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World Golf FedEx St. Jude Tees-Off

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MEMPHIS – Players representing 15 countries are in the 66-player field for the FedEx St. Jude, the final World Golf Championship event of the season and only two weeks remain until the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Top-ranked Jon Rahm is not in the field after testing positive for COVID-19. He and Bryson DeChambeau were forced to withdraw from the men’s competition at the Tokyo Olympics last weekend. DeChambeau passed his testing protocols and will play this week. The only other Top-50 player not in the field is Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who has reached his max of 12 starts as a non-PGA Tour member.

Dustin Johnson is a two-time winner of the FedEx St. Jude Classic and has won six career WGC events. He’s posted 13 consecutive rounds under par at TPC Southwind.

Tommy Fleetwood is the only PGA Tour member in the field that has not secured full-time membership for the 2021-22 season. Fleetwood enters the week No. 133 in the FedExCup standings and trails No. 125 Rickie Fowler by 34.14 points (roughly a two-way T-28 this week). If Fleetwood is inside the Top 125 after next week’s Wyndham Championship, he will qualifies for the FedExCup Playoffs and secures his PGA TOUR card for the 2021-22 season. If he is between No. 126-150 after the Wyndham Championship, he will have limited status on the Tour in 2021-22.

Also being contested this week is the Barracuda Championship, offering 300 FedExCup points to the winner, which is one of three events remaining in the 2020-21 PGA Tour Regular Season. The field includes three of the nine players who have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in every season since inception of the FedExCup (2007-present) – Brandt Snedeker (No. 91), Matt Kuchar (No. 120) and Ryan Moore (No. 140), as well as 20 of the 25 players between Nos. 126-150 in the standings.

Sox Announce 2022 MLB Schedule

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BOSTON – (Source: Official team news release) – In conjunction with Major League Baseball, the Red Sox released the dates for their 2022 regular season games. The club begins the season at Fenway Park on Thursday, March 31, when they welcome the Tampa Bay Rays in the first of a three-game series – marking the third year in a row the Red Sox will open at home.

The Red Sox will play the New York Yankees at Fenway Park three times – July 7-10, August 12-14, and September 13-14. The team will play at Yankee Stadium on April 7-10, July 15-17, and September 22-25.

The club will make a rare trip to Wrigley Field in 2022 for a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs July 1-3. The series will be the club’s first visit to Wrigley since 2012.

The Red Sox will travel to three other National League ballparks in 2022: Truist Park for a two-game series against the Atlanta Braves (May 10-11), PNC Park for a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (August 16-18), and Great American Ball Park for a two-game series against the Cincinnati Reds (September 20-21).

Four National League teams will make trips to Fenway Park next season, including three from the Central division: the Cincinnati Reds (May 31-June 1), the St. Louis Cardinals (June 17-19), the Milwaukee Brewers (July 29-31), and the Atlanta Braves (August 9-10).

The Red Sox will host the Minnesota Twins for a four-game series on Patriots’ Day Weekend (April 15-18). The team will be home on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, against the Baltimore Orioles, the first home game on Memorial Day since 2019. The club will face the St. Louis Cardinals at home on Sunday, June 19, which is both Father’s Day and Juneteenth. The Red Sox will also play at Fenway Park on Independence Day, Monday, July 4, against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The final home series of the regular season will be against the Baltimore Orioles (September 27-29), and the regular season will conclude with a three-game series on the road at the Rogers Centre in Toronto (September 30-October 2).

PGA Tour: Preview of World Golf/FedEx/St. Jude Invitational

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FedEx St. Jude Invitational Preview

COURSE: TPC Southwind (Memphis, Tenn)

ARCHITECT: Ron Pritchard

YARDS/PAR: 7,233 yards/Par 70

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $10,500,000/$1,890,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Justin Thomas (2020)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points Total/Winner: 3,240/550

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @WGCFedEx

OFFICIAL SITE: (FedEx St. Jude Invitational)

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TV COVERAGE: Thursday, August 5 and Friday, August 6: From 12:00pm to 5:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel.

On Saturday, August 7, Round 3 coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. Then, CBS takes over from 2:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT). On Sunday, July 18: Golf Channel opens final round coverage 12:00pm to 2:00pm (EDT) and CBS wraps it up from 2:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING: Streaming coverage on Thursday and Friday, from 10:00am (EDT) to 6:00pm (EDT) on PGA Tour Live. On Saturday and Sunday, PGA Tour Live will stream 11:00am (EDT) to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of the FedEx-St.Jude with Thursday and Friday broadcasts from 11:00am (EDT) to 5:00pm (EDT). Weekend coverage on Sirius XM Radio begins at 1:00pm (EDT) until 6:00pm (EDT) or conclusion. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92).

FedEx St. Jude Invitational: Notebook

This week, 48 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field at the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, including nine of the top 10. Only the (2021) Masters Tournament, PGA Championship and (2021) U.S. Open have had more top 50 players in the field during the 2020-21 season.

In each of the last five years (including three prior to the move to TPC Southwind), the winner of the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational has entered the week in the top three of both the FedExCup standings and the Official World Golf Ranking. Collin Morikawa (No. 1 FEC, No. 3 OWGR) is the only player in the field that can extend the streak to six.

The FedEx St. Jude Invitational is truly the home stretch of the PGA Tour regular season as it prepares for the FedExCup Playoffs. Three players in the field are between Nos. 120-135 in the FedExCup standings with just two weeks remaining in the regular season: Adam Scott (123), Tommy Fleetwood (133) and Justin Rose (134). Scott and Rose are among the nine players that have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in each season since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007. The FedExCup Playoffs begin at The Northern Trust (8/22/21) with the top 125 ranked players in the playoff field.

Also being contested this week is the Barracuda Championship, offering 300 FedExCup points to the winner, which is one of three events remaining in the 2020-21 PGA Tour Regular Season. The field includes three of the nine players who have qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs in every season since inception of the FedExCup (2007-present) – Brandt Snedeker (No. 91), Matt Kuchar (No. 120) and Ryan Moore (No. 140), as well as 20 of the 25 players between Nos. 126-150 in the standings.

USA Fights Way to Olympic Semifinals

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TOKYO – (Source: USA Basketball Official News) – It was a battle of basketball titans, playing on the biggest of international stages, and during the first half of Tuesday’s semifinal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team (3-1) and Spain (2-2) danced with each other, felt each other out and landed significant blows each way.

Like a lengthy prize fight, it was the top-ranked Americans who quickly landed the haymaker in the third quarter. There was no standing eight count, but the second-ranked Spaniards were staggered. By hitting five 3-pointers and not allowing Spain to make a field goal for almost six minutes to begin the second half, the U.S. advanced to the Olympic semifinals with a 95-81 victory on Tuesday at Saitama Super Arena.

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The U.S., three-time defending gold medalist and winner of 15 golds in 18 trips to the Olympics leading up to Tokyo, will face either Australia or Argentina in Thursday’s semifinals. The U.S. is 8-0 against Australia and 7-1 vs. Argentina in Olympic play.

Kevin Durant scored 13 of his 29 points in the third quarter, hitting two early 3-pointers to open the second half, and he lead five Americans in double figures. Jayson Tatum had 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter to help put Spain away, while Jrue Holiday added 12 points, Damian Lillard 11 and Zach LaVine 10 points. The Americans improved to 13-0 versus Spain in Olympic action.

“The game is about buckets,” Durant said. “When you see the ball go in the rim, everybody’s got more energy — coaches, players, trainers, everybody. We started making shots, made some 3s, and guys calmed down and made some stops.”

Ricky Rubio dazzled for Spain, scoring 38 points for the 2019 FIBA World Cup champions and the team the U.S. has beaten in two of the past three Olympic gold-medal games. Sergio Rodriguez added 16 points, and Willy Hernangomez 10 points and 10 rebounds for Spain.

“I didn’t expect anything less,” said Holiday, a premier defender often tasked with trying to slow Rubio down. “Ever since he (Ricky) was, what, like 12, he’s been doing this. So for him to come out here and just display the type of talent that he has is really cool to be a part of and to see.”

For part of the second quarter, it looked like Rubio and Spain — which featured two five-time Olympians — might have the right formula to take down the Americans, who have repeatedly started slow in these Olympics.

Seven straight U.S. misses sparked a 10-0 Spain run that made it 39-29 with 3:25 left in the half. But Durant, a two-time gold medalist who passed Carmelo Anthony to become the top American scorer in men’s Olympic history on Sunday, triggered a 14-4 run to close the half and tie the game 43-43. The U.S. was just 4-for-17 from 3-point range in the first half.

“They played with extreme energy to start the game, and we were a little sluggish,” Durant said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, and that kind of affected our defense a bit. But we got into it at the end of the second quarter and were able to get stops, get some scores and battle and try to get some momentum. In that third quarter, we knew exactly what we needed to do.”

And that was landing a decisive blow.

Durant hit a pair of quick 3-pointers and the Americans connected on five of their first six shots from deep in the third period. Meanwhile, the U.S. defense kept Spain from a field goal for the opening 5:44 of the half. The result was a 22-6 run that turned a tied game into a 65-49 U.S. advantage. Combined with the closing run of the first half, it was a 36-10 burst to take control.

Following a rare Olympic loss to France (3-0) to begin the tournament, the U.S. has steadily looked better and better in its last three games. The team might be finding the right elements needed to create chemistry at just the right time for a sqaud that expects nothing less than gold.

“I think the potential of this team is endless,” said U.S. forward Draymond Green, who had four points and two assists. “Unfortunately, we (only) got two games left. So, we need to make sure that we’re continuing to get better each and every time we step on the floor, and I think that’s why we’ve done it.”

While We’re Young (Ideas) – August 1st

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Fond Memories from Olympic Games Past

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – It was one of those pictures that damn near jumped off the wall of the Main Press Center in Sydney, Australia on the second day of the Games of the XXVII Olympiad. I had to have a copy. In fact, I needed two – one for Australian basketballer, Andrew Gaze, and one to be a keeper.

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There is no higher honor in all of sport. To carry your country’s flag into the Olympic Stadium during Opening Ceremonies is the most significant treasure any sportsman (or woman) can ever imagine. When asked to do so on your home soil when your native land is hosting the Olympic Games takes it up another notch.

Every year there are MVPs named, Cy Young Awards awarded, and Hall of Famers enshrined. Once every four years, a player is asked by his fellow Olympic teammates to represent their country and be their flag-bearer. It doesn’t get any better or heavier.

Wizards forward Rui Hachimura of Japan had the honor this year as he led Team Japan into the Olympic Stadium, albeit a year later than planned.

Sue Bird of USA Basketball, along with baseball’s Eddy Alvarez had the honor for the USA just a week ago. The Tokyo Olympic organizers asked that both a male and female athlete be so designated by each country, when possible. Bird is in pursuit of her fifth gold medal for the Team USA women, and she, along with fellow-WNBAer star Diana Taurasi have walked the walk for women’s basketball and sports all over the world everyday of their careers.

Australia’s Patty Mills (aka FIBA Patty) had the honor for the Boomers this year, as did Tomas Satoransky of the Czech Republic.

Back in 2004, in Athens, Greece, Dawn Staley of USA Basketball had the honor of leading in Team USA at a memorable Olympics. Quite a few other NBA/Basketball connections have shared the honor over the years of this reporter’s attendance at the Summer Games. In 2008, when the Olympic Games were in Beijing, there was Yao Ming, all 7-foot-6 of him, carrying the Chinese flag into the Olympic Stadium only 758 miles from his hometown of Shanghai.

Pau Gasol of Spain (2012 in London), Dirk Nowitzki of Germany (2008 Beijing), Yi Jianlian of China (2012 in London) and Manu Ginobili of Argentina (2008 in Beijing) each had the honor, as did Utah Jazz standout Andrei Kirilenko of Russia (2008 in Beijing), Luis Scola of Argentina (2016 in Rio) and Puerto Rico’s Carlos Arroyo (2004 in Athens). Arroyo proceeded to light-up Team USA the next day.

The sport of basketball has been well-represented over the years. But, it was a moment frozen in time at the Sydney 2000 Olympics that tops this column of Olympic memories.

Upon seeing the Agence France Presse photo pinned-up on the outside wall of their office cubicles in downtown Sydney, this American flak wanted to get the photo into the hands of Andrew Gaze, who was staying at The Olympic Village just outside of the city. I asked AFP photographers – Jeff Haynes and Robert Sullivan – if they could bang out a couple prints overnight and I promised to hand-deliver them to Gaze with their regards.

Next stop was the Australia and USA (then USOC) media offices to get a special day pass and “interview” request arranged to see Gaze in the Olympic Village. It took a few hours, but the system worked like a Swiss timepiece and the next morning I was on a bus, package in hand, riding out to the village on a (very) hot Athens morning.

Upon meeting Gaze at our designated spot – he was just finishing an interview with Mike Wise of the New York Times – we sat down at a table (in the shade) and the Australian all-time leader in points scored – second in the Olympic scoring, only to Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt – asked me what I needed.

“This is the easiest interview you’ll do all Olympics, because we don’t need anything. In fact, I just have a present for you!”

Gaze looked on in curiosity and amazement. The AFP crew had packed the 11×16 photos very carefully and reinforced the edges so they would not bend in transit. we also grabbed a couple strong cardboard tubes to secure them for travel home. Inside the packages were the prints of Gaze waving the flag. Even though they were still photos, you could see a little motion to the flag and a look of pure pride and joy on Gaze’s face. They were spectacular.

Upon carefully pulling them out of their package, he saw the photo and his jaw dropped. No words were spoken and tears welled in two sets of eyes. The silence was, indeed, golden.

When the San Antonio Spurs won the NBA title in 1999, Gaze was on their roster as a reserve. When the Spurs won the title, he grabbed me on the court in sheer celebration and damn near broke my back with a hug as he lifted me into the air above the court at Madison Square Garden.

This time, I knew what was coming, and it was still a back-breaker of a hug. With it? A look of sincere appreciation from an Olympian who had the highest honor in sports the night before and now had the perfect keepsake to show his grand-kids, all made possible by the great photographers at AFP and a simple bus ride from the Paramatta, in the outskirts of Sydney to the Main Press Center to the Olympic Village in Sydney.

Time well spent.

HERE NOW, SOME MORE OLYMPIC MEMORIES: Last week, “While We’re Young (Ideas)” touched upon Olympic memories dating back to 1968 or 1972, among others. One of the fondest memories of Olympic Games Past was the very start, an April 1989 vote undertaken by FIBA’s World Congress. For that vote, we were fully aware the United States and Russia were both voting against the proposition of NBA players being made eligible for the Worlds (1990) and the next Olympic Games (1992). FIBA’s executive director and head honcho, the late Boris Stankovic, assured NBA Commissioner, the late David Stern and his deputy, Russ Granik, that the vote would be overwhelmingly supportive of NBA inclusion. But, truth be told, the 1986 FIBA vote went 31-27 against the inclusion of NBA players and you just didn’t know what to expect. … While the great Oscar Schmidt of Brazil could play and make millions in Italy then return to his beloved national team for international competition or the late Drazen Petrovic of Croatia could earn a cool $800-to-900 thousand a year playing for Real Madrid of Spain’s pro league- the ACB, then compete for Yugoslavia (1990) or Croatia (1992) in international play, it was only the 425+ NBA players who were singled out and ineligible to play. … The NBA was not invited to the 1989 vote, but we had a man on the inside in Turner senior executive, David Raith, who headed-up the Goodwill Games unit for Turner Sports. A small handful of us gathered in the NBA Commissioner’s office and Raith relayed the vote totals to me and we kept tally on a white board in Stern’s office. The final count? Yays outnumbered Nays, 56-13, with only Greece refusing to vote. Stankovic was right again, as he righted the wrong and paved the way for the sport of basketball to take a giant leap by 1992.

Stern quickly placed Granik in charge of the negotiations and the NBA, FIBA, and ABA/USA (the United States’ basketball federation) quickly decided to keep the plans for the “college kids” to rep the USA at the 1990 Worlds. By the way, Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s USA world team (6-2) took the bronze after losses to both Puerto Rico and Yugoslavia. It was the last basketball tournament when the Provences of the former Yugoslavia competed as one and they won the gold.

The 1992 Barcelona Olympics “got” next!

Schauffele Takes Olympic Gold

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SAITAMA – (Source: Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee (Golf)) – While one swing by American Xander Schauffele nearly changed the dynamics of the men’s golf tournament Sunday at Kasumigaseki Country Club, it was the (61) strokes of eventual silver medalist Rory Sabbatini, representing Slovakia, that really shook the leaderboard and the chase for Olympic glory. Schauffele ultimately emerged the winner on this hot, sunny day, clinching his golden moment with one final, gutsy par-save on the final hole for a 4-under par 67 and 18-under total. But it took the mental resilience he said came by way of his upbringing, fostered by a father of German-French descent and Chinese Taipei mother who was raised in Japan. Consider it a respectful nod to the culture of the host country, where his grandparents still live.

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Schauffele remained undeterred through a scoring assault that was unfolding ahead, led by Sabbatini’s brilliant record-setting round (61) that concluded more than an hour ahead of him. In fact, the perfect scoring conditions led to a seven-player elimination for the bronze medal, which was finally decided on the fourth extra hole with C.T. Pan of Chinese Taipei beating Collin Morikawa of the USA with a par 4 on No. 18. Both had matched the former Olympic record of (63) Sunday to get into the playoff.

The star-packed field of seven for the sudden death determination of the Bronze medalist that included Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (who shot 67), Paul Casey of Great Britain (68), Rory McIlroy of N. Ireland (67), Mito Pereira of Chile (67) and Sebastián Muñoz of Colombia (67). It was so large, it required splitting into two groups.

Matsuyama and Casey were eliminated first, followed by Muñoz, then Pereira and McIlroy. “I was not able to deliver the performance I was hoping for,” Matsuyama said. ”At the same time, the positive is that I was able to contend. At one point of the round, there was a moment where I could potentially catch up and move past the leaders. But I just was not able to put it together at the end. There are somethings that I’ve identified that I need to work on, which I hope to work on moving forward.”

Morikawa bogeyed the final hole after his approach to the 18th green plugged in the steep upslope of the fronting bunker. C.T. Pan sank a par-saving putt for the medal.

Tokyo Olympics Medals:

🏅Gold – Xander Schauffele (USA) 68-63-68-67—266 (-18)

🥈Silver – Rory Sabbatini (Slovakia) 69-67-70-61—267 (-17)

🥉Bronze *C.T. Pan (Chinese Taipei) 74-66-66-63—269 (-15)

*Won a seven-player sudden death playoff on 4th Hole

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A dramatic finish. This is what the #Olympics is about. 🥇 Xander Schauffele #USA 🥈 Rory Sabbatini #SVK 🥉 C.T. Pan #TPE #Olympics #Golf #Tokyo2020 Image

August 1st 2021

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Celtics Acquire Josh Richardson

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics acquired guard Josh Richardson from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for center Moses Brown in a post NBA Draft transaction, among the first of the 2021-22 NBA season.

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Richardson played inconsistently when give opportunity by Miami Heat (Getty Images)

A six-year NBA veteran, Richardson, 27, has posted career averages of 12.3 points (42.7% FG, 35.8% 3-PT, 83.2% FT), 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocked shots, and 30.6 minutes in 373 career games (299 starts) with Miami, Philadelphia, and Dallas. He has averaged at least 10.0 points in each of his last five seasons from 2015-16 to 2020-21, including a career-high 16.6 points per game with Miami in 2018-19.

Richardson produced 12.1 points (42.7% FG, 33.0% 3-PT, 91.7% FT), 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 30.3 minutes in 59 games (56 starts) with the Mavericks last season, marking the fourth time over the last five seasons he has recorded at least 10.0 points and 1.0 steals. The Oklahoma native was one of four NBA players to average 10.0 points and 1.0 steals while shooting at least 91.0% from the free throw line in 2020-21 (Paul/Curry/Irving).

Acquired from Oklahoma City as part of a three-player deal earlier this offseason on June 18, Brown has averaged 7.3 points (54.0% FG), and 7.6 rebounds in 52 career games over two seasons with Portland and Oklahoma City.

Schauffele and Matsuyama Go for Gold

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SAITAMA – Xander Schauffele of the USA leads hometown favorite Hideki Matsuyama after 54 holes in the men’s Olympic golf competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Schauffele followed his torrid second round (63) by shooting 35-33-(68) in R-3 with five scattered birdies along with a bogey on each side.

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Japan’s Matsuyama made seven straight pars on the back nine Saturday before breaking the par-streak with a much-needed birdie on No. 17. He had bogeyed No. 1 but played well to stand one off the lead.

South Korea’s Sungjae Im had the best round of the day, shooting (63) and is T-17.

The English pair of Tommy Fleetwood (64) and Paul Casey (66) (competing as Great Britain) moved into contention Saturday. Casey stands at (-12) and is T-3 heading into Sunday’s final round while Fleetwood moved up 15 places and is (-10) and T-9.

First round leader Sepp Straka of Austria shot a (68) and remains in medal contention T-5 at (-11).

Olympic Leaderboard After 54 Holes (Partial Scores):

Xander Schauffele (USA) 68-63-68—199 (-14)

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) 69-64-67—200 (-13)

Paul Casey (Great Britain) 67-68-66—201 (-12)

Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) 65-67-69—201 (-12)

Schauffele Leads at Olympic Golf

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SAITAMA – Austria’s Sepp Straka’s record-tying round of 8-under-par (63 )in Round One was matched by another as Xander Schauffele of the USA supplanted Straka atop the leaderboard during Friday’s second round of the men’s Olympic golf competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama bounced back nicely from his opening round (69) and was six-under on his round through 16 holes. He stands (-8) and T-3 with three other players, including 18-hole leader Straka. Although there are no spectators allowed on the ground, reports show at least 100 people following Matsuyama around on the course, many credentialed volunteers along with media/photographers.

Mito Pereira of Chile, who shot a 65 in R-2 and is T-3, attended Texas Tech. Previously on the Korn Ferry Tour, Pereira recently won his second and third events of the 2020-21 season, to earn an immediate and automatic promotion to the PGA Tour. Over the past two weeks, he T-5 at the Barbosol Championship and T-6 at the 3M Open.

Rory McIlroy is not wearing a hat, as he usually does on the PGA Tour circuit, and it’s the talk of the sport. Why the change to “no hat?” “My head is so small that I have to get Nike to make me custom hats,” McIlroy told PGATour(dot)com. “So whenever I’m in a team event and the hats aren’t custom, they’re all too big.”

Olympic Leaderboard After 36 Holes (Partial Scores):

Xander Schauffele (USA) – 68-63—131 (-11)

Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) – 65-67—132 (-10)

Mito Pereira (Chile) – 69-65—134 (-8)

Alex Noren (Sweden) – 67-67—134 (-8)

Sepp Straka (Austria) – 63-71—134 (-8)

*Hideki Matsuyama Japan 69-x (-8 thru 16)

Weather Note: Stormy weather delayed the men’s golf tournament at the Tokyo Olympics. Due to dangerous weather (lightning) in the Saitama, Japan area, the second round was suspended at 5:20 pm (local). The second round will resume at 7:45 am Saturday (local time). Third-round tee times will be approximately 9:30-11:18 am (local) off the 1st and 10th tees in threesomes. Play suspended with 16 players set to finish round Saturday morning.

Third-round weather report is calling for some isolated thunderstorms with high humidity (91%) in the morning dropping to (56%) by 4:00pm (local). Saturday temperatures will range from 77-degrees (F) to 88-degrees by 4:00pm.

Sepp Straka Leads After 18 at Olympics

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SAITAMA – Sepp Straka became first Austrian-born player to earn his PGA Tour card in 2019. He played a bogey-free R-1 with four birdies on each side, shooting 32-31-(63). He was born in Vienna but his moved to Valdosta, Georgia, (USA) with his Austrian father and American mother when he was 14 but still stays connected to Austria. Both Sepp and his twin brother, Sam, played golf at the University of Georgia. Sam is carrying his brother’s bag at the Olympics.

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Straka MTC on six of his last seven PGA Tour starts.

Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand shot a bogey-free 33-31-(64) with seven birdies on the Kasumigaseki Country Club’s East Course. The 25-year-old, currently ranked 150 in the world, won his first Asian Tour title at the 2017 Bashundhara Bangladesh Open.

Thomas Pieters of Belgium carded his 35-30-(65) with a bogey-free round which included an eagle and four birdies (three of them on back nine).

Patrick Reed, the late replacement for the USA when Bryson DeChambeautested COVID-19+, and Xander Schauffele are currently the Americans in best position. Reed shot 33-35-(68) and Schauffele shot 34-34-(68). They’re T-12 with six other players.

American Collin Morikawa (T-20) shot two-under (69) and is among 11 players six strokes off the lead. Morikawa is coming off his major victory at The Open a couple weeks ago. Justin Thomas (USA) shot (71), even par for the day and is T-41 in the field of 60 players.

Olympic Leaderboard After 18 Holes:

Sepp Straka (Austria) – 63

Jazz Janewattananond (Thailand) – 64

Thomas Pieters (Belgium) – 65

Carlos Ortiz (Mexico) – 65