Sep 11, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a RBI single against Athletics pitcher Chris Roycroft (not pictured) during the tenth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

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Brendon de Jonge enjoyed a lengthy PGA Tour career that encompassed 317 starts. While he never notched a victory, de Jonge did post 10 top-5s, 28 top-10s and 68 top-25 finishes between 2007 and 2018. The 46-year-old is now working in broadcast media as an on-air analyst and radio host.

On this week’s episode of Subpar, de Jonge joined hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz to reflect on his some of his career highlights, including his experience on the 2013 Presidents Cup team, where he was paired with Ernie Els and tasked with taking on Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar in Saturday afternoon’s foursomes matches.

“It’s around that time that Ernie was struggling with the putter. He wasn’t putting well,” de Jonge said. “I think [he] was, using the belly putter at the time before it got banned, but really was not putting well, and he was not happy that we had to play Tiger.

“Nick [Price] had placed us against them, obviously with the Presidents Cup, you get to decide your matchups. It’s not like the Ryder Cup. So, Nick had put us against Tiger and Kuchar, and Ernie was convinced that we were almost going out as sacrificial lambs, was not really pleased with it.

“And, of course, starts out that he misses like a 3-footer on the first hole. So, like, that didn’t help. But from there, he just played unbelievably well and turned out that he made a 4-footer on 18 for us to beat them 1 up.”

Els and de Jonge were the only International team to post a victory in that session. Heading into Sunday singles, the Internationals trailed the Americas 14-8. They then mounted an impressive charge on Sunday, winning 7.5 of the available 12 points, but it wasn’t enough, and the U.S. team claimed victory by a score of 18.5-15.5.

“But, you know what, talking about playing with a guy, having him as my partner for all four sessions, that was the absolute dream,” de Jonge said of playing alonsgide Els. “This was a guy that I’d grown up respecting, was an idol of mine, and now I get to play with him on the Presidents Cup team. I mean, I, I couldn’t have drawn it up any better than that.”

Fore more insights and stories from de Jonge, check out the full episode of Subpar below.

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ESPN College GameDay is in Austin, Texas, for Week 2 of the college football season, setting up shop for the blockbuster showdown between the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 4 Texas Longhorns.

During one of the show’s opening segments, Texas Senator Ted Cruz pulled up to the set to sit down with host Rece Davis to discuss the Protect College Sports Act.

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Unfortunately for Senator Cruz, fans on the LBJ lawn only wanted to hear about today’s games. When Cruz appeared on set, boos rained out of the crowd.

Cruz’s interview was drowned out by the raucous crowd, which routinely broke out into “Ted Cruz sucks!” chants throughout his sitdown.

MORE: College football games on today, Week 2 AP Top 25 TV schedule for Saturday

Ted Cruz Discusses The Protect College Sports Act

Cruz has been an outspoken supporter of the Protect College Sports Act and has been pushing for President Donald Trump to sign it into federal law.

He recently cited College GameDay clips from Nick Saban and Pat McAfee to promote the bill.

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What Is The Protect College Sports Act?

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a conference on Energy Permitting Reform at The Stack at Municipal Light Plant on Sept. 3, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Protect College Sports Act is a bipartisan bill Cruz co-authored with Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington.

The bill promotes a federal standard for eligibility, NIL, and transfers, limiting players to just five years of eligibility from the time they graduate high school or turn 19. Under the bill, athletes would receive one no-penalty transfer, which would put an end to the current “wild west” transfer portal.

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A Senate vote on the Protect College Sports Act is currently scheduled between September 15 and September 23.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —

So, without further ado, here are the answers to some of your questions from this week:

Why is Allan not playing yet?

First, I must apologise for my editor. Normally I pick the questions but this week they have been helpfully picked out for me – only the names have been left off so I cannot address anyone by name. These also all feel like quite grumpy questions given City’s start but let’s get to them.

Allan is not playing yet because he isn’t ready yet. He had a slight issue when he joined which meant that he wasn’t risked for the Coventry game. Antoine Semenyo played on the wing as he has done every game, and Iliman Ndiaye was given his debut because he was fit and had been training and playing with Everton in the same league, so it was a bit of a no-brainer.

Then to Porto, and one of City’s most difficult Champions League trips of the season. No surprise again that, while Allan was able to be included in the squad, he wasn’t turned to as Maresca sought an immediate result. I wouldn’t expect to see Allan in the derby either, but perhaps against Norwich in the League Cup.

Transfer fees aren’t everything but the fee paid for Allan should give some perspective on the minutes he will get this season as a young player coming over from a different continent that doesn’t have much experience. Jeremy Doku, Semenyo and Ndiaye cost significantly more than him and Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are much more established so Allan will start off as a squad player and have to go some to oust some of those names to be starting regularly.

Why are young lads like McAidoo not being given a chance?

Pretty much every word of the Allan answer also relates to Ryan McAidoo, except for the fact he’s an 18-year-old coming through the academy from than a slightly older rookie from Brazil. And the fact that he was given a chance against Palace and did well, and then came on in the final minutes of the Coventry game as well.

If minutes in two out of three Premier League matches so far isn’t being given a chance, then I’d say standards are too high – and certainly not being judged against how Guardiola treated young players. For McAidoo and Kaden Braithwaite to have already played in a league game is promising, and you’d expect more involvement against Norwich.

Is there anything Maresca is trying to do to stop opponents from going through our midfield so easily?

I think there may be an element of teams being able to get in behind City all season because of how attacking Maresca wants them to be, but around the first team they certainly believe that things will tighten up as new players settle into their roles.

We still have no idea what the best midfield combination is and I suspect there will be different options for different games given that if Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez all play then Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden almost never will – and that isn’t going to happen.

Maresca has introduced a new press for the whole team that they are still working on, as well as a specific process for the defenders to work on in the build-up. Time will tell if it makes them tight, or tighter than they have been, but again given we are four games into a new era with a different manager for the first time in a decade – with younger players in place – it isn’t shocking that not everything looks polished.

What role will Enzo play in the team, and could his arrival have a negative impact on Cherki or Foden? Is it possible we could see Anderson, Enzo, and Cherki starting together?

I suppose Enzo Fernandez arriving could have a negative impact on Cherki and Foden if they decide that they may as well not play any more given their minutes are threatened. Fernandez does appear more likely to play further forward than the No.6 position – Maresca was talking about him on Friday in terms of the goals and assists he can get – but he gives City better and much deeper competition.

Anderson, Fernandez and Cherki will all start together in at least one game, but there is also Bouaddi and Foden to bring in and real pressure on players to perform because places are all up for grabs. Bouaddi is already speaking about that feeling having only just joined and it is about whether players rise to that – something that did Guardiola well for so long – or react negatively.

Is Semenyo helping the team?

Yes, don’t be daft.

Sorry, are we talking about the guy that’s set up the opening goal in the last two league games? As in, two out of three league games this season? So in 66 per cent of league games this season, or 67 if you want to be really fruity, he has set up the opening goal and somebody is asking if he is helping the team?

Sorry, I just don’t get it. Obviously he can do more, he had a shocker against Porto in midweek but he has a knack and an actual record of goals and assists that is elite. He’s also one of the senior players in the team already, having stepped up to take responsibility as soon as he joined in January.

On top of that, he is one of the few players in the City team that can say they’ve scored at Old Trafford…

I read that Man City have loaned Echeverri to Benfica on the basis that City will pay his FULL wages AND give Benfica an option to buy. Is this true? Surely City can’t be that desperate to get rid of the player?

Don’t believe everything you read. But do believe everything you read in these Q&As. Unless it was the one before deadline day where I got so much wrong.

Congratulations to this anonymous reader though on giving somebody in City’s recruitment team a genuine laugh when I checked this. City aren’t a club that generally does things like paying wages in full for sending players on loan but, having not seen the initial report and not wanting to judge the question, I had to confirm and can reliably tell you that it isn’t even close to being true. An option to buy doesn’t mean anything either given it has to have the full agreement of all parties.

What I will say is that Echeverri’s stock is a lot lower than it was last season. The club were inundated with offers last summer and he went against City’s advice to join Leverkusen on loan, it was a disaster, and then Girona in the second half of the campaign wasn’t much better.

Having not pulled up any trees in pre-season, going to Benfica could be a very good loan but the Argentine can’t afford to get lost there and not play regularly.

What’s in a name? At this week’s Solheim Cup in the Netherlands, the question gives us plenty to unpack.

The host venue is Bernardus Golf, a name that’s notable for what’s not in it. No mention of “club.” No reference to “course.”

Robert van der Wallen, the Dutch entrepreneur who developed Bernardus, set out to create an upscale members’ enclave without the starchy trappings of a country club. He wanted the property to feel exclusive. He didn’t want it to be off limits. So he omitted “club,” with its closed-circle connotations. And he left out “course,” with its utilitarian implications. What remained — Bernardus Golf — has the ring of a lifestyle brand, an experience anyone can access.

And, it turns out, anyone can.

For €255 (about $295) during peak season — the rate drops to €195 ($225) in the off-season — non-members can become members for a day, with unlimited access to the course, the short-game area and practice range, as well as a sauna, spa and other non-golf extras.

“The whole place very much smells like exclusivity,” minus the fuss, said Jan Swinkels, a member who lives five minutes from Bernardus. He joined for the proximity. But also for the perks.

Bernardus, which opened in 2018, is anchored by a Kyle Phillips-designed heathland course that hosted the Dutch Open from 2021 through 2023. (Phillips’ other notable projects include Kingsbarns in Scotland and the restoration of the Cal Club, south of San Francisco.) Conditions are pristine and modern drainage allows for year-round play, keeping the grounds firm, Swinkels says, when other courses in the region turn squishy.

Another plus: Even with outside access, the tee sheet is uncluttered. For the club’s 300 members (roughly half are corporate memberships, the other half are individuals), Swinkels says it’s never hard to land a time. Carts are permitted, but most golfers walk. There are two comfort stations, at holes 8 and 13, where many players stop for sandwiches and wine, keeping an eye on TV monitors that show when other groups are approaching. For guests, the on-course food and drink is included in the pay-to-play.

If all this smacks of high-end resort golf, you’re not far off. Bernardus has overnight accommodations — a boutique lodge with eight double rooms — and a Michelin-star restaurant, Noble Kitchen, serving a refined six-course menu. Among the labels on the wine list are vintages from Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, Calif. — a winery Van der Wallen now owns, though he didn’t found it. Credit for that goes to Bernardus Pon, a Dutch Olympian skeet shooter and race car driver who turned to growing grapes after decades of dominating on the track. Pon established the winery in 1989; Van der Wallen became an investor in the business and took it over after Pon’s death in 2019.

By then, Van der Wallen had already cut the ribbon on a golf property half a world away, naming it in honor of his friend and winery partner.

Bernardus Golf. It’s well branded, which is no surprise, given that Van der Wallen built his fortune founding a global marketing firm called Brand Loyalty. The Solheim Cup is only adding luster to the name.

Alexander Zverev’s rocky road to start the U.S. Open turned into smooth sailing to the semifinals.

The No. 1 seed beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night, putting him into the final four of every Grand Slam tournament this season.

The French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up will play Friday against Karen Khachanov, while Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe meet in the other semifinal.

Zverev became the first men’s No. 1 seed to play five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major in the Open era, which began in 1968. But he won his last three matches in straight sets and is the only man to reach all four major semis this year.

After playing more than 4 1/2 hours in each of the first two rounds, Zverev hasn’t been on the court more than 2 1/2 in his last three matches.

“In other tournaments I would have been out in the first round but here I can fight back and play best-of-five, play 4 1/2 hours and somehow win the match and somehow get into the tournament,” Zverev said. “And then I start playing better throughout the tournament and definitely happy to be in the semifinals here, but of course I want to go further.” He went to the final in 2020 but blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. That was the closest he would come to a major title until his victory this year at Roland Garros and the German now is 23-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.

“He’s been in top-five for so many years,” Khachanov said. “This year he did also step forward. He won his first Grand Slam, played the final in Wimbledon, as well. I mean, he’s coming up really in hot form, let’s say.” Khachanov got at least to the third round of every major this year and this time has gone three rounds further. He was prepared to go through a tough test Wednesday but Alexander Blockx’s body wasn’t up for one.

Blockx stopped playing in the third set because of injuries to his leg, ribs and back, sending Khachanov to his third Grand Slam semifinal.

“I think my body just gave up,” Blockx said.

Khachanov won the first two sets 6-2 and 7-5, and the No. 28 seed from Belgium decided it was time to stop after Khachanov broke his serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third.

“I was preparing really, really well for that matchup. It’s not easy really to play because from one side I was feeling I was dominating from the beginning, then I started to feel like he was struggling more and more,” Khachanov said, adding he saw that Blockx was “suffering all over his body.” Khachanov is seeking his first major final. The Russian got to the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2023.

Khachanov was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2018 after a strange season. He reached at least the third round of all four majors for the first time but is just 10-15 in other events, with losses in the opening rounds of all three hard-court events before coming to New York.

Blockx said he nearly stopped in his last match because of his injuries. As he got treatment for multiple body parts Wednesday, he said ne was neither upset nor angry.

“To be honest, during the match, it was quite funny to me. I just had to laugh it off, because it was just something new the whole time,” he said. “I think it was just my body that started compensating as well. I was starting to do different motions than I usually do just to avoid the pain.

In the other results from the evening, Bayern Munich thrashed Bodø/Glimt 5-0, with Michael Olise scoring twice. Manchester United marked their return to the Champions League with a 4-0 win over Sabah, while Como impressed in their very first European match, beating Leipzig 4-1.

In cycling, Enric Mas moved closer to overall Vuelta victory after finishing 12th on Stage 18, a 32-kilometre individual time trial.

Joe Root led England to a 3-0 Test series whitewash over Pakistan after scoring an unbeaten 62 in the third Test at Edgbaston. England were chasing 130 for victory but got off to a poor start. Ben Duckett was dismissed by Mohammad Abbas with the first ball of the innings, while opener Emilio Gay also fell later in the same over.At 2 for 2, Pakistan had a chance to put England under pressure. But Root and Jordan Cox remained calm and slowly took control of the chase.It was the first time England had whitewashed Pakistan in a home Test series.Root survived a big scare when Mohammad Ali bowled him for 23, only for the delivery to be called a no-ball. It was Ali’s 17th no-ball of the series.Pakistan then missed another opportunity when Root, on 38, edged Abbas between first and second slip. Neither fielder went for the catch.Root made Pakistan pay for the missed chances. His unbeaten 62 was his 110th Test innings of 50 or more, a tally that includes 41 centuries.Cox remained unbeaten on 59 as England reached the target in the 25th over with eight wickets in hand.

Root praises Pakistan’s fight

Pakistan had shown more fight in the third Test after conceding a huge 320-run first-innings deficit.Root said the difficult chase was useful for England after Pakistan had put them under pressure.“Fair play to Pakistan, ?they threw some punches last night. They made it very difficult for us and in some ways it’s a good thing to go through that,” said Root.“Test cricket is not always going to go your own way but to see us actually be quite clinical with the bat off the back of that was good too. So ?in many ways we’re better for it.“Of course there’s things we will want to improve on but we ?came into this ?series with a lot of question marks and a lot of noise around the team and we’ve walked away 3-0 winners so ?in that respect I’m quite ?pleased.”

England bounce back after difficult period

The series came after a difficult period for England, who had been looking to recover from their defeat to New Zealand following the Ashes loss.Root’s return to the captaincy after Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket ended with a series whitewash.Pakistan had one major positive in the third Test. Debutant Razaullah scored an impressive 81 off 63 balls, giving his team hope and bringing energy to the contest at Edgbaston.

Robinson leads England’s pace attack

England’s fast bowlers were once again too strong for Pakistan on helpful surfaces.Ollie Robinson led the attack and finished the series with 21 wickets to be named England’s player of the series.“I’m a realist, I know it’s not always going to be like this,” said Robinson, England’s player of the series.“We know there’s ?going to be tougher times ahead. We have some tough opposition coming up and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson also played important roles in England’s dominant series win.England’s batting was less convincing, with no batter managing to score a century in the three Tests.Jacob Bethell is expected to return for the winter tour after recovering from knee surgery. That could leave one of Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence or Cox fighting for a place in the team.Cox, who also kept wicket in the second innings because of Jamie Smith’s finger injury, strengthened his case with his unbeaten 59.

Pakistan face more questions after 3-0 loss

The defeat was another setback for Pakistan, who have now lost 16 of their last 21 Tests.Their tour was also marked by major changes. Seven players were replaced in the squad after the second Test, while coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul were sacked.Pakistan captain Babar Azam said the team had some positive moments but blamed their first-innings batting for the defeat.“We had a couple of good moments. I think we have bowled well but I think the first innings cost us. Too many soft dismissals,” said Pakistan captain Babar Azam.“I think this was a good opportunity for youngsters to play against quality bowlers, quality opponent, so they learned a lot and I think this is helpful for the future.”Pakistan will now turn their attention to their next assignment against Sri Lanka in October.England, meanwhile, will face South Africa in a three-Test series in December and January. Marcus Trescothick, who had taken over as interim red-ball head coach after Brendon McCullum’s departure, will hand the team over to Stephen Fleming.