U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said Wednesday that the only time he isn't thinking about September's Ryder Cup is when he is "inside the ropes Thursday through Sunday."
With the start of the Ryder Cup now just 100 days away, Bradley fielded questions about the experience as he got ready to tee off in the Travelers Championship starting Thursday in Cromwell, Conn.
"For the most part, I'm thinking only about the Ryder Cup," the first-time captain said. "I'm looking at the points list. I'm looking at potential pairings. I'm talking to the scouts. I'm talking to the vice captains. We're talking about strategy, bus ride schedules, media schedules."
The 45th Ryder Cup competition against the defending champions from Team Europe runs from Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black on Long Island, N.Y.
Bradley, 39, was serenaded with chants of "USA" from the fans on Sunday when he made his final putt of the U.S. Open, where he finished T33 at Oakmont Country Club.
"Everywhere I go, I'm getting USA chants, people are cheering me on," he said. "... It's been something that I hadn't really expected, to be honest. It's taken me by surprise, and it's just a treat to go out there and play every day as the Ryder Cup captain."
Bradley is still finalizing the roster, but it sure sounded like J.J. Spaun locked up a spot with his first major win on Sunday.
"I think going to a course like Bethpage Black, the people are really going to be behind a guy like J.J. Spaun. His story is incredible. He's a hard working guy that's just building and building and building his whole career. To win the U.S. Open at Oakmont, in my eyes, is the pinnacle of major golf. It's as tough as you can get," Bradley said.
"I think he's a guy that people at Bethpage will really resonate with and a guy that on our team is the heartbeat. He's now the U.S. Open champion. That's a heavy burden to bear, but he's also -- that's also a great thing to have on your team.
"I'm really proud to have him on this team because it's really difficult to make your first team. To go out there the way he did this year and play in these big events this well is a testament to what a player he is."
Bradley, who won the Travelers in 2023 and finished T39 last year, said the burden of his Ryder Cup responsibilities will temporarily disappear as he tackles the TPC River Highlands course this week for the PGA Tour season's final signature event.
"I really have enjoyed every second of this," he said. "There's been no ... it hasn't affected me personally on the golf course, I don't think, but I really have enjoyed this so much."
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Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss most of training camp due to a leg injury, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Johnson was placed on the non-football injury list when veterans reported to Chicago for camp. He suffered the injury during offseason training, according to Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Johnson is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl and is headed into the second year of a four-year, $76 million deal. He has dealt with a number of injuries over his career, playing no more than 15 games in a season over the first four years of his career. In 2024, he played a full season for the first time, starting all 17 games with a career-high 1,032 snaps. An extended absence into the regular season would force Chicago to find another starting cornerback among their veteran depth, but Poles said that the team is not “overly concerned” about a long-term injury. “We’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back,” said Poles on Tuesday. 2023 fifth-rounder Terell Smith will likely step into a first-team role in Johnson’s absence. Chicago largely relied on a cornerback trio of Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon last year; Smith is the only remaining defensive back on the roster who played at least 150 snaps on the boundary for the Bears in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Offseason signings Nick McCloud and Tre Flowers may also see a bump in reps over the coming weeks as Johnson rehabs his leg with his eyes on returning for the Bears’ Week 1 opener against the Vikings.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have plenty of suitors for third baseman Eugenio Suarez. A new team has reportedly entered the market for his services. Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Phillies have reached out regarding Suarez. While Lauber did not provide any indication as to whether or not those talks have gained traction, the Phillies are an intriguing suitor for the Diamondbacks' third baseman. The Phillies' interest may be a recent development. Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated on Friday that the Phillies could emerge as a suitor in the wake of third baseman Alec Bohm landing on the injured list with a fractured left rib. Suarez is in the midst of what is arguably his best season thus far. He has produced a .249/.321/.587 batting line in 421 plate appearances entering Saturday with 36 homers and a major league-leading 87 RBI. Suarez would be more than just another powerful bat in the lineup. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and first baseman Bryce Harper are both left-handed hitters — adding Suarez would provide more balance in the batting order. He would also provide a counter against opposing managers bringing in a lefty reliever to face Schwarber and Harper. The biggest question would be how the Phillies would handle an eventual logjam on the roster. Bohm is expected to return from the IL in mid-August and would not have a clear path to regular at-bats if Suarez were acquired. Schwarber could theoretically return to left field to open up playing time at the DH spot, but his outfield defense is mediocre at best. However, as the Phillies are also looking to upgrade the outfield, where Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have been disappointments, adding Suarez could solve several problems in one fell swoop.
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is looking to have an exciting offseason, as he recently announced his upcoming skills clinic in Santa Barbara. As an alumnus of UCSB, Vincent seemed particularly enthusiastic about the upcoming training camp. Unfortunately, fans were more interested in the guard's new look. Vincent has typically been known to have a beard, giving him a very distinct appearance. In the training camp announcement video, however, the guard displayed a clean-shaven look, prompting surprised reactions from fans on social media. While Vincent's motives to give back to the community were noble, fans ruthlessly trolled him for shaving his beard. With several sharing their reactions on X, we take a look at a few of the best ones. "Ewww wtf grow the beard back and gtf off the team," said one fan. "Just get off the team. I don't care what's on his face," responded another. "Put it back," demanded another. "Bro looking like he bout to drop the hardest neo soul album of all time," one fan claimed. Another fan built upon this and added, "I thought this was xxxtentacion." "We gotta trade him now lmao ain’t no way he finna be cookin w no facial hair," said one fan. "Jumpscare," acknowledged another. One fan hilariously compared the look to actors in movies and said, "That's how 35-year-old actors look when they play high schoolers." "I ain’t never seen Kyle and Gabe Vincent in the same room together (Just Saying)," claimed one fan, pointing out the similarity in appearance. One fan acknowledged the reality of the situation and pointed out the reason behind it, and said, "He had to cut it off. It was obvious why. Y'all are just too immature to ask. Fans remember that stress patch, which is a condition. Causes are from high anxiety and stress." Some of the comments made by the fans were hilarious, while others were rather cruel. Considering the consistent theme of demanding a trade, Vincent finds himself in a particularly tough spot with the Lakers' fan base. The 29-year-old guard is on an expiring contract, making him one of several valuable assets the Purple and Gold hold this season. While the team's tradeable draft assets are limited, their wealth of expiring contracts gives them some power. In this regard, players like Vincent have been viewed as trade chips. Although the Lakers' offseason moves have primarily involved signing free agents, rumblings are suggesting that a trade may be on the cards. Several targets have been presented, but given the team’s current needs, only a few targets seem truly viable. There is no guarantee that the Lakers will be parting ways with Vincent this offseason, though. While the guard hasn’t made a major impact, he’s shown flashes of value off the bench, having averaged 6.4 points and 1.4 assists per game, while shooting 40% from the field and 35.3% from three-point range last season. As a solid three-and-D player, he still shows some upside. While there’s still potential for him to contribute as a rotation player, the Lakers will be evaluating their options.
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