Bernhard Langer said farewell to the DP World Tour Friday at the BMW International Open.
He missed the cut after he carded a 71-73 to finish at even par. Golfclub Munchen Eichenried in Munich, Germany, is a track about 45 minutes from where the 66-year-old grew up.
Langer is a two-time Masters champion, won 42 times on the formerly known European Tour and has 46 wins on the Champions Tour. After 52 years, he had one more first to experience — saying goodbye to golf, at least to the DP World Tour.
Things got emotional for him on Friday. He had to fight back tears throughout the 18th hole and while he spoke with the media after his round.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Langer said after his round. “It’s been a dream come true for me, growing up in a village of 800 people where nobody knew what golf was.”
“People had no idea, it was a strange situation. Even when I finished school and I tried to become a golf professional people didn’t even know what that was, it didn’t even exist as a profession in a way. It was very difficult and complicated, but it was my dream. I was able to live that dream for 50 years.”
Langer continued to put into words what his career and the DP World Tour mean to him.
“I have wonderful memories from all over the world, not just in Europe but Asia, Australia, Japan, America, South Africa. I was able to travel the world and meet with kings and queens,” he said. “I played golf with all sorts of people, whether they were successful businessmen or just the average butcher or bricklayer or whatever, it was fun, it was great.”
Once Langer finished, he took off his visor and received quite the cheer from the German faithful. The golf legend hugged Marcel Siem and Martin Kaymer, two fellow Germans, as they followed him.
He gave the crowd a thumbs-up, blew a kiss, and embraced his family and friends. Then he signed his scorecard.
It is a miracle to see him on the golf course after Langer tore his Achilles heel in February. He missed the Masters Tournament in March but returned in three months to play on the 50-and-over tour. The German golfer made his return at the Insperity Invitational at the end of April.
He also attempted to defend his U.S. Senior Open title at Newport Country Club in June. Langer finished T42 at 2-over.
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 2024 NHL Draft is in the books and it’s consistently one of the most difficult drafts to try and parse. A mixture of extreme youth, paired with multi-national scouting, the majority of the players selected on Friday and Saturday won’t see the ice in the NHL for a few years — making it more of an exercise in strengthening a pipeline, rather than build a team directly.
While it can be difficult to evaluate classes immediately following a draft, the best we can do is look at a class based on how well each team did with its draft capital — and based on what scouting services through of these picks prior to the event itself. To this end we had some massive winners in 2024, and some absolute head-scratching picks.
Winner: San Jose Sharks
When you have the No. 1 pick and get the best player you’re going to be a winner by default, but there’s more to what the Sharks did than just Macklin Celebrini. This team got incredible value up and down their draft board, bolstering their defense with Sam Dickinson and nabbing Igor Chernyshov with the No. 33 pick (he was 17th on my big board).
This was a forward-heavy class for the Sharks who are in dire need of scoring. There’s a clear approach here to rebuild the team the right way, and we could very well be looking at this class as a turning point for the franchise that finally brings some teeth back to the shark tank.
Loser: Anaheim Ducks
Things weren’t so great for the Sharks’ northern neighbors, and yes a lot of this has to do with taking Beckett Sennecke with the No. 3 overall pick. It’s not that Sennecke is a bad player — in fact, he could be pretty good. The issue is a complete misunderstanding of draft capital and how to work the board.
Multiple teams wanted to move up into the Top 4 of this class where the elite NHL-ready players were. Not only did the Ducks manage to not take one of these top guys, but they also didn’t move back and get anything for it. When you shock everyone so much that even your top pick is stunned … well, it’s not a great sign.
Across their first three picks the Ducks were a -15 in their pick vs. consolidated rankings, meaning they consistently took players earlier than independent scouting projected. Now, this could mean they were right and everyone else is wrong — but that rarely plays out well.
Winner: Montreal Canadiens
The biggest benefactor of the Ducks going off script were the Canadiens, who got an absolute steal at No. 5 in Ivan Demidov. The No. 1 wing in this class, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see him go at No. 2 if the Blackhawks elected to go offense over defense.
Montreal really needed to find star-power in this class, and they did just that with both Demidov and Michael Hage. The Canadiens might need to wait a little while for Demidov to take the jump, but he’s going to be worth the weight. He’s been dominating the MHL as a true 18-year-old, finishing with 60 points in 30 games. If this can continue in the KHL we’re going to see a monster player in the pipeline who can finally turn this team’s fortunes around.
Winner: Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes consistently find a way to be competitive while also keeping their shelves stocked, and the 2024 NHL Draft was no different. While this will definitely be an offseason with a lot of change in Raleigh with Jake Guentzel set to sign with the Lightning, and Martin Necas being a wild card. Despite this the draft itself was a massive boon for the first test for the organizations since GM Don Waddell left to join the Blue Jackets.
Despite moving back in the draft multiple times, the Hurricanes still managed to be a +24 in their first three picks — getting massive value in their selections vs. consolidated rankings. This was really set up by selecting Nikita Artamonov with the No. 50 pick, despite being the 25th best player in ranking and the No. 29 on my board.
There was very real potential for Artamonov to be a Top 15 pick, and the Canes have the luxury to allow him to develop in Russia until it’s time to bring him over. A do-everything forward with legitimate 2nd line potential, we could see him being a future star.
Loser: TRADE ALERT
Having the NHL Draft in the Las Vegas Sphere made for some of the most incredible images in the history of the event. Unfortunately this also made for abject terror whenever a trade happened during the draft and the Sphere had a massive warning horn and the words “TRADE ALERT.”
It was enough to terrify everyone watching.
my therapist: “the 2024 nhl draft trade alert and horn are not real they can’t hurt you”
As the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix drew to a close, the fight was on.
A slow pit stop from Red Bull and Max Verstappen opened the door, and Lando Norris barged through the crack. When the two drivers came down pit lane for their final pit stops Verstappen enjoyed a lead of around seven seconds over his friend and rival, but problems on the left rear tire of Verstappen’s RB20 saw the stop last 6.5 seconds, an eternity in F1 terms.
McLaren answered with a stop of just 2.9 seconds, and as the two race leaders lumbered off of pit lane and back onto the track, Norris was within striking distance of Verstappen.
For over ten laps the two pushed themselves, and each other, to the limits. Norris briefly seized the lead for a moment, but with his overtake coming off the track he quickly surrendered the position back to Verstappen. As the two drivers were fighting on the track, they were taking their battle to the stewards via their teams, with both drivers griping about the conduct from their rival over the radio.
Finally, that simmering pot boiled over.
Norris got a run on Verstappen at the start of Lap 64 and seemed to have the edge heading into Turn 3, but as both drivers made the turn Verstappen looked to fend him off, and the two cars came together:
The result? A puncture for both drivers, and an opportunity for George Russell. The Mercedes driver seized the moment, taking the checkered flag for the second victory of his career, and was celebrating on the podium as both Norris and Verstappen licked their wounds.
Verstappen tumbled down to a fifth-place finish — a result that he maintained despite race stewards handing down a ten-second penalty for ruling that he caused the contact between the two — but Norris saw his race end, a bitter result given what seemed possible just moments prior.
Speaking after the race both drivers addressed the incident.
“I’m disappointed, nothing more than that, honestly,” Norris told Sky Sports F1. “It was a good race. I looked forward to probably I’d say just a fair battle, a strong fair battle. But I wouldn’t say that’s what it was in the end.
“Tough one to take. It was a mistake-free race from my side, and I feel like I did a good job but I got taken out of the race, so nothing more than that,” added Norris. “But it’s still a tough one to take when we’re fighting for the win and I’m trying to be fair from my side and he just wasn’t. That’s not what I’m thinking about. I don’t care about that now. I’m just gutted for the team.”
The McLaren driver also indicated that he expected stewards to intervene in the moments before the climactic collision.
“Yeah. I mean there’s a rule. You’re not allowed to react to the other driver and that’s what he did three times out of three. Two times I managed to avoid it and not lock up and run into him, and the third time he just ran into me,” continued Norris. “I was just trying to drive my race. He was clearly a lot slower at the end. He ruined his own race just as much as he ruined mine. There’s nothing more I can do. I did my best and it was good enough. Got ruined through not my own fault.”
On the other side of the clash the Red Bull driver offered his view of the incident.
“Of course from the outside it’s hard to see when I brake. I know in the past it was a bit of a complaint,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“Now I always move my wheel before I brake then you brake in a straight line trajectory. It’s always easy to say on the outside that I’m moving under the braking, but I think the guy in the car knows best what he’s doing,” continued Verstappen. “Everyone can have their own opinion but I’m the one driving. I’m in control. Of course, from the outside it’s easy to judge and comment but whatever, it’s what happens.”
Pressed on the incident, Verstappen indicated that he would speak with Norris to discuss the matter. “I need to look back at how or why we touched,” he said. “Of course, we will talk about it. It’s just unfortunate it happened.
“I felt like sometimes he dive-bombed so late on the brakes. One time he went straight. One time I had to go around otherwise we would have touched,” continued Verstappen. “I think it’s also the shape of the corner provides these kind of issues sometimes. I’ve had it also the other way around. It is what it is. It’s never nice to come together.”
The convergence at the front of the F1 grid these past few weeks has foreshadowed a moment like this between the two friends, who have now become rivals at the sharp end of the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings. And in many ways the struggle from Red Bull in the pits that opened the door to this climactic ending in Austria was foreshadowed in Miami by none other than Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur.
Speaking to the media, including SB Nation, in the Ferrari hospitality space in the hours after Lando Norris’ maiden F1 victory Vasseur noted how the increased pressure teams like Ferrari and McLaren were putting on Red Bull could lead to mistakes from the usually mistake-free operation.
“What is true is that compared to one year ago when we are able to do a good job and to put everything together, we are there, it means that we are putting [Red Bull] a little bit under pressure. They have to take to be a bit more aggressive with the strategy,” started Vasseur that Sunday night.
“They are not anymore in the comfort zone of last year when last year that doesn’t matter what’s happened after lap two, they were in front and it’s, I think it’s a game changer in the management of the race,” added Vasseur. “And this, it’s an opportunity for us because that if we are doing another small step, I think that we will be really in a position to fight with them every single weekend.”
Sunday’s slow pit stop from Red Bull, and the ensuing fight between Verstappen and Norris, is exactly what Vasseur was envisioning.
The incident between Norris and Verstappen will certainly be debated in the hours and days to come, but there is no rest for the weary as the grid heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix next weekend, the final race of a tripleheader. But what will be critical to watch over those coming hours and days will be how these two drivers respond going forward.
Will Sunday’s incident be just a flashpoint, or yet more foreshadowing of how the rest of the 2024 F1 season will unfold?
Akshay Bhatia put together another strong round at Detroit Golf Club to maintain his lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He signed for a bogey-free 5-under 67 to sit at 13-under total.
The two-time PGA Tour winner leads the morning wave by two shots as Taylor Montgomery and Troy Merritt sit at 11-under. Merritt fired off an 8-under 64 to move up 38 spots.
Bhatia did not make as many birdies but kept his scorecard clean for the second straight day. He began his day on the back nine and recorded three birdies. Two more birdies came at the 1st and 7th hole.
One of the wildest moments of the morning came at the par-5 17th when his ball rolled into a drain on the course.
“Never seen it. Rules official’s never seen it, so it was kind of one in a million chance that ball goes in that small hole in that drain, so it was pretty funny,” Bhatia said. “That’s probably the craziest [lost ball].”
Detroit Golf Club and left-handed golfers do generally not mix well, but Bhatia’s game is nearly perfect for this track.
“It’s a ball-striker’s golf course, a lot of wedges,” he said. “That’s my strong suit, especially inside, I would say, 150 yards, so I think that’s why I like this golf course. I don’t think there’s a difference lefty or righty.”
He currently leads the field in strokes gained total at +10.372 and in strokes gained approach to the green, picking up +5.666. The 22-year-old has also only missed three greens in the past two days.
This week will be about who can make the most birdies and avoid costly mistakes. After such a strong round, Bhatia built off that momentum.
“I feel like when you know you’re playing well, then you feel like you can hit all the golf shots that you need to hit to make a good golf score,” Bhatia said. “I think the difference in situations maybe it’s a little harder, but out here, you can easily make five, six, seven birdies.”
So far, he has 11 birdies, one eagle and 24 pars on the week. If the No. 29 ranked golfer avoids disaster and can keep down the pedal, his third career win and second after the Texas Open might be within reach.
With the afternoon groups left to play, Bhatia will have to wait and see if anyone matches his score and who will likely join him for Saturday’s final tee time.
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 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
The Los Angeles Lakers are selecting Bronny James with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, sources say. LeBron and Bronny James to become the first ever father-son duo to be in the NBA at the same time. pic.twitter.com/CyewBHNswz
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
Two months ago, 15-year-old Miles Russell set an incredible record, becoming the youngest player to make a cut in a Korn Ferry Tour event. He eventually finished in a tie for 20th at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, which earned him a spot in next week’s tournament.
He missed the cut despite posting a 4-under par score through 36 holes. But Russell made a lasting impression—so much so that the Rocket Mortgage Classic offered him a sponsor’s exemption to compete in this week’s event at the Detroit Golf Club.
“I was pretty much speechless at the time,” Russell said when he received the call that he would make his PGA Tour debut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
“It’s always been a dream to play at the highest level and compete with the best players in the world, and I get to do that this week. I am really looking forward to it.”
Russell has quite a resume. He broke par for the first time at the age of six and then finished second in the Drive, Chip, and Putt finals at Augusta National in 2018 at nine years old.
Since then, Russell has racked up numerous junior titles. He won the Junior PGA Championship last August by seven strokes and then added a Junior Players Championship title at TPC Sawgrass, where he won by three. As such, Russell won the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Player of the Year Award, becoming the youngest player ever to do so—besting Tiger Woods in the process. Speaking of Woods, Russell will join Charlie Woods at next month’s U.S. Junior Amateur, which will also take place in Michigan at Oakland Hills Country Club.
“I don’t know how to describe it other than just a rollercoaster, and it’s just been a rollercoaster of just fun,” Russell said.
“It all happened a little faster than I thought it might, but it’s just what happens when you have good play.”
Russell will undoubtedly continue to have fun this week at Detroit Golf Club, the host of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, regardless of the result. He said he will have to rely on his short game—his strong suit—to get around this tight golf course, but he also noted that staying disciplined will be critical.
“My goal is just to come out here and have fun,” Russell said.
“That’s my main goal: have fun, maybe learn something, and take something to my next event.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
The 2024 NBA Draft will look a little different than previous versions.
The league announced back in January that this year’s installment would play out over two days. The first round of the 2024 NBA Draft — officially known as the 2024 NBA Draft Presented by State Farm — will take place on Wednesday, June 26. The 2024 NBA Draft will conclude on Thursday with the second round.
The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the Brooklyn Nets, will be the site of the first round. ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York will host the second round.
In addition to the 2024 NBA Draft being spread out over two days, there is a slight tweak to the format. On the first night, teams will still have five minutes between draft picks. However, they will get a little more time during Thursday’s second round, as the time between selections has been doubled to four minutes.
Why the change to two nights? According to the league, it is a move to give the decision-makers a little more time while also “enhancing” the experience for fans.
“Based on feedback about the NBA Draft format from basketball executives around the league and my own experience in draft rooms, we believe that teams will benefit from being able to regroup between rounds and having additional time to make decisions during the second round,” said Joe Dumars, NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, earlier this month. “Two nights of primetime coverage will also enhance the viewing experience for our fans and further showcase the draftees.”
Here is how you can watch the 2024 NBA Draft, and what you should watch for.
How to watch
NBA fans have several ways they can watch the 2024 NBA Draft.
Round 1: Wednesday, June 26 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN/ESPN+
Round 2: Thursday, June 27 | 4:00 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
According to the NBA Thursday’s coverage “ … will include a comprehensive review of the first round and in-depth storytelling about the draftees.” You can also follow along with the 2024 NBA Draft on ESPN Radio.
Major storylines of the 2024 NBA Draft
So that is how you can watch, but what are the major storylines?
The first storyline is that this draft class lacks a consensus No. 1 prospect. Unlike recent NBA Drafts — like last season when it was clear that Victor Wembyama was going to be the first player selected — the race for No. 1 is wide open. Zaccharie Risacher from France is at the moment the consensus No. 1 selection by the Atlanta Hawks — coming off the board first-overall on approximately 60% of mock drafts according to NBA Mock Draft Database — but it is by no means a guarantee that the swingman from France will go first. Other options for the first-overall selection include Risacher’s countryman Alex Sarr, as the 7-footer is seeing a bit of a pre-draft climb, Kentucky guard Reed Shepard, and Connecticut Huskies Donovan Clingan and Stephon Castle.
In our most recent NBA Mock Draft, we had Clingan coming off the board first overall.
Another major storyline?
Bronny James.
The guard out of USC has eschewed pre-draft workouts, a strategy that his agent Rich Paul says is “by design.” This approach has been highlighted as perhaps Paul trying to steer James to a particular destination, something we outlined is par for the course when it comes to the NBA Draft.
And of course, there is the potential for James to land with his father, LeBron, in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Certainly, something to monitor.
Also, where does Ron Holland land? For a time it looked as if Holland might be the top player in this draft, but a stint in the G League seems to have put a dent in his draft stock.
We will have answers to these questions and more in just a few short days.
NBA Draft rankings big board for 2024
Check out Ricky O’Donnell’s top-60 NBA Draft big board for the 2024 class. Read our latest NBA mock draft here.
After three straight weeks of non-stop action at the Memorial, the U.S. Open, and the Travelers Championship, the PGA Tour heads to the Midwest for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Rickie Fowler prevailed in a playoff over Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa a year ago, as all three players finished at 24-under-par at the end of the final round. Expect a birdie barrage again this year at Detroit Golf Club, a Donald Ross design that PGA Tour pros seem to attack year in and year out.
Since the tournament’s inception in 2019, the average winner has been 23.2 strokes under par, with only one player finishing higher than 20 under: Cameron Davis, who, in 2021, won in a playoff at 18 under.
Like TPC River Highlands in Connecticut, this golf course plays into ball-strikers’ hands. That said, unlike what we saw at the Travelers Championship, this course does not have many lateral hazards and penalty areas. Bombers can bomb and gouge it around the property without hesitation, using their length to set up better opportunities. That helps explain why Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, and Davis have all won here.
But at the end of the day, this event will come down to putting. You need to putt well to post a low score, and whoever can consistently do that over four days will win in Detroit.
Rickie Fowler and his caddie celebrate their win at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.Photo by Brian Spurlock/Getty Images
Rocket Mortgage Classic Odds
Here are the current odds for players to win in Michigan this week, provided by DraftKings.
Tom Kim +1200
Cameron Young +1400
Min Woo Lee +2000
Akshay Bhatia +2000
Will Zalatoris +3000
Stephan Jaeger +3000
Maverick McNealy +3000
Keith Mitchell +3000
Alex Noren +3000
Taylor Pendrith +4000
Robert MacIntyre +4000
Davis Thompson +4000
Aaron Rai +4000
Rickie Fowler +4500
Michael Thorbjornsen +4500
Erik van Rooyen +4500
Taylor Moore +5000
Ryan Fox +5000
Chris Kirk +5000
Nicolai Højgaard +5000
The clubhouse at Detroit Golf Club during the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Rocket Mortgage Classic Insight, Predictions
Tom Kim continues to shine
Fresh off a solid performance at the Travelers Championship, where he fell just short to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff, Tom Kim arrives in Michigan for his ninth straight start on the PGA Tour.
He also arrives as the favorite, an exciting development for the young man who recently turned 22. But he deserves to have odds this low at +1200 to win. This golf course is not long by tour standards, and Kim does not have the length many of his peers possess. Instead, he relies heavily on his short-to-mid irons, an attribute that was on full display in Connecticut. He ranked third in strokes gained on approach in Cromwell.
Of course, ball-striking is meaningless if you cannot convert those birdie opportunities. He will have to hole some putts to give himself a chance again, but Kim’s putter worked well for him last week, ranking 20th in strokes gained with the putter. Sure, he could have made a few more, but overall, his game is in solid form. He has not missed a cut since the Valero Texas Open and has two top-five finishes in the past month.
We like him to post his third top-five this week in Detroit at +320.
Cameron Young continues to rise from slump, and contend
Before Friday’s second round at the Travelers Championship, where he shot a 4-under 66, Cameron Young had 10 straight rounds in the 70s dating back to his missed cut at the RBC Canadian Open. Of those 10, Young posted only one score of even par or better, a second-round 72 at the Memorial.
But something clicked for him in Connecticut. After his Friday 66, Young fired a historic 59, vaulting himself into contention going into the final day. He then began Sunday’s round with four straight birdies, leading many to ask if he could shoot another sub-60 score on back-to-back days. Alas, that mantra was short-lived, as he wound up with another 66 on Sunday.
Cameron Young at the 2024 Travelers Championship.Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Still, Young recorded a tie for ninth, his best finish since the Masters.
Now, he heads to Michigan with some confidence, as he will compete in the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the first time since 2022, when he tied for second. He has the length to bomb it all over Detroit Golf Club, and we like his short-iron play and wedge game to show up again. Give us Young to finish in the top five at +360.
Young Gun Lurks
Michael Thorbjornsen got a taste of the big stage last week in New England in his professional debut. The former Stanford Cardinal, who earned his PGA Tour card via the PGA Tour University rankings, played well, all things considered. The Wellesley, Massachusetts native tied for 39th as he fired a 6-under 64 during round two and a 4-under 66 on day three to post a respectable finish.
But we like him to play even better this week. Thorbjornsen oozes confidence, much like Ludvig Åberg this time a year ago. If you recall, Åberg played alongside Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald at last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. The young Swede impressed the European captain, as Donald compared him to a young Rory McIlroy. Of course, only a few months later, Donald selected Åberg to join the team, a testament to his meteoric rise into the top 10 of the world.
Granted, this is not to say that Thorbjornsen will have a similar experience, but he does boast a ton of talent. He can hit the ball a mile and has a nifty short game. So we believe that he will post his first top-10 finish as a pro, doing so at a +500 price.
2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Champion is…
In my U.S. Open Dark Horses piece, I selected Alex Noren as one of my picks. At the time, his game was trending in the right direction, fresh off a tie for 12th at the PGA Championship. He had missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open, his first of the year, but rebounded with a tie for 22nd at the Memorial. Hence, I figured Noren’s ball-striking acumen would serve him well at Pinehurst No. 2.
I was wrong. Noren missed the cut, as he could not garner any momentum at the U.S. Open. But he has not played anywhere since then.
Now, Noren, who ranks ninth on the PGA Tour in overall strokes gained, will show up in Michigan well-rested and ready to go. He also plays well at Detroit Golf Club, recording a T-4 in 2021 and a T-9 in 2023, with six of those eight rounds being in the 60s.
Noren may not make many birdies, which could hinder his chances this week, but the 41-year-old Swede rarely makes mistakes—a much more critical factor. He ranks third on the PGA Tour in bogey avoidance and third in overall scrambling, two facets that help at any golf tournament.
So, give me Noren to win this week at +3000, as Sweden will have its first winner on the PGA Tour in 2024.
For all other sports betting content, check out SB Nation’s DraftKings site.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThroughfor more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
The PGA Tour is in Cromwell, Connecticut, for the eighth and final Signature Event of the season: the Travelers Championship.
TPC River Highlands, a Robert J. Moss and Maurice Kearney course, will play as host. This tournament will not feature a cut as 71 players battle for a piece of the $20 million purse.
Here is the one-stop information shop for the Travelers Championship.
Travelers Championship:
Where: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut (Par-70, 6,852-yards)
When: Jun. 20-23rd
Purse: $20,000,000/$4,000,000 (First Place)
FedEx Cup Points: 700
Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
How to Watch The Travelers Championship
Golf Channel and CBS will share the television coverage. Check out the full schedule below:
Thursday, June 20: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Friday, June 21: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)
Saturday, June 22: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3:00-6 p.m. ET (CBS)
Sunday, June 23: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3:00-6 p.m. ET (CBS)
How to Stream The Travelers Championship
ESPN+ will exclusively air early round and featured group coverage all four days of the Travelers Championship. Peacock will have simulcasts of the Golf Channel’s broadcast.
Coverage on Peacock can be streamed here.
In addition, fans can tune into CBS Sports streaming service Paramount+ while CBS airs its third and final round broadcasts.
The Travelers Championship Preview:
Coming off a dramatic U.S. Open week, the best of the PGA Tour is in Connecticut for the final Signature Event of the year.
Defending champion Keegan Bradley won his sixth PGA Tour event here in 2023. He also broke the tournament record by one stroke.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is coming off one of his weakest performances at Pinehurst No. 2, but he remains one of the many heavy hitters who headline this event.
Xander Schauffele is also in the field as the PGA Championship winner finished strong at Pinehurst.
Ludvig Åberg struggled at Pinehurst throughout the weekend, but this TPC River Highlands track fits his game well. Last year, he was one of four sponsor exemptions in the field, and now, heading into this event, the Swedish phenom is a PGA Tour winner.
He tied for 24th in 2023, going 67-65-65-70 through four days of play. Åberg’s game is in a good spot coming off the U.S. Open, so watch out for him to make moves this week.
Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, and many other top players will tee it up this week in New England as they all fight to take home that hefty $4 million first-place price.
This week will be interesting as most of the field is coming off a major championship. Will fatigue affect some of the biggest names in golf?
The Travelers Championship Round 1 Tee Times (ET):
(All go off the first tee)
8:05 a.m. — Chris Gotterup
8:15 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Jake Knapp
8:25 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry
8:35 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez
8:45 a.m. — Davis Riley, Rickie Fowler
8:55 a.m. — Lee Hodges, Eric Cole
9:05 a.m. — Brian Harman, Tom Hoge
9:15 a.m. — Nick Taylor, Harris English
9:25 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Seamus Power
9:40 a.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Mackenzie Hughes
9:50 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Sraka
10:00 a.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston
10:10 a.m. — Cameron Young, Patrick Rodgers
10:20 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley
10:30 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa
10:40 a.m. — Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth
10:50 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas
11:00 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Adam Scott
11:15 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Ben Griffin
11:25 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Webb Simpson
11:35 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout
11:45 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam
11:55 a.m. — Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An
12:05 p.m. — Si Woo Kim, Adam Svensson
12:15 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin
12:25 p.m. — Tom Kim, Corey Conners
12:35 p.m. — Justin Rose, Adam Schenk
12:50 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im
1:00 p.m. — Russell Henley, Denny McCarthy
1:10 p.m. — Cam Davis, Brendon Todd
1:20 p.m. — Lucas glover, Tommy Fleetwood
1:30 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
1:40 p.m. — Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay
1:50 p.m. — Xander Schauffele, Matthieu Pavon
2:00 p.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen
2:10 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Stephan Jaeger
The Travelers Championship Round 2 Tee Times (ET):
(All go off the first tee)
8:05 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Ben Griffin
8:15 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Webb Simpson
8:25 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout
8:35 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam
8:45 a.m. — Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An
8:55 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Adam Svensson
9:05 a.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin
9:15 a.m. — Tom Kim, Corey Conners
9:25 a.m. — Justin Rose, Adam Schenk
9:40 a.m. — Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im
9:50 a.m. — Russell Henley, Denny McCarthy
10:00 a.m. — Cam Davis, Brendon Todd
10:10 a.m. — Lucas glover, Tommy Fleetwood
10:20 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland
10:30 a.m. — Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay
10:40 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Matthieu Pavon
10:50 a.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen
11:00 a.m. — Billy Horschel, Stephan Jaeger
11:15 a.m. — Chris Gotterup
11:25 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Jake Knapp
11:35 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry
11:45 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez
11:55 a.m. — Davis Riley, Rickie Fowler
12:05 p.m. — Lee Hodges, Eric Cole
12:15 p.m. — Brian Harman, Tom Hoge
12:25 p.m. — Nick Taylor, Harris English
12:35 p.m. — Taylor Moore, Seamus Power
12:45 p.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Mackenzie Hughes
12:55 p.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Sraka
1:10 p.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston
1:20 p.m. — Cameron Young, Patrick Rodgers
1:30 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley
1:40 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa
1:50 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth
2:00 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas
2:10 p.m. — Nick Dunlap, Adam Scott
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.
Eight teams are on their way to Omaha for the 2024 Men’s College World Series.
Only one will earn the right to be called a National Champion.
A field that began with 64 teams in pursuit of a dream has been trimmed to eight, and now those final teams have been split into two brackets. On one side of the tournament you have North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida State. The other finds NC State, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas A&M.
That’s right, eight teams representing just two conferences, the SEC and the ACC.
Later this week the eight teams will head to Omaha to begin the final two stages of the Men’s College World Series, starting with a pair of double elimination tournaments to trim the field to the final two, and then a best-of-three series to crown a champion.
Here are the teams, the brackets, the full schedule, how to watch, and more.
Finalists
Here are the eight finalists, listed in order of their ranking heading into the NCAA Men’s Baseball Tournament.
(1) Tennessee (2) Kentucky (3) Texas A&M (4) North Carolina (8) Florida State (10) NC State (12) Virginia Florida
As you can see, seven of the eight teams were among the ranked 16 teams when the field of 64 began play. Only one team — Florida — survived to this point as an unranked team.
Format and Brackets
The NCAA Men’s Baseball Tournament follows something of a hybrid model, beginning with a double-elimination tournament (the Regionals) and then a best-of-three series (the Super Regionals).
The Men’s College World Series uses both over the final two segments. In the Men’s College World Series the eight teams are divided into two brackets, and play a double-elimination tournament. A winner emerges from each bracket, and those two teams meet in the Men’s College World Series Final, which is a best-of-three series.
Bracket 1
The first bracket consists of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida State.
Bracket 2
The second bracket consists of Florida, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and NC State.
You can see the full bracket here:
Men’s College World Series schedule and results
Friday, June 14
Game 1: North Carolina 3, Virginia 2
Game 2: Tennessee 12, Florida State 11
Saturday, June 15
Game 3: Kentucky vs. NC State | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Game 4: Texas A&M vs. Florida | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Sunday, June 16
Game 5: Virginia vs. Florida State | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Game 6: UNC vs. Tennessee | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Monday, June 17
Game 7: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Tuesday, June 18
Game 9: TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Game 10: TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Wednesday June 19
Game 11: TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Game 12: TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Thursday, June 20
Game 13 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. ET | TBD
Game 14 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. ET | TBD
Men’s College World Series Final schedule and results
Saturday, June 22
Game 1: TBD vs. TBS | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
Sunday, June 23
Game 2: TBD vs. TBS | 2:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+
Monday, June 24
Game 3 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBS | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
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