HOUSTON — The Atlanta Braves held a subdued celebration when they clinched a playoff berth Friday night after missing out last season.
The first-place Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 to punch their ticket to the postseason for the eighth time in nine years. They secured at least a National League wild card and reduced their magic number to three for winning the NL East.
Afterward there was no wild celebration, but rather a simple toast with bubbly before they began looking ahead.
“We’ve got our eyes on bigger and better things,” outfielder Michael Harris II said. “We’re trying to win the East. So got to go out there and do what we know we can do and hopefully we can celebrate big for that.”
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First-year manager Walt Weiss echoed the sentiment shared by Harris.
“Everything you get in this league is earned,” Weiss said. “I’ve said it a few times this year, but great group, what they’ve overcome this year, and hopefully some bigger celebrations ahead.”
Harris, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson each hit a two-run homer to help the Braves bounce back after dropping two of three games to the Chicago Cubs this week.
Atlanta is trying to hold off the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East title and could wrap up the division crown as soon as Sunday. Atlanta’s win Friday night coupled with Philadelphia’s 6-3 loss to the Mets gave the Braves a five-game lead over the Phillies with eight to play.
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Weiss was asked about helping the team back to the playoffs in his first season as manager after spending eight seasons as Brian Snitker’s bench coach.
“I always say it’s always about the players,” Weiss said. “They’re the ones out there performing. We’ve got a good staff. When you accomplish things, it’s an organizational effort. … It takes everybody and we’ve got a really good group.”
If the Braves take the division, it will be their seventh NL East championship in nine years.
Atlanta’s return to the playoffs comes after a disappointing 2025 season in which the team went 76-86 and finished fourth in the division, snapping a streak of seven straight playoff appearances that included six consecutive NL East titles from 2018-23. That run was highlighted by beating the Astros to win the 2021 World Series.
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Friday’s victory gave the Braves 90 wins, marking the fifth time in the last eight full seasons that they’ve reached the mark. The only teams with more 90-win seasons in that stretch are the Dodgers with eight and the Brewers and Yankees with six apiece.
PurplePTSD works in partnership with Vikings Territory, similarly doing their utmost to offer top-notch coverage of the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, we’re promoting five of their top articles of the past month in “The P/PTSD Perspective.” Take a peek at some of their best stuff.
Sep 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. (33) pushes for a touchdown during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
2) Vikings Announce Multiple Roster Moves: GM Nolan Teasley is somebody who is keen to uplift the talent beyond just the 53-man roster. An NFL football season inevitably involves injuries. Part of the process for the front office is to ensure the practice squad is nourished with ample talent to be ready for games.
Sep 13, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (1) drops back to make a pass during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images – Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
4) A Surprise Vikings Player Snags Major Praise: Seeing Justin Jefferson go off has a way of capturing the headlines. Likewise, Dallas Turner did tremendously well, leading to no shortage of praise. Consider somebody different.
Aug 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell reacts with cornerback Tavierre Thomas (37) before the game against the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Arsenal fans were overjoyed after three players were named together for the first time in the starting lineup for their Premier League fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion. The inclusion of star midfielders Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in the Gunners’ starting lineup created a wave of excitement among their fans.
While Rice and Odegaard have been staples in Arsenal’s midfield for the last few years, Guimaraes was signed from Newcastle United for a reported £75 million fee earlier this summer. The Brazilian suffered an injury on his debut for the North Londoners – a 3-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield – and has made four substitute appearances since.
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Fortunately for the defending Premier League champions, Guimaraes seems to have recovered completely and is set to start in their EPL clash against Brighton. Supporters took to X to express their excitement about seeing the 28-year-old in the middle of the park alongside Rice and Odegaard.
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One fan wrote:
“First game we will have Rice, Guimaraes and Odegaard starting. I hope it clicks.”
Another claimed:
“This midfield, handover the Premier League to me already.”
A supporter asserted:
“Rice-Bruno-Odegaard, we’ve got this.”
Another remarked:
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“Brighton aren’t ready for this.”
A fan simply wrote:
“The big 3.”
Arsenal have kicked their Premier League title defense off in style, scoring eight and conceding just one goal en route to four wins in their first four league encounters. Mikel Arteta will be hoping to build on the momentum and secure another positive result against Brighton, a game that will be played at the Amex Stadium on Saturday (September 19).
“We know what we’ve got” – Manager speaks out on reported Arsenal transfer target’s status at current club
Fabio Ingolitsch, the manager of Austrian side SK Sturm Graz, has responded to the rumours linking youngster Luca Weinhandl with a move to Premier League giants Arsenal.
A central midfielder by nature, the 17-year-old can also play as a wide midfielder on both flanks. In his 25 senior appearances for Sturm Graz thus far, he has bagged two goals and an assist and caught the attention of several top clubs across Europe.
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The Daily Briefing first reported Arsenal‘s interest in Weinhandl, claiming that they are planning to make a move in the January transfer window. Speaking to Krone, however, Ingolitsch claimed that he is not worried about the wonderkid being prised away despite the speculations.
The Austrian tactician said (via Caught Offside):
“These days, you can feed so much information to people that rumours start to circulate. We don’t care. We know what we’ve got in Luca. He’s a highly talented player who, at 17, plays as if he’s already played, I don’t know how many international matches. He’s a very special lad; we know that, and yet we can all put it into perspective, we’re very happy that he’s with us. He’ll be a huge help to us this year.”
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal pursue a move for Weinhandl in the winter transfer window.
It’s a huge game for LSU and particularly coach Lane Kiffin. This is his first game in Oxford since leaving Ole Miss amid their best season in program history in 2025, so Vaught–Hemingway Stadium will be filled with bad blood. The Tigers will certainly need Leavitt, the former Arizona State star and top transfer quarterback, who’s coming off a rough three-interception game against the Bulldogs.
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Here’s what we know about Leavitt’s status.
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Is Sam Leavitt playing tonight?
It appears so. Leavitt was not listed on the SEC availability report Friday, indicating he’ll be suiting up Saturday night in Oxford. ESPN is reporting he’ll start. Mystery solved.
Football legend Zinedine Zidane says that Kylian Mbappe will be his France captain. Zidane named his first squad since being appointed head coach of France’s national football team. His first matches in charge will be against Turkey and Belgium. Details by Nick Rushworth.
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Atletico Madrid midfielder Morten Hjulmand expects another fiercely contested Madrid derby when Diego Simeone’s side host Real Madrid on September 20 in LALIGA, but believes Atletico’s experienced players will be crucial in handling the pressure of one of Spanish football’s biggest fixtures. Talking to FanCode, the official broadcaster of LALIGA in India, The Danish midfielder acknowledged that the scale of Atletico’s task is significant, particularly given Real Madrid’s attacking quality, but dismissed the prospect of another high-scoring derby such as Atletico’s 5-2 victory over Real in the past.
“It’s unusual to get a win like this in a derby because it’s always very even. We almost never see this kind of result in the derbies,” Hjulmand said. “To win 5-2, that will be difficult. But our objective is, of course, to win at home against a very good opponent.”
For Hjulmand, pressure is an unavoidable part of representing Atletico, regardless of the opponent or competition. The midfielder said the team has experienced that pressure throughout the season, including in matches against Osasuna, Real Sociedad and Liverpool.
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“When you’re a player of Atletico, you always have pressure, no matter who you are going to play and which competition it is,” he said. “That’s a part of the game.”
Hjulmand believes Atletico’s experienced core can help the team navigate the intensity of the derby. He highlighted captain Koke, goalkeeper Jan Oblak and other long-serving members of the squad, along with the coaching staff, as important sources of guidance for the younger players.
“They’re used to dealing with these kinds of games and this kind of pressure,” Hjulmand said. “They are good to share advice with other players because they experienced it themselves. So, of course, when they open their mouths, you listen to what they have to say.”
The 27-year-old is also under no illusion about the threat posed by Real Madrid’s attack. Hjulmand pointed to the individual quality throughout their forward line and warned that Real possess players capable of changing a game on their own.
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“They have world-class players in their offensive, in every position,” he said. “They will for sure create chances and be dangerous also against us. We have to prevent as many chances as possible, but we know with the quality they have, it will be tough.”
Hjulmand was unwilling to reveal Atletico’s specific tactical plan for dealing with Real’s attacking threat, saying that those details would remain within the dressing room.
“We will analyse it inside the dressing room. And then I hope you will see the output on Sunday,” he said.
The midfielder also reflected on training under Diego Simeone and the increased intensity he has experienced since moving to Atletico from Sporting CP. According to Hjulmand, the demands of both training and matches have risen, with the greater intensity and quality of La Liga requiring a different approach.
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“His focus on the training is to train well, because if you train well, you play well,” Hjulmand said, referring to the demands of his coaching environment. “So, there has been a difference, of course. La Liga is a stronger league than the Portuguese league.”
Hjulmand also noted a tactical difference between his former club and Atletico. At Sporting, he said, his side was more dominant in possession and generally able to control matches, whereas Atletico faced opponents capable of imposing themselves on the game.
“Here we have stronger teams and teams that also can dominate the games as well,” he said. “So, it’s different, yes, but way more intense in the training and the games than in Portugal.”
The midfielder, who has previously spoken about the importance of regular playing time for young footballers, reiterated his belief that consistent minutes are more valuable for development than immediately joining a bigger club without a guaranteed role.
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“For young players, always seek playing time. That is the best advice I can give,” Hjulmand said. “If you are going to join a team where you can play as many games as possible, 90 minutes every week, make mistakes, learn from them, win, that will take you very far.”
He believes spending time at a lower level can ultimately provide a stronger foundation for a player’s career.
“I prefer to play in a lower team, start lower, but then play 90 minutes every week,” he added.
As for his own role in Sunday’s derby, Hjulmand identified balance as one of his key strengths. With the match likely to feature intense duels and transitions, he believes his ability to provide stability in midfield could prove important.
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“One of my best skills as a midfielder is the balance I bring to the team,” Hjulmand said. “In a game like this, where the intensity is very high and you have many duels, I think my balance can help the team.”
And against a Real Madrid side renowned for its ability to exploit space in transition, Hjulmand knows that discipline will be particularly important.
“Hopefully not give Real so many transitions, where we know they are very, very strong,” he said.
Atletico Madrid host Real Madrid on September 20 with the derby once again set to provide a test of Atletico’s defensive organisation, midfield control and ability to handle the pressure that Hjulmand believes comes naturally with playing for the club.
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Neeraj Chopra Wins Silver, Yashvir Singh Bronze As India Seal Double Podium In CWG Javelin
The organisational troubles around India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign continue to grow, as after athletes who have landed in Aichi-Nagoya faced accommodation issues, the Indian men’s cricket team is dealing with a kit delay ahead of its departure for Japan.
The Shreyas Iyer-led side is scheduled to leave New Delhi in the early hours of Sunday, but some members of the squad are still awaiting correctly sized official kits. The issue has led to repeated communication between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and JSW Inspire, the IOA’s kit supplier. Most of the sizing problems have been resolved, with only a few players still waiting for their kits.
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India team needs two sets of kits
The sizing problem has emerged partly because the Indian players require two different sets of jerseys during their stay in Japan.
The team will wear its regular India kit for the one-off T20I against Japan on September 22 before switching to the official Asian Games jersey for the men’s competition.
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India’s campaign at the Games begins with the quarter-finals on September 28, giving the squad less than a week between the T20I and its opening Asian Games match.
The latest issue comes after a separate kit-related problem affected India’s preparations for the opening ceremony. Shot putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor was replaced as one of India’s flag-bearers after his official ceremonial kit did not reach him in time. Kabaddi player Pawan Sehrawat was named as his replacement alongside Manu Bhaker.
BCCI changes accommodation plan
The kit issue is not the only logistical concern involving the men’s cricket team. The BCCI has now made separate accommodation arrangements for the men’s squad in Nagoya after concerns over the rooms allocated through the Games’ organisers. According to a media report from news agency PTI, the rooms provided to the men’s team did not have sufficient space even to keep the players’ cricket kit bags.
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The move represents a change from the position outlined by BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla earlier this month. On September 8, Shukla had said the cricketers would stay in the designated accommodation arranged by the Asian Games organisers. He said the BCCI had reviewed photographs and videos of the rooms and considered them comfortable, although they were not five-star properties.
At the time, Shukla said Nagoya’s limited supply of top-rated hotels was a major factor behind the decision. The board had also considered accommodation in Tokyo and Osaka, but both were around one-and-a-half hours away by bullet train.
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The original plan was for the cricketers to stay in designated hotels in Nagoya, with players receiving individual rooms rather than twin-sharing accommodation.
The latest decision means the men’s and women’s cricket teams will have different accommodation arrangements. The women’s team continues to stay in accommodation arranged through the IOA.
Playing facilities had also raised concerns
Accommodation was not the only issue previously discussed by the BCCI. Shukla had said earlier that the board’s bigger concern was the quality of the cricket facilities, particularly the ground, wickets and dressing rooms. An Asian Cricket Council team inspected the facilities and, according to Shukla, was satisfied with the arrangements.
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The cricket teams are also entering a Games environment where accommodation arrangements have come under wider scrutiny. Aichi-Nagoya does not have a conventional Athletes’ Village, with participants being housed across hotels, temporary accommodation and a cruise ship. Several contingents have reported issues involving room allocations, cramped spaces and transport.
India’s Chef de Mission Sahdev Yadav has also acknowledged an accommodation shortage affecting the Indian contingent, with additional rooms having to be arranged after the number of rooms available to the delegation was reduced.
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Women’s team already through to semi-finals
While the men’s side is still completing its preparations, India’s women’s team has already secured a medal in Nagoya.
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Harmanpreet Kaur’s side defeated hosts Japan by eight wickets in the quarter-final on Friday. Shree Charani claimed four wickets before Shafali Verma smashed an unbeaten 40 off 15 balls to help India chase down 58 in five overs.
India will face Bangladesh in the semi-final on September 20. The bronze-medal match and final are scheduled for September 22.
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Men’s campaign begins with quarter-final
The men’s cricket competition begins with the group stage on September 24. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal are in Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman form Group B.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have received direct entry into the quarter-finals. India will face the runners-up from Group A on September 28.
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The semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, followed by the bronze-medal match and final on October 3.
India are the defending men’s champions, having won gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
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For the Shreyas Iyer-led side, the immediate priority is to complete the remaining kit deliveries before Sunday’s departure. The team will then play Japan in the September 22 T20I before turning its attention to the Asian Games quarter-final six days later.
Admitting to negotiating favourable deals against Chris Eubank Jr, Eddie Hearn is unsure that Conor Benn would have the same success against his domestic rival on a fairer playing field.
The two Brits were initially supposed to collide in 2022, only for Benn to test positive for banned substance clomifene and cause their showdown to be cancelled.
Their rivalry was then revisited in 2025 and, following a Fight of the Year contender, Eubank managed to emerge with a unanimous decision victory.
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The naturally bigger man was, of course, heavily favoured to win but, due the rehydration clause in their contract, he could not exceed the 170lb limit on the morning of their contest.
One can only imagine the impact this had on the middleweight’s performance but, during their rematch later that year, Eubank certainly seemed a severely depleted version of his typical self.
Since then, ‘The Destroyer’ has united with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing but, while he was still with Matchroom, Hearn admits to having negotiated the best possible advantage for his man.
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Speaking with The Stomping Ground, the Matchroom boss confessed that he is now unsure of Benn’s chances in a potential trilogy bout with Eubank.
“When you talk about the rehydration [clause], when you talk about the weight [160lbs], we did our job to get the best possible edge [against] Chris Eubank.
“If Conor fought him at 168[lbs], with no rehydration clause, could he beat Eubank? I don’t know.”
With Benn coming off a second-round stoppage defeat to Ryan Garcia, the 29-year-old is likely to campaign at either middle or super-middleweight, where a trilogy clash with Eubank could soon be explored.
Ed. note: Thirteen years ago, I visited legendary teaching pro Bob Toski in Boca Raton, Fla. The goal: spend a day with the PGA of America Hall of Famer, at his home and on the range, to better understand what kept his mind sharp and his motor running. Toski was 87 then, and still crackling with energy and chat. If you’d told me then he’d live to 100, I would have believed you. That’s how vivacious he was. Well, Toski made it. On Friday, he hit the century mark, and still is flashing his trademark pep. According to a PGA Tour report, Toski is hosting his own birthday party, where he’s planning to tap dance for his guests. In honor of Toski’s 100th, we’ve re-published GOLF Magazine’s 2013 interview with him below.
Excerpted from the October 2013 issue of GOLF Magazine. For access to theentire GOLF Magazine archive, join InsideGOLF today.
***
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You don’t have to snoop for long around Bob Toski’s Boca Raton, Fla., home to realize that the 87-year-old teaching icon has really lived. A samurai sword rests in a sheath in the foyer, a vestige of the years Toski spread his gospel in Japan. Adorning the hallway: framed photos of Toski at the 1954 U.S. Open at Baltusrol and on the first tee at the 1955 Masters with his dear friend Sam Snead. On a kitchen wall, another treasured snapshot: of Toski’s late wife, Lynn. “She was a model,” Toski says, beaming.
And look! There’s Hogan, one of Toski’s two cats, named for the ball-beating legend Toski idolized and eventually befriended. (Well, sort of. More on that later.) And, of course, there’s Toski himself, a 5’7″ firecracker, bursting with stories and learnings and an apparent immunity to the ravages of aging. “I don’t give a f— how old I am,” he barks. “God gave me energy, he gave me a mind, he gave me a body and said, ‘Use the thing. Use it till it wears itself out and then I’ll take you up to heaven and put you on my throne.’”
Colorful, confident and unabashedly candid — that’s Toski. Here’s more from the five-time PGA Tour winner and Hall of Fame instructor, including why teaching is an art, who he admires and how he handled the cheating allegations that rocked his senior tour career.
Bob Toski pictured in 2008.
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You like to say you’re the best 87-year-old golfer in the world. If we went out and played today, what would you shoot?
Well, I shot 75 last week — how is that? When you turn 87, go shoot 75 and then talk to me. You’ll say, “That is fantastic!”
Who’s the second-best 87-year-old golfer in the world?
I don’t know, and I don’t care. But if someone wants to play me for some money, let’s start a little $15,000 Nassau. I can afford to gamble $15K…$30K…$40K! That’s what all these great [golf-loving] athletes do. They have big egos and they think they can play.
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If a 15-handicapper challenged you to a money match, how many strokes would you give him or her?
You won’t get me into that deal, ’cause every handicapper I play with is a cheater. I have been hustled before and seen so many people lie about their handicaps. If you’re a legitimate 15, then I’d give you 15 shots, and we’ll both play from our respective normal tees.
How far can you hit it on a good day?
About 250. I can carry it probably 230 and if I can get some run, I’m fine. I try to put topspin on the ball. I hook it, which is something I never used to do. I have a two-degree closed driver. The minute I see that closed face, I know I can hook it. As I always say, an ounce of touch is worth a ton of brawn, and if you don’t find it, you’ll be there till dawn.
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What’s the biggest fix needed in golf instruction today?
You can’t teach golf the way they’re teaching it these days. Everybody says that the body controls the swing. The body doesn’t even touch the club — how can it control the swing? The swing starts in the hands. The minute you hold a club in your hand, you feel like you have control of something.
So control and precision have taken a backseat to the power game?
Exactly. Today’s players don’t know where they’re aiming and swinging. They’re swinging so fast that they can’t square the clubface. They are one-dimensional: Bomb it, find it, hit a wedge, make the putt. Teaching players to become three-dimensional is a lost art. Players can’t curve the ball anymore. They aren’t shotmakers.
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You’ve influenced countless golfers. Who influenced you?
Seymour Dunn [the noted designer and author] would be up there. I didn’t realize what a great teacher he was until I read “Golf Fundamentals.” The book was so sound and sensible that I made it almost my bible. But I’ve read every book that [Jack] Nicklaus has written and [Ben] Hogan wrote. You name it—I’ve got a whole library. In the present day, I’ve admired Hank Haney, Butch [Harmon] and Eddie Merrins, who I’ve always thought was an underrated teacher. All these guys teach fundamentals, not something that’s off the wall.
You’ve taught some great players — Tom Kite, Judy Rankin — but your best rags-to-riches story might be Birdie Kim, who came out of nowhere to win the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open.
She had one of the best swings I’ve ever seen. I needed to teach her how to score. I told her, “We’re going to play every day, and you can’t beat me.” And I’d beat her. I’d shoot 69 and she would shoot 71. I’d shoot 70 and she would shoot 72. But all along I was giving her playing lessons: how to hit bunker shots, read greens. She was getting better, but she wasn’t getting the ball home. I told her, “Birdie, if you can beat me, I’ll give you $20.” All of a sudden, I shoot 70, she shoots 69!
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Money motivates.
Right, and I had pissed her off. You can’t beat me? I’m over the hill! I aggravate my students so they play better. It’s called tough love. I finally told her, “You’ll have to beat me tomorrow.” And she did. I knew then she was ready.
I aggravate my students so they play better. It’s called tough love.
Bob Toski
She was. At the Open, she holed out from a bunker on the 72nd hole to win by one. What ever happened to her?
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After she won, she gave my wife and I two watches. They were knockoffs, fakes. I hardly ever saw her again after the Open. I told her, “I’m your best friend; I made you a champion! Your first victory was a major. You need to stick with me.” But [she] left me. Now check her career. She plays on some satellite tour [the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s development circuit]. How can someone with a great swing, fundamentally a 10, lose it? She’s naive. That’s the story of Birdie Kim. She could have been a great player.
Another of your students, Ken Duke, finally won his first PGA Tour event earlier this year, at 43, beating Chris Stroud in a playoff at the Travelers. Were you watching from home?
I was at the club [Sherbrooke G&CC in Lake Worth, Fla., where Toski teaches] standing around with all the members. On the 72nd hole, when the kid [Stroud] knocked his ball over the green, everybody came up and patted me on the shoulder. I told them he still had a shot of holing out the chip shot and not to celebrate early. Sure enough, he holed it. Everyone was stunned. I stood up and said, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings, folks!” That’s why they call me “The Godfather.” I bust ass. Then they asked me, “So now what do you think?” And I said, “Ken loves one-on-one. He’s a competitor and has fortitude coming out of his ass. He’ll beat this kid.” Ken put his approach on the second playoff to two or three feet. I knew he could yip from that distance, but he didn’t. He made it and won.
If you were to seek out one player to work with, who would it be?
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Well, I’m not one to approach players. If you’re sick, you go to the doctor; the doctor doesn’t seek out patients. But I’d love to work with Michelle Wie. That girl can play! She has dynamic talent like you can’t believe.
So what’s holding her back? She hasn’t won since 2010.
Potential energy has to be turned into kinetic energy. Lightning has great kinetic energy, but it doesn’t know where it will strike. My job is to take potential energy, make it into kinetic energy, and teach you how to strike and know where to strike.
Of all the players you’ve come across, who would you say has accomplished the most with the least raw talent?
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Bob Rosburg. He had the worst grip you’d ever seen, like he was grabbing a baseball bat. You’ve never seen anyone hold a club like that, and yet he won a PGA Championship. He had a swing that really looked like a good 15-handicapper’s. He didn’t hit it very far, he didn’t hit it very hard, he hit those squirrely shanks, but he knew how to control the ball. He could chip and putt with the best of them.
Nearly every player on Tour has the talent to win any given week. What separates great players from good ones?
There are two types of swings: a competitive swing and a noncompetitive swing. That’s why these guys on the practice tee all look good. That’s also why these guys get up on the first tee and hit it O.B. There’s a lack of understanding of self-control. I learned to win and compete under the tutelage of the best players in the world. Byron Nelson and Sam Snead tutored me. They helped me every day on the first tee and practice range.
You don’t see that same camaraderie much on Tour today.
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We couldn’t afford teachers. [Tour pro] Ted Kroll was my mentor. We traveled together and he taught me the swing that I have today. Now, other guys helped hone it, but he spent hours with me every day. He would call over other guys like Hogan and Nelson to take a look. They would say, “Yeah, that looks good, even better than it did two weeks ago.” That’s the way it would go. We were a little fraternity. We were close-knit, because we didn’t have teachers and gurus or psychologists. We had to become our own best teachers. Hogan was the best at teaching himself how to become a great player.
Would guys gather around Hogan while he practiced?
I used to watch him practice by the hour. He never said a word to me. He just hit balls. You couldn’t talk to him. He didn’t go out there to talk to people. He went out to work on his mind and body. If you wanted to watch, fine. I would stand behind him down the line. I would study his grip, body position, body turn. The tendency is to stand closer and closer when you’re watching someone. Once I stood too close to him and he gave me this glare [Toski’s eyes narrow]. I immediately stepped back.
Did Hogan ever let down his guard? Could you ever just relax with him?
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We weren’t that friendly. He knew who I was — a rookie or whatever. He finished practicing at Riviera once and his locker was close to mine. He was taking off his shoes and he said to me, “Bob, you were out there a long time today.” Now, you don’t talk to Hogan like this, but I pointed at him and said, “I was out there as long as you were.” And he said, “Yes, you were. Did you learn anything?” I said, “Ben, every time you made a swing, I learned something.” He said, “Good.” He closed his locker and walked out. We became closer because he knew I had balls. After that he would come talk to me.
What are your memories from the first of your five Tour wins, in Hartford in 1953?
Winning got you into the fraternity, to be one of the boys in the inner circle. It wasn’t about money for us. It was about winning. Suddenly people were asking me to go to dinner.
Bob Toski at the Masters in the 1950s.
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After just seven years on Tour, you quit to teach full-time. Do you regret not playing long enough to win a major?
If I hadn’t been so successful in my marriage and as a teacher, I would have regretted not playing longer to try and win majors. My marriage to a woman that I still love and miss very much — we were married from 1953 to 2010 [when Lynn died] — was something that I can’t replace. I don’t need another woman. My spirit and life is with her every day. I’m closer to her two years after her death than I ever have been. As for teaching, I never thought I would become the teacher that I have become. Playing is a skill; teaching is an art. I learned to become an artful teacher because I studied the swing from an anatomical and psychological standpoint.
Did teaching come naturally to you?
No. Early on, I was giving people their money back. I thought I could teach because I was the top money earner [on Tour], but I couldn’t. I had to learn it. I was a doctor trying to learn about cancer. Bad thoughts and bad swings are cancer in golf. I initially wasn’t a good communicator. I could only teach me. By breaking down the swing, I learned how to teach.
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Eventually you went back to playing competitively. In 1986, you voluntarily left the Senior PGA Tour for six months after two of your fellow players alleged that you improperly marked your ball. Were those allegations correct?
If I marked my ball incorrectly, then a lot of other people have marked the ball incorrectly and haven’t been called on it. It wasn’t that I cheated, it’s that I may have been a little negligent in putting the ball down exactly behind the mark. I may have moved it a little right or left, but I never cheated to move the coin forward, or took advantage of where I was placing the coin. There were two players that called me on that. You know who they were?
Gay Brewer was one of them.
The other was Billy Casper. They confronted me in Tokyo, when I beat Brewer in the tournament. Brewer and I didn’t get along for a number of reasons: I had the better swing, I was getting accolades because I was a teacher. There was a lot of animosity. He confronted me after the round and said, “Bob, you were mismarking your ball.” And I said, “If I mismarked a ball, I apologize. I’m not aware of the fact that I mismarked a ball to the point that there was an advantage, like I was trying to move it ahead.”
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But placing your ball to the left or right of your marker can also be an advantage if it helps you avoid spike marks.
I’m intuitive, instinctive. I do things quickly. And I said if I marked a ball incorrectly, I apologize. I said to Deane Beman [then the PGA Tour commissioner], “You either believe me, or you believe Billy and Gay. You’re the judge.” So he says, “Well, we’re gonna have to ban you from the Tour for six months.” I said, “If that’s your decision, that’s fine with me. You gotta live with that decision…I’m not worried about it. I don’t care what the public thinks. You guys wanted to do a number on me, you got even, you did a number on me.” For me to have done this as a senior player, and I won all my tournaments on the regular tour and never cheated, and now they accuse me of cheating? Are you gonna think I’m a worse person because of it?
What did that experience teach you about yourself?
It told me that the Tour pros who I thought were my friends were not friends. I can live with my own heart, my own mind. I’ve done so much good for golf. Just think about what I did as a player, and as a teacher what I’ve done for the masses. Now I’m 87, and I’m still doing great things. God put me on this earth for a reason: to succeed as a player and a teacher.
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How have you remained so motivated?
I’m not happy just sitting here and saying I did this or that. I’m going to test my body and swing and see how well I can play at 88 or 89. When I’m 90, I want to shoot 70. I’m not going to sit on my ass and just talk to you about how good I am. I’m going to go out and prove it. Every day when I wake up and go out and play golf, I look up and say, “Hey, Lord, how long is this going to last?” And he says, “As long as you want it to.”
And how long is that?
As long as I can still whip ass. Aw, I’ll tell ya, I just love to whip ass!
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So, in other words, as long as the game’s still fun, right?
Fun? Now, there’s another subject. Fun is playing good golf. You don’t have fun playing bad golf. When I go out and shoot 75 at 87, I have fun. But if I went out and shot 87 at 87, that’s not fun, because I know I’m unique, I’m different. I don’t have to compare myself to anybody. The only thing I compare myself to is myself and the guy upstairs. That’s it.
How’s that comparison with the Big Man working out?
[Laughs] Listen, I just try to do the right thing. I try to be a Good Samaritan. I’ve been a good father, a good husband, a good teacher, a good player. What else do I have to prove? I’ve got to prove to myself that I can still teach, still produce winners, still shoot low numbers, all while making friends through teaching and playing. That’s my life. I don’t need anything else.
Roy Jones Jr has weighed in on a potential rematch between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney, believing that both fighters have shown greater improvements than Teofimo Lopez.
As a result, there is now a jostle for supremacy at 147lbs, with fellow champions Haney, Lopez and Liam Paro all boasting a claim to the ultimate throne.
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In particular, Garcia has expressed his interest in a unification match with Lopez, who claimed his WBA title by dethroning Rolando Romero last month.
But while many would highlight this as the most intriguing welterweight matchup, pound-for-pound legend Jones has argued that a rematch between Garcia and Haney is far more appealing.
The pair squared off in April 2024 and, despite scoring three knockdowns to edge a majority decision, Garcia’s unexpected triumph was ultimately ruled a no-contest.
This was because the Californian tested positive for banned substance ostarine, for which he served a year-long ban and returned with a unanimous decision defeat to Romero.
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But still, Jones has told Parimatch that he believes the winner of Garcia and Haney’s possible rematch would be crowned the top dog at 147lbs.
“Ryan is constantly getting better. These other guys, they’re kind of staying where they are. Teofimo has hit a roadblock – I don’t think he’s really improved much. [Whereas] Haney has gotten better at 147[lbs].
“He looked a lot better in his 147-pound [debut] than he did at 135 and 140[lbs]. So I think the Haney fight [is] the one I would like to see the most right now.
“Both of those fighters have improved. If [Garcia] can get past Devin … yeah, he probably could clean up the division. Ryan definitely has the tools and the skill to run it, but Devin does too.”
While having not fought since his WBO title-winning performance against Brian Norman Jr last November, many still regard Haney as the man to beat at 147lbs.
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