I Dig Sports
Edinburgh back-row Magnus Bradbury has vowed to improve his consistency as he seeks to secure a place in Scotland's World Cup squad.
Bradbury was part of the 42-man training squad that flew out to Portugal earlier this month, but that number will be reduced to 31 for the start of the tournament in Japan.
He knows head coach Gregor Townsend has plenty of back-row options.
"You can't pick one right now," Bradbury said.
"The whole season - guys like Jamie Ritchie, Sam Skinner, Matt Fagerson - all these guys have been quality.
"John Barclay has just come back from a big injury and he's been quality as well.
"It would be awesome to be in the squad. Since my suspension, it's been about getting back playing for Edinburgh - then playing for Scotland after my injury. Hopefully I can keep the good run of form going and get called up. It would mean a lot."
Bradbury admits there is a friendly rivalry between the players seeking selection.
"We might all be mates, laughing and joking every day, but there's always the World Cup in the back of everyone's head," he said.
One thing that Bradbury knows he must improve on is his consistency over a full match, something the Scotland head coach has spoken to him about.
Scotland will face Georgia and France in the next two months, both at Murrayfield and abroad, as they continue their preparations for the start of the World Cup.
"He talks to me about being that physical presence in the back row," Bradbury added.
"I've been guilty before of playing well and putting in a good shift for 50-60 minutes and then poorly for the last 20.
"So, for me, it's first of all about playing well but also playing well for the full 80 minutes."
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — The opening weekend of the 32nd annual NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week tour will have a cooler start with this Thursday through Sunday’s event times pushed back to later in the evening.
On Thursday, July 18 at Gas City I-69 Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 5 p.m. and hot laps begin at 7:30 p.m. On Friday, July 19 at Plymouth Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 5 p.m. and hot laps get on track at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, July 20 at Kokomo Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 4 p.m., and hot laps start at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, July 21 at Lawrenceburg Speedway, pits open at 4 p.m., front gates open at 5 p.m. and hot laps get underway at 7 p.m. All times Eastern.
USAC is committed to running an efficient program each night with only two divisions on the event card.
Following the first four events, NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week continues with more USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship racing. The second half of ISW kicks off Wednesday, July 24, at the Terre Haute Action Track before heading to Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville on Thursday, July 25, Bloomington Speedway on Friday, July 26, and the finale at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt on Saturday, July 27.
AKWESASNE, N.Y. — Mat Williamson has won three out of four DIRTcar 358 Modified Series races and two back to back.
His unbelievable run continued Monday night at Mohawk Int’l Raceway as the No. 6 358 Modified parked in victory lane four times in four days in DIRTcar competition.
Billy Dunn was running Williamson down but ran out of laps and settled for second place. Star driver Erick Rudolph missed the podium by a bumper last night but the No. 25r stayed ahead of fourth-place Tim Fuller on this occasion.
Mat Williamson padded his DIRTcar 358 Modified Series points lead with a show of force at the top of the field. It’s a mighty feat no matter what the circumstances but given this is one of the most competitive groups of 358 modifieds on the tour in years, it’s especially impressive.
“We are certainly rolling,” Williamson said. “My car owners make it easy for me to go and race one hundred-something times a year and not wear our guys out. It’s pretty cool. It’s nice to win in multiple cars at multiple race tracks. It seems like right now we’ve got a good car on restarts and short runs. The cautions can help in these races.”
It was a caution that gave Williamson the chance to jump then-leader Erick Rudolph and the No. 6 motored away to the lead.
In the previous night’s race at Cornwall lapped traffic almost cost Williamson the win but at Mohawk the No. 6 car was able to cut through the backmarkers.
“We could maneuver. I could get through lapped traffic pretty easily. It was kind of nice. Erick [Rudolph] seemed really good in the beginning but faded. We needed a caution to get rolling,” said Williamson.
Dunn advanced 11 positions and fell just short of making a run at Williamson for the lead.
“I’ll take second any day starting from 12th,” Dunn said. “It was really tough to pass. I don’t know if I had anything for Mat [Williamson] or not but I certainly would have liked the chance. I thought I used my stuff up a little bit getting to the front. As soon as I got there I knew that was about as good as I was gonna get. I would have liked a late caution but we’ll take second for sure.”
Rudolph was content with the finish and noted, “Third ain’t bad with the competitors that are here. Any time you can end up on the podium at any of these races it’s a good thing. We had the lead and it just slipped away from us. We were better on the longer runs and he [Williamson] was a little bit better on the short runs. Can’t complain.”
The finish:
Feature (75 Laps): 1. Mat Williamson 2. Billy Dunn 3. Erick Rudolph 4. Tim Fuller 5. Danny Johnson 6. Mike Mahaney 7. Michael Maresca 8. Carey Terrance 9. Dave Marcuccilli 10. David Herbert 11. Kyle Dingwall 12. Ryan Arbuthnot 13. Corey Wheeler 14. Chris Raabe 15. Mario Clair 16. Jordan McCreadie 17. Demetrios Drellos 18. Michael Parent 19. Chad Brachmann 20. Yan Bussiere 21. Anthony Perrego 22. Ryan Bartlett. 23. Brian MacDonald. 24. Mike Stacey 25. Preston Forbes 26. Luke Whitteker 27. Ronnie David III 28. Lance Willix Jr. 29. Louie Jackson Jr. 30. Tyler Meeks 31. Steve Bernard.
MENOMONIE, Wis. – On my way to the Thunder Hill Nationals at Thunder Hill Speedway, I set a goal for what I wanted to accomplish.
My goal was to get a top-five in every race, because I knew there was going to be harder competition at this race.
When we first got there, we unloaded my kart and four-wheeler. Then, we went up to the track and set the kart up for how the track conditions looked at the time. In my first heat, I started sixth and finished third. For my second heat, we made some adjustment to tighten my kart and I worked on a different driving line.
In my second heat, I started fourth and finished third. My kart didn’t handle very well, so we took out all the changes we made. I started fourth in the A-Main and finished fourth. The A-Main went OK, I ran third the entire race other than the last corner.
Even though I met my goals the whole night, I wanted a podium finish.
After the races we visited with some friends we don’t see very often and then went back to the hotel to rest up for night two of the Thunder Hill Nationals.
The next morning, I woke up feeling pretty good, but knowing that everyone was going to race harder on night two. I knew I would have to be more aware of what could happen.
Before the races my Dad and I looked at the track and then I spent a little bit of time with my race friends. For my first heat, I had a loose kart. I started fifth and spun trying to miss another kart in front of me. I restarted eighth and finished fourth.
We tightened my kart up and in my second heat I started fifth again and spun missing the same kart. I restarted eighth and finished fifth, locking myself into the A-Main.
Some friends and I went up the watch the 125/250 B-main and based on that, we loosened my kart back up for the A-main. I scheduled to start 10th in the A-main. I knew I needed to be patient and smart to miss any spinning karts.
On the first lap of the A-Main there were three karts than spun out in front of me. I had nowhere to go and slid up into them. From that wreck my right-front toe was knocked out about an inch and there was four degrees less right-front camber.
On lap two, I had to miss another spin in front of me. From there I restarted 13th and missed a five-kart pile-up on lap six. The kart handled really bad with the right-front out of alignment. The last nine laps I had to miss another spin and drove it up to third place.
Later that night I celebrated in victory lane with Caden Kvapil and watched the fireworks show.
Then we drove back home the next morning and went to Knoxville Raceway for the Corn Belt Nations two-day show. I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July! I’ve uploaded the Thunder Hill Nationals video to my website, YouTube Channel, and Facebook page: McKenzie Smith Racing
Thank you to my partners for their support: Sky Zone Des Moines, MyRacePass, Gregg Young Chevrolet Norwalk, EBU, Ellis Greenhouse, Adam’s Performance, Jocko’s Sprint Part, Central Iowa Insurance Services, Mahaska Hog Wash, Midwest Balloon Services, Sign Creations, Van Meter Inc., Speed Sport, MPI – Max Papis Innovations, Walker Performance Filtration, Bell Racing, Compass Racing Development, Grandparents.
U.S. Open champ Woodland mulled skipping Open as pregnant wife on bed rest
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Since winning last month’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Gary Woodland has kept the trophy close. On his nightstand next to his bed to be precise.
The U.S. Open trophy will be a constant reminder to Woodland’s wife, Gabby, who is at home in South Florida awaiting the birth of twin girls, who are due in two weeks.
Gabby Woodland is on “semi-bedrest” at the moment.
“[The U.S. Open trophy] is at home. It's right next to Gabby, she's on bedrest. She is looking at it all the time,” he said. “I don't know if she's excited about that.”
Woodland admitted Tuesday at The Open that it’s difficult being away from home so close to Gabby’s due date. The couple were also expecting twins, a boy and a girl, in 2017 but the girl was lost in a miscarriage and the boy, Jaxson, was born 10 weeks premature.
“It was a tough decision [to play The Open in Northern Ireland], we sat down and we talked about it. She was the one pushing me to come,” Woodland said. “We’re pretty confident they're not going to come this week, but you never know. I'm hoping that's the case.”
Woodland is also scheduled to play next week’s WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational which is in Memphis and much closer to home if Gabby were to go into labor.
Tiger's major record when playing a venue for the first time
Tiger Woods, like most in this week's field, is playing Royal Portrush for the first time. Here's a look at how Woods has fared when playing a major venue for the first time, when he's never before played in it professional competition.
Masters
1995, Augusta National: T-41 (as an amateur; won in 1997, the first time he played as a professional)
PGA Championship
1997, Winged Foot: T-29
1998, Sahalee Country Club: T-10
1999, Medinah Country Club: Won
2000, Valhalla Golf Club: Won
2001, Atlanta Athletic Club: T-29
2002, Hazeltine National Golf Club: Second
2003, Oak Hill Country Club: T-39
2004, Whistling Straits: T-24
2005, Baltusrol Golf Club: T-4
2012, Kiawah Island: T-11
2018, Bellerive Country Club: Second
U.S. Open
1995, Shinnecock Hills: Withdrew (wrist injury; was an amateur; tied for 17th in 2004, playing venue for first time as a pro)
1996, Oakland Hills Country Club: T-82 (as an amateur; DNP in 2008 PGA at venue)
1997, Congressional Country Cub: T-19
1998, Olympic Club: T-18
1999, Pinehurst No. 2: T-3
2001, Southern Hills Country Club: T-12
2002, Bethpage Black: Won
2003, Olympia Fields: T-20
2007, Oakmont Country Club: T-2
2013, Merion Golf Club: T-32
2015, Chambers Bay: MC
Open Championship
1995, St. Andrews: T-68 (as an amateur; won in 2000 the first time he played as a professional)
1996, Royal Lytham and St. Annes: T-68 (as an amateur; was T-25 in 2001, the first time he played as a professional)
1997, Royal Troon: T-24
1998, Royal Birkdale: Third
1999: Carnoustie: T-7
2002: Muifield: T-28
2003: Royal St. George's: T-4
2006: Royal Liverpool: Won
2009: Turnberry: MC
Defending FedExCup champ says majors shouldn't revolve around playoffs
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – The Open marks the end to a fast and furious major championship season that began in April with the Masters and hasn’t seemed to let up.
For most players the 2018-19 PGA Tour season has been a work in progress as they learn how to adjust to four consecutive months of major championships with the PGA Championship’s shift to May. At least one top player isn’t a fan of the new major season.
“It's too condensed,” Justin Rose said on Tuesday at Royal Portrush. “As a professional in terms of trying to peak for something, the process that's involved in trying to do that can be detailed and it can be longer than a month.”
Rose’s assessment is particularly interesting given his status as the 2017-18 FedEx Cup champion.
“I think it's pretty much driven by FedExCup, wanting to finish on a certain date, everything else having to fit in where it can,” he said. “For me, a major championship should be the things that are protected the most. That's how all of our careers ultimately are going to be measured. Thirty, 40 years ago there wasn't a FedExCup so if you're trying to compare one career to another career, Jack versus Tiger, it's the majors that are the benchmarks. For them to be tweaked so much I think is quite interesting at this point.”
This year’s schedule change was prompted by the Tour’s desire to finish the season before professional and college football overtake the sport’s landscape in the United States in September.
Along with the PGA Championship’s move to May, The Players transitioned to March and the Tour reduced the FedExCup playoffs from four to three events and conclude the last week of August.
Captains Matthew, Inkster getting closer look at Solheim Cup prospects
There’s a lot more packed into the inaugural Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event this week than meets the eye with the Solheim Cup just eight weeks away.
For U.S. captain Juli Inkster and European captain Catriona Matthew, it feels like a bonus qualifying event for the biennial matches scheduled for Scotland in September, even though there aren’t actually any Solheim Cup points available this week.
Still, importantly, the captains will get to see their “prospects” interact in alternate shot and four balls. It’s a chance to impress the captains in those Solheim formats.
“It’s a great deal,” Inkster told GolfChannel.com. “Just having alternate shot for two rounds is awesome, and they’ll probably be practicing it together. We just don’t get opportunities to play alternate shot.”
Matthew is playing with Suzann Pettersen, one of her vice captains, in Pettersen’s return to the game after 20 months away for the birth of her first child. Pettersen is a potential playing vice captain.
Inkster is making a special trip to Midland, Mich., to see her players compete with qualifying now down to just four events.
“It’s crunch time,” Inkster said. “I have a lot of gals playing.”
On the American side, the sister combo of Jessica and Nelly Korda are paired together. So are Solheim stalwarts Lexi Thompson/Cristie Kerr, as well as Stacy Lewis/Gerina Piller and Paula Creamer/Morgan Pressel. Angela Stanford is also in the event, with Dori Carter as her partner.
Thompson is the only player among those proven American Solheim veterans listed above who is within the qualifying standard. Kerr, Lewis, Piller, Creamer, Pressel and Stanford wouldn’t make the team on points if the squad were set today. They would need to be one of Inkster’s two captain’s picks to make it.
“It was great seeing Stacy play great last week,” Inkster said. “That helps a lot. Kerr took the last two weeks off, and now we’ll see what she can do the next few weeks.”
Lewis finished third at the Marathon Classic last week and moved up to 12th on the U.S. Solheim Cup points list. The top eight automatically make the team when qualifying concludes at the end of the CP Women’s Open (Aug. 25). Lewis is 50 points behind Megan Khang, who holds the final spot on points.
Kerr and Thompson have become the dynamic duo of International team golf. They’re 11-1-2 as partners in Solheim Cup and UL International Crown play, but Kerr has yet to qualify. She’s on the cusp, sitting ninth in points, 31 behind Khang.
While there are no Solheim Cup points available this week, points will be doubled at the Evian Championship next week and again at the AIG Women’s British Open the following week. So this is a vital three-week stretch. A victory will be worth 120 Solheim Cup points at Evian and also at the Women’s British, with second place worth 60, third 57, with points awarded down to 20th place (6 points).
Lewis and Piller are 4-3-1 in Solheim Cup and UL International Crown matches.
“Pairings are key to what we are trying to accomplish, as is camaraderie and feeling good with your partner,” Inkster said. “It’s a big part of the Solheim Cup.”
Creamer and Pressel are far off the qualifying standard, but they can send a strong message to Inkster with a victory this week.
“I would love to see them do that,” Inkster said. “It’s tough for me as it is now, but I would like for them to really make my job tough. I would love to see them play well. They’re good together, and really good at alternate shot.
“It’s like they know how to dance together.”
Creamer, 33, has played in every Solheim Cup since she joined the LPGA in 2005. She’s 17-9-5 in Solheim Cup play, with her 19.5 points trailing only Cristie Kerr (21) for most in the American team history.
Pressel is 10-7-2 in six Solheim Cups.
They’re 2-2-1 as Solheim partners.
With so many newcomers looking as if they’ll make the American team, Inkster may need to use her two captain’s picks to add veteran experience. If the team were decided today, Thompson, Danielle Kang, Nelly and Jessica Korda, Lizette Salas, Marina Alex, Brittany Altomare and Megan Khang would make the team on points. Angel Yin and Austin Ernst would make it off the world rankings.
“I have a young team, a lot of players who have never been there, which I think is good,” Inkster said. “They all seem to be playing really well. And it’s maybe a little easier going overseas the first time, not knowing any different. So, I’m not worried about that.”
Inkster has other pairings to watch this week with the Korda sisters together.
Also, Kang and Salas are partnering, as are Khang and Annie Park, who is on the cusp of making the team off the world rankings list.
Just about everyone Inkster is looking at is in the event.
Matthew doesn’t have as many potential Solheim pairings in the event, but she’ll get a closeup look at Pettersen, plus Anna Nordqvist is partnering with Caroline Hedwall.
Also, Pernilla Lindberg, Bronte Law, Celine Boutier, Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Sandra Gal are in event, though not in likely Solheim pairings.
Juventus will be on the FIFA 20 video game under the name "Piedmonte Calcio" after the Serie A champions signed an exclusive deal with rivals PES 2020.
The Bianconeri have signed an exclusive contract with PES owners Konami, which sees them hold the rights to their name and any other football game -- including the FIFA series -- will have to change the club's name as well as create a custom kit and stadium.
However, the deal does not affect players, as they are negotiated separately which means Cristiano Ronaldo will still appear with his real name on the game.
Piedmonte Calcio will still be eligible for special items and the changes will not affect the FIFA 20 Ultimate Team.
The deal is different to the one Manchester United signed with Konami earlier in July, which saw them become an officially licensed club on PES.
On the new game, the Old Trafford side will have their official name, rather than Man Red as had been called in previous editions.
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