When Rickie Fowler stepped onto the greens of Valhalla for the PGA Championship's first round in Louisville, Kentucky, a familiar logo made its reappearance. The Rocket Mortgage emblem was once again adorned on Fowler's sleeve, marking its first appearance in 2024 and signifying the renewal of a significant partnership within the golfing world.
The Rocket Mortgage logo was infamously missing from Fowler's gear at The Sentry Tournament of Champions, the first tournament of the 2024 season, and cast doubt upon the defending Rocket Mortgage Classic champion's participation in this year's tournament. It was however announced earlier this month that the Fowler has indeed committed to the event.
The revival of this partnership is not just a matter of brand visibility.
"Rocket Mortgage is proud to continue its longstanding partnership with Rickie Fowler," expressed Casey Hurbis, Senior Vice President for brand experiences and strategic partnerships.
Hurbis's words capture the essence of a mutual commitment to excellence, further highlighted by Fowler's dramatic victory at last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. That victory, secured with back-to-back birdies in a heart-stopping playoff, was not just a triumph for Fowler but a testament to his persistence and resilience following a four-year victory drought.
Indeed, Fowler's influence on the golfing stage is undeniable. Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, regards Fowler as a true "needle-mover" for the sport. His journey of returning to victory in Detroit, documented in part by Netflix's "Full Swing," was indeed nothing short of needle-moving.
Fowler finished this week's PGA Championship at -3. He has yet to have a Top-10 finish in 2024.
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Over the past several months, Bryson DeChambeau has kept busy—not only competing on the LIV Golf circuit and appearing in all four major PGA Tour events, but also taking part in the recently released film "Happy Gilmore 2," which features appearances from several professional golfers. Ahead of the film’s release last Friday, a premiere event was held, where DeChambeau was asked to share his boldest “hot take” in all of sports. While he admitted his answer wasn’t particularly controversial, he didn’t hesitate to declare who he believes is the greatest golfer of all time. “I don’t think it’s hot, but I think Tiger [Woods] is the greatest golfer of all time,” DeChambeau said. Many consider Tiger Woods the undisputed 'GOAT'—and rightfully so. His résumé is unmatched in golf history. He burst onto the scene with his professional debut at age 20 and went on several dominant runs where he seemed unbeatable, regardless of the course or competition Woods is a 15-time major champion with 82 PGA Tour victories, tied for the most all-time. He has been named PGA Tour Player of the Year a record 11 times and is one of only six players to complete the career Grand Slam—winning each of the four majors at least once. The latest to join that elite group was his close friend Rory McIlroy, who completed the feat earlier this year by capturing his first Masters title. Tiger's achievements are even more remarkable considering the extensive injuries he's endured throughout his career. Most recently, he was preparing to compete in this year’s Masters before suffering a ruptured Achilles, forcing him to withdraw. Now at age 49—and turning 50 in December—it's unclear what version of Woods we’ll see if and when he returns. At this point, it's likely he’ll limit his appearances to the major championships.
The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired one of baseball's premier relievers to bolster their bullpen. In a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto is adding Seranthony Dominguez to its pitching staff, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. While the move solidifies the Blue Jays' status as buyers, it's the timing of the transaction that stands out. The Orioles finished a 16-4 walloping of the Blue Jays just hours before the deal went down, and while it's not unheard of to see a player traded to a franchise his former team is visiting, the fact that the two teams will face off again Tuesday night at 6:35 PM EST makes this a truly unique swap. Dominguez may not suit up in his first official contest as a Blue Jay, but he will be switching clubhouses before the second half of the team's doubleheader. It won't take long for the veteran reliever to make an impact, either, as bullpen production has stood out for a Toronto team that has been dominating in most aspects of the game. In 43 appearances with the Orioles this season, Dominguez has posted a respectable 3.24 ERA over 41.2 innings. He hasn't quite returned to the impressive form he was in with the Phillies from 2018 to 2022, but the value is obvious for a team hoping to capture its third World Series in franchise history. The rebuilding Orioles acquired right-handed pitching prospect Juaron Watts-Brown, who was ranked as Toronto's 10th-best prospect in the latest MLB Pipeline team Top 30 Prospects list. The 23-year-old has gone 2-5 over 19 starts across High-A and Double-A this year, posting a combined 3.54 ERA while striking out 115 over 89 innings. As two teams heading in vastly different directions this season, it's a sensible move for both sides. Dominguez is an unrestricted free agent after this season, making him a rental for Toronto down the stretch. If Watts-Brown continues to show promise, though, the trade could ultimately be deemed a win for Baltimore.
When it comes to the Minnesota Vikings, their biggest issue is currently at cornerback. Right now, Byron Murphy Jr. is the top guy and that's not going to change. He has earned not only the money that comes with being CB1, but his play has earned him the role. Isaiah Rodgers is slotted in as CB2 and Jeff Okudah right now is the CB3 when the Vikings play in nickel packages. After those three, Mekhi Blackmon is the most likely CB4, but one player's performance over the last two days has made a major impact and could make that decision a little bit harder. Dwight McGlothern is standing out in training camp When the Vikings added Dwight McGlothern as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL Draft, he was one of two players they signed who was a top 200 player on Arif Hasan's consensus board. The former Arkansas Razorback had transferred from LSU and showed flashes at both schools. One of the biggest reasons why he was undrafted was due to his size and issues with concussions. He profiled like an intriguing option at outside cornerback, especially with his height and solid linear movement skills. There were some limitations to his game, including the explosive metrics coming in very subpar, but there is a lot to like. Despite being on the active roster all of last season, he didn't play very much, but thrived against the Chicago Bears the first time he got extensive run. Going into training camp, McGlothern was going have a lot of opportunities to earn an improved spot on the roster, including possibly getting into the rotation. The last two training camp practices, McGlothern has made his presence known by getting interceptions on back-to-back days, including this beauty from Tuesday. The best way for a player like McGlothern to make the roster is to make plays to earn opportunities in better spots. Well, McGlothern has done just that, and if he continues to make waves, could find himself in a great spot come September.
The Green Bay Packers, like all other NFL teams, are in the midst of their training camp in preparation for the 2025 season. Despite the fact that these practices are in their early stages, there have been plenty of headlines coming out of Packers training camp that have fans very intrigued to see the 2025 team. Of course, the battle for a job at wide receiver is one that many fans are keeping an eye on. Rookie pass catcher Matthew Golden has been turning heads ever since camp began, and his chemistry with Jordan Love is quickly developing. Just today (Tuesday), the pair connected for a 60-yard touchdown pass and catch during practice. Aside from the exciting playmaking from several members of the team, the physicality with which the Packers are practicing has also drawn some attention. Nate Hobbs, for example, was benched following a hard hit on running back Marshawn Lloyd. Additionally, several players found themselves called out publicly by head coach Matt LaFleur. Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Called Out Tight End Tucker Kraft On Monday, one of the plays that was mentioned by multiple beat reporters was how second-year safety Evan Williams punched the ball out of tight end Tucker Kraft‘s hands on a pass and catch play. Apparently, it is not the first time Kraft, who has just one fumble in two seasons, dropped the ball during camp. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday morning, LaFleur said, “I got on the guys this morning about exposing the football. Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be. He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” Kraft, of course, is a fan-favorite whom many believe will be one of the NFL’s best tight ends this season. Williams, for his part, emerged as the Packers’ other starting safety as a rookie last year alongside All-Pro Xavier McKinney. And as far as the criticism from LaFleur goes, well, Kraft was not really having any of it. Green Bay Packers Tight End Tucker Kraft Claps Back at Matt LaFleur When Kraft was asked about LaFleur’s comments, he seemed to brush them off in as respectful a manner possible. Listening to him, it would appear that the rules of practice slightly favor the defense right now. “Um, yeah, sure,” Kraft said per Matt Schneidman. “It’s something we’re always working on. I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly. You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice. “It’s a large part of my game. I use my off hand as a weapon, repeatedly, all the time. I’ve shown that, so I get my reps in that when we play games, I guess. … I just play by the rules. I don’t make ’em. “That’s just a ‘yes sir, no sir’ mentality with coach at this point. You want to obviously keep the ball in the offense’s possession as long as possible. Bus fine, in my opinion. Whatever.” When asked to clarify what he meant by “bus,” Kraft explained that he felt his head coach threw him under the bus. Schneidman also clarified that Kraft was being light-hearted, but was noticeably “peeved” that LaFleur said what he did. That being said, it is not expected to be an issue that lingers very long.
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