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Vexation at Alpine as challenging British Grand Prix gets even tougher vexation,at,alpine,as,challenging,british,grand,prix,gets,even,tougher,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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Despite a recent run of good form, Alpine knew things would be a little tougher at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

The team installed five new components on Pierre Gasly’s A524 ahead of the weekend, and with each component above the team’s allotment for the season, a ten-place grid penalty was added. Technically, Gasly was hit with a 50-place grid penalty for this weekend’s race, meaning he will start at the back of the grid in tomorrow’s main event.

That meant that if the team was going to extend their active streak of four straight races with at least a point, Esteban Ocon would likely have to carry the banner. But that task got tougher on Saturday as Ocon failed to advance out of Q1 during qualifying, and will start the British Grand Prix in P18.

Just two spots ahead, and directly in front of, Gasly.

Ocon’s run in Q1 appears to have been undone by some miscommunication within the team right at the end of the first segment of qualifying. “I asked the team, you know, three times ‘[w]e still pushing?’

The team told me ‘no, we took the checkered flag,” said Ocon to Lawrence Barretto immediately after qualifying.”We clearly took the wrong decisions every time.”

Ocon continued his description of the weekend in the team’s post-session report.

“It was a complicated session with the drying track and stoppage for the red flag, but ultimately, we did not optimise our Qualifying today,” said Ocon. “We did not take the right decisions at the right time, and we seemed to be offset compared to the others, and not pushing when the track was probably at its best. Then there was some confusion at the end where I thought we had one more push lap and I was told to abort the lap.

“In the end, it is a frustrating day that we did not maximise and one that we need to review. It will be a difficult race tomorrow given our starting position. We will try our best to move forward, especially if the weather stays like it is with changeable conditions.”

On the other side of the garage Gasly indicated that given the penalty, his weekend truly starts tomorrow. Because of the grid drop he was facing he just made one swing around the track on the softs because the team did not want to take any unnecessary risks on Saturday, given there was no way of improving his starting position for Sunday.

“We knew ahead of the weekend we were going to start the race from P20, as we had to take a penalty eventually and it is good that we get it out of the way,” said Gasly in Alpine’s post-session report. “It was not a very exciting session for me – I did a single lap on Softs and with the track conditions improving we did not want to take any risks today.

“For me, the weekend will start tomorrow, we will attack where we can and hopefully be able to fight our way back to the top ten and continue our positive streak over the past couple of races. But we also know the conditions here are very tricky and we have seen how easy it is to get off track here,” added Gasly. “At the same time, those conditions could make the race tomorrow quite interesting, and it could help us fight our way back and gain positions.”

Bruno Famin, the Alpine Team Principal, outlined that the team was just not good enough on Saturday from an “operational” standpoint, but that there may be opportunities on Sunday.

“We have not been good enough today from an operational standpoint,” said Famin in the team’s post-qualifying report. “With the changeable conditions it was crucial to push and set a time when the track was at its best and we missed the optimum window. We knew with Pierre there was little to gain today with the grid penalties for tomorrow, so we did not take any unnecessary risks.

“For Esteban, the timing was tight at the end for the [checkered] flag, and we missed the opportunity to improve on his time. We will go away and review what happened and try to avoid similar scenarios happening in [the] future. It will be a long race tomorrow and we will review how best to approach the race from our starting position and give ourselves a chance of progressing through the field.”

The weather could play a factor on Sunday, giving Ocon and Gasly a chance to move up in the field. However, it still looks like Alpine will need something special at the British Grand Prix to extend their run of points results.

John Deere Classic: Davis Thompson time to complete unfinished business john,deere,classic,davis,thompson,time,to,complete,unfinished,business,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour

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It seems Davis Thompson has some unfinished business to complete as he heads into the final day of the John Deere Classic.

He is the 54-hole leader at TPC Deere Run after he carded a bogey-free 9-under 62 to sit at 21-under total. Thompson built off his impressive 63-67 start with a phenomenal performance.

After settling for T2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and T9 at the U.S. Open, Thompson is in contention for the third straight tournament.

“Last week, I was four back going into Sunday. I didn’t know what it would take to win that golf tournament,” Thompson said after his round on Saturday.

“I played really solid Sunday. Just came up one shot short. I feel like I’ve been playing well. Just tried to keep it going. Yeah, hopefully I got one more good one in me tomorrow.”

The former Georgia Bulldog may have recorded a bogey-free score, but he had to work for it. Even when he struggled, the Peach State native still made birdies.

He was 4-under after six holes and added a final birdie at 8 to make the turn in 30.

“Was in a little trouble on 5, but, yeah, to make that bunker shot and keep it going, that was great,” he said. “On 6, I hit a tree. It kicked back out on the fairway and made birdie.”

“It could have gone the other way. I guess it was just my day today. Hit a lot of good shots on the back nine and finished the round off well. Yeah, it was good.”

Thompson added four more birdies on the back nine to come home in 32 strokes and keep a clean scorecard. On the par-5 17th, he had to work for it after he went left off the tee. Miraculously, Thompson made a birdie to keep his momentum.

Through three rounds of play, he leads the field with 22 birdies and in strokes gained total (+14.733), as he is almost picking up 15 shots on the field. On Saturday alone, Thompson led the field in Strokes gained around the green (+2.780) and strokes gained total (+6.740).

His disposition did not change throughout the day. Thompson stayed calm and played his game.

The field has made 1,681 birdies through 54 holes. It is a birdie marathon at TPC Deere Run. There are 10 players within six shots of Thompson.

“Everybody is hungry. That’s what makes it difficult,” Thompson said. “There are a lot of losers every week. You can have great weeks and finish top 10. Your goal is to win the golf tournament. It’s frustrating at times, but this is what you work for, to put yourself in these positions.”

With bad weather coming into town, the PGA Tour opted to play off split tees to get in the tournament and avoid any delays. He, Eric Cole, and Aaron Rai are the final group as they tee off Sunday at 12:37 p.m. ET.

Eighteen holes stand in the way of Thompson and his first PGA Tour victory and become the latest player to earn their first win at the John Deere Classic.

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.

Daniel Ricciardo not making any proclamations after frustrating Saturday for VCARB at the British Grand Prix daniel,ricciardo,not,making,any,proclamations,after,frustrating,saturday,for,vcarb,at,the,british,grand,prix,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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A week ago at the Austrian Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo delivered a bold statement despite missing out on the third segment of qualifying. Ricciardo outlined how the RB01 was a “top ten” car despite his elimination in Q2, and he backed up that proclamation with a points finish at Red Bull Ring.

There were no similar proclamations from Ricciardo following Saturday’s qualifying session at the British Grand Prix.

Ricciardo and teammate Yuki Tsunoda were both eliminated in Q2, with Tsunoda set to start 13th in the main event Sunday, and Ricciardo behind him in 15th. To hear the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team driver tell it, he was not “happy” with how things unfolded on Saturday at Silverstone.

“I’m not particularly happy with today’s qualifying; it wasn’t a good session, and this is something we need to figure out,” said Ricciardo. “Both runs in Q2 didn’t go as expected, and we struggled to get the lap in, leading me to do some overtaking in the last corner, which is something I hate when people do it to me.

“I started my last push lap a couple of seconds behind Zhou [Guanyu], and with the dirty air, you’re never going to get a good lap. The last three weekends haven’t been easy, but we found a way to make it work,” added Ricciardo. “Coming into Silverstone with the same struggles has also added to today’s frustrations because we don’t have the luxury to be able to get things wrong. We’ll address all we need during tonight’s debrief and look ahead at the race.”

While Ricciardo was frustrated with how Saturday played out, his teammate was a bit more pleased with the session.

“I’m happy with how we handled today; the team and I worked well together and communicated during qualifying to adapt to the changing weather conditions,” described Tsunoda. “We knew it would be difficult coming into quali because we’ve been lacking pace throughout Free Practice, and it’s a shame we haven’t been able to quite turn it around as much as we would’ve liked to, but the field is tight, and anything can happen.

“We’re struggling with pace in the high-speed corners at this track, which is similar to last week, but we’ll work hard to maximise our performance tomorrow. We had good pace in the wet and we’ll adapt based on the weather conditions and communicate, that’s the key.”

VCARB Technical Director Jody Egginton noted that the team might not have put Ricciardo in the best position during Q2, but that there is potential for the team on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t put Daniel in good enough conditions for his final run in Q2 which got him caught up in a lot of traffic, altering his position for tomorrow,” said Egginton. “We find ourselves slightly back from where we want to be, but laps time deltas to the cars around us are small and the team is pushing hard to extract everything from the car.”

Salvaging something on Sunday could be critical for the team in their fight with Haas in the F1 Constructors’ Championship. VCARB currently sits in sixth place in the standings, 11 points clear of Haas. But with Nico Hülkenberg starting sixth on Sunday Haas has tremendous potential to cut into that lead. If Riccardo and/or Tsunoda can find a way to forge into the points, it would be a massive step for the team.

And it would perhaps ease some of the frustration Ricciardo is feeling this Saturday at Silverstone.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli captures maiden F2 win as Mercedes F1 decision looms andrea,kimi,antonelli,captures,maiden,f,win,as,mercedes,f,decision,looms,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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As far as Saturday’s go, it was an impressive one for young Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

And one that added an important item to his resume as a decision looms at Mercedes.

Antonelli captured the Formula 2 Sprint Race in wet and rainy conditions, leading every lap from reverse pole position to score his maiden win in F2.

The victory comes as questions linger about the second seat at Mercedes on the F1 grid for 2025, and whether Antonelli will be ready to make the jump from just one season in F2 to the highest level of single-seater racing. Antonelli, who is yet to turn 18, skipped F3 altogether, and while his already impressive resume has him as the leading candidate for the seat Lewis Hamilton will vacate at the end of the season, it lacked a win in F2.

That changed today.

Antonellii’s maiden F2 win also comes during a week where Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff addressed Antonelli’s “tricky” F2 campaign, and opened the door to options for next season beyond the young phenom.

“Yeah, the season has been a bit tricky because overall the two have not been on a level and I think the team recognises that. That wasn’t great, but last weekend was pretty good. The pace was there, there were mistakes in getaways, so that’s something a rookie needs to learn, that’s clear,” said Wolff when asked about Antonelli during Friday’s FIA Press Conference.

“But he has a lot of pressure. He’s being talked a lot about. His junior formula and go-karting track record is one of a kind. And that’s clear that the pressure ramps up. But it’s like his father says, a champion needs to be thrown in the cold water and needs to swim. So they are very clear about that,” continued Wolff. “But the driver market at the moment is quite a dynamic, interesting thing. I think because some of the drivers have more options and some of the teams have more options. So it’s interesting. And you know, it’s like Bernie [Ecclestone] said: ‘last week I had an opinion, this week I have a different one’.”

Wolff then talked about how Antonelli was handling all the expectations and pressure, drawing a comparison to fellow F2 driver Oliver Bearman, who made some news this week when Haas announced he would be driving for them full-time in F1 next year.

“What I like in terms of his attitude, generally his family, who has been always close to him, is the objective assessment of a situation, and that is good or not good enough. And I don’t think that the pressure harms at all the way he performs in the car and how he drives. You can clearly see it’s a good benchmarking with Ollie Bearman,” said Wolff. “They are pretty close. Ollie had an obviously very good race in Austria and Kimi on the Sunday, had a clutch release issue in the second race. So you’ve got to swim. That’s clear. It was a rapid career progression. He’s 17. Hasn’t got even a driving license for a road car. And the best ones will be able to cope with that, with the amount of scrutiny and the pressure, and it’s going to get bigger.”

If Saturday’s F2 Sprint Race is any indication, Antonelli is starting to handle that pressure rather well.

Comparing PGA Tour Players To Their Ultimate John Deere Equivalent comparing,pga,tour,players,to,their,ultimate,john,deere,equivalent,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

Comparing PGA Tour Players To Their Ultimate John Deere Equivalent
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The John Deere Classic is one of the staples on the PGA Tour, as it has helped catapult many player’s careers.

Has anyone thought about what the PGA Tour players’ equipment equivalent would be? With some of the coolest tee markers, why not keep the fun going by comparing players and farm equipment?

Twitter user “Tweeth Mitchell,” asked the same question, which led to a collaboration to create six players and what John Deere equipment they would be.

While it is a niche topic, it is still fun to think about and come up with comparisons.

Let’s discuss which equipment matches the players at the John Deere Classic, as we introduced “The Farm Team.”

A graphic with Denny McCarthy and his John Deere equivalent.
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Frontier RC-20 Rotary Cutter: Denny McCarthy

The Frontier RC20 is known for mowing down the competition with precision, just like sharpshooter Denny McCarthy. Because of his accuracy, McCarthy is among the favorites this week. Look for him to go for flag sticks at every opportunity.

John Deere Classic, Sepp Straka

A graphic with Sepp Straka and his John Deere equivalent
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T6 800 Combine: Sepp Straka

The T6 Combine is a heavy-duty piece of machinery with a wide body and a lot of power, just like Sepp Straka, the 2023 John Deere Classic champion.

Straka usually plays well at TPC Deere Run, and there will be plenty of opportunities to harvest birdies this week. Like a heavy-duty machine, sometimes it takes Straka time to warm up, but once he does, he will go lower.

John Deere Classic, Neal Shipley

A graphic comparing Neal Shipley to his John Deere equivalent
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9500 Self-Propelled Forage Harvester: Neal Shipley

When you need to make hay while the sun shines, you need the 9500 Self-Propelled Forage Harvester and Neal Shipley. No one has done that better with limited opportunities than Shipley.

He became the first player since Viktor Hovland in 2019 to win low-amateur at both the Masters and US Open. The former Ohio State Buckeye recorded a T20 finish last week at Rocket Mortgage in his PGA Tour debut as a professional.

Jordan Spieth, John Deere Classic

A graphic comparing Jordan Spieth to his John Deere equivalent.
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R4023 Sprayer: Jordan Spieth

Two-time John Deere Classic winner Jordan Spieth is a player known for spraying the ball. He fits the bill to match perfectly with the R4023 Sprayer.

Spieth won his first Tour event here in 2013, but he will need to control his spray tendency if he wants to win the John Deere Classic for the third time in five starts. He fired a 2-under 69 in Round 1, but he will need to go low if he expects to make the cut.

John Deere Classic, J.T. Poston

A graphic comparing J.T. Poston and his John Deere equivalent.
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2230 Lift-Level Field Cultivator: J.T Poston

A player who can lift his own level in the right field and cultivate a win is the 2021 John Deere Classic champion, J.T. Poston. That ability makes his perfect equipment match the 2230 Lift-Level Field Cultivator.

He is poised for another huge week in the quad cities. Driving accuracy, approach play and clutch putting are all crucial skills at TPC Deere Run, so Poston should be able to leverage those areas for a high finish this week.

John Deere Classic, Joel Dahmen

A graphic comparing Joel Dahmen and his John Deere equivalent.
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X739 Riding Mower: Joel Dahmen

Joel Dahmen looks like he owns an X739 Riding Mower or something close to it. He gives off the dad vibe who drinks cold beer and takes care of his pristine lawn. With his bucket hat and laid-back style, no other piece of equipment would fit him better.

The Netflix star looks to get his way into the FedEx Cup playoffs, and a strong finish at the John Deere Classic will help him get closer to that goal.

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.

Top 5 WWE matches to watch this weekend top,wwe,matches,to,watch,this,weekend,sbnation,com,front-page,wrestling,all-womens-sports,womens-combat,dot-com-grid-coverage

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While a lot of folks will be trying to stretch the July 4 holiday out to another weekend here in the United States, WWE is sending its current and future stars to Canada for two major shows in Toronto.

The biggest pro wrestling company in the world will hold one of its most popular events of the year on Sat., July 7 when Money in the Bank hits Scotiabank Arena at 8 p.m. Eastern. Then the following night at the same time, the next generation of WWE superstars will look to make their mark when their NXT brand puts on Heatwave in the same building.

It should be a great weekend of pro wrestling, but of course we’re looking forward to some matches more than others.

Here are our top five recommendations from Money in the Bank and Heatwave, and why they’re our picks from those two shows:

Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso vs. LA Knight vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. Carmelo Hayes in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Who doesn’t love a ladder match? Alright the wrestlers probably don’t when they’re slammed and splashed into, onto, in between, or through them (and many of us watching wince every time thinking about how much that must hurt… which you have to acknowledge, even if you insist pro wrestling’s “fake”).

Almost all WWE fans love the ladder matches that give Money in the Bank its name, where their winner climb to grab a briefcase containing a guaranteed title shot that’s dangling above the ring. It’s a storytelling device that’s led to some amazing moments. And some that all involved would like to forget. But the game of “will they or won’t they cash in?” is usually a lot of fun, whether it lasts hours or months.

One hallmark of the so-called “Triple H Era” (named for WWE Hall of Famer and Chief Creative Officer Paul Levasque, who took over creative for the company when his father-in-law was ousted during his latest scandal) is that most of the wrestlers who appear on television have an established character and are involved in an angle (this seems straight-forward, but if you were watching WWE under the latter days of Vince McMahon, you know it wasn’t always).

This match has a couple of the best examples, as McIntyre is not only chasing a World title, but is engaged in one of the company’s hottest feuds with an injured CM Punk… who can’t be ruled out as a factor here, despited the big Scotsman beating him within an inch of his life after the last time Punk meddled in Drew’s business.

Former Olympian Gable at the center of an entirely different of story. He’s been a real jerk to his Alpha Academy team, which had made him a target of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks, a group led by the late Bray Wyatt’s brother Bo Dallas. The Sicks are carrying on Bray’s legacy by embodying his creepy creations and targeting those who’ve done their “family” wrong.

Plus, everyone in the match can go — especially Andrade, recent NXT call-up Hayes, and Gable. This one should be nuts, in that good pro wrestling way.

IYO SKY vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Zoey Stark in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Much of the above applies her as well, although the women’s MitB match feels like it has a greater chance of delivering something else WWE watchers often mention when talking about the concept: elevating a performer.

Sure, we could see former champions like Naomi or SKY — who only recently lost the belt as her Damage CTRL stable has been falling apart around her since kicking out Bayley, the woman her took her title at WrestleMania. But it will be very interesting to see if WWE pulls the trigger and helps establish a new main event player.

Stratton and Valkyria are former NXT Women’s champs, both of whom WWE would clearly like to see reach the same heights on the main roster. Green’s been around a while, but she’s entertainingly been all in on her gimmick everywhere she’s been and has been making the most out of finally being able to do that on wrestling’s biggest stage. And Stark’s just a great wrestler (a proverbial workhorse) who Triple H has loved since he was running developmental and she was in NXT.

No bad choices here.

Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. The Bloodline

If you thought the story of Rhodes and The Bloodline ended with Cody winning the WWE title from Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40… think again.

The evil faction of Pacific Islanders’ has been refreshed with Reigns’ former enforcer Solo Sikoa taking over his position as Tribal Chief. Sikoa’s proved to considerable more unpredictable than his older cousin was, bringing in Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Jacob Fatu from MLW as his hit squad. It’s unclear which pair will team with Solo in Toronto; Fatu is the guy with the most upside, but he may also have issues getting into Canada due to a past arrest. And, yes, a possible criminal background has been alluded to in-story as proof of how dangerous Sikoa’s Bloodline is — not that we needed much proof after the group sent Roman’s “wiseman” Paul Heyman to the hospital last week.

So Rhodes has assembled a team of good guys to stop Bloodline 2.0 while fans chant for Roman to come back and deal with the problem he left behind after dropping the title back in April. They’ll all held WWE’s top prize, and the always dangerous Orton has shown signs he might have eyes on Cody’s belt. Be on the lookout for a heel turn from The Viper here, possibly setting up a SummerSlam main event with his former Legacy protege.

Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins

Kinda weird to have the only World title match at Saturday’s event this far down the list, but it’s no shade to champion Priest or challenger Rollins. The former hasn’t really felt like the star of his own show during his reign, but Priest is involved in one of Raw’s hottest programs as Women’s World champ Liv Morgan attempts to take over his Judgment Day group as part of her revenge plot against Damian’s teammate, Rhea Ripley (who’s out with an injury Morgan gave her). Rollins has played into that strife, goading Priest into agreeing to leave Judgment Day if he loses. In exchange, Seth said if he loses, he’ll give up his pursuit of the belt for as long it’s around Priest’s waist.

Plus, Rollins has been out of action since April due to knee surgery. So this will be the first time we’ve seen the Visionary in action since he reminded the world he’s one of the best wrestlers alive at WrestleMania.

Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice

Only one NXT match makes the cut, as the Heatwave build has been a bit lackluster. That’s due in large part to the number of wrestlers who were promoted to Raw or SmackDown in this past spring’s WWE Draft, so the brand’s creative team — led by Triple H’s right-hand man Shawn Michaels — has been in reset mode.

That was evident in the build to this Women’s title clash. Champion Perez is still settling into the heel character she’s working for her second reign. Challenger Vice (former MMA pro Valerie Loureda) has been built up for this opportunity, but only recently turned babyface for this match. They’re both performers WWE has high hopes for, but we’re still waiting for them to really click while working together.

It might not be the best match of the weekend, but it should be interesting no matter what. And who knows? Maybe someone from TNA — an outside promotion NXT’s got an ongoing crossover going with, now that WWE’s become willing to play nice with (some) others in the wrestling world since Vince’s exit — will crash this or another Heatwave match to make it REALLY interesting on Sunday night.

Whichever matches you’re looking forward to this weekend, you can get all the information about them and follow all the action at CagesideSeats.com!

British Grand Prix: Ayao Komatsu hints at 2025 F1 driver choice alongside Oliver Bearman british,grand,prix,ayao,komatsu,hints,at,f,driver,choice,alongside,oliver,bearman,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one

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Haas made Formula 1 news earlier this week, announcing on Thursday ahead of the British Grand Prix that young Oliver Bearman would be one of their two drivers for the 2025 F1 season.

That move made many wonder if Haas would aim to sign a more experienced driver for the spot alongside Bearman. Team Principal Ayao Komatsu admitted during Friday’s FIA Press Conference that this is the plan.

“Yeah, of course, especially for a team like us, we cannot have two rookies,” said Komatsu on Friday when asked if the Bearman promotion would influence Haas’ decision regarding their second seat. “So now that we’ve taken Ollie as a rookie, we will try to appoint somebody who’s got decent F1 experience.”

Addressing the decision to promote Bearman to a full-time F1 seat, Komatsu called the young driver a “perfect match” for Haas.

We are still pretty much a growing team. We are a relatively new team. And then we are restarting, let’s say, and improving our performance. And Ollie, obviously, is a very talented young driver with a very strong head on his shoulders,” said Komatsu. “And he’s very calm, but mature, got the speed, and very much a team player. So the things how we want to progress as a team, that’s what I mean by a very perfect match.”

The Haas team boss praised Bearman’s approach during the limited practice action he has seen at Haas as part of his reserve duties with the team, including his FP1 debut a year ago.

“[T]hat’s what was impressive before when we first put him in the car in Mexico, you know, very first time in a Formula 1 car, FP1 session. Of course, he was excited,” described Komatsu. “But then again, he understood the objective of the team what this session means to the team, what we need to achieve. And then, of course, he’s trying to drive as fast as possible. But within that bigger picture, he understands always the context very, very well.

“So that’s what was impressive before. And then, of course, you know, it’s not something he needed to change today. Of course, he was, I’m sure, very happy to drive in front of his home crowd after the announcement. So he was enjoying it. But fundamentally, the approach was exactly the same.”

Bearman made a stunning F1 debut earlier this season, finishing seventh in place of an ailing Carlos Sainz Jr. at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The young driver had only one hour of practice time ahead of qualifying at Jeddah Corniche Circuit and impressed the entire paddock by advancing to Q2 and qualifying 11th.

In the main event, Bearman held off Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton down the stretch, despite the veteran drivers pursuing him with fresher tires. It was a performance that turned heads throughout the sport and paved the way to a full-time seat.

While we still await news on who his teammate might be, we now know a bit more about the future at Haas, and how a veteran will be beside the rookie next season.

Will it be Kevin Magnussen returning to Haas? Or one of the other drivers looking for a seat, such as Esteban Ocon — who has been linked with Haas in recent weeks — or another driver such as Valtteri Bottas?

We should know more soon.

John Deere Classic: Hayden Springer’s epic sub-60 round looked easy john,deere,classic,hayden,springer,s,epic,sub,round,looked,easy,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour

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PGA Tour rookie Hayden Springer made quite the debut at the John Deere Classic as he fired off a 12-under 59 to make TPC Deere Run look easy. His putter was red hot.

He made eight birdies and two eagles to mark the second sub-60 round of the year on the PGA Tour. Just two weeks ago, Cameron Young recorded a 59 during the third round of the Travelers Championship.

“It’s pretty special to be able to do that,” Springer said after his round on Thursday.

“I played well last week, but it’s been tough to get stuff going and go low — So, it is special. It feels good to be standing here and to have shot a good round of golf.”

The 27-year-old made par on the first hole, then went nuclear. He made a 13-footer for eagle on the par-5, 2nd followed by four straight birdies. Those were not easy birdies either.

He chipped in from around 62 feet off the green on the third. Springer’s touch was nearly perfect, as the ball only had eyes for the hole. His birdie at the par-4 4th was a little over 10 feet. The birdie at 5 was over 20 feet long, and his fourth straight birdie at 6th was over 16 feet.

At this point, Springer felt like today, he could see him shoot a low score.

“I had come up just short of the green on the fringe and probably had a 20-footer, and I made that,” he said. “I was like, okay, ‘I feel like I’m not missing today. I’m pretty much holing any putt I look at.’ So probably that putt going in was kind of the trigger, like we might be able to go super low.”

Springer made two more birdies on 8 and 9 to turn in 27 strokes.

After the turn, he made five straight pars before his seventh birdie came at 15. The former Texas Christian Horned Frog sank an 18-footer to move to 9-under. He explained that he got frustrated, but his caddie kept him balanced.

Springer did not think a 59 was on the table going into the par-5 17th, but he holed out from 55 yards for his second eagle.

“I had a really good lie over there,” he said. “I hit it nice. It landed right where we were looking, just short left, and happened to go in. I didn’t ever think I would make that shot, but it changed the momentum to be able to go shoot 59.”

To record a sub-60 round, he needed a birdie on the 18th, and the rookie sank a 12-footer to do so.

Springer earned every bit of this 59, making 111 feet of putts on Thursday. He hit 14-of-18 greens in regulation, 10-of-14 fairways and went 4-of-4 scrambling.

In the strokes gained categories, he is No. 5 off the tee, No. 4 in approach to the green, No. 1 around the green, No. 3 in putting and No. 1 in strokes gained total, picking up +10.110 on the field.

Springer had a nearly perfect round of golf and showed Thursday. He became the 14th PGA Tour player to record a sub-60 round and the second at the John Deere Classic after Paul Goydos shot his own 59 in round 1 of the 2010 event.

His last year has not been an easy one. It was full of heartache but also determination. He tragically lost his three-year-old daughter Sage to Trisomy 18 last November, and a month later, Springer earned his PGA Tour card.

The rookie currently leads by four shots over Harry Hall, who shot an impressive 8-under 63. There are 12 players at 65 or lower on the day, as another birdie fest seems to be on the horizon.

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.

The 5 best ways to remain cool, hydrated on the golf course the,best,ways,to,remain,cool,hydrated,on,the,golf,course,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-opinions

The 5 best ways to remain cool hydrated on the
On: By: admin


July is here, and the heat came with it.

Golfers do not care how hot it is — they will play 18 regardless of the heat index. From raging storms to triple-digit temperatures, if someone has a tee time, they’re more often than not making it happen.

There are plenty of items that golfers can take with them on the cart to stay cool and hydrated.

An honorable mention is if someone is taking a caddie, think of them as well. Pack a couple of water bottles, an extra cooling rag, or something that will make a difference. They usually walk in that 100-degree weather, so make your experience better by showing love to the caddie. They will appreciate you even more if you think of them in this heat.

Remember to tip them if they did a good job as well. Again, they’re walking in hot conditions, chasing the ball all over; it is the least a player can do.

So, without further delay, let’s examine five things that will help players stay cool on the golf course and beat this heat.

Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images

5. A Good hat to shade you from the sun and a solid SPF

The first step to staying cool on the golf course is wearing a hat that will shade you from the sun. Don’t forget the sunscreen, either. Both are needed to not only stay cool but protect your skin.

Bucket hats are great for shading your face and neck. Joel Dahmen wears one after having cancer earlier in his life.

There are also options for breathable hats that help keep the head from overheating.

There are many different sunscreens on the market, but my favorite is the Super Goop. This company has mineral and regular sunscreen options.

SuperGoop, Golf

The SuperGoop Play Bundle | SuperGoop

Super Goop Sunscreen

SuperGoop is perfect for the golf course. It lasts a long time and is great with sweat. They have SPF 50 and 30, which is chock-full of antioxidants and other great ingredients for the skin.

The spray is great for the golf course, but they also have a fantastic mineral face and lip SPF product. We included the “Play Bundle” because it’s a great way to test the product.

Regardless of the sunscreen brand, having a hat and keeping the SPF on is crucial to enjoying golf this summer.

4. Hydration Tools

Purchase Liquid IV packets to put in water bottles or electrolyte tablets. Staying hydrated includes drinking water and replacing any lost electrolytes.

Purchase a pack of your favorite brand and stuff some of those into the golf bag. Having those on hand will be a lifesaver when an extra boost is needed.

3. Portable fan

A misting fan is incredible for the summer, especially while on the golf course. It keeps a steady breeze on you while providing a little spritz of water.

Amazon, Portable Misting Fan, golf

| Amazon

Portable Misting Fan

A portable misting fan that can be propped on the golf cart is essential during summer. This option has excellent reviews, and the price is not too steep.

People can also use wearable cooling devices. These gadgets sit around the necks and blow cool air around the head. Many women wore them at the Tour Championship last year, and they are another great option for staying cool while playing golf. If interested in one of those, here is the link for a portable neck fan.

2. Cooling Rags/ Cooler

Many people know about the Frogg Toogs Chilly Pad cooling towels, and it is time to buy one. Also, get a small cooler and keep ice in it. Drench the towel in water, and it will keep the heat away. These rags will keep you cool between shots and last for hours.

A cooler is great for snacks and drinks, but you can also throw in the towel to keep it colder longer.

Rickie Fowler, Golf

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

1. Emotional Support Water

Stay cool on the golf course by purchasing a water bottle. Channel your inner Rickie Fowler and snag a 30-40oz bottle to carry with you. Do not forget those stickers, either—they are a necessity.

Fill it up often because staying hydrated is essential in the summer.

The heat can drain you quickly, so the more water, the better. A reminder, though: While many people like cold water, it can shock your system on a hot day. Room-temperature water may not be as refreshing, but it does help the most with hydration.

If you insist on cold water, remember to sip it. Do not chug it, as that can also cause issues.

Those are the things to do this summer to beat the heat and keep playing golf.

What do you do to keep cool while playing golf during the summer? Sound off below with your favorite tip.

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.

5 NBA teams falling behind their rivals after not doing enough this summer nba,teams,falling,behind,their,rivals,after,not,doing,enough,this,summer,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-trade-rumors,nba-free-agency,draftkings

On: By: admin


The first big wave of player movement in the 2024 NBA offseason has come and gone, and a few things are starting to crystalize. The Oklahoma City Thunder look like the class of the West after adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso to last year’s No. 1 seed. The Boston Celtics remain a strong favorite in the East, but the New York Knicks with Mikal Bridges and Philadelphia 76ers with Paul George are ready to push them.

Some teams have set themselves up for improvement this offseason even if they aren’t at the top of the championship picture. The Dallas Mavericks did well to add more shooting and defense around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and it will be fascinating to see how Klay Thompson performs away from the Bay. The Orlando Magic won’t sneak up on anyone this year, and have a chance to be an emerging Eastern Conference powerhouse.

Then there’s the teams who haven’t done enough. While there’s plenty of time left in the offseason to make moves, these six teams should be feeling the heat to do something or they are going to get left behind by their rivals.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets could have retained Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency if they wanted to. Instead, Denver was too afraid of looming penalties for entering the ‘second apron’ of the luxury tax, and decided it could replace the veteran two-guard’s production with younger players. Either that, or ownership just cheaped out.

This is the time that Denver should be going all-in around Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP is in the prime of his career at 29 years old, yet the team around him continues to lose talent over nothing but money. The Nuggets lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green last year after winning the 2023 championship, and now it’s lost an even bigger contributor in KCP. This decision puts a ton of pressure on Denver’s untested young bench — Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Julian Strawther — to perform at a high level immediately. The Nuggets’ depth was already an issue last year, and it’s an even more glaring need now.

The Nuggets will still be very good. They may even still win the title. But the team got significantly worse by losing Caldwell-Pope for no good reason. The young guys are going to have to take a major leap, or the Nuggets have failed Jokic this summer.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers were a pretty good team last year that only won one playoff game and never had a realistic chance of winning the Western Conference. It would seem to behoove a team like that to make some major moves in the offseason, especially when it has three first round picks to trade at its disposal. Instead, the Lakers have been content to draft Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, and do nothing else.

Knecht can help the Lakers next season as a rookie with his off-ball shooting, but that won’t be enough to make a major push up the standings. LA is betting on internal development of their young players, but if they make a real veteran addition, chances are they will be worse by proxy. LA got very good health out of LeBron James and Anthony Davis last season, and who knows if that will be the case this year. The West keeps improving, and the Lakers are doing nothing as LeBron James sets to enter his age-40 season.

The Lakers are preparing for life after James instead of going all-in while he’s still an elite player. LA doesn’t want to trade its future draft picks and take on penalties from entering the second-apron. The Lakers are kind of just chilling, and that shouldn’t be good enough when they employ the superstar with the longest prime in league history.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks were supposed to be a championship contender after acquiring Damian Lillard last season. Instead, the team looked underwhelming out of the gates, fired first-year head coach Adrian Griffin to replace him with Doc Rivers at midseason, and then saw Giannis Antetokounmpo suffer a season-ending injury just before the playoffs.

It feels like it’s now or never for the Lillard-Antetokounmpo pairing entering the 2024-25 season, but the Bucks have done absolutely nothing to improve the team this summer.

It’s true that the Bucks are capped out and light on future assets, but other teams have found a way to get creative in similar situations. Milwaukee’s big plan appears to be praying for good health from their four veteran stars. That doesn’t seem like a wise move when the 76ers and Knicks went all-out to add top-end talent, while the Celtics remain the class of the conference. If Milwaukee disappoints again this season, it’s only a matter of time before Antetokounmpo trade rumors pop up again.

Miami Heat

The Heat missed out on Damian Lillard last summer, and they never had a chance at Donovan Mitchell this summer before he re-signed with Cleveland. Miami is a franchise known for taking big swings, yet they’ve done a whole lot of nothing heading into the 2024-25 season.

Jimmy Butler is entering the final year of his contract without an extension in place. Bam Adebayo is locked up on a long-term deal, and there are some nice young pieces on the roster in Jaime Jaquez, Nikola Jovic, Kel’el Ware, and Tyler Herro. For now, the Heat feel like a team stuck in two-timelines: one not good enough to win with Butler as a centerpiece this season, yet without a foundational player if he leaves in the summer of 2025.

Miami would be wise to look at Butler trades and prioritize their future, but this organization typically doesn’t operate that way. Unless the Heat can find a way to make a move for an impact talent, it feels like they’re stuck at the bottom of the East playoff picture.

Los Angeles Clippers

This one is self-explanatory. The Clippers lost Paul George in free agency without getting assets back for him. LA responded by making some bargain signings in Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Nic Batum, and Mo Bamba, but those guys aren’t going to make up the loss of an All-NBA caliber player like George.

The Clippers still have Kawhi Leonard and James Harden on the roster, but that isn’t a reliable duo at this point in their careers. The scary thing for LA is it doesn’t control its own first round pick until 2030. Right now, this looks like a low-end Western Conference playoff team at best with the arrow pointing downhill and very few assets to course correct.

Phoenix Suns

At least the Phoenix Suns didn’t cheap out. Despite a massive luxury tax bill looming, the Suns re-signed Royce O’Neale to a $44 million contract. Phoenix also added Mason Plumlee to bolster its front court depth. We’ll applaud those moves on the margins, but it isn’t enough to really make a difference for a team that just got swept out of the first round of the playoffs.

Phoenix was supposed to be competing for championships when it acquired Kevin Durant. The all-in move for Bradley Beal last summer has backfired, and now Phoenix has an enormous payroll, three ill-fitting stars, and zero tradable future draft picks until 2031.

If the Suns don’t look great to start the season, it’s probably only a matter of time before they need to start thinking about trading Kevin Durant. At that point, Devin Booker’s future would become a major point of speculation, too. The Suns don’t have many moves left to make, and their team still isn’t good enough.