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TORONTO – Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, British Columbia defeated England’s Tommy Fleetwood in a four-hole playoff Sunday to become the first Canadian to win the RBC Canadian Open since 1954 (69 years).
Taylor won the playoff with a 72-foot, 6-inch putt for eagle (longer than any putt in his career) and is the first Tour player to win a playoff with an eagle since Hideki Matsuyama at the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii.
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By TERRY LYONS
BOSTON – From the perspective of a present day columnist and former PR practitioner there’s a problem when a press release – dropped out of thin air – has been written by the lawyers.
Yes, this week, the good folks at the PGA Tour and LIV Golf decided to drop a little news on the sports world. They did so with an early morning news release that was grabbed by CNBC News, questioned as to its validity by The Dan Patrick Show a few minutes after 9:00am on the morning of June 6, 2023. It was verified by this publication when the third source was the homepage of PGATour.com itself.
You’d have thought they were trying to bury the story in quick sand.
From this columnists’ viewpoint, the news release had these qualities, of lack thereof:
Ya think?
Here are just a few storylines created – including business reporters digging into the Tour’s longtime structure and Congress diving into the study as well – as the story advanced and more and more people felt the need to comment:
And, so, the story goes.
See you at next week’s U.S. Open in Los Angeles where there will be more than 100 new spokespeople for the continuing saga of “How the PGA Tour & LIV Worlds Turn.” Surely, the USGA is thrilled with the consequences of staging a major 10 days after the world of professional golf was turned inside out, upside down and sideways without any clear path made public.
After all, nobody’s perfect, right?
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: How about a few Red Sox notes to begin? … Since the start of 2022, 11 of 20 games between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have been decided by one run, including six of 11 at Yankee Stadium. … Boston 3B Rafael Devers hit his 11th career Home Run at Yankee Stadium Saturday night. The only other Red Sox players to hit as many as nine homers against the Yankees in New York prior to the age of 27 are Babe Ruth (10) and Ted Williams (9). … The Sox are in a stretch of playing 13 games in 12 days from June 3 to June 14, including the scheduled day-night doubleheader against Tampa on June 3. … They are scheduled to play 23 games in 23 days from June 3-to-25.
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NEGRO LEAGUE MOTION PICTURE: (Report from Official News Release) – Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard, working with executive producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the Oscar-winner of “Summer of Soul,” Tariq Trotter of Descendant, and produced by RadicalMedia, THE LEAGUE celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball’s triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century.
The story is told through previously unseen archival footage and interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O’Neil – whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era in Major League Baseball. They all created a platform for celebrated Baseball Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started their baseball careers in the Negro Leagues.
From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, THE LEAGUE explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of their local communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.
MOST BELOVED USA ATHLETES: The mention of both Hank Aaron and Willie Mays calls for a listing of many of the Most Beloved Athletes to Ever Play Sports:
TID-BITS: With the recent news of Angel Salcedo being hired by Channel 5 (Boston) as the newest sports reporter in this city, there’s cause to reminisce as we witness the changing of the guard for many of Boston’s local sports anchors. Salcedo fills a slot vacated by longtime anchor/reporter Bob Halloran’s retirement. The WCVB mainstay who recovered from a scary brain aneurysm seven years ago is the latest to retire from the local nightly newscasts. … Joe Amorosino, a sports reporter and anchor with WHDH Channel 7 for 25 years, is leaving the station after his contract expires at the end of June. In a decision entirely made by the 53-year old, Amorosino will focus on his family’s business and real estate interests. … Back in 2014, WCVB-TV’s Mike Dowling moved on after 28 years of sports reporting, many of those riding shotgun with the great Mike Lynch who decided to step-away from the nightly broadcasts in 2019. Lynch, too, suffered a stroke in 2022. He fully recovered from the episode but decided to step aside from the nightly grind after 38 years on the job.
On Friday, Lynch was inducted to the Massachusetts Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
CH-CH-CHANGES: Duke Castiglioni now heads up the sports desk at WCVB-5. The Marshfield High School and Stonehill College grad started at the station in 2018, working weekends. Duke’s father is the long-time voice of the Boston Red Sox, Joe Castiglione. … In January of this year, WBZ-TVwent so far as to run their weekday 6pm newscast without a sports segment. Sports director and anchor Steve Burton had his report nixed for some additional news and weather. Add to the mix the changing of the guard at WEEI-Radio where Glenn Ordway worked afternoon drive-time. Now, FM 98.5 dominates the morning and afternoon radio in Boston.
DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t hanging his head after seeing his team lose both of its home games in the NBA Finals. Although the Heat are facing elimination as they head to Denver to play Game 5 this Monday, Spoelstra remained confident that his charges would extend the series to Game 6 back in Miami.
“All we’re focused on — I told the guys, feel whatever you want to feel tonight. It’s fine. You probably shouldn’t sleep tonight any amount of time. I don’t think anybody will,” Spoelstra said following the Heat’s 108-95 setback on Friday.
“We have an incredibly competitive group. We’ve done everything the hard way, and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now, again. All we are going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. Get this thing back to Miami. And things can shift very quickly.”
The Heat know that all too well, especially since they saw their 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference final go by the boards. They righted the ship by winning Game 7, however.
“You take it one game at a time,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “We’ve seen a team come back from 3-0 firsthand. So we just have to believe, and one game at a time.”
Jimmy Butler had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Adebayo amassed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat. Kyle Lowry scored 13 points while Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson added 12 apiece for Miami.
The Heat are still holding out hope that they can become the second team to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Finals.
“It’s the same thing that it’s always been — it’s a game at a time,” Butler said. “Now we’re in a must-win situation every game, which we’re capable of. We’ve got to correct some things, but it’s not impossible. We got three to get.”
–Field Level Media
BRONX, NY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York’s SP Domingo German allowed only a home run to Boston’s 3B Rafael Devers in six solid innings as the host New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 3-1 Saturday.
New York’s duo of Gleyber Torres homered in the fourth and Willie Calhoun hit a tie-breaking homer in the sixth as the Yankees defeated the Red Sox for the seventh time in the past eight home meetings. Kyle Higashioka of the Yanks added an RBI single in the seventh.
German (4-3) allowed one run on six hits for his third career win over the Red Sox and first since Aug. 3, 2019.
Devers homered for the second straight night after ending a 16-game home run drought Friday. It was Devers’ 21st career homer against the Yankees since making his debut in 2017.
Before the homer, German retired Devers twice with a runner on base. In the first, German stranded Justin Turner at first by fanning Devers. Two innings later, Turner was stranded at third when left fielder Jake Bauers made a leaping catch of a Devers drive while crashing into the left-field fence.
By TERRY LYONS
BOSTON – From the perspective of a present day columnist and former PR practitioner there’s a problem when a press release – dropped out of thin air – has been written by the lawyers.
Yes, this week, the good folks at the PGA Tour and LIV Golf decided to drop a little news on the sports world. They did so with an early morning news release that was grabbed by CNBC News, questioned as to its validity by The Dan Patrick Show a few minutes after 9:00am on the morning of June 6, 2023. It was verified by this publication when the third source was the homepage of PGATour.com itself.
You’d have thought they were trying to bury the story in quick sand.
From this columnists’ viewpoint, the news release had these qualities, of lack thereof:
Ya think?
Here are just a few storylines created – including business reporters digging into the Tour’s longtime structure and Congress diving into the study as well – as the story advanced and more and more people felt the need to comment:
And, so, the story goes.
See you at next week’s U.S. Open in Los Angeles where there will be more than 100 new spokespeople for the continuing saga of “How the PGA Tour & LIV Worlds Turn.” Surely, the USGA is thrilled with the consequences of staging a major 10 days after the world of professional golf was turned inside out, upside down and sideways without any clear path made public.
After all, nobody’s perfect, right?
SUNRISE – The Florida Panthers are right back in their chase for the Stanley Cup Final after a come from behind, 3-2, overtime victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. However, as much as the Panthers have to celebrate with their comeback win, they still trail the best-of-seven series 2-1 and are aware of the importance of following it up with another victory when they host Game 4 on Saturday.
“That’s a big momentum game for us,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, whose late third-period goal forced overtime, told Sportsnet. “Now we’ve just got to win one more game.”
unloaded a long shot from just inside the blue line that found the mark at 4:27 of overtime to cap a back-and-forth affair. It was his seventh of the playoffs and his fourth career overtime winner.
“We had to find a way,” said Verhaeghe, who added an assist.
With his team on the verge of falling behind 3-0 in the series, Tkachuk — who missed most of the first period because the concussion spotter pulled him from the game after the forward was on the receiving end of a hard check — scored yet another clutch goal.
Tkachuk buried a loose puck with 2:13 remaining in regulation while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra attacker.
“Probably the gutsiest win I’ve ever been a part of,” said Tkachuk, who notched a franchise-record 11th goal of the playoffs and added an assist. “Proud of the team. We’re not done yet.”
Brandon Montour also scored for the Panthers and Bobrovsky made 25 shots in a strong performance. Bobrovsky’s biggest stop came on a third-period attempt from Michael Amadio while Vegas held a 2-1 lead.
The Panthers recorded their first ever Stanley Cup Final win. They were swept in their only other appearance, 1996 against the Colorado Avalanche.
MIAMI – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Denver Nuggets stand two victories away from their first NBA title and their top two players are coming off historic performances. But the Nuggets remember their Game 2 home loss and know they will need to deliver a supreme effort on Friday night when they face the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Denver holds a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series and are setting out to win back-to-back games in Miami. The Nuggets controlled the second half during a 109-94 win on Wednesday night and re-gained the crucial home-court advantage which makes Miami need to win a game at the Mile High city.
“Good win for us,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, “but we did not come down here to get one win.”
What Denver did get was history-making outings from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Jokic produced a stat line of 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists and became the first player ever to log at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in an NBA Finals game. It was just the fifth such contest in NBA playoff history — three coming from Jokic and one each from Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Murray scored a game-high 34 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It represents the first game in which two players on the same team scored at least 30 points during a triple-double in NBA history.
“They played amazing,” veteran forward Jeff Green said. “They took what the defense gave them. Jokic has been doing it all year. Both of them, Jamal as well. We feed off of those guys. They make the game easy for us and we try to do the same for them.”
Denver also dominated the interior. The Nuggets had a 58-33 rebounding advantage and a 60-34 edge in points in the paint.
The Heat appear to be losing steam during a playoff run that began with them claiming a berth through the play-in round and then upsetting the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
Miami took a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. Since then, the Heat have dropped five of seven games.
And if Miami falls behind 3-1, two of the final three games of the series are scheduled for Denver. The Nuggets’ loss in Game 2 was their first in 10 home games this postseason.
Heat center Bam Adebayo said the squad has faced challenging situations before.
“You trust one another to do their job, and you let the chips fall where they may,” said Adebayo, who had 22 points and 17 rebounds in Game 3. “You trust 1 through 5, 1 through 15. You trust the staff. Everybody has a belief that you can get that job done.
“If everybody has that belief and everybody comes with the right mindset, that is how you can get it done.”
Jimmy Butler scored 28 points on Wednesday. The Miami star is averaging 20.7 points and shooting 42.1 percent in the series.
“I continue to be who I am,” Butler said of his Finals performance. “We will continue to be who we are as a group, as a team. We’re going to go out here and compete together. We’re going to win together.”
Meanwhile, limiting the damage from Jokic and Murray will be part of the focus. Jokic is averaging 33.3 points, 14 rebounds and 9.3 assists, while Murray is contributing 26 points, 10 assists and 6.7 rebounds.
“I think this is the time where the players show what they’ve got,” Jokic said one day after posting his 10th triple-double of the postseason.
Miami guard Tyler Herro will again sit out, coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday. Herro broke the hand on April 16 in Game 1 of the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks and underwent surgery on April 21.
–Field Level Media
CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The errors keep piling up for the Boston Red Sox, who face the host Cleveland Guardians in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday. Boston matched its season high with three miscues in a 5-2 loss on Wednesday and leads the American League with 43 errors. The Red Sox committed all three errors in the fourth inning on Wednesday, leading to a pair of Cleveland runs.
“It’s frustrating because we’re working,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not lack of effort, it’s not lack of work. It is who we are right now. At some point, you have to slow the game down … they’re trying; right now it’s just not happening for us.”
Boston has lost four of its last five games, while Cleveland has won six of its last 10. Guardians designated hitter Josh Bell has driven in a run in six straight games.
“It’s frustrating because we’re working,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It’s not lack of effort, it’s not lack of work. It is who we are right now. At some point, you have to slow the game down … they’re trying; right now it’s just not happening for us.”
Boston has lost four of its last five games, while Cleveland has won six of its last 10. Guardians designated hitter Josh Bell has driven in a run in six straight games.
Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor committed a costly error in Wednesday’s victory, but finished with three hits, including a run-scoring single. Naylor has 34 RBIs in his last 32 games.
“Josh was pretty locked in after that error,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said after the win. “You could tell he wanted to get some payback. He had a pretty eventful night. There wasn’t much that went on out there that he wasn’t a part of.”
Cleveland will send right-hander Aaron Civale (1-1, 2.04 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. He returned from the injured list after missing 48 games with a strained left oblique and tossed five scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins last Friday.
Civale, 27, was pleased with his performance after missing large gaps of time due to various injuries over the past two years.
BOSTON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Rithmm, Inc., a Boston-based start-up specializing in AI-driven sports betting technology, closed on a $2 million seed funding round.
The funding round was led by prominent investors, including Boston Seed Capital, Counterview Capital, Oyster Ventures, Correlation Ventures, Service Provider Capital, and Permit Ventures. This significant capital infusion will propel the company’s expansion and enable the launch of its NFL product, while further enhancing the platform’s capabilities and empowering sports bettors worldwide.
Rithmm developed an innovative sports betting platform that leverages the power of advanced analytics with an intuitive user interface, enabling sports bettors to build custom analytical models easily and use them to make smarter and more informed betting decisions.
The platform eliminates the complexity and barriers associated with traditional sports betting analytics, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
“This timely infusion of capital will play a pivotal role in propelling our technology forward, enabling us to broaden our reach with an eagerly awaited NFL product and providing our users with an unparalleled sports betting experience,” said Megan Lanham, CEO of Rithmm.
“We believe that Rithmm is poised to disrupt the industry by providing users with advanced analytics and insights previously reserved for professional sports bettors,” said Peter Blacklow, Managing Director at Boston Seed Capital. “Their AI-driven platform has the potential to level the playing field and transform the way sports bettors approach strategy. We are thrilled to support Rithmm in their mission to redefine the sports betting experience.”
NEW YORK/RIYADH/PONTE VEDRA BEACH – Staff Report with references from Official News Release – In a move to reunite the disparate and desperate worlds of professional golf, the feuding entities of the touring pro golf circuits reached agreement to unify the business of golf.
In an early morning news release sent to the tour’s media contacts and posted on PGATour.com then reported publicly by CNBC-TV, the PGA Tour and LIV tour seem to be merging after the 2023 season. Although the news release was vague and noted much to come as details are worked out in the future, the remaining concept to become a part of the regular golf scene will be “team golf.”
The agreement will end all pending litigation between LIV and the PGA Tour.
The face-saving news release for LIV golf read as follows:
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund announced an agreement to unify the game of golf, on a global basis. The parties have signed an agreement that combines PIF’s golf-related commercial businesses and rights (including LIV Golf) with the commercial businesses and rights of the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour into a new, collectively owned, for-profit entity to ensure that all stakeholders benefit from a model that delivers maximum excitement and competition among the game’s best players.
In addition, PIF will make a capital investment into the new entity to facilitate its growth and success. The new entity – with a name to be determined – will implement a plan to grow these combined commercial businesses, drive greater fan engagement and accelerate growth initiatives already underway. With LIV Golf in the midst of its second, groundbreaking season, the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour and PIF will work together to best feature and grow team golf going forward.
Notably, today’s announcement will be followed by a mutually agreed end to all pending litigation between the participating parties. Further, the three organizations will work cooperatively and in good faith to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to re-apply for membership with the PGA TOUR or the DP World Tour following the completion of the 2023 season and for determining fair criteria and terms of re-admission, consistent with each Tour’s policies.
“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA Tour’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans. Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.
“We are pleased to move forward, in step with LIV and PIF’s world-class investing experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach that is not just a solution to the rift in our game, but also a commitment to taking it to new heights. This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better.”
“Today is a very exciting day for this special game and the people it touches around the world,” said PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. “We are proud to partner with the PGA Tour to leverage PIF’s unparalleled success and track record of unlocking value and bringing innovation and global best practices to business and sectors worldwide. We are committed to unifying, promoting and growing the game of golf around the world and offering the highest-quality product to the many millions of long-time fans globally, while cultivating new fans.
“There is no question that the LIV model has been positively transformative for golf. We believe there are opportunities for the game to evolve while also maintaining its storied history and tradition. This partnership represents the best opportunity to extend and increase the impact of golf for all. We look forward to collaborating with Jay and Keith to bring the best version of the game to communities around the world.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the Board of Directors of the new entity will oversee and direct all the new entity’s golf-related commercial operations, businesses and investments. The new entity will work to ensure a cohesive schedule of events that will be exciting for fans, sponsors and all stakeholders. PIF will initially be the exclusive investor in the new entity, alongside the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour. Going forward, PIF will have the exclusive right to further invest in the new entity, including a right of first refusal on any capital that may be invested in the new entity, including into the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and DP World Tour. The PGA Tour will appoint a majority of the Board and hold a majority voting interest in the combined entity.
Separately, PGA Tour Inc. will remain in place as a 501(c)(6) tax exempt organization and retains administrative oversight of events for those assets contributed by the PGA Tour, including the sanctioning of events, the administration of the competition and rules, as well as all other “inside the ropes” responsibilities, with Jay Monahan as Commissioner and Ed Herlihy as PGA Tour Policy Board Chairman. PIF’s Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan will join the PGA Tour Policy Board. The DP World Tour and LIV Golf will retain similar administrative oversight of events on their respective Tours.
The Board of Directors of the new commercial entity will include Al-Rumayyan as Chairman and Monahan as Chief Executive Officer; the new entity’s Board will also include an Executive Committee comprising Al-Rumayyan, Monahan, Herlihy and PGA TOUR Policy Board member Jimmy Dunne. The full Board will be announced at a later date, and it is anticipated that all three founding members will have representation.
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said “This is a momentous day. We are delighted to be able to not only reignite our relationship with PIF, but also to have the opportunity to build on our current Strategic Alliance partnership with the PGA Tour. Together we will be stronger than ever and well positioned to continue to bring the game to all corners of the globe. To partner in this new entity and influence the growth of the game for all our DP World Tour members is energizing and exciting.”
All parties will work in the months to come to finalize terms of the agreement, with details to be announced in due course.
