Great course, great city struggles for great field (AP)
Great course, great city struggles for great field (AP)
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP)—Location isn’t always everything when it comes to attracting a strong field. It’s as much about the calendar. The AT&T National gets under way Thursday, and it appears to have everything in its favor. For the second straight year, it is being played at Aronimink Golf Club, a course so highly regarded that there is reason to hope for a major. It is located about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia, one of America’s top sports town with an affinity for golf. About all that’s missing are some of the top players. For the first time since this tournament began at Congressional in 2007, it doesn’t have a single player from among the top 10 in the world ranking. Part of that is because Tiger Woods—the former host whose foundation still benefits from the charity dollars—is no longer in the top 10 or even playing at the moment. But there are other reasons, most of which have to do with the time of the year. The Fourth of July weekend was a big hit outside Chicago when the old Western Open was played. It was the biggest event between the U.S. Open and the British Open, and a tournament that most PGA Tour players entered. Then again, that was when PGA Tour players ruled the world ranking. Now it has a distinctive European flavor, not only at the top but throughout the top 50. Most of them are either playing the French Open this week, or taking a week off before the Scottish Open, the final tune-up before the third major of the year. Bubba Watson decided to go to France, too, which was only strange in that he said he planned to return home before going back to the British Open. The highest-ranked player at Aronimink is Nick Watney at No. 15. The other three from the top 20 are past champion K.J. Choi, Hunter Mahan and Jim Furyk, with Adam Scott at No. 21 also in the field. That leads to another question: What constitutes a strong field? The ultimate measure is the world ranking, and the AT&T National (along with the French Open) will be assigned points once the tournament starts on Thursday. This tournament has nine of the top 50 in the world. Considering that it’s a PGA Tour event, the AT&T National at least can boast 27 of the top 50 from the FedEx Cup standings. And of the 25 players who have won tour events this year, 11 of them are at Aronimink. Then again, is a ranking more important than appeal when it comes to selling tickets? Is it more attractive to have a player from the top 50 in the world, such as Ben Crane or Brandt Snedeker, or a three-time major champion like Vijay Singh? Anthony Kim is barely on any list the way he’s been playing, but his appeal is likely greater than someone like John Rollins. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said he looks at fields differently from the public, and he used star power as an example. “Somebody asked me the other day, ‘How much does a player who finishes 125th on the money list earn outside of official money?’ It depends on who the player is,” Finchem said. “If Freddie Couples was 125th, it would be a very different thing than a lot of other players. So those things move the needle in terms of your interest among the media, enthusiasm of the television announcers, how the fans are going to react to it, how tickets are sold. “All those things are affected by a range of players, not just the players who happen to be in the top 20 or top 30 or top 50 in the world ranking. So we look at it different ways.” The AT&T National has a short history of strong winners—Choi and Kim when it was at Congressional, Justin Rose last year at Aronimink, giving him two wins in three starts. Among those outside the top 50 is one who is sure to attract a decent crowd. That would be Sean O’Hair, who makes his home in the Philadelphia and joined Aronimink a few years ago. He was getting plenty of club and hometown support during the pro-am, despite his gaffe at the Red Sox-Phillies game Tuesday night, when he threw out the first pitch and was just a little bit off target. “I think I hit the camera guy right in the head,” O’Hair said. “The worst thing about it, I didn’t even ask how he was doing. I was so nervous. But it was fun to be there. I wish I would have thrown a little bit better pitch, but it’s not what I do for a living.” O’Hair is trying to get his golf game back together, as is Jim Furyk, who is slipping into a deep slump in the year after he won the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize. Furyk, who grew up closer to the other side of Pennsylvania, has only two top 10s this year, and both those were a tie for ninth. He has missed the cut in his last three starts, the first time that’s happened since the end of the 2004 season when he was recovering from a wrist injury. Furyk has been around long enough to understand that ranking and form can go in cycles. Even though there are only nine Americans among the top 20 in the world, he is not pessimistic about the future. “I think if you look at the under 30s, you look at Hunter Mahan, you look at Nick Watney, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler … I’ll take those four,” he said. “You pick four players under 30 from any other region, I’ll take my four, and I’ll be quite happy with where my money goes.”
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Lidstrom wins seventh Norris Trophy (AP)
Lidstrom wins seventh Norris Trophy (AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP)—After a two-year break, Nicklas Lidstrom(notes) is the NHL’s top defenseman again. The Detroit Red Wings star won the Norris Trophy on Wednesday night for the seventh time in his 19-season NHL career. Lidstrom tied Doug Harvey as a seven-time winner, one behind record-holder Bobby Orr. Lidstrom beat Boston’s Zdeno Chara(notes) and Nashville’s Shea Weber(notes) at the NHL Awards ceremony in Las Vegas. Lidstrom captured the award three straight times from 2001-03 and then added another hat trick from 2006-08. His second run was stopped by Chara, who has been a finalist three of the past four seasons. Lidstrom was second in the league among defensemen with 62 points, including 16 goals. He was third among defensemen in assists.
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Rain already causing trouble on Day 3 (AP)
Rain already causing trouble on Day 3 (AP)
WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—The already rain-plagued Wimbledon tournament has started on Day 3 under the Centre Court roof. While rain delayed play on all other courts Wednesday, five-time champion Venus Williams and 40-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm were playing in the main stadium. The winner of the early match on Centre Court will reach the third round, but there are still 17 first-round matches that have not finished or begun at the All England Club. Later Wednesday, defending champion Rafael Nadal was to play Ryan Sweeting of the United States on Centre Court. Three-time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick was scheduled to play in the late match against Victor Hanescu of Romania.
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Fever-Mystics Preview (AP)
Fever-Mystics Preview (AP)
The Indiana Fever might need to find a replacement for injured guard Katie Douglas, but they’ve been getting plenty of bench production. The Washington Mystics haven’t received that boost while dealing with injury woes all season. The Fever look to salvage the finale of their three-game trip Tuesday night when the Mystics try to avoid their first four-game losing streak since 2008. Averaging a team-high 19.2 points heading into Sunday’s game, Douglas suffered a lower back contusion with 1:40 left in the first quarter and did not return to the 93-89 overtime loss at Phoenix. The Fever (3-3), who lost 68-54 at Seattle on Friday, were outscored by 12 in the final 11 minutes of regulation Sunday. “I’m really disappointed we didn’t win this ball game,” said coach Lin Dunn. “I thought if anything we gave it away. I thought we gave it away with bad decisions down the stretch. … I really thought that we did all the things that we needed to do with Katie Douglas being hurt. I thought at the end of the night we just shot ourselves in the foot and gave the game away.” Douglas is listed as day-to-day after X-rays came back negative. If Douglas can’t go, Dunn will likely give plenty of minutes to rookie Jeanette Pohlen, who hit all five of her 3-point attempts Sunday and scored a season-high 17 points. She is 9 for 15 from long range. The Fever have also been getting great production from backup center Jessica Davenport. The veteran is averaging a career-best 10.2 points after scoring a career-high 20 on Sunday when Indiana had a franchise-record 52 bench points. The Fever’s reserves are averaging 32.3 points in the last four contests. The Mystics (1-4) have 53 bench points all season. Injuries to Monique Currie (torn ACL), Alana Beard (sprained left foot) and rookie center Ta’Shia Phillips (ankle tendon injury) have put more pressure on the team’s starters, all of whom are averaging at least 27 minutes. All five starters logged more than 28 minutes in Saturday’s 77-59 loss at Tulsa. Washington is off to its worst start since opening 0-8 in 2007. The Mystics begin a three-game homestand by trying to avoid their first four-game skid since ending the 2008 season with nine consecutive losses. Beard remains day-to-day, while Phillips is expected to play after scoring two points in six minutes Saturday in her return from a three-game absence. Mystics All-Star forward Crystal Langhorne averaged 14.3 points and 10.5 rebounds as Washington went 3-1 against Indiana last season. The Mystics had gone 0-6 against the Fever in 2009, including two losses in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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Pryor hires agent Rosenhaus, eyes draft (AP)
Pryor hires agent Rosenhaus, eyes draft (AP)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)—Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent and has taken steps toward making himself available for an NFL supplemental draft. Pryor’s lawyer, Larry James, said Monday that Pryor was in Miami and had signed an agreement with Rosenhaus, a high-powered agent who represents some of the biggest names in sports. His client list includes standout wide receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco along with former Ohio State running back and Pryor teammate Chris “Beanie” Wells, now with the Arizona Cardinals. “I am happy that he has reached this point and he’s in secure hands,” James said of Pryor. Pryor, James and at least two other people spent the past few days discussing the quarterback’s options in terms of agents. Then Pryor flew to Miami on Sunday and signed a contract with Rosenhaus late on Monday morning. James also formally notified Ohio State that Pryor had signed with an agent, which officially made the three-year starter ineligible in the eyes of the university and the NCAA. That clears the way for the next step in Pryor’s hopes of making it into the NFL. “The university declares him ineligible,” James said. “Therefore, that is a prerequisite to being eligible for the supplemental draft.” Pryor announced last week that he would not return to the team for his senior season. He had already been suspended by Ohio State and the NCAA for the first five games of the 2011 season for accepting improper benefits in the form of cash and discounted tattoos from a Columbus tattoo-parlor owner. The NCAA is investigating all aspects of Ohio State’s athletic program, particularly the football team. The probe led to the forced resignation of head coach Jim Tressel on May 30. Tressel has admitted he knew his players were taking improper benefits but covered it up for more than nine months before Ohio State officials discovered his knowledge. Rosenhaus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pryor cannot be signed as a free agent by an NFL team. The NFL, currently embroiled in a work stoppage with the players, will likely schedule a supplemental draft for July or August. The draft follows a similar pattern to that of the regular draft in the spring. The NFL team selecting Pryor would surrender its pick in the same round in the regular draft in 2012. The 6-foot-6, 233-pounder from Jeannette, Pa., is Ohio State’s all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks, with 2,164 yards. He also matched Bobby Hoying’s school record for touchdown passes with 57. While marveling at his size and speed, many draft experts have questioned his footwork, his throwing motion, his arm strength and his ability to read defenses. Some have even said Pryor should forget about playing quarterback and shift to wide receiver, tight end or some other position. NFL draft analyst and former Dallas Cowboys general manager Gil Brandt has his doubts about Pryor but takes a wait-and-see approach. He said there’s no reason for Pryor to change positions—at least not right away. “See if he can play the position first of all. But for him to play the position, I think it’s going to take a lot of training,” he said. “It’s going to take a person really dedicated to playing football. The things that I hear, he maybe doesn’t have that type of dedication.”
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Bruins, Canucks both try to end droughts (AP)
Bruins
Canucks both try to end droughts (AP)
VANCOUVER
British Columbia (AP)—Daniel Sedin(notes) absently scratched his red playoff beard
thinking back on a decade of struggle and setbacks before the Vancouver Canucks reached the Stanley Cup finals against Boston. Down the hallway
his identical twin rubbed his identical beard exactly the same way. Henrik Sedin(notes) was considering a more pressing problem
though: Now that the Swedish superstars are finally close enough to touch the Stanley Cup
how do they get it away from hulking defenseman Zdeno Chara(notes) and the bruising Bruins? “We’ve had a lot of challenges along the way to get here
but he’s the biggest one yet—literally
I guess
” said Henrik Sedin
last season’s NHL MVP. “It’s going to be exciting to see what happens
because we haven’t played each other enough to know those guys very well. It’s unpredictable.” The only sure bet is that one championship drought will end for one long-suffering hockey-loving city after the Canucks face Boston in the Stanley Cup finals
starting in Game 1 on Wednesday night in Vancouver. The Canucks have never won it all
falling in their only two previous finals appearances in four decades of existence. Their ever-anxious city is buzzing with anticipation
with hundreds of fans filling the sidewalks and bars of Granville Street in blue-and-green jerseys in the days before the finals. They’re breathlessly following the Sedin twins
who finally turned their talent into team success during a spectacular season in Vancouver. With impressive depth and solid defense backing their star-studded top lines
the Canucks won the Presidents’ Trophy with 54 victories and 117 points before winning nine of their past 12 playoff games heading into the finals. The Canucks might be the best team ever assembled on Canada’s West Coast
yet they realize they haven’t done anything until they raise the Cup. “With the parity that is in the league
you’ve got to do a lot of things right for a long time
” Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. “I do believe you’ve got to get some bounces
you get the bounces because you’ve been doing things right for a long time. I believe that Vancouver is due for 40 years of good bounces.” The Bruins have lost five straight trips to the finals since Bobby Orr led them to their last title in 1972
and haven’t made it at all since 1990. Yet with only moderate expectations and a largely star-free roster featuring no scorers in the NHL’s top 25
Boston survived a rough Eastern Conference run during which it faced elimination twice in the past three rounds. The Bruins coolly won two Game 7 showdowns
both on clutch goals by Nathan Horton(notes)
earning the right to travel thousands of miles to the opposite coast for a shot at their ultimate goal. “We definitely earned the right to be here with everything we’ve gone through
” Horton said Tuesday after the Bruins’ first practice in Vancouver. “I had never even been in the playoffs before
so maybe I don’t know any better. I’m getting some real goosebumps now
though.” These teams know little about each other
meeting just once in the regular season thanks to the NHL’s unbalanced schedule. They’ve had several days to study film and scouting reports
but they know they won’t fully appreciate the Sedins’ brilliance or Chara’s ice-clogging force until they see it up close. Chara clearly intrigues the Sedins and their fellow Vancouver forwards. The Canucks struggled offensively in the second round against Nashville’s shutdown defensemen
Shea Weber(notes) and Ryan Suter(notes)
but bounced back with a dominant series against San Jose in the conference finals. Henrik Sedin is the league’s leading playoff scorer with 21 points
while Ryan Kesler(notes) has 18—and Daniel Sedin a mere 16. “There’s a few big defensemen in the league
but he’s obviously the biggest and the best
” Daniel Sedin said. “We’ll see how it goes
but we see shutdown players in every game
so that part isn’t any different.” The Boston defense is equally fascinated by the Sedins
who joined the Canucks in 1999 in a masterpiece of draft-day maneuvering by Brian Burke. After a handful of difficult seasons
the twins returned from the 2004-05 lockout with an all-out attitude that allowed them to develop into the offensive virtuosos that are dominating the Western Conference. “There’s only a few players in the league that have been together so long
and obviously them being brothers
it helps
” Chara said. “Growing up together
they know each other extremely well. They know where they are even without looking at each other
so it makes it challenging to play against them. We just have to try to take as much away from them as we can.” Boston is hoping both teams stay at full strength for most of the series. The Bruins have been the NHL’s best 5-on-5 team all season long
but their power play is in a horrific playoff slump
scoring on just 8 percent of its chances compared to the Canucks’ 28 percent efficiency led by the Sedins.
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