I Dig Sports
INDIANAPOLIS – The best way to sum up Friday’s Freedom 100 presented by Cooper Tires Indy Lights race was: smashing start; thrilling finish.
At the end, it was Oliver Askew of Jupiter, Fla., celebrating the big win by the length of the front wing of his No. 28 Idex Invest Dallara.
Askew charged past Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Norman coming down the frontstretch to win the Freedom 100 by the fourth-narrowest margin in race history. He crossed the finish line .0067 seconds ahead of his teammate to claim the trophy in the centerpiece race of the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires season.
“I can’t really put words together to describe it,” Askew said. “I woke up this morning, I felt good. I honestly, like this is the most calm I’ve ever been this week. I don’t know what it is. But just – it’s still sinking in, the emotions of winning at such a historical track and with such a historical team, as well. Unbelievable.
“I was screaming on the radio after I won. Honestly, I was just in the right place at the right time. It could have been anybody’s race, honestly, and I was just happy to take the opportunity that presented itself.”
A massive two-car crash involving Chris Windom and David Malukas in turn four on the opening lap brought out the red flag to stop the race. Luckily, neither driver was injured, but both cars were destroyed and the SAFER Barrier had to be repaired.
Malukas spun and collected Windom, a USAC driver making his Indy Lights debut. Windom was also involved in a crash in the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Thursday night when his car flipped.
The crash didn’t keep Windom from leaving IMS quickly to compete in the pavement USAC Silver Crown race at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.
He will also race in the 71st annual Little 500 at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway Saturday night.
Norman led 29 of 40 laps on the IMS oval and was ahead exiting Turn 4 on the final lap. But Askew got a run and slid inside to pull out what he called the “biggest race I’ve ever won in my life.”
Meanwhile, Norman was left dejected after a heartbreaking runner-up result.
“It’s definitely the most disappointing podium finish I’ve ever had,” Norman admitted. “We had a little bit of a rough start this year, and definitely it was good to put the car back up there and going to definitely take this momentum into the next races and just keep this going.
“I still got a long way in the season, so I’m looking for the next one.”
On the final lap, Askew stalked Norman’s car and was able to get a tremendous run off turn four, perfectly timing the pass so that the momentum would put him ahead of Norman at the checkered flag.
“It was important just to stay flat in 4 and then he was trying to break the draft and I just slingshotted by him,” Askew said. “I didn’t know when the finish line was going to come. I was just hoping it was going to be late enough for me to get back by him.
“Unbelievable. Big thanks to everybody involved and all my supporters who are here today, as well, and sitting next to J-F (Thormann, Andretti Autosport President), as well. We’re in a long conversation to get the season started, and I’m just glad that they gave me the opportunity to do this.”
The triumph allowed Askew to stretch his championship lead to 21 points over Rinus VeeKay of Juncos Racing, who finished third.
Friday’s back-and-forth race officially featured 12 lead changes at the start/finish line.
The finish:
Oliver Askew, Ryan Norman, Rinus VeeKay, Toby Sowery, Dalton Kellett, Jarett Andretti, Lucas Kohl, Robert Megennis, Aaron Telitz, Chris Windom, David Malukas.
INDIANAPOLIS – After a rainy start to Friday’s Carb Day festivities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tony Kanaan set the fastest time in the final practice session before the 103rd Indianapolis 500.
Kanaan, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, ran 40 laps in a 90-minute practice session with the 33 car and driver combinations turning a combined 1,755 laps.
A huge crowd turned out for the Carb Day activities at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which also included the Indy Lights Freedom 100 and the annual MotoGator Pit Stop Competition.
Afterwards, two of the 1970s most famous musical groups played at the annual concert – “Kool & The Gang” and “Foreigner.”
Kanaan’s fast lap in the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet for AJ Foyt was 225.517 mph. That was faster than rookie Santino Ferrucci’s fast lap at 225.486 mph after he ran 64 laps.
“A good day for us,” Kanaan said afterwards. “Obviously, conditions look like pretty similar to what we’re going to see on Sunday hopefully, so you know, it was a pretty easy day for us. I wasn’t really happy with my car on Monday, and I was extremely vocal about it, and I think my engineers heard me, so we made it better today.
“Today, now you know where you’re starting, so I was really working on my car, the level of downforce and grip that I wanted to have starting 16th. We worked in traffic a lot and trying to find the grip and scan to some of the items that we had on the list to be able to — once we put ourselves in the front during the race, to know what to do.”
Takuma Sato, the winner of the 101st Indianapolis 500, was third at 225.468 mph in a Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Jordan King was fourth in another RLL Honda at 225.337 mph.
James Davison rounded out the top five at 225.314 mph in a Dale Coyne Racing Honda.
Rookie Ben Hanley of England was the slowest of the full field that practiced on Friday, with a fast lap at 219.719 mph. The margin between the fastest to the slowest was 1.0531 seconds in time, but the difference between first and 32nd is only 0.6873 seconds.
“It’s the most competitive field I’ve ever seen in my 18 years here,” Kanaan said. “Qualifying was extremely hard, and it’s really tight. I think it’s going to be a difficult race. I do strongly believe that everybody, every single guy is starting this race, and girl, they think they can win this race, which is true.
“I’ve known the scenarios. I’ve known how to be patient and not to get desperate if you’re 10th halfway through the race and you think, oh, I’m not going to win this race,” Kanaan added. “This race really is going to start shaping up on the last pit stop, so let’s say last 35, 30 laps to go. So for me, the experience, it only helps me to keep understanding what’s going on with my car, so when I make that last stop, I will make the right decision on wings and stuff that we can choose so I’ll be in a position to win the race.”
Kanaan also had a very strong performance in last year’s Carb Day, but it didn’t equate into a good result in the race. He believes he has a better car for race conditions this year.
He also believes there will be more passing in this year’s race over last year.
“I think we do now, so pretty much it’s to have a consistent car in traffic and be able to stay behind people and be able to just – to pass some cars and stay up front all day,” Kanaan said. “That’s what we’re working on.
“I think we’ll see more passes than last year. I believe in the beginning you guys are probably going to think that there are not going to be enough, just everybody is judging each other,” Kanaan added. “The way that we’re running so close, there is no way you want to lead because you don’t want to burn fuel. And when that happens, it’s just like it’s a pain because nobody wants to pass anybody.”
That leads to a game of cat-and-mouse, according to Kanaan.
“It’s a waiting game,” he explained. “It’s actually some sort of annoying because you’re just there, you’re like, ‘I know I can pass him, but I don’t want to do this,’ and you’ll see it will start to shape up.
“I think the guys in front will be smart enough not to get in between themselves so you can open a gap, because again, with the fuel being so close, if you open a little bit of a gap, that gap that you open between let’s say the top 5 to the guys behind, you won’t be able to catch it. So, you’ll see a lot of people working together.
“I think there will be more passing than last year. The tires are better. We have more downforce. So, I believe it will be a better race.”
INDIANAPOLIS – Formula One veteran Marcus Ericsson hopes to celebrate a victory in the NTT IndyCar Series one day.
However, Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ericsson did get to celebrate a win over five-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon.
Ericsson’s score came in the annual MotoGator Indy 500 Pit Stop Contest, held as part of Friday’s annual Carb Day action before the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.
Ericsson’s No. 7 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Racing Honda crew defeated Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda team in a two-out-of-three match, a thrilling battle of upstart versus veteran.
In the final round, Ericsson’s crew – Bob Jansen (chief mechanic and inside right front tire changer), Ryan Marzec (outside rear tire), Keith Beck (airjack), Brendon Cleave (outside front tire), Timothy Lane (fueler) and Nic Kaminski (inside rear tire) – defeated the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing crew of Dixon in a best-of-three shootout.
Ericsson won the decisive third heat in 11.794 seconds, the best time clocked by any crew in the entire competition.
“We had some good starts, but what won us this competition was pit stops,” Ericsson said, referring to beating several competitors out of the starting blocks to win the preliminary rounds. “Every single pit stop was amazing. That’s why we won today. It’s a great reward because these guys have worked so hard all year, and I’ve had a couple of incidents during the season and they’ve always worked so hard to get me out there on the track again.
“For me to win a competition like today, it’s just a great reward for all that hard work that these guys put in every single day.”
In the contest, cars in each round were lined up alongside each other. The driver had to speed the car into the pit stop zone for his crew performed a four-tire change, before pulling away to the finish line.
Ericsson defeated a pair of Team Penske drivers, Josef Newgarden and Will Power, on his way to meeting Dixon in the championship round.
It provided a measure of revenge for Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, which had finished second in the competition for the past three years.
“We’ve been in second place the last three years, so it was a big motivator for us to get over that hump, and so we’re glad to finally be on the top,” Jansen said. “But Ganassi was great competition. Everybody did great stops today. I can’t say enough about all the guys, how great they did.
“We do our best to keep it fun, try to keep it light, not put too much pressure on it. Everybody knows how important the stops are. But it’s still a matter of we do a lot of training in the off-season, in the gym with St. Vincent’s and in the shop doing pit stop practice, things like that. It’s all about not stressing and not putting too much emphasis on it, even though it is obviously a key factor of every race.”
This event is a way to showcase the skill of the pit crews, but the driver also has to play an important role to be precise and not get beat off the starting line.
Ericsson is also used to “standing starts” from his days as a Formula One driver.
“I think as a driver on this competition, it’s about reactions and then try and be precise on the stops, but I wasn’t even precise on my stops, I was just a bit long on both my stops in the final, or two out of three,” Ericsson said. “I think credit goes to the guys because they managed to do amazing stops. I think they were the ones that made a difference today.
“IndyCar where it’s so tight between the field, you can win or lose races in the pits. That’s why to have a good pit crew that does good pit stops can be the difference maker in a tight race. I think for us to win this is going to give us so much momentum going into Sunday.
“I’ve never done anything like this before, but it was really cool. It’s such a cool event. This whole month has been amazing, and today was a really cool day, and to finish it off by winning made it even better.”
The Pit Stop Contest has been held every year since 1977, when Jim McElreath’s crew won for the first time. Team Penske was hoping to win for a record 18th time, but none of the Penske crews entered in the competition made it past the semifinals.
Na (62) comfortable at Colonial: I can contend on '7 or 8' courses
There are 46 total events on the 2018-19 PGA Tour calendar, and Kevin Na feels like he can contend in about "seven or eight" of them.
The Charles Schwab Challenge is one of those tournaments.
Na signed for a bogey-free, 8-under 62 Friday, opening with an eagle and following up with six more birdies. At 8 under for the week, he was just one back of leader Jonas Blixt at the end of the morning wave.
Coming off a fourth-place finish last year, Na has carded 62 or better in three of his last six rounds at Colonial.
"Yeah, I like this golf course," he said. "One of those golf courses I look forward to coming to. Fits my game. I've got a good record. You've got to take advantage of those weeks because there is not too many golf courses like this on tour anymore."
Na is 125th in driving distance on Tour at 290.5 yards and 174th in strokes gained: off the tee at minus-.284.
Na, who cited Colonial, Riviera and Harbour Town as among his favorite courses on Tour, was asked — quite directly — for the number of tracks on which he can realistically contend.
"I say seven or eight," he answered. "Some golf courses I feel like I have no chance. I don't play those unless it's a major and I've got no choice. I won't mention any names."
Na is coming off an early exit from last week's PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, where he missed the 4-over cut by one.
"Uh-huh," he said, when asked about the PGA. "I'm not going to say anything. You can look up my record. It's not good."
Law, Song, Concolino share lead at Pure Silk Championship
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Playing partners Jennifer Song and Jacqui Concolino stuck together in the Pure Silk Championship. Bronte Law kept up, too.
Rebounding from a bogey on the par-4 14th with three straight birdies, Law shot a 3-under 68 on Friday afternoon at Kingsmill Resort to match early starters Song and Concolino at 9-under 133.
''It was a battle,'' Law said. ''Seemed to feel like every time I would make a birdie and try and build on it I would have an unforced error couple holes later and make bogey and be back to where I started.''
The Englishwoman had six birdies and three bogeys.
''Mistakes happen,'' Law said. ''I'm just going to try to minimize that for the rest of the tournament. I'm creating enough chances to where I can keep shooting some low scores.''
Song, tied for the first-round lead with Law and Anna Nordqvist, also had a 68.
''Overall, very happy with my round,'' Song said. ''I managed to make great scrambles here and there and just made a couple birdies coming in. Very happy about my round.''
Concolino had five birdies and a bogey in a 67 alongside Song in the first group of the day off the 10th tee.
''Jennifer and I are good friends,'' Concolino said. ''We were just talking about it in the tent. We fed off each other. She made a birdie, I made a birdie. She was making birdies on top of me.''
Song had five birdies and two bogeys.
''I had a rocky start. I started with a bogey on the first hole and managed to come back with a birdie on my third,'' Song said. ''Just while I was just struggling, Jacqui was having a birdiefest so I was just like, 'Wow, I need to keep up with her.'''
The three leaders are winless on the LPGA Tour.
Carlota Ciganda and Madelene Sagstrom were a stroke back in the final event before the U.S. Women's Open next week at the Country Club of Charleston in South Carolina. Ciganda had a 65, and Sagstrom shot 66.
The tour was off the previous two weeks.
''I think it's been good these two weeks,'' Ciganda said. ''I feel rested. I feel ready to go again. I was quite tired after San Francisco. I went back to Spain for two weeks and just rested, stayed with my family, friends, ate some good food.''
Nelly Korda, Nasa Hataoka and Ashleigh Buhai were 7 under.
Returning from a three-week break, Korda had a bogey-free 66.
''Felt a lot better,'' Korda said. ''I was a little fidgety on the front because I hadn't played for three weeks. I came off a missed cut, so got the bad round kind of out of the way yesterday and was really aggressive today. Made some solid putts and took every opportunity I could.
''I didn't play golf for a week. I just worked out, hung out, went to the beach. Kind of gave my mind a rest. I was on the road for six weeks and that takes a toll on you. Just made sure I relaxed.''
Hataoka and Buhai shot 67.
Brittany Lincicome had a 69 to get to 5 under in her final event of the season as she prepares for the birth of a daughter in early September. Nordqvist (72), third-ranked Sung Hyun Park (66), Brooke Henderson (71) and Jessica Korda (68) also were 5 under.
Defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn and top-ranked Jin Young Ko were 3 under after 68s. No. 2 Minjee Lee was 1 under after a 73. Lexi Thompson missed the cut by a stroke with rounds of 71 and 72.
Spieth pours in 307 feet of putts in 36 holes at Colonial
Jordan Spieth is putting about as well as he ever has. He just needs to find a few more greens and get himself a lot closer to the hole.
After an opening 65, Spieth fought Colonial Country Club to a draw Friday with an even-par 70.
For the second week in a row, he is leading a PGA Tour event in strokes gained: putting. And through two rounds in Texas, he’s holed 307 feet worth of putts.
It’s what’s happening en route to the putting surface that has him four off the pace set by leader Jonas Blixt.
Spieth has hit just 13 of 28 fairways and 20 of 36 greens. He’s 114th out 118 players in the field in proximity to the hole, at 45 feet, 9 inches.
“[The putting] feels good,” Spieth said. “I’d really like to hit the ball a bit better, hit some more greens, so that I have [chances] for birdie instead of par.”
Spieth this season is 198th on Tour in strokes gained: off the tee (-.567) and 123rd in strokes gained: approach the green (-.029). But he’s 11th in strokes gained: putting and once again picking up shots on his fellow Tour pros one season after cratering at 123rd on Tour (-.034).
For so many Tour pros, a merely average week on the greens combined with typically superb ball striking is enough to win. For Spieth, some Tour-average ball striking combined with this red-hot putter should put him in position to snap a nearly two-year-long winless drought, dating back to the 2017 Open.
“To see some of these long ones go in – and they kind of look like they’re going in with 10 feet to go – I mean, that’s really cool,” he said. “It’s been a couple years in the works, and it feels back to where – it was kind of ignorance is bliss before, where I didn’t know why I was kind of on, and now I do. Hopefully, I can’t stray very far off from this anymore. …
“I’d like to hit some more fairways though. The guy who are leading I’m sure have been in double the amount of fairways I have. It’s just tough to play this golf course out of the rough. Certainly, to have a chance on Sunday, I’m going to have to do a better job off the tee.”
Broadhurst, Toledo vault into lead at Senior PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Defending champion Paul Broadhurst and Esteban Toledo shared the lead Friday two rounds into the Senior PGA Championship.
Another day of unsettled weather led to a shuffle of the leaderboard with Broadhurst and Toledo vaulting 15 players at the major event. Both shot 3-under 67 to reach 3-under 137 at Oak Hill Country Club's East Course.
Broadhurst, who won last year's tournament at Harbor Shores in southwest Michigan, carded a bogey-free round. Starting on the back nine, he birdied his first two holes - the par-4 10th and par-3 11th - and added a birdie on the par-4 seventh. The 53-year-old Englishman has five PGA Tour Champions victories, also winning a major at the 2016 Senior British Open.
Toledo had five birdies and two bogeys. The 56-year-old from Mexico won the last of his four senior titles in 2016.
First-round leader Scott Parel and Retief Goosen were two strokes back.
Parel shot 73, making consecutive double bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18. Goosen had a 72.
There were 21 players within six shots of the leaders. The group includes Jesper Parnevik and Rocco Mediate at 2 over, and Corey Pavin and Brandt Jobe among seven players at 3 over.
The narrow 6,800-yard East Course reclaimed its stingy reputation on a day that featured a chilly start and temperatures remaining mostly in the 60s, overcast conditions and a swirling wind. The breeze didn't die down until the sun came out in the late afternoon.
After 15 players carded sub-par scores in the opening round, only four managed to shoot in the 60s on Friday. Aside from Broadhurst and Toledo, Champions Tour money leader Scott McCarron and Mike Goodes both shot 69 to move into a tie for 42nd.
The cut was set at 9-over 149, halving the 156-player field to 78 entering the weekend.
There's more unsettled weather in store for the third round. With thunderstorms in the forecast Saturday afternoon, officials moved up the third-round tee times to between 7 and 9:12 a.m., with groups going out in threes rather than twos. A series of late-morning storms led to the opening round being delayed by 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Mother Nature clearly favored the players who teed off Thursday morning and Friday afternoon. They accounted for 26 of the 29 players who are 4 over or better through two rounds.
Marco Dawson was among the few from the Thursday-afternoon/Friday-morning groups to be in contention with a two-round score of 1-over 141.
After opening with a bogey-free round of 3 under, Dawson went 4 over on Friday in a round he closed with five bogeys - four on his final eight holes - with a lone birdie on the 439-yard par-4 16th.
''It's two different tournaments right now. It's probably a four to six shot difference,'' Dawson said of the differing conditions.
On Thursday, the afternoon group faced a stiff wind, with gusts ranging from 15 to 25 mph. By comparison, the morning group saw hardly a whiff of a breeze.
Dawson looked forward to Saturday, knowing the entire field will be essentially facing similar conditions and with him still in contention.
''After I walked off, I didn't like the 74, but I thought, 'You're still in it,''' the 2015 Senior Open Championship winner said. ''I didn't shoot myself in the foot by any means. I'm still there.''
The disparity between the two groups wasn't lost on Broadhurst.
''Oh, absolutely. The guys on my side of the draw had a sort of a raver with the weather,'' he said. ''The course is never going to play that easy again with 3 under leading. If we get any sort of wind, level par would be a real good number to post.''
Broadhurst, who finished with a 19-under 265 at last year's major, is in contention to win consecutive titles for the first time since Colin Montgomerie did it in 2014-15. The tournament has had repeat champions seven times in its previous 79 years, including Hale Irwin's three-year winning streak from 1996-98.
John Daly, who has a medical exemption to ride in a cart due to a knee injury, summed up numerous players' frustrations. Entering the scoring area after shooting 4 over for a two-round score of 13-over 153, Daly grumbled and said: ''I'm glad that's over.''
Blixt leads by 1 despite Na catching fire in second round at Colonial
FORT WORTH, Texas – Kevin Na enjoys Colonial and has the cluster of low rounds to prove it.
Na eagled the par-5 first hole Friday on the way to an 8-under 62, his third score at least that good in the past six rounds on the cozy course made famous by Ben Hogan. Na, tied for second at 8 under with first-round leader Tony Finau, trailed Jonas Blixt by one halfway through Colonial.
After opening with a 62 and closing with a course record-tying 61 to finish fourth last year, Na followed the eagle with six birdies in a bogey-free round after being happy to shoot par 70 on a windy afternoon in the first round.
''One of those golf courses I look forward to coming to,'' said Na, a two-time PGA Tour winner who puts Colonial in his top three along with Riviera and Hilton Head. ''Fits my game. You've got to take advantage of those weeks because there is not too many golf courses like this on tour anymore.''
Blixt, a three-time winner playing with Na, holed out from 132 yards for eagle on No. 17 and shot 64 to reach 9 under. Finau, playing the back nine first, started with nine straight pars before three birdies and a bogey on his final nine for a 68.
Local favorite Jordan Spieth, a shot off the lead to start the day, shot 70 and was four behind Blixt. Defending champion Justin Rose, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 3, shot 67 and was 1 over, one stroke above the cut line.
Rory Sabbatini, the 2007 Colonial champion, shot 66 and was alone in fourth at 6 under. Jim Furyk, the 2003 U.S. Open champion who hasn't won in four years, shot 66 and was among five at 5 under.
Blixt, a three-time tour winner, had a little more success navigating the wind than Na in the first round, shooting 67. Both were thinking more about hanging on while hoping to make a move in the second round.
Na didn't waste any time, hitting his second shot to 3 feet for the easy eagle before three birdies on putts of at least 30 feet. After Blixt went up two shots with his pitching wedge from 132 yards at 17, Na pulled within one with a closing birdie when his approach settled inside 5 feet.
''Well, I was trying to do it, so ...'' Blixt said about his eagle, the 35-year-old Swede pausing for effect without smiling.
''Nah, so the last two times I played the hole it's been the same kind of wind. We've been thinking it's like left-to-right wind or almost into us, so today I just played more like a little downwind.''
Jason Dufner got to 8 under with four straight birdies and a 25-foot putt to save par. But the two-time Colonial runner-up missed a short birdie putt at No. 6, his 15th hole, and bogeyed three of the last four for a 68 that left him at 5 under.
Spieth made birdie putts of 50 feet on No. 10 and 46 feet at 12, giving him three putts of more than 40 feet in the same tournament for the first time after making a 46-footer in the first round. But the three-time major winner missed three par putts under 10 feet among his five bogeys.
''I thought today was average; I thought yesterday was spectacular,'' Spieth said. ''Today I missed maybe an 8-footer and a couple 5-footers, but then I made a couple long ones to make up for it. They were kind of misreads. They weren't bad strokes. That's the difference.''
Rickie Fowler missed the cut by one shot at 3 over, ending a streak of 21 straight cuts made. It was tied for the second-longest active streak with Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama, one behind Jason Kokrak (22).
Other than the 16th-ranked Finau, Colonial has been unkind to the eight players in field among the top 20 in the world rankings. Francesco Molinari, ranked seventh, and Rose are the only others playing on the weekend. Molinari joined Rose at 1 over after a double bogey on his last hole.
No. 11 Jon Rahm shot 71 and missed the cut at 6 over after finishing in the top five in both of his first two Colonials the past two years.
Eighth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau (4 over) and No. 9 Xander Schauffele (6 over) missed along with Fowler (10th). Paul Casey, ranked 13th, withdrew because of flu-like symptoms after opening with a 69.
Two-time Colonial winner Zach Johnson shot 75 to finish 7 over, missing the cut for the second straight year after playing on the weekend in his first 12 Fort Worth appearances.
Brian Harman put himself under par for the tournament on his last hole when his approach shot at 9 bounced off the grandstand behind the green and rolled within 2 feet of the hole. He made the birdie putt and handed the ball to a fan sitting not far from where it caromed.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar will join the Brazil national team shortly after he was granted an early release by the French champions, a source has confirmed to ESPN FC -- despite coach Thomas Tuchel not authorising it.
Neymar, 27, is suspended for PSG's season-ending Ligue 1 clash away at Reims on Friday and requested an early release from club duty to start his preparation for this summer's international tournament on home soil. However, Tuchel did not grant the €222 million man his release, which the source says will see him join up with the Brazil squad in the coming hours, as the German explained in a press conference on Thursday.
"No, Neymar has not been released," said Tuchel. "In any case, he has not by me. It is not a sporting thing, so I do not know. You will have to ask the club."
Tuchel later added that he believes that PSG need to be stricter moving forward, yet the source indicated that a member of Les Parisiens' sporting leadership allowed Neymar to depart early.
"Correct, this season has had its problems," said the coach. "The goal moving forward has to be to stay more focused! That goes for the team, as well as the club.
"We must be stricter and pull in the same direction to achieve our goals."
PSG will finish their season without Neymar in Reims and teammate Dani Alves told ESPN in an exclusive interview that he "would bet the Eiffel Tower" on his compatriot still being at Parc des Princes next season.
Brazil boss Tite has previously said he will discuss Neymar's recent disciplinary issues when the two men meet for the start of their Copa America campaign.
Sergio Ramos is contemplating leaving Real Madrid after 14 seasons with the club, a source within the club told ESPN's Paola Nunez on Friday.
The source said the club have said they will make every effort to keep their captain, adding, though, that management is not despairing over Ramos' threat as they would have in years past.
The team captain is under contract through 2021 for more than &euros;12 million per year after renewing in 2017. Spanish media, including El Chiringuito and Marca, both independently confirmed on Friday that Ramos is considering an exit and could move to another major European club.
Ramos has won 20 titles with Real Madrid in total including four European Cups, four Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, four league titles, three Spanish Super Cups and two Copas del Rey.
According to the reports, both Manchester United and PSG have asked about Ramos' availability in the recent past, and the Madrid captain is considering a change as "something beneficial both for the team and on a personal level."
There was renewed optimism around Madrid when Zinedine Zidane -- who left after leading the club to three successive Champions League titles -- returned following a difficult season under first Julen Lopetegui and then Santiago Solari as managers in in the first seven months of the season. However, results have remained underwhelming.
A busy summer is expected at as Zidane and club president Florentino Perez look to rebuild a side which won four of the five Champions League trophies from 2014 to 2018, but struggled last season and finished trophyless.
Eden Hazard, Paul Pogba, Luka Jovic, Ferland Mendy and Christian Eriksen are the names mentioned as potential summer arrivals, while there are big questions over the long-term futures of Gareth Bale, Keylor Navas, Isco, Luka Modric and Marcelo
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