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Glover Leads at FedEx St. Jude

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MEMPHIS – Lucas Glover holds his fifth career 54-hole lead/co-lead and is 1-for-4 converting the victory (2023 Wyndham Championship). He’s the first player to hold the 54-hole lead in back-to-back weeks on TOUR since Patrick Cantlay (2021 BMW Championship, TOUR Championship)

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At 43 years old, Glover became the first player to hold the 54-hole lead at 40 or older in the FedExCup Playoffs since Tiger Woods (42 years, 2018 TOUR Championship).

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Making only his second FedEx Cup Playoffs appearance, Taylor Moore (2nd/-13) carded a (65) and leads the field in Greens in Regulation Percentage at 75.93% (41/54) through three round. He earned his maiden PGA TOUR title at the Valspar Championship alongside two other Top-10s this season (T4/Zurich Classic of New Orleans; T4/Rocket Mortgage Classic).

Tommy Fleetwood (3rd/-12) posted his third consecutive (66) and seeks to join Will Zalatoris (2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship) and Camilo Villegas (2018 BMW Championship) as players to win their first PGA TOUR title in a FedExCup Playoffs event.

Max Homa (T4/-11) posted a bogey-free (65) to sit inside the Top 5 through 54 holes on TOUR for the first time since The Genesis Invitational (2nd/finished 2nd). Homa has finished no higher than T42 in six previous starts at TPC Southwind (2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship)

Justin Rose (T23/-6) needed 21 putts to post a bogey-free 9-under (61), tying the course record set by Tom Lewis (R3/2020), Bob Estes (R1/2001) and Jay Delsing (R4/1993). He’s played his last 36 holes at (-12).

FedEx St Jude Championship | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

1 Lucas Glover 66 64 66 196 (-14)

2 Taylor Moore 66 66 65 197 (-13)

3 Tommy Fleetwood 66 66 66 198 (-12)

T4 Max Homa 68 66 65 199 (-11)

T4 Jordan Spieth 63 68 68 199 (-11)

Full Leaderboard (link)

NBA Finals Rivals Enter Hall Together

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SPRINGFIELD –  (Staff and Wire Service Report) – After going head-to-head in the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki found themselves on the same side for once on Saturday night.

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Wade and Nowitzki were among those enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., part of a loaded 2023 class that featured a total of 12 new inductees.

Wade led the Heat to a title in 2006, being named Finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as Miami toppled the Mavericks in six games.

Dallas got its revenge five years later, though, beating the Heat in six games for its only championship in franchise history. This time it was Nowitzki’s turn to secure Finals MVP honors, as he went for 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Twelve years removed from their latest clash on the NBA’s biggest stage, the two have gotten to know each other as people as opposed to competitors.

“For Dirk and me, it’s been therapy,” Wade said about his post-career journey with Nowitzki and some of the other inductees. “Who would have thought that we would be on the same team after all of our battles, but here we are, and it’s one of the greatest teams I’ve ever been on.”

Wade, 41, went on to win two more titles by the time his 16-year NBA career was all said and done. He was a 13-time All-Star and posted career averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists, spending most of his time with Miami, where he spent 15 seasons.

After coming up short in the Finals in 2006, Nowitzki, 45, was named league MVP following the 2006-07 campaign. A 14-time All-Star, Nowitzki was a beacon of loyalty for over two decades, spending his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks. He averaged 20.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 1,522 games (1,460 starts).

If Wade and Nowitzki weren’t battling each other, they were often trying to fend off the Spurs. San Antonio was well-represented on Saturday night, as guard Tony Parker and longtime coach Gregg Popovich were also part of the Class of 2023.

Parker, 41, won four titles during his 17 seasons with the Spurs. Popovich, 74, was at the helm for all four of those championships, plus a fifth in 1999. Next season will be his 29th as San Antonio’s coach, and he heads into it with 1,366 regular-season wins along with 170 in the playoffs.

One of Popovich’s disciples, Becky Hammon, was also inducted to the Hall of Fame on Saturday. Following a successful playing career in the WNBA and overseas, the 46-year-old Hammon worked as an assistant on the Spurs’ staff from 2014-22. She is now head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, who currently own the best record in the WNBA at 26-3.

In her first season as coach of the Aces, Hammon led Las Vegas to its first title in franchise history.

“You’re a man of principle and excellence,” Hammon said to Popovich. “I know you weren’t trying to be courageous when you hired me, but you did do something nobody else in professional sports has ever done.

Carpenter Nails Red Sox

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter hit two solo home runs to help propel the visiting Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

The Tigers clubbed four homers for the game.

Carpenter opened the scoring by belting a solo home run against Red Sox starter Brayan Bello to lead off the second inning. He followed with his 15th home run of the season in the eighth against Kyle Barraclough. Carpenter also homered on Friday night.

Eric Haase and Spencer Torkelson also hit solo home runs for the Tigers.

Haase stretched Detroit’s lead to 3-1 when he homered to left-center in the fifth. It was his fourth home run of the season and also came against Bello, who was pulled with two outs in the fifth.

Torkelson’s home run, his 18th, came in the sixth against Brennan Bernardino and extended Detroit’s lead to 5-1. Torkelson finished 4-for-4.Justin Turner hit his 18th home run, a solo shot in the eighth inning, for the Red Sox.

Matt Manning (4-4) pitched 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. He surrendered a run on two hits. Jason Foley tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to secure his fifth save.

Bello (8-7) allowed four runs on nine hits, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

After Carpenter’s home run handed the Tigers a 1-0 lead, Detroit added to that lead in the third. Nick Maton singled, took second on Akil Baddoo’s single and made it a 2-0 game when he scored on Riley Greene’s single.

Boston cut its deficit in half in the fourth when Turner scored on an error by Maton at third base, but Detroit added two runs in the top of the fifth. After Haase homered, Baddoo made it 4-1 by scoring from third on a fielder’s choice.

Torkelson’s home run gave the Tigers a four-run lead, and Carpenter’s second home run of the game put The Tigers up 6-1. Turner’s homer capped the scoring.

–Field Level Media

For Boston, For Sale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Oft-injured Boston starting pitcher Chris Sale went to work in a major league game for the first time in more than two months and Triston Casas hit a three-run home run to help the Boston Red Sox stretch their winning streak to three games by beating the visiting Detroit Tigers 5-2 Friday night.

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Casas put Boston in front 4-0 when he hit his 19th homer of the season in the fourth inning. It was the first home run Detroit’s Tarik Skubal has allowed this season.

Sale, who last appeared in a game June 1, retired the first 14 batters he faced. He spent more than two months on the injured list with shoulder inflammation, but was activated off the 60-day IL Friday night.

Sale allowed two runs on one hit, struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter in 4 2/3 innings. Kerry Carpenter‘s solo home run in the fifth is the only hit Sale allowed. It was Carpenter’s 13th home run of the season.

Sale threw 58 pitches, 42 of which were strikes.

Kyle Barraclough (1-0) collected the win for pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Chris Murphy didn’t allow a hit or a run in the final three innings to earn the first save of his career.

Skubal (2-2) was pulled with one out in the sixth after he gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits. Skubal struck out three and walked two.

Boston took a 1-0 lead by scoring an unearned run in the first. Rob Refsnyder reached on a throwing error, took third on Rafael Devers’ single and scored on a fielder’s choice.

After Casas homered to make it 4-0, Detroit scored twice in the fifth. Carpenter’s home run put the Tigers on the scoreboard, and then Riley Greene’s single drove in Javier Baez to make it 4-2.

The Red Sox increased their lead to 5-2 when Connor Wong’s two-out single drove in Trevor Story in the sixth.

The loss ended Detroit’s three-game winning streak.

–Field Level Media

 

Paxton, Sox Blank KC Royals

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – James Paxton tossed 5 1/3 innings to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting Kansas City Royals 2-0 Thursday night.

Paxton (7-3) allowed six hits, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. Relievers John Schreiber (two-thirds of an inning), Josh Winckowski (one inning), Chris Martin (one inning) and Kenley Jansen (one inning) helped preserve the shutout.

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Jansen didn’t allow a baserunner in the ninth to earn his 26th save. He recorded two strikeouts.

Boston scored a run in the fourth and one in the fifth. Adam Duvall and Alex Verdugo had the game’s only RBIs.

The victory gave Boston three wins in the four-game series against Kansas City, which has lost five of its last six games.

Alec Marsh (0-6) took the loss. Marsh allowed two runs on six hits in five innings of relief. He walked two and struck out three.

Maikel Garcia had two hits for the Royals. His single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

The Royals had one hit in each of the first seven innings — and seven hits in the game — but were 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Kansas City struck out 12 times.

Kansas City’s best chance to score came in the seventh inning, when the Royals had runners on first and second with one out. Dairon Blanco and Garcia each struck out for the final two outs in the inning.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Tristan Casas singled, moved to third on a Trevor Story double and scored on Verdugo’s sacrifice fly.

Boston made it 2-0 in the fifth. Duvall’s two-out double scored Pablo Reyes, who reached on a double earlier in the inning.

Reyes batted in the leadoff spot for the first time this season and collected two hits in the win. Before Thursday’s game, Reyes hadn’t hit higher than sixth in the batting order this season. Duvall also had two hits.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox: Sink and Split?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Kansas City Royals have lost four of their last five games but can split a four-game road series against the Boston Red Sox when the teams meet in the series finale tonight.

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Boston prevailed 4-3 Wednesday after the teams split the first two games in the series at Fenway Park.

The Royals will use left-hander Austin Cox as an opener Thursday, but righty Alec Marsh (0-5, 6.75 ERA) is expected to get the bulk of the work on the mound. He’ll be opposed by lefty James Paxton (6-3, 3.60).

“Overall a good one,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said following Wednesday’s win. “Hopefully we show up (Thursday) and Pax can give us six innings and go from there.”

Cox (0-1, 3.58) has a 1.16 WHIP in 27 2/3 innings this season.

Marsh allowed three runs on six hits in four innings during his last start, a no-decision in Kansas City’s 9-6 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday. Marsh was pitching on short rest after he tossed a scoreless inning in a relief appearance the previous Tuesday. He’ll be pitching against Boston for the first time in his career.

Paxton had a 4.95 ERA in four July starts, then gave up three home runs in five innings during his only start in August — Friday night’s 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

“You go through stretches where you feel really good (and) the ball is coming out great,” Paxton told The Boston Globe. “In other stretches, you’ve got to battle a bit more. I’m working my butt off trying to get back to a stretch where it’s feeling a little bit better out there.”

Paxton is 3-0 with a 1.70 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals. He has 53 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings.

Justin Turner, who has been dealing with a bruised left heel, isn’t expected to return to the Red Sox lineup until Friday at the earliest. Turner was injured on July 31 when he beat out an infield single against Seattle. He missed three games and then played in the next three, but hasn’t been in the lineup since Monday’s 6-2 victory over Kansas City.

Turner is hitting .284 and is second on the team in home runs (17) and RBIs (71).

“Hopefully we can get him ready for the weekend (against Detroit),” Cora said.

Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two home runs in Wednesday’s loss. He also went deep in Tuesday’s 9-3 victory.

“It validates the work he’s been putting in and the progress he’s been making, so I’m very happy for him,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said.

The Royals stole six bases Tuesday, but pinch runner Dairon Blanco was thrown out attempting to swipe second for the second out in the ninth inning Wednesday. Kansas City also had a runner (Maikel Garcia) picked off second in the fifth inning of Wednesday’s loss.

Fowler Ready for FedEx Cup Playoffs

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*Tee times at the FedEx St. Jude Championship are delayed until 11:10am (ET) because of storms

MEMPHIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Although it’s been over a month since his last top-10 finish, Rickie Fowler is as confident as ever heading into this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn.

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Fowler prevailed in a three-way playoff at the Rocket Mortgage Classic back on July 2, but has since tapered off, finishing tied for 42nd two weeks later at the Genesis Scottish Open before a T23 at The Open Championship on July 23.

It’s a stark contrast from how Fowler was playing before his victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. The 34-year-old had seemingly found his stride, placing inside the top 15 in seven of the eight events prior to his lone title this season, although he did miss the cut at the PGA Championship back in May.

Despite not being able to replicate those types of performances during the final two tournaments of the regular season, Fowler figures the playoffs are as good a time as any to get back on track.

“Excited, probably the best I’ve come into the playoffs as far as a consistent year and how I’ve been playing,” Fowler said. “Nice to come off of getting a little bit of rest, because I was kind of running on an empty tank at the Scottish and the British.

“That was the last of — eight out of 10-week stretch. Got a few days to kind of recharge a little bit at home and get ready for this three-week stretch.”

Fowler is also excited about getting the playoffs started at TPC Southwind, where he shot a first-round 65 last year before struggling over the next three days and carding a 71, 72 and 73 to finish T64 at 1-over 281.

However, Fowler would be open to playing at some new courses during the postseason.

“I like this golf course. I think with the playoffs, it could be kind of cool and interesting to see some more movement,” Fowler said. “East Lake has kind of always been East Lake and the finale.

I think it would be kind of cool to see the Playoffs move around a little bit. I think the only one that really does is the second with BMW. … Like I said, I do enjoy coming to Memphis. I’ve had success at this golf course. I like this place. They’ve got some good eats around here, too.”

Fowler enters the first playoff event with the ninth-most FedEx Cup points, but he still knows it’s going to take a lot to outlast the rest of the field.

“Done a lot of good things this year,” Fowler said. “There’s guys that have definitely played better and won more, but it really comes down to these three weeks, and we have a real chance, but going to need to play really well.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: FedEx Cup Playoffs | Preview

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Visit our new affiliate – Betting Hero – to Get Up-to-the-Minute Information

MEMPHIS – The FedExCup Playoffs begin Thursday (August 10) at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, with the Top 70 players in the FedEx Cup standings through the Wyndham Championship qualifying for the Playoffs (down from 125 in 2009-2022).

The Top 50 players after this, the first Playoffs event of 2023, will advance to the BMW Championship and qualify for all eight Signature Events on the PGA TOUR schedule in 2024.

Jon Rahm enters the FedExCup Playoffs as the No. 1 player in the FedExCup standings for the first time in his PGA TOUR career. Rahm has four wins this season and earned a bonus of $4 million for being No. 1 in the Comcast Business Tour Top 10. This is Rahm’s seventh season on TOUR and he has advanced to the TOUR Championship in each of the previous six. He has also won on TOUR in seven straight seasons, the longest active streak of any player that has won in 2022-23 (Justin Thomas won in each season from 2015-16 through 2021-22 and can extend his streak in the FedEx Cup Fall).

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is second in the FedExCup standings, trailing Rahm by 173.780 points. In nine starts in the Playoffs, Scheffler has recorded four top-five finishes, highlighted by a runner-up at the 2022 TOUR Championship. Scheffler’s Official Money total of $19,138,342 is the highest in a single season in PGA TOUR history.

Scheffler, who won THE PLAYERS Championship in March, could become the second player to win THE PLAYERS and the FedEx Cup in the same year and first since Rory McIlroy in 2019.

Three-time FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy (2016, 2019, 2022) enters the week No. 3 in the FedEx Cup standings, winning twice during the regular season (The CJ CUP in South Carolina, Genesis Scottish Open). McIlroy recorded his sixth career victory in the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the 2022 TOUR Championship, tying Dustin Johnson for the most of any player. No player has ever won the FedEx Cup in back-to-back seasons. McIlroy enters the Playoffs with par-or-better scores in his last 20 rounds on TOUR, the longest active streak of any player. His last over-par score came in the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (3-over (75), held a share of the 54-hole lead.

FedEx St. Jude Championship | Tournament Facts

COURSE: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.

YARDS/PAR: 7,243 yards/Par 70

ARCHITECT: Ron Pritchard

PRIZE Money – Purse: $20,000,000/$3,600,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Will Zalatoris

PAST RESULTS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 2,000

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @FedExChamp

For Odds and additional Information – See Betting Hero

KC Powers Way to Win Over Sox

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Story Hitless in Return

BOSTON – Drew Waters, MJ Melendez and Michael Massey each hit a two-run home run on Tuesday to help the visiting Kansas City Royals end a three-game losing streak by beating the Boston Red Sox 9-3 in the second game of a four-game series.

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The Royals collected 15 hits and six stolen bases in the victory.

Kansas City’s Brady Singer (8-8) earned the win after allowing three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. He recorded four strikeouts and two walks.

Trevor Story, who had offseason surgery on his throwing elbow, made his season debut for Boston after spending 13 games in the minors on a rehabilitation assignment. Story was hitless in four at-bats and struck out three times.

Boston starter Kutter Crawford (5-6) was pulled with one out in the fourth. He allowed three runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out six.

The Royals opened the scoring in the second inning, when Matt Beaty doubled, took third on a Waters single and scored on Kyle Isbel’s sacrifice fly.

After Waters (3-for-5) hit his seventh home run of the season to increase Kansas City’s lead to 3-0 in the fourth, Boston cut its deficit to 3-2 by scoring twice in the fifth. Adam Duvall hit his 10th home run to make it 3-1 before Alex Verdugo doubled, took third on a groundout and scored on Connor Wong’s single.

The Royals took control with a three-run sixth. Maikel Garcia walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout to make it 4-2, and then Melendez hit his 10th home run to stretch the lead to 6-2.

Kansas City added three more runs in the seventh. Isbel’s double drove in Waters to put the Royals up 7-2 before Massey’s 10th home run increased the lead to 9-2.

The Red Sox completed the scoring in the bottom of the seventh when Jarren Duran’s double drove in Verdugo.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox Slam KC Royals in Ninth

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Pablo Reyes hit a grand slam against Carlos Hernandez with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the host Red Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday in the opener of a four-game series.

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It was the first home run of the season for Reyes, who collected three hits and scored three times in the win. Boston had lost four straight games and seven of its last eight.

The home run came minutes after Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was ejected for arguing a ball-four call when Luis Urias was at the plate. The walk loaded the bases for Reyes. Rafael Devers and Triston Casas also scored on the home run.

Hernandez (1-7) entered the game in the ninth inning.

Kenley Jansen (3-5) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to earn the win. He struck out two.

Boston starting pitcher Brayan Bello allowed a run on six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two. Bello has pitched at least six innings in 10 of his last 11 starts.

Kansas City starter Cole Ragans also went 6 2/3 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits, walked one and struck out a career-high 11.

Designated hitter MJ Melendez had three hits for the Royals.

Masataka Yoshida’s sacrifice fly in the third inning scored Reyes with the game’s first run.

Boston doubled its lead in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Reyes and Connor Wong.

The Royals tied the game with three consecutive hits after there were two outs in the seventh. Kyle Isbel doubled and scored on Maikel Garcia’s single, and then Bobby Witt Jr. made it a 2-2 game when he drove in Garcia with a double. Garcia’s single extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

–Field Level Media