped the Pine Valley score, but she put the nail in the coffin when she included Oakmont, Valhalla, and Crooked Stick.

Spiranac owned this troll and reminded the masses that despite her appearance, she is still a fantastic golfer.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.