Phil Mickelson's near-ace highlights flawless first nine at British Open Your browser does not support iframes. Phil Mickelson torched Royal Troon on Thursday, missing an alltime major-record 62 by less than the width of a golf ball. For Mickelson, the question always is, how will he handle prosperity? The answer on Friday: quite well. Mickelson controlled his game in a way we haven’t … [Read more...]

Watch as Troon brings golf's mightiest to their knees Your browser does not support iframes. Here’s the trick about the British Open: if the weather doesn’t get you, the course will. On a day when the sun shone bright and the wind remained calm, the ground game at Royal Troon stepped up to take up the slack. Waist-deep rough … fences and railways hemming in the fairways … bunkers deep … [Read more...]

Patrick Reed finally delivers major action to go with big talk Your browser does not support iframes. There’s a point at which youthful bravado isn’t cute anymore, a point at which you’ve got to deliver on big talk and bigger attitude. Patrick Reed has just about run out the clock on the smug arrogance with which he rolled onto the PGA Tour. But look at him now: unlikely standard-bearer for … [Read more...]

Three-Point Stance: Are expectations inflated for Jones, Cousins? The fanalyst community is largely divided over Matt Jones. (Getty) Move over Lincoln and Jefferson, if Kirk Cousins carries over momentum from last year’s scintillating string of performances, Washingtonians may soon erect a memorial in his honor. In this edition of the ‘Stance,’ Brad Evans and Liz Loza discuss the QB’s 2016 … [Read more...]

Top 10 knockouts since UFC 100 Seeing an amazing knockout at a UFC fight is the easy part. The hard part is picking between them. There were literally dozens of bouts that could be chosen for the 10 best knockouts since UFC 100. I pared the list down to 25 before making the final 10. Undoubtedly, you’re not going to agree with my picks. That’s fine, because there is an argument to be made … [Read more...]

Rafael dos Anjos: 'Of course I can beat' Georges St-Pierre Rafael dos Anjos turned a corner in his career that saw him go from middling lightweight contender to one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Before 2012, the Brazilian had a record of 15-6 and had yet to beat an elite fighter at lightweight. But since his last loss to Gleison Tibau, RDA has compiled a record of 10-1 … [Read more...]

Practice speeds no longer used for qualifying if qualifying washed out NASCAR announced Tuesday that practice speeds will no longer be used to set the starting lineup for a Sprint Cup Series race if qualifying is rained out. Instead, owner points will be used to set the field, meaning it's a boost to teams at the top of the standings. If qualifying was rained out and first practice was held … [Read more...]

Outfielder Shuffle Up: The ageless Carlos Beltran The idea is 5x5 value for rest of season. What's happened to this point is merely an audition. I didn't rank anyone on the DL, or anyone in the minors. Everyone seems to be more optimistic on injury returnees and hot prospects (hi, Buxton) than I am. This week, we sort the fantasy outfielders. The prices are unscientific in nature, and … [Read more...]

Tony Stewart is back, even if it's for just a summer day in Sonoma Your browser does not support iframes. This is the Tony Stewart fans have been waiting for over the past three years. The Tony Stewart that says what's on his mind, has a swagger and, oh, drives like hell backing up his words and attitude. Not much has gone right for Stewart over the past three years. He entered Sunday's race … [Read more...]

NBA and WNBA become first pro leagues to march in NYC Pride Parade The NBA and WNBA made professional sports history this Sunday by becoming the first leagues to march in and hold a float in the New York City Pride Parade. NBA commissioner Adam Silver, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum, and WNBA president Lisa Borders marched alongside a group of league employees in support and celebration … [Read more...]