Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.
ST. LOUIS — There’s a sneaky trend going on with wedges on the PGA Tour, and it’s something wedge designers have spent the last decade-plus eradicating.
Over the past year, Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland started playing Cleveland prototype RTZ wedges with a ton of offset built into them. We’re talking aggressive goose-neck hosels.
With Fowler having a solid year and Woodland earning his first victory since the 2019 U.S. Open, it appears other players and OEMs have taken notice.
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That includes Cobra, which now has both Woodland and Fowler playing offset versions of Cobra’s King and Snake Bite wedges.
“I think it’s definitely a contact component in there,” Ben Schomin, Cobra’s tour operations manager, told GOLF about Woodland and Fowler’s wedges. “They both feel like they can center it up more. They can keep it lower on the face longer. That increased offset actually provides a little bit more shaft lean at impact, which, you know, allows them to basically flight the ball a little lower. Keep it lower on the face longer. Just feel like they have more control.”
Those benefits were echoed by Michael Jolly, Cleveland/Srixon’s director of tour operations. Cleveland has been working on RTZ prototypes with offset in them since last summer, spurred by the return of company founder Roger Cleveland.
“For us, it really came from Roger Cleveland,” Jolly said. “He is a big believer in offset — see the Cleveland 485 wedge — and its benefits. Primarily, it’s knowing that the built-in shaft lean, really prevents the ball from ‘riding the face’. That shot that rides the face, comes out higher than anticipated with less spin. Players that experiment with offset see a ball that comes out lower with more spin.”
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While Cleveland has been working on these wedges for more than a year, Cobra started exploring the increased offset concept over the past four or five months, Schomin said.
Is offset coming back to wedges?
I showed you pictures of Cameron Young’s lob wedges yesterday which had some offset bent into them.
There may be a wider trend of offset coming back to wedges.
Collin Morikawa used a TaylorMade MG5 last week with offset double bent into the… pic.twitter.com/QcMWwnKGFQ
It started with Schomin double-bending the lower part of the hosel on wedges to add offset. This week, though, the truck started getting 3D-printed prototypes with offset already baked in.
Schomin added that it’s funny to talk about the offset design because it’s something that was common in wedge design 15 years ago. Offset is something legendary short-game instructor Phil Rodgers, who worked with Cobra on the original Trusty Rusty wedge, believed was important to the design. Schomin pointed out that he was mentored by Rodgers as well and felt the same.
“The offset that we’re talking about now, if we looked at a wedge from, say, 30 or 40 years ago, it probably [would be] quite similar,” Schomin said. “So it seems like over the years, you know, especially in wedge design, offset has become less.”
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And while both Cobra and Cleveland are intentionally taking offset to the extreme, other OEMs seem to be playing with it to match specific player preferences.
Last week, Cameron Young switched back to a Vokey K* lob wedge, the same grind he had used for much of the past two seasons, from a 64T lob wedge bent to 62˚ to remove the bounce he used as conditions got firmer this summer.
One of the most popular lob wedge grinds on the PGA TOUR, the K* features a low-bounce sole that originates from the .06K Grind. Instead of the full, smooth sole of the K, the K* features a steeper pre-wear on the leading edge as well as heel, toe and trailing edge relief. The pre-wear helps resist excessive digging on square-faced shots, while the heel, toe and trailing edge relief adds greenside versatility when the face is opened. Like all K Grind variations, K* has a wide sole that excels out of the bunker. Justin Thomas, Lottie Woad, Cameron Young and the 2024 Champion Golfer of the Year are among the many players who travel with a K* lob wedge in their bag week in and week out.
Bending that 64 strong also added a good bit of offset, something Young wanted replicated in a new K*. His gamer K* is also 62˚, but it’s bent weak from 60, which actually removes offset.
To make the weak K* look more like the strong 64T, Vokey tour tep Aaron Dill double-bent the hosel to create the additional offset.
“His has always been good for him, but when he made the switch to the 64 it came with that slight change in appearance,” Dill said. “We wanted to make the least amount of changes here and simply provide the same support and forgiveness he loves in K*-Grind but with the looks he was more recently familiar with.”
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Dill made it clear Young’s change was purely a visual preference rather than seeking the performance benefits of offset.
The address views of the wedges.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Last year, Ping did something similar for Sahith Theegala when Kenton Oates and Adam Harding took a 62˚ S159 wedge and bent it to 59˚ and reground the sole to account for the lost bounce.
And last week, Collin Morikawa made a surprise move to play a highly customized TaylorMade MG5 lob wedge with a double-bent hosel. The goal was for Morikawa to get his hands more forward while chipping.
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So is offset coming back to wedges or are these just one-offs for specific players? The answers are a little mixed. For starters, many modern Tour players have never seen wedges with the kind of offset that Fowler and Woodland are playing.
“This visual hasn’t been a common request on its own,” Dill said. Jolly added that “it probably has limited use.”
Schomin sang a more optimistic tune.
“I think it is something that could end up back at retail,” he said. “We’ll see as time goes on, if it’s something that more guys want to adopt or want to test. You know, it seems to be working quite well for a couple of guys that we have using it right now.”
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Crafted from 8620 steel using MIM (Metal Injection Molding), KING Wedges are one of the softest feelings in market. Choose from four new grinds (DROP, WIDELOW, VERSATILE, TOUR) for enhanced greenside creativity and optimized CG with Flight Window Technology (F.W.T) for tour inspired launch. The redesigned Cobra Speed Notch, 67% larger than before, ensures better glide and speed on open-face shots. MIM (METAL INJECTION MOLDING) Experience precision with MIM technology, offering 50% tighter tolerances than traditional casted wedges. Each head is heat-treated to nearly 1400°C, ensuring a tighter grain structure for a softer feel and enhanced longevity, resisting groove degradation for lasting performance. COBRA SPEED NOTCH Discover the newly redesigned Cobra Speed Notch, featuring softer, blended shaping that complements our new grinds. Now 67% larger, it ensures smooth glide through the ground while maintaining speed and delivering high spinning shots.
Turns out the new Qi4D driver Scottie Scheffler put in the bag and won with last week in Memphis wasn’t so new to him.
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Scheffler dominated last week’s gear headlines by finally switching to a new driver model after a nearly three-year-run with the TaylorMade Qi10. At his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday, Scheffler revealed that the driver he switched to, a custom Qi4D with a glossy crown and bright blue face, was actually his current backup driver.
Here’s an interesting nugget I just dug up while writing this week’s Tour report.
Scottie Scheffler’s average ball speed on the year was 178.44 mph before last week.
The motivation to switch was that he felt his Qi10 gamer was getting close to potentially being non-conforming if he was selected for a random CT test.
“I felt like my driver was going to get close to where, if it got tested again, it was going to get close to failing,” he said. “It had been in my bag for a long time, so I felt I needed to make sure the backup was in a good spot. The backup I was using was the Qi4D and I just put it put it in the bag a few times last week when I was playing at home … I liked what I saw, and so I figured I’d give it the old college try in Memphis and, yeah, it seemed to work out pretty well.”
Scheffler gained more than 2 strokes off the tee, finishing 13th in the field, on his way to the eight-shot win last week at the FedEx St. Jude.
SHAPED FOR SPEED The re-engineered head profile increases ball speed thanks to improved aerodynamics developed through advanced simulations. FACE FOR DISTANCE 60x Carbon Twist Face™ is a technological cornerstone that provides weight savings, incredible ball speed and more consistency vs. a titanium face. ADJUSTABLE PERFORMANCE 4° loft sleeve can be used to adjust loft, lie and face angle for optimized flight. TOUR PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES New and improved cut-through Speed Pocket™ protects ball speed and reduces spin on low-face strikes. Advanced CAD modeling creates a design with a clean and powerful sound, a foundation of TaylorMade driver performance. Multi-Material Construction allows engineers to strategically place mass in areas of the head where it maximizes performance, speed, and stability.
The World No. 1 said his testing had always shown the Qi4D to be faster and his stats back that up. Scheffler’s average ball speed in Memphis was his highest mark of the year at 181.66 mph, more than 3 mph above his season average of 178.44 mph.
Matt Fitzpatrick and J.J. Spaun try to rekindle major magic
What do Matt Fitzpatrick and J.J. Spaun have in common? Aside from both winning the U.S. Open in the past four years, they’re both returning to clubs that helped win them the Jack Nicklaus medal.
J.J. Spaun is back with his L.A.B. Golf DF3 — the same one he won this U.S. Open — after putting it in what he called a “two-month timeout.”
“Kind of like kids, like, you know, when they’re not behaving, you put them in timeout for a little bit and then they start listening… pic.twitter.com/NuJxTCcmJv
Spaun returned to his L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter — the same one he won this U.S. Open — after putting it in what he called a “two-month timeout.”
“Kind of like kids, like, you know, when they’re not behaving, you put them in timeout for a little bit and then they start listening better and cooperating. So I think it learned its lesson being in timeout,” he said Thursday.
Ever since we launched our first putter, Directed Force, golfers have been asking if we could make it less weird. DF3 is that putter. DF3 still does everything golfers love about the original. It stays square by itself. It’s still irrationally forgiving on mishits. But there’s a lot less to think about. The DF3 is entirely CNC milled from 6061 aluminum, with 8 screws on the bottom made of steel or tungsten in various densities to precisely target swing weight and lie angle balance each putter.
He gained 3.3 strokes on the greens Thursday in his opening-round 64. Spaun said he decided to change after his final round in Memphis. He lost more than three strokes on the greens at TPC Southwind.
“I think the things that I worked on on my stroke really helps with the technology of the L.A.B.,” Spaun said. “So I think my stroke’s in a better place. I think that’s kind of what happened to me last year, so I proved today that I was rolling it nicely.”
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Since his switch in May, he’s used or tested an OZ.1i HS, a DF3i, a VZN.1i and a Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R. The Cameron has been in the bag since June and is the only option he’s used in the last two seasons that wasn’t Lie Angle Balanced.
In fact, the custom flow neck on his 9.5R gave him pretty much as much tow flow (or toe-swing as he called it) as you could get in the Phantom 9 head shape.
“I had a really good honeymoon phase with the toe-swing putter and gained a lot of strokes at Travelers and wherever, Scotland and stuff, so I putted well there,” Spaun said. “But it was nice to feel some comfort and confidence in my old putter today.”
Apparently Matt Fitzpatrick’s driver search is not over yet.
After seemingly finding “the one” with a Ping G430 LST at the Travelers Championship (which was after his gamer Titleist GT3 broke in May), Fitzpatrick has switched to a Titleist TSi3 driver this week in Memphis.… pic.twitter.com/SsyUQ9Rn3I
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick is reuniting with the Titleist TSi3 driver, the same model he used to win at The Country Club four years ago. Although this is almost certainly not the same head Fitzpatrick used in 2022. He put the driver in play last week in Memphis.
Fitzpatrick has thus far struggled to find a replacement for the Titleist GT3 he used at the beginning of the year. He won three times with that driver before it broke in May and since then, he’s tried another GT3, a new GTS2 and a Ping G430 LST, along with a host of other drivers he tested at the Travelers Championship.
“With my swing changing from week to week it’s easy to feel different things,” Fitzpatrick said. “Some weeks one driver might help. Some weeks another might help. Obviously it’s nice to have that consistency if you can. But yeah, I mean, I don’t see why I kind of would move from what I’ve got in at the minute.”
Check this out
This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out Ben Griffin’s new TaylorMade Qi4D Max driver.
Serena Williams to team up with Carlos Alcaraz in US Open mixed doubles (Agency Images)
Serena Williams is set to make her return to the US Open in a blockbuster mixed doubles partnership with Carlos Alcaraz. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced on Saturday that Williams and Alcaraz have received a wild card into the US Open mixed doubles main draw, with the event set to begin on Tuesday.The partnership brings together two generations of Grand Slam champions and is expected to be one of the biggest attractions of this year’s tournament.
Serena returns to Flushing Meadows
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will be back at the US Open for the first time since 2022. Williams returned to competitive tennis this summer after a break from the sport. She played singles at Wimbledon and later teamed up with her older sister Venus Williams in doubles at the Cincinnati Open.It remains unclear whether Serena will also compete in the women’s singles draw. The USTA still has one women’s singles wild card available, although Williams has not confirmed whether she intends to use it.
Alcaraz returns after injury
Alcaraz, meanwhile, is set to return to action after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury. The Spaniard recently confirmed that he will defend his US Open singles title, making his mixed doubles partnership with Williams an additional attraction at Flushing Meadows.The 2026 mixed doubles event will feature a revamped format designed to bring some of tennis’ biggest stars into the competition. Matches will be played in a best-of-three format with sets decided at four games, no-ad scoring and a 10-point match tiebreak if required.The winning team will also share a $1 million prize.
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Star-studded mixed doubles field
Williams and Alcaraz are part of an impressive field featuring several high-profile combinations. Former world No. 1s Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic will form another headline pairing, while Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud are also set to compete.American stars Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz will team up, while reigning champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori will return to defend their title.For Williams, the US Open holds a special place in her career. She has won the tournament multiple times and previously captured the US Open mixed doubles title in 1998 alongside Max Mirnyi.
Gilas Pilipinas women after beating Senegal in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-qualifying Tournament. –FIBA PHOTO
The Gilas Pilipinas Women did not have the most colorful run in the recently concluded Fiba Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico.
That, though, doesn’t faze new coach BT Toews on his long-term goal with the Nationals.
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“We want to move forward,” Toews said shortly after Gilas’ run in Mexico came to a halt. “Fighting is not enough at this level; your brain has to follow.”
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“We’re still waiting for the execution to get better and [commit] fewer hiccups in a game.”
The Philippines only won one game in the pre-qualifiers when it downed Senegal on Friday, 79-75, to close out its campaign.
“One game does not give you an identity, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” Toews said.
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With losses to Canada and Mexico, however, the Philippines lost its chance for an outright ticket to the Olympic qualifiers.
With the tourney being Toews’ first as head coach after replacing Pat Aquino, pressure was in the equation.
Instead, the veteran tactician chose to focus on the Nationals’ next big assignment, which is the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
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“That’s another chance for us to learn; that’s another chance for us to compete,” he said. “But we want to win more than anything else.” INQ
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Having previously fought and lost to Manny Pacquiao, Adrien Broner has considered how his former foe would fare in a prime-for-prime battle with Terence Crawford.
But even if he had fought Crawford, the Filipino icon was hardly in his prime following back-to-back points victories over Broner and Keith Thurman.
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Instead, many consider his peak to be around 2009, back when he scored vicious stoppages over Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto.
Crawford, meanwhile, was arguably in his prime when he fought Spence in 2023, becoming the undisputed welterweight king with a dominant ninth-round finish.
All eight of his 147lb outings, in fact, resulted in stoppages where ‘Bud’ utilised his freakish 75in reach and proved the superior technician.
Broner, therefore, has told FightHype that he believes Crawford would be too skilled for a remarkably fast and ferocious Pacquiao.
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“Crawford [would win]. I just think he’s too technical. First of all he’s sharp, he don’t fade [in the later rounds], he’s long and he got power … Timing beats speed any day.”
While Pacquiao famously became an eight-division world champion, five of them lineal, Crawford retired in December after having won all four belts in three weight classes.
He was also the consensus top dog at 135lbs and held a major super-welterweight belt, yet most would sooner applaud his undisputed title reigns.
In particular, his victories over Spence and Canelo Alvarez, who he unanimously outpointed in September, will almost certainly see him secure a place in the Hall of Fame.
Many trainers with a promising young horse often have the allure of a significant spring race firmly in their sights.
This sentiment is certainly shared by Cranbourne-based trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
With Golden Slipper winner Guest House already earmarked for ambitious targets, they are eager to see Buggsy follow a similar path towards spring success.
However, the immediate priority is to assess Buggsy’s condition in his first start back at Sandown on Saturday, competing in the Chef’s Hat Handicap (1000m).
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Buggsy made a winning debut over the same course and distance in March and followed this with a third-place finish in the Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on April 11.
Kent Jnr has observed that Buggsy has ‘come of age’ this campaign.
“He won track and distance on debut, albeit very greenly, and he had probably come to the end of his prep when he ran third in a Listed race,” Kent Jnr explained.
“Whilst he only got beaten a length and ran third, I thought there was a bit more there and that he had come to the end of it by then, so we gave him a nice break, and have set him for the spring.
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“He’s trialled up well and I think there’s improvement to come. His trackrider thinks the run will bring him on and it’s hard to disagree with him.
“He’s a strong colt but I think he’s forward enough for 1000 metres.”
Although Kent Jnr believes Buggsy is fit enough to race and potentially win over 1000m on Saturday, he highlighted the challenges involved in preparing the colt on tracks that have been affected by rain.
“It’s the same every spring,” Kent Jnr remarked.
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“We’re ducking and diving, avoiding Polytrack trials and waiting for the grass, but we’ve had a pretty good run with him.
“He’s had two good grass trials, he went well in the second one when he went head and head with a Group 1 filly from New Zealand (Lara Antipova) and they cleared out from third.
“He’s a sprinting colt. We don’t think we’ll get him out to a mile this preparation.
“That’s our feel at the moment and the obvious races beckon if he goes well on Saturday.”
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Craig Williams, who rode Buggsy to his inaugural victory, will be reunited with the colt for Saturday’s race.
Compare the latest racing odds from leading bookmakers for the Sandown meeting.
The Indian women’s cricket team are all set to take part in the upcoming Asian Games 2026, which will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4. The Women in Blue won the gold medal in the women’s cricket competition in the 2023 edition held in Hangzhou. They beat Sri Lanka by 19 runs in a low-scoring final, defending a score of 116.
The selectors have named a strong India Women squad for Asian Games 2026. The team will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, while Smriti Mandhana remains the vice-captain. India Women, however, have been dealt a big blow ahead of the competition as experienced batter Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out due to a right hamstring injury she picked up while playing in The Hundred in England.
India Women‘s Asian Games 2026 squad is dominated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players. In this feature, we look at five players from the squad who were part of RCB’s triumph in Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026.
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#1 Smriti Mandhana
Mandhana led RCB to victory in WPL 2026. In nine matches, the 30-year-old opening batter scored 377 runs at an average of 53.85 and a strike rate of 153.25, with three half-centuries. The southpaw slammed 96 off 61 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the DY Patil Stadium, hitting 13 fours and three sixes.
Mandhana hit 87 off 41 balls in the final of WPL 2026 against DC in Vadodara. Her knock featured 12 fours and three sixes as RCB chased down 204 in 19.4 overs. Overall, she has played 35 WPL games, scoring 1,023 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 136.76, with seven half-centuries.
#2 Richa Ghosh
Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh will be a key member of India Women’s Asian Games 2026 squad. She has that X-factor in her batting to make a big difference. In nine matches for RCB in WPL 2026, she contributed 189 runs at an average of 31.50 and a strike rate of 151.20. Ghosh slammed 90 off 50 balls against Mumbai Indians (MI) in Vadodara, hitting 10 fours and six sixes in a losing cause.
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Ghosh has featured in 35 WPL matches so far. In 33 matches, she has scored runs at an average of 33.91 and a strike rate of 151.02, with five half-centuries.
#3 Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness)
Off-spinner Shreyanka Patil’s availability for Asian Games 2026 remains subject to fitness. She was stretchered off the field after twisting her right ankle during the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 match in Leeds on June 17.
Shreyanka played nine matches for RCB in WPL 2026, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 25 and an economy rate of 9.01. The 24-year-old registered figures of 5-23 from 3.5 overs against Gujarat Giants (GG) at DY Patil Stadium. Overall, she has played 24 matches and has claimed 30 wickets at an average of 20.80 and an economy rate of 8.72.
#4 Radha Yadav
Experienced leg-spinner Radha Yadav has also been picked in India Women’s Asian Games 2026 squad. She played nine matches for RCB in WPL 2026, but claimed only two wickets at an average of 74 and an economy rate of 7.78.
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Radha, however, played a crucial role with the bat in hand, scoring 114 runs at a strike rate of 140.74. The 26-year-old slammed 66 off 47 balls against GG at DY Patil Stadium. She also hit the winning runs in the final, smashing 12* off five balls. Radha has played 29 WPL games in which she has claimed 16 wickets, with one four-fer. With the bat, she has scored 188 runs at a strike rate of 142.42.
#5 Arundhati Reddy
Pacer Arundhati Reddy has also been picked in India Women’s Asian Games 2026 squad. In seven matches for RCB in WPL 2026, the right-arm pacer claimed two wickets at an average of 96.50 and an economy rate of 8.77. Overall, the 29-year-old has played 27 WPL games, picking up 16 wickets at an average of 39.31 and an economy rate of 8.40.
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Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has praised Alejandro Balde’s quality while challenging the left-back to show greater belief and commitment in his position.
Flick described Balde as a player of immense quality but stressed the importance of being convinced that he can compete at the highest level.
The Barcelona boss made it clear that he expects the 21-year-old to give everything for the team, emphasizing that every player must be fully committed.
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Balde remains an important part of Barcelona’s squad, and Flick’s comments suggest he wants to see greater consistency, confidence and determination from the Spanish defender.
With competition for places increasing at Barcelona, Balde will be expected to respond on the pitch and prove that he can remain a key player under Flick.
Aug 22, 2026; Westfield, Indiana, USA; Michael La Sasso tees off on hole two during the third round of the LIV Golf Indianapolis golf tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills. Mandatory Credit: Jerod Ringwald-Imagn Images
Michael La Sasso, a 22-year-old rookie seeking his first pro victory, vaulted into a one-shot lead after 54 holes with a third-round, four-under-par 66 on Saturday at LIV Golf Indianapolis.
La Sasso, who sits at 13 under par entering the final round, sank five birdies and an eagle to overcome a pair of bogeys at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind.
In his 12th start on the LIV Tour and 13th as a pro, La Sasso leads by one over first-round leader Laurie Canter of England (68 on Saturday), Belgium’s Thomas Detry (68), England’s Richard Bland (65) and Australian Cameron Smith (67).
“I played really well today,” La Sasso, a native of Raleigh, N.C., who played one season at North Carolina State before tranferring to Ole Miss, where he won the 2025 NCAA individual championship. “It’s enjoyable getting paired up with Wolffy (Matthew Wolff). We play a lot of golf back in Jupiter (Fla.) together. When I saw we were paired up, I was pretty ecstatic about that, and he definitely brought the vibes out there today, so it was good.”
Coming off an impressive second-round 10-under 60 that placed him in a tie for fifth, La Sasso opened the back nine with a bogey sandwiched between two birdies, then shot an eagle on the par-5 14th hole.
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“There’s a lot of young guys doing a lot of good stuff,” La Sasso said about potentially earning his first pro victory in the last event of the season. “I’m friends with pretty much all of them. I would say it definitely fuels the fire.
“There’s been countless guys that I played with in college that have already won professionally now, so if I could add my name to the resume, that would be pretty sweet.”
Bland, 53, also seeking his first victory with LIV Golf, tied for the best round of the day while sinking seven birdies, though he did falter on the par-4 6th hole with a double bogey. Afterward, the Englishman praised the American rookie currently holding the lead.
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“The youngest and the oldest, yeah,” Bland said, referring to La Sasso and himself. “I’m sure he’ll be 50 yards past me off the tee. He’s a great kid. I’ve played with Michael a couple of times this year. You can see he’s got a huge amount of talent. He’s got a great future in front of him, wherever that future is. I’m sure he’s going to be a star of the future.”
Canter, 36, who has won twice on the European Tour (2024, 2025), has posted back-to-back 2-under 68s and is pleased to be in the running after a strong start to the third round, sinking two birdies in the first four holes.
“I got off to a really good start today,” Canter said. “Three-under on the front nine, which I think statistically is the tougher nine. Yeah, I was really happy with how I played 6 and 8. They’re pretty difficult holes and got through those with a couple of good pars and managed to pick three up. … Yeah, I’m in the tournament tomorrow. Got a chance.”
Bubba Watson (67), Spain’s Sergio Garcia (66) and Josele Ballester (65) and South Korea’s Younghan Song (65) are tied for sixth at 11 under, one shot ahead of Spain’s Jon Rahm (66), Bryson DeChambeau (67) and four others.
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Second-round leader Richard T. Lee, a wild card from Canada, stumbled in the third round, shooting a 3-over 73 and tumbling into a tie for 23rd.
As for the team portion of the event, Legion XIII, captained by Rahm, holds a one-shot lead over HyFlyers GC, with La Sasso and Scott Vincent (66) of Zimbabwe leading the way.
Juan Gomez de Liaño (right): There’s nothing better than playing for the national team. —FIBA.COM PHOTO
Juan Gomez de Liaño had his coming-out party of sorts for Gilas Pilipinas during the previous window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers when he played a pivotal part in the near-victory on the road against New Zealand.
And expectations are that Gomez de Liaño could carry that into the upcoming home games against Jordan and Iran as back-to-the-wall Gilas needs to open the second round of qualification with a sweep of the fourth window.
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Is a bigger role due for the Converge rookie?
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“I don’t think so, honestly,” Gomez de Liaño said. “I’m just going to come in with the same approach.”
Last July saw Gomez de Liaño put up the best game of his Gilas tenure under coach Tim Cone. Against New Zealand in chilly Auckland, Gomez de Liaño forced overtime with a gutsy triple late in regulation and almost got Gilas the win in the first period of the extension with another triple.
Gilas wound up losing in double overtime, 106-102, as Gomez de Liaño finished with 23 points in just 21 minutes as he stepped up in a big way.
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And with Gilas to miss Japan B.League regulars for the next window, the time is right for JDL to again assert himself.
Cone is likely to bank on the southpaw guard to deliver the needed scoring punch in the window as Gilas needs to beat Jordan on Aug. 28 and Iran on Aug. 30 at the Mall of Asia Arena to stay within distance of the top four in Group F.
A loss may jeopardize Gilas’ hopes of a fourth consecutive World Cup berth. Gomez de Liaño is relishing the opportunity to meet the challenge head-on.
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“I’m given the opportunity to step on the floor no matter how many minutes,” he said. “I’m just going to try my best to play my game and do what I can do.”
“There’s [nothing] better than playing for the national team,” he went on. “It’s always been a dream of mine and I’m definitely excited for these two games.”
Gilas is entering the midway point of its buildup for the window as it aims to improve on a 2-4 record entering the home-and-away games with not only Jordan and Iran, but also Syria.
Iran sits second in the group with a 5-1 record, trailing only Australia, which is on top of the pack carrying a perfect 6-0 slate.
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Jordan likewise holds a 5-1 card for third while New Zealand is at fourth at 3-3.
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Like Gilas, Syria has a 2-4 record and will not face the Philippines until the fifth window in November. INQ
Race cars roared across Washington city streets in the shadow of iconic landmarks on Saturday as the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, created by President Donald Trump, began with practice and qualifying for Sunday’s first-of-its-kind event.
IndyCar drivers tested open-wheel vehicles at speeds up to 185 mph (298 km/h) over the bumps and curves of a seven-turn, 1.7-mile course winding around the Washington Monument, US Capitol, National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum — all along the National Mall.
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“This is surreal for all of us drivers,” said American Kyle Kirkwood, second in practice with a lap at 56.691 seconds. “The history, going around the museums, the monument, the Capitol building — everything about this is something you dream about.
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“Thirty years from now we’re going to look back and realize that was one of the coolest races we’ve ever done.”
Spain’s Alex Palou, the season points leader who has won six times this year, captured his seventh pole position of the campaign with a qualifying lap of 56.899 seconds after topping practice laps at 56.614.
“Such a privilege to be racing here. Spectacular place,” said Palou, who made a White House visit earlier this week. “To see the buildings we have around, the Capitol when you exit turn seven, it’s just incredible.”
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Results, however, took a back seat to the epic backdrop for Sunday’s race, which Trump created by executive order as part of celebrations for the 250th birthday of the United States.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Bud Denker, Freedom 250 chairman and president of IndyCar owner Penske Corporation.
“The president and Cabinet members, they really made it happen,” Denker said, citing work done in seven months that usually takes two years to complete.
Organizers expect up to 100,000 people to attend the race, Trump among them.
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A field of 25 will compete Sunday over 147 laps for 250 miles, the second-longest street-course race in IndyCar history after 310-mile events in 1982 and 1983 at Cleveland.
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“I can’t think of a cooler setting when you’re looking at the Capitol in the background,” said Zak Brown, chief executive officer of McLaren Racing. “I’m already hoping there’s a year two.”
Pavement bumps on Pennsylvania Avenue just beyond the first turn, after a start-finish line at the US Capitol, and more bumps before turns two and six, where several cars clipped the padded concrete outer wall, taught valuable lessons.
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“It’s good to be racing here,” France’s Romain Grosjean said. “There’s definitely a few more bumps, a bit less corners, but generally there are some really good flowing sections.”
Precise handling to cope with the bumps will be vital, Mexico’s Pato O’Ward said.
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“There are certain ones that are right where maybe the car doesn’t love it all the time. That’s a little bit of probably what we’re going to be working around,” O’Ward said.
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“You need to be quite aware of where to place the car. It’s about getting all the small details right. I expect it to be a tough race.”
– ‘Spice things up’ –
Palou said he would attack Sunday with intensity usually reserved for the Indianapolis 500 as he chases a fourth consecutive IndyCar season crown and fifth in six years.
“The race is going to be tough — 250 miles, a long day. It’s going to be rough,” Palou said.
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“Huge bumps heading into turn two and turn six, massive bumps that are going to spice things up.
“The bumps are so big, there’s not much you can do. You need to have a car that’s alright over bumps, that’s not trying to kill you every time.
“Once it’s manageable, you just need to go over them and try and make the car as fast as possible.”
A former world champion has reflected on the timing of his showdown with Shakur Stevenson, believing that he should have fought the slick southpaw in 2023.
Back then, ‘The Takeover’ was coming off arguably a career-best performance against Josh Taylor, who he dethroned with a unanimous decision victory for the WBO super-lightweight title.
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Lopez then made two lacklustre defences against Jamaine Ortiz and Steve Claggett, before producing a far more dynamic display while unanimously outpointing Arnold Barboza Jr.
Based on that, many expected the American to at least win a few rounds against Stevenson, who ultimately dominated their 12-round encounter in January.
But while he was unhappy with the tactics, Lopez has also told Ariel Helwani that he would have stood a better chance at defeating Stevenson two years ago.
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“I’d say what went wrong [was] the gameplan. [Stevenson’s] a class act – a defensive fighter, at that – and I think the whole [problem] was the miscommunication, and possibly just taking a fight with Shakur at [that] particular time.
“Maybe earlier on – after the Taylor [victory] and those types of fights – would have been best.”
;)
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