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Welcome to the new era of the U.S. women’s national team welcome,to,the,new,era,of,the,u,s,women,s,national,team,sbnation,com,front-page,soccer,united-states-womens-national-team,all-womens-sports,womens-soccer,uswnt-coverage

On: July 1, 2024 By: admin

In the aftermath of the release of the U.S. women’s national team Olympic roster, it’s clear a new era has arrived. What it’s full of is a roster that features youth and versatility at the forefront.

Ahead of the planning and preparation for the Summer Games, let’s take a look at notable names on the list, the ones who missed out and the one player who’s addition might be an overcast on the rest.

Notable misses: Alex Morgan

For the first time in 13 years (and the irony of it being 13 is strong) the U.S. women’s national team roster for a major tournament does not have the name Alex Morgan listed on it. We all know Morgan’s name for one reason or another, so before we dive into the present, we have to look back.

Alex Morgan was a member of the 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023 women’s World Cup rosters, and the 2012, 2016, and 2021 Olympic rosters. Morgan has 224 appearances with the senior national team under her belt with 123 goals and 53 assists. For those of you who like to do the math, Morgan has either scored or assisted a goal in 79% of her senior caps. She is the 13th player in USWNT history to reach 200 caps and is fifth on the all-time scoring list. Needless to say, her trophy case is full, but let’s run through her accolades anyways:

Three World Cup trophies
One World Cup silver medal
One Olympic gold medal
One Olympic bronze medal
World Cup silver boot
NWSL golden boot
US Soccer’s Female Athlete of the Year award (2012 & 2018)
Four-time CONCACAF Player of the Year (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Five-time FIFA Women’s World 11 selection (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)

“Her record speaks for itself,” said new USWNT head coach Emma Hayes in the press conference to announce the 2024 Olympic roster. Alex Morgan is, arguably, one of the best to play her position.

Even greater than her accomplishments on paper are those that are intangible. Her leadership, her class, and her determination to fight for equal pay for the US Women’s National Team are qualities that, quite simply, cannot be replicated.

Today, I’m disappointed about not having the opportunity to represent our country on the Olympic stage. This will always be a tournament that is close to my heart and I take immense pride any time I put on the crest.

In less than a month, I look forward to supporting this team… pic.twitter.com/NAXmQnNN8B

— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) June 26, 2024

Alex Morgan has made a lasting impact on the USWNT, and her legacy will never be forgotten. Even in this painful moment, with her statement, Morgan displayed ultimate class and remained an exceptional teammate.

The Olympic schedule is grueling. Each team will play a game every three days — that’s only two days rest in between — and because of that all 18 players on the Olympic roster are expected to carry a heavy load. In comparison, World Cup rosters are 23-players deep and teams have more than two days of recovery between games.

While this could seem like the end of the road for Alex Morgan’s senior national team career, it’s impossible to ever fully rule out a competitor like Morgan. We do know one thing: she’ll be watching this summer’s Olympic games on TV with the rest of us.

Notable Makes: Crystal Dunn, Casey Krueger, Korbin Albert

Crystal Dunn being named to the US Women’s National Team roster for a major tournament is something that the forward has accomplished four times already, most recently for the 2023 World Cup. However, she hasn’t seen her name listed under the FORWARDS category for a major tournament since 2016.

Dunn is a goalscorer and plays forward for her NWSL club, Gotham FC, but has been playing outside-back for the USWNT since 2019. Upon taking over at the helm of the USWNT, Emma Hayes immediately brought Dunn into camp as a forward.

Dunn provides a veteran presence, leadership, and versatility as a player that can play forward, midfield, or defense.

Casey Krueger is a consistent standout defender in the NWSL every year, and has seen herself called into many USWNT camps, but only made one major tournament roster. Krueger was listed as an alternate for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but when rosters expanded due to COVID-19, she joined the squad as a rostered player. Krueger is a fan-favorite, as a player that is nothing but consistent on the field and is constantly overlooked at the National Team level.

Korbin Albert is a notable make, but for all of the wrong reasons.

In March of this year, Albert found herself at the center of controversy, receiving criticism from not only USWNT fans, but former USWNT players including Megan Rapinoe. Fans found anti-LGBTQ videos that Albert posted to her personal TikTok, and also found her having liked a post hoping for pain to be inflicted on former USWNT star Megan Rapinoe

Korbin Albert plays her club soccer at PSG and was a breakout star in the midfield for the team during the inaugural Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup earlier this year. Immediately following the tournament, her hateful social media activity surfaced.

Fans turned on her, and it caused enough stir to even warrant a response from Rapinoe.

“To the people who want to hide behind ‘my beliefs’ I would just ask one question, are you making any type of space safer, more inclusive, more whole, any semblance of better, bringing the best out of anyone?… because if you aren’t, all you believe in is hate. And kids are literally killing themselves because of this hate. Wake TF up!”

Shortly after, Albert posted an apology on her Instagram stories.

Captain Lindsey Horan and Alex Morgan spoke to the media in a press-conference, and expressed their disappointment, but stated that the matter was being handled internally. Since then, fans have been calling for more transparency into how the matter was handled. Albert’s play has suffered, and she has been audibly boo-ed at every USWNT match she has appeared in since.

Many were speculating that Albert may not make the 2024 Olympic roster because of her actions, but without knowledge of how the matter was being handled internally, fans were in the dark.

“There’s no denying that there’s been a lot of work that’s going on in the background,” Hayes said of Albert, adding that Albert is young, learning from her experiences, and has had a tough time in reference to the backlash and boos she has received from fans.

“She’s spending time working on herself,” continued Hayes, “and I want the fans to really embrace Korbin because I do think she’s a tremendous human being.”

The issue itself is much larger than just Korbin Albert, though, and her name being listed on this roster shows a changing of the guards in more ways than one.

The USWNT has consistently been a safe space for LGBTQ fans, and players on the team have always made it that way. A new era of young talent brings fears around perhaps a new identity of the USWNT, and questions about if it can remain the same safe space that it has always been.

Albert’s inclusion in the roster coupled with Hayes’ comments around it is drawing a cloud of negativity that is, in some ways, close to overshadowing the positivity that has come with the announcement of this young, dynamic new era. How, if any it impacts the team internally is a wait and see.

LPGA: Dow Championship sees pair of former World No. 1s win title lpga,dow,championship,sees,pair,of,former,world,no,s,win,title,sbnation,com,golf,lpga-golf,golf-news

On: June 30, 2024 By: admin

Although Nelly Korda currently occupies the top spot in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, Ruoning Yin and Atthaya Thitikul looked like the best players on the planet on Sunday.

Yin and Thitikul, both 21, briefly held the World No. 1 moniker last fall but have since given that distinction to Korda. Yet, these two players, who hail from China and Thailand, respectively, carded an 8-under 62 in best ball format to win the Dow Championship by one.

The Dow Championship is not unlike the Zurich Classic of New Orleans on the PGA Tour, which employs a two-man format with two rounds of Alternate Shot and two rounds of Best Ball. Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won this year’s event at TPC Louisiana, marking McIlroy’s 25th career win on the PGA Tour and Lowry’s third.

Sunday’s win for Yin and Thitikul marked their third career LPGA victory, as they defeated 54-hole leaders Jennifer Kupcho and Ally Ewing by a stroke.

Kupcho and Ewing began Sunday’s final round at 15-under, while Yin and Thitikul sat at 14-under. The Americans went on to shoot a 6-under 64, but it was not enough. Kupcho and Ewing made pars over the final three holes, while Thitikul stuffed one inside of 10 feet on the par-3 18th hole. She then made the birdie putt for her and Yin, which proved to be the difference in the end.

The LPGA will have one week off before the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major of the season. France’s Celine Boutier won this title last year at the Evian Resort Golf Club, which sits along Lake Geneva on the French-Swiss border. Surely, Yin and Thitkul will arrive in France for the Amundi Evian Championship as two of the favorites.

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.

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

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

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.

“The NBA is full of nepotism… I don’t want to hear of it all of a sudden because Bronny’s father plays for the Lakers. Nepotism is rampant in this league,” Woj says on TV

— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) June 27, 2024

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.

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

On: June 27, 2024 By: admin

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:

“That is the greatest question I’ve been asked in a decade.”

Adrian Wojnarowski nips Stephen A Smith’s LeBron-to-the-Knicks dreams in the bud before the 2nd round of the NBA Draft pic.twitter.com/sN11DuaUe2

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 27, 2024

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.

Shohei Ohtani saved from line drive to the face by Dodgers ball boy’s catch of the year shohei,ohtani,saved,from,line,drive,to,the,face,by,dodgers,ball,boy,s,catch,of,the,year,sbnation,com,front-page,mlb

On: June 27, 2024 By: admin

A Dodgers ball boy made the play of a lifetime on Wednesday when he made a bare-handed catch of a ball that was rocketing towards the bullpen — or perhaps more accurately, rocketing towards Shohei Ohtani’s head.

Ohtani hit the deck immediately, realizing that the errant ball was on a collision course with his face, a move that a majority of other players around him did as well. On this day the bat boy became a bat man, casually plucking it out of thin air and protecting the Dodgers’ $700M investment.

“Protecting the most important player in baseball” is right up there in the pantheon of amazing things a bat boy could achieve. If the team didn’t give this dude a bonus of a lifetime then what are we even doing here? It’s not outside the realm of possibility to think that if that ball actually made contact with Ohtani he would have missed signifiant time, but now we don’t need to worry about that.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Tour de France 2024 favorites, ranked by their chances of winning tour,de,france,favorites,ranked,by,their,chances,of,winning,sbnation,com,front-page,tour-de-france,draftkings

On: June 27, 2024 By: admin

The biggest event on the cycling calendar, and one of the most noteworthy sporting events in the world, is upon us: the 2024 Tour de France will start this weekend.

The 111th edition of the race will be kicked off in the Italian city of Florence on Saturday, June 29. A total of 21 stages and 2,170 miles will take riders to Nice on the French Riviera.

This year’s Tour projects to be as memorable a Grande Boucle as any in recent history. Look no further than a star-studded start list that includes some of the biggest names in the sport — including the so-called “big four” of Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel going at each other for the first time ever.

So, who will come out on top? That is anybody’s guess at this point in time, but here is our overview of who to keep an eye on over the next three weeks.

The phenomenon

Given what has transpired so far this season, there is one out-and-out favorite for this race. It’s none other than the best rider of his generation.

1. Tadej Pogačar (SLO), UAE Team Emirates: A two-time Tour de France winner already, the 25-year-old wunderkind is in the middle of what could end up being a historic season. His 2024 palmarès so far includes some dominant victories, including at the Giro d’Italia in May. Will he show any signs of fatigue after beating his competition by almost 10 minutes in the first grand tour of the season? Or was it just a three-week appetizer for what lies ahead? For what it’s worth, Pogačar himself — who changed his training regimen and personal coach since the last Tour de France — seems to think his best is yet to come. A scary thought.

The defending champion

One big reason why Pogačar is the favorite is that his main rival of the last three editions of the Tour de France was involved in a devastating crash in early April. Nonetheless, you can never count another two-time champion out either.

2. Jonas Vingegaard (DEN), Visma | Lease a Bike: Vingegaard was able to beat Pogačar in back-to-back years, and at a full 100 percent should be able to challenge the Slovenian megastar yet again. The question is: will he be at a 100 percent? The Dane suffered a punctured lung as well as rib and collarbone fractures at the Tour of Basque Country less than three months ago, and hasn’t raced since. His form is a mystery, and something his rivals might want to try to exploit early on in the Tour. If the 27-year-old is able to keep things close heading into the final week, however, his superb climbing abilities might put him right back into the conversation after all.

The uncertain stars

The last three years in particular were the Pogačar and Vingegaard show, and when at their best they are a clear step above the rest of the peloton as far as stage racing is concerned. However, two other riders are actually within striking distance themselves — even though they crashed alongside Vingegaard in April.

3. Primož Roglič (SLO), Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe: Vingegaard’s former teammate still has some unfinished business in France after narrowly losing the 2020 Tour to his compatriot Pogačar and failing to finish the race in both 2021 and 2022. At age 34, however, time is running out for the ex-ski jumper. Despite being on the older side compared to his closest rivals, Roglič is still a world-class rider — something he showed in the lead-up to the Tour de France when he won the Critérium du Dauphiné, despite a serious wobble on the final stage.

4. Remco Evenepoel (BEL), Soudal Quick-Step: Evenepoel was among the riders beaten by Roglič at the Dauphiné, but he appeared to focus more on his own build-up toward the Tour de France rather than the result in that particular race. Considering that he too crashed at Basque Country, this makes sense, but it creates an aura of uncertainty around the Belgian — especially when comparing himself to the Pogačars and Vingegaards of the world in a grand tour setting for the first time. Still, the talented youngster is a realistic podium contender in this race and might even be able to push for the top spot himself due to his time-trialling capabilities.

The outsiders

It would be quite a surprise if the winner wasn’t one of the big four of Pogačar, Vingegaard, Roglič or Evenepoel. That said, anything can happen in a three-week race and teams might be forced to adapt due to crash, crack, or illness. If so, a member of this group might end up on the top step of the podium when all is said and done.

5. Carlos Rodriguez (ESP), Ineos Grenadiers: Rodriguez may lack the star power of the top-ranked riders on this list, but he is no slouch either. He finished second, first, and fourth in his last three stage races this season, and was fifth in the Tour last year. With a strong Ineos Grenadiers team supporting him, he could jump onto the podium in 2024 in case the big four show some weakness.

6. Adam Yates (UK), UAE Team Emirates: Fresh off a win at the Tour de Suisse, Yates will serve as Pogačar’s right-hand man and top lieutenant the next three weeks. He is a quality general classification racer in his own right, however, and finished third behind his captain and Jonas Vingegaard in 2023. Another podium result is not out of the realm of possibility even with a support role as his primary job.

7. Matteo Jorgenson (USA), Visma | Lease a Bike: With Vingegaard’s form best classified as “TBD” and with fellow American Sepp Kuss scratched from the Visma | Lease a Bike start list due to medical reasons, the 24-year-old Jorgenson might be part backup leader, part super domestique starting off the race. Regardless of his role, he is more than capable of a top-three finish considering how his season has been going so far: he won Paris-Nice in March, and finished only 8 seconds down to Roglič at the Dauphiné earlier this month.

8. Juan Ayuso (ESP), UAE Team Emirates: Ayuso would be a leader on most teams, but being on the one headlined by Tadej Pogačar means he too will have to work for the big boss. That doesn’t mean he will not compete for a general classification spot as well, and be kept close to the race lead as a possible break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.

9. Egan Bernal (COL), Ineos Grenadiers: One of four former Tour de France champions to start this year’s race alongside Pogačar, Vingegaard, and Ineos Grenadiers teammate Geraint Thomas, Bernal is in the middle of a good season. He has yet to win, yes, but for the first time since a career-altering crash in 2022 is competing at a top level again. A podium finish might still be out of reach, especially with Carlos Rodriguez ahead of him in the pecking order, but stranger things have happened.

10. João Almeida (POR), UAE Team Emirates: Almeida has finished in the top-10 in 13 of his 15 career stage races, including as No. 2 at the Tour de Suisse earlier this month. He is still only the fourth favorite among a stacked UAE squad, but similar to his teammate Ayuso might be kept in the running for as long as possible especially after showing some promising form in Switzerland.

11. Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS), Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe: Vlasov was Primož Roglič’s top helper at the Dauphine, and himself riding a good race to finish sixth overall. It was his fourth top-10 result in a stage race this year, and he could end up making some noise at the Tour de France as well if allowed to go for his own result on top of helping protect Roglič.

The best of the rest

Despite a clear hierarchy to the list of favorites, general classification ambitions will not end with the names above. In fact, plenty of riders will consider a top-10 result as a success and could even have their eyes on the podium under the right — or wrong, depending on how you look at it — circumstances.

That being said, the chances of somebody like Felix Gall, Tom Pidcock, Geraint Thomas, Enric Mas, Jai Hindley, Mikel Landa, Simon Yates, or Derek Gee winning or even podiuming this year’s Tour de France are fairly low. That does not mean they won’t play their part in making the race exciting, but they have not shown they can consistently challenge the top dogs.

Matas Buzelis being picked by the Bulls was the most emotional moment of the NBA Draft matas,buzelis,being,picked,by,the,bulls,was,the,most,emotional,moment,of,the,nba,draft,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft

On: June 27, 2024 By: admin

A dream came true for Matas Buzelis when the Chicago Bulls selected him with the No. 11 pick.

Much has been made of Buzelis’ name and roots, with most people assuming he’s coming over from Lithuania — but he was born in Chicago when his parents emigrated. Raised in the suburbs of the city, it was there he forged his own path in basketball independent of his parents, both of whom played professional basketball in Europe.

Some tears flowed early, but it wasn’t long before Buzelis was completely overcome with emotion. A profound and renowned trash talker, he couldn’t manage to muster the words on draft night, instead simply thanking everyone who doubted him and pushed him.

The work begins now. Buzelis is an athletic, high-motor guy with the ability to be be a powerhouse wing — but he desperately needs to work on his three-point shooting in order to take the next step in the NBA. That can wait for tomorrow though, because tonight is all about the emotion of being on the Bulls.

Such a cool moment.

PGA of America’s Seth Waugh stepping down from CEO pga,of,america,s,seth,waugh,stepping,down,from,ceo,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

On: June 26, 2024 By: admin

After six years of serving the PGA of America as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer, Seth Waugh has decided to step down.

Waugh, who previously served as CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, became the CEO of the PGA of America in September 2018, the same month Le Golf National in Paris hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup. Of course, the PGA of America facilitates both the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship.

But now, a month before Le Golf National will host the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Golf Competition, Waugh announced in a statement that he will not renew his contract with the organization.

“I recently informed the board that I would not be renewing my contract that is set to expire on June 30, but I am honored to continue to serve the association as a Senior Advisor,” Waugh said.

“It has been an absolute privilege and honor to serve as the CEO of the PGA of America for the past six years.”

Waugh has had quite a tenure. In May 2019, he helped lead the organization at Bethpage Black, which hosted the PGA Championship in May for the first time instead of its traditional August date.

Then, a global pandemic disrupted the entire world, which consequently led to a golfing boom among amateur players. People from all walks of life have begun to play the game as the sport continues to grow among younger, more diverse populations.

But the men’s professional game has been divided over the past few years thanks to LIV Golf’s prominence. Waugh and the PGA of America have mostly stayed out of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf fray, but he did say at Oak Hill in 2023 that “division is not good for the game.”

Nevertheless, the PGA of America invited numerous LIV Golf players to compete at Valhalla this year, hoping to create the strongest field in all golf.

On top of that, Waugh has repeatedly opined about rolling back the golf ball, which has sparked controversy over the past decade. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and the R&A—the two governing bodies golf has—wanted to create a rule where professional golfers would use a limited-distance golf ball to combat the preposterous length players now have.

“We fear that the proposed changes could seriously interrupt the current momentum in the game and be fundamentally damaging and detrimental in the long run,” Waugh wrote in July 2023.

“It is something that we feel could lead to division and cause us to lose a very precarious characteristic of golf; the fact that we all play on the same course with the same clubs and balls. In our view, this dynamic should be preserved as a fundamental tenet.”

To respond, the USGA and the R&A decided that, instead of creating a different ball for pro circuits, all golfers must play with a newer limited-distance ball that will be instituted in pro events in 2028 and among the amateur game by 2030.

“The very best will figure out this new ball and how to hit it farther than I certainly do,” Waugh said at Valhalla in May 2024.

Seth Waugh, PGA Championship — From right to left: Seth Waugh, John Lindert, and Kerry Haigh speak to the media ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship.

“I think our biggest fear is for that part of the game that is growing, are you going to sort of disrupt that for one-half of one percent that are out there, right, and where do you draw the line of what’s elite and what’s not? Is a club championship elite or not? And so, we are glad it’s one rule, and the game will be bigger than any of this. We can all argue about it, but the game will be fine both recreationally and, I think, professionally, as well.”

Waugh has witnessed some incredible events play out during his tenure, too.

He saw Phil Mickelson become the oldest major champion at Kiawah Island. He also witnessed Justin Thomas win his second Wanamaker Trophy at Southern Hills in 2022. Then, Michael Block became an internet sensation at Oak Hill, jarring a hole-in-one on the 15th hole that golf fans will remember forever.

Plus, he watched the Americans win the Ryder Cup on home soil in 2021, when Steve Stricker captained Team USA to victory in his native Wisconsin.

However, a captain has yet to be announced for the 2025 competition at Bethpage Black. Luke Donald, meanwhile, will return as the leader of Team Europe after their resounding victory in Rome last fall.

Still, Waugh feels confident in his work and will continue to consult the organization as an advisor. PGA of America Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh will serve as CEO in the interim.

“The goal from the start was to leave the room better than we found it, and I believe that together, we have done just that,” Waugh added.

“I want to thank the membership, my colleagues, all the various board members, past presidents, our extraordinary partners, my peers at all the other golf bodies, as well as everyone who plays and loves our beautiful game for all the support and friendship during this journey. What a gift this has been.”

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.

Oilers drop incredible hype video ahead of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final oilers,drop,incredible,hype,video,ahead,of,game,of,the,stanley,cup,final,sbnation,com,front-page,nhl,stanley-cup-finals,nhl-playoffs

On: June 24, 2024 By: admin

Social media hype videos are all the rages these days.

Over the years teams have made them the stuff of legend. During their run to a National Championship the social media department for the LSU Tigers crafted incredible videos, culminating in this appearance by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for their finale against Clemson.

Just this summer alone we have seen Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes in dueling hype videos for the NBA Finals, with Brady narrating a video put together by the Boston Celtics while Mahomes supplied the voiceover for the corresponding video released by the Dallas Mavericks.

That leads us to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers are on the verge of making NHL history, as they look to become the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup Final after dropping the first three games of the series. The Oilers already made some history earlier in the series, as they became the first team in league history to force a Game 6 after going down 3-0 to start a series, while winning Game 5 on the road.

As you might expect, the Oilers dropped a hype video of their own Monday ahead of Game 7, but they kept it simple. No celebrity voiceover, just some tremendous instrumental music along with the calls from various moments of the series.

And it is perfect:

ame 7 is tonight. You might want to watch.

Because you might witness history.

Spanish Grand Prix: Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 hail team’s ‘best race of the season’ spanish,grand,prix,pierre,gasly,alpine,f,hail,team,s,best,race,of,the,season,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one

On: June 23, 2024 By: admin

McLaren delivered a stunning turnaround throughout the 2023 Formula 1 season. A slow start saw the Woking-based operation limp out of the starting gate, and when the grid left the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix they were mired in sixth place with just 17 points on the season, 23 points behind fifth-place Alpine. But a series of upgrades to the MCL60 saw McLaren storm up the table passing several teams along the way, including Alpine.

Is the French team putting together a shocking turnaround of their own?

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finished inside the points for the second straight race, with Gasly scoring a P9 finish and Ocon adding a P10, as the team added three more points to their account with a double-points result at Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. After beginning the season with five straight races without a point, Alpine has now scored in four out of the last five race weekends to climb out of the F1 cellar, and into seventh place in the 2024 F1 Constructors’ Championship.

Gasly hailed the week as the team’s “best race of the season,” following the race.

“That was our best race of the season so far as a team, so on that front, I am very happy with today,” declared Gasly in the team’s post-race report. “We had a strong Qualifying on Saturday, which set us up for a good result in ninth place today. We executed the race well with the two-stop strategy and managed each stint well.”

The driver highlighted just how close he was to their best single result of the year, as he finished just seconds behind eighth-place finisher Sergio Pérez.

“We almost had eighth place and only missed out on the last lap but I gave it my all. Even so, I’m happy with such a strong race where we battled two fast cars – the McLaren early on and then the Red Bull at the end – so that’s positive for us,” continued Gasly. “We must understand why the package was strong here and take these learnings going forward. We are progressing in a good direction, that’s three points scoring finishes in a row, and we have to keep that going!”

On the other side of the garage, Ocon outlined that it was a “challenging” race, but one that saw a “satisifying” conclusion for the team.

“It was good to get both cars in the points for a second consecutive Grand Prix. It was a challenging race for us with car balance and some tricky stints but nevertheless we managed to bring the car home inside the top ten again and that’s satisfying,” described Ocon.

“It was close with Nico [Hülkenberg] at the end but we were able to maintain pace and grab the final point on merit on track. We have things to analyse such as why the car felt harder to drive in race conditions as I was sliding quite a lot,” continued the Alpine driver. “Even so, we were much more competitive this weekend and we’ve come out of it with a good reward. We will aim to continue our points run in Austria next weekend where we have two opportunities to score points with the Sprint.”

Team Principal Bruno Famin — who faced some questions earlier in the week with the news that Alpine was bringing Flavio Briatore aboard in an executive role — hailed the “positive trend” from the team in recent weeks.

“It’s pleasing to have again both cars in the points here in Spain and to score at the last three Grands Prix as a team. It’s a positive trend, which we must keep continuing. We were better at this track and we must analyse the reasons why in order to keep improving our overall package. The race was a tough two-stop for both cars,” described Famin. “The two drivers did a good job, especially in [tire], energy, and fuel management. Next up is the Sprint weekend in Austria where we aim to continue our positive run inside the points.”

Last year at the Red Bull Ring Alpine banked three points, with Ocon securing a pair of points with a P7 in the F1 Sprint, and Gasly adding one more with a tenth-place finish in the Grand Prix. A similar result next weekend would see Alpine creep into double digits on the season, and a few more points closer to sixth-place VCARB.

Perhaps not enough to truly mirror last year’s McLaren rise, but certainly an improvement given where they started the year.