Sports
Nelly Korda Rallies To Win 3rd Straight LPGA Tour Start At Ford Championship
Gilbert, Arizona – Nelly Korda won her hometown event in a playoff, closing with an eagle-birdie. She overcame terrible winds in Southern California to win another playoff last week.
The world number one made it three in a row by staying steady on a wet Sunday in the desert.
Korda became the first LPGA Tour player in eight years to win three consecutive events, playing a 7-under 65 to win by two strokes in the Ford Championship.
Nelly Korda Rallies To Win 3rd Straight LPGA Tour Start At Ford Championship
“It’s very hard mentally to be 100%, especially after a win, especially when playing in tough conditions,” Korda stated in a press conference. “As dull as it sounds, I was just taking shots and seeing where I’d wind up. “Getting three in a row is like a dream come true.”
Korda won the Drive On Championship in late January in her hometown of Bradenton, Florida, before missing the whole LPGA Tour’s Asian swing. She remained sharp following a seven-week sabbatical, winning the Fir Hill Seri Pak Championship in a playoff near Los Angeles last week to reclaim the world number one spot.
Korda was consistent over four days in the desert, entering the final round two strokes down at Seville Golf and Country Club despite increasingly bad weather.
Korda nearly holed her second shot on the short par-4 16th to take the lead, then birdied 18 to finish at 20-under 268 for her 11th LPGA victory. She became the first LPGA Tour player to win three consecutive events since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 and the first American to do so since Nancy Lopez in 1978.
“(It) just feels like a blur,” Korda explained. “Taking it day by day, really trying to stay very present and just played really good golf, solid golf in tough conditions today, which I’m very happy about.”
Australian rookie Hira Naveed could tie Korda after striking her second shot just right of the par-5 18th, but an unsatisfactory chip resulted in a par. In her second career start, the former Pepperdine golfer shot 66 and finished second at 18 under par.
Lexi Thompson temporarily shared the lead and was within a shot of victory after 15 holes in her hunt for her first win since 2019. She struck the driver on the 16th and sent it straight into the water, resulting in a bogey.
Thompson also missed a short par putt on No. 17 before finishing with a two-putt birdie on No. 18 to shoot 68. She finished in a five-way tie for fourth place at 17 under.
Nelly Korda Rallies To Win 3rd Straight LPGA Tour Start At Ford Championship
“It was crazy conditions, but it was almost just like it gets to where it’s mental when it comes to these kind of conditions,” said Thompson. “You simply have to stay positive and understand that pars are a fantastic score. If you have a good number, take advantage of it; try to shoot for the pin and hit some birdies.”
Temperatures dropped considerably, and rain fell steadily during the final round, adding a layer of hardship to a competition that began with two days of record-breaking scores.
The inclement weather did nothing to impede the leaders, with four players tied for the lead and 11 within two shots early on the back nine.
In order to finish at 3-under 33, Korda started her final round with two consecutive birdies on No. 4, then added another on the par-4 ninth. She tied for the lead with a birdie on the par-5 12th and won outright at 18 under with a 6-foot birdie putt on the 13th.
Thompson and Haveed tied her, but Korda rallied with a near-hole out on 16, setting her a birdie to take a one-shot lead. Korda fired a tremendous drive on No. 18 and chipped to three feet for the final birdie.
“Just tried to stay really aggressive and I knew I had to shoot a low one to be in contention,” Korda told reporters. “Just played really smart golf out there today.”
Nelly Korda Rallies To Win 3rd Straight LPGA Tour Start At Ford Championship
Naveed reached the record-low cut of 5 under par and stormed up the leaderboard with a third-round 65 before the wind came up. She moved into a tie for the lead at 18 under with a birdie on the island par-3 17th, but her chip on 18 fell around 20 feet short, and she missed the putt.
“It’s just breathing a sigh of relief, really, and just saying, ‘All right, put your head down; there are scoring opportunities out there,'” Naveed explained. “Just go out there and do your best, commit to each shot, and try to hole some putts.” So excited to do it over the weekend.”
So is Korda, who has positioned herself to win her fourth consecutive T-Mobile Match Play next week in Las Vegas.
SOURCE – (AP)
Sports
The Utah Hockey Club’s Net Scores The Opening Goal.
(VOR News) – The Utah Hockey Club did not begin the season in the manner that they had planned to, despite the fact that they were playing their first game of the preseason on the ice.
The first goal that they scored at the beginning of the season was not the way that they had anticipated the season to begin.
Des Moines, Iowa, which is located in the state of Iowa, was the location of the first game played by the organisation that was once known as the Arizona Coyotes.
Specifically, the game will take place in the state of Iowa. Specifically, the game was developed in the state of Iowa, which was also the location where it was manufactured. The St. Louis Blues, who were the team that was competing for the championship.
We represented Utah in this particular game.
The penalty call was delayed, which resulted in Utah being required to remove their custodian in order to make room for an additional attacker. This was done in order to provide space for the additional attacker.
It was necessary to do this step in order to clear space for the attacker to move about a bit. Because of this, St. Louis was able to take the lead in the game with a score of 1-0 at the beginning of the second quarter.
This allowed them to gain control of the game. As the puck made its way down the ice and into the empty net of the opposition, the winger for Utah, Dylan Guenther, was unable to gain hold of it at the point, and he was also unable to catch up to it in time while it was falling. The disaster took place at this particular instant in time, which was the ideal time for it to take place that it did.
A defenseman with the Blues named Anton Malmstrom was given official credit for scoring the goal, and St. Louis “congratulated” Utah on scoring its first goal in the history of the team.
Malmstrom was given credit for Utah Scoring the goal.
The individual who was identified as the player who scored the goal was Malmstrom. It has been determined that Malmstrom is the individual who was responsible for scoring the goal. At the conclusion of the official investigation, it was determined that Malmstrom was the individual who was responsible for scoring the goal.
On the flip side, it would appear that yet another case of trolling was directed at the Blues. After the actual opening goal for Utah, which was scored by Michael Carcone a little more than six minutes later, Kevin Connauton added another goal later in the quarter to bring the score to a draw.
This brought the score to a tie. As a consequence of this, the score stayed tied. As a consequence of this turn of events, the score ended up being something like 2-2.
Guenther also made atonement for his prior transgressions by scoring a power-play marker that put Utah in the lead by a score of 3-2. This was a significant accomplishment for Guenther. As a consequence for his earlier misdeeds, Guenther was given this sentence.
Due to the fact that this achievement was achieved, Utah is currently in the position of being in the lead. It was on Friday that a signing took place, which ultimately led to the extension of Guenther’s contract for an additional eight years into the future. We have completed this extension.
Carcone scored his second goal of the game into an empty net, this time into the Blues’ net, during the final minute of the game. This would be his second goal of the game. Ultimately, this goal was the deciding factor in Utah’s victory, which was officially recorded as a 5-3 score.
It was generally agreed that Carcone’s goal was the one that clinched the victory. The final goal of the contest was scored by Carcone, who scored the game’s decisive goal. Utah was able to win the game and take home the victory as a result of Carcone’s goal, which was the goal that ultimately decided the outcome of the game.
However, despite the fact that the situation had already beyond the point of no return, the social administrator for the Blues was still able to successfully extract the last laugh from it. His efforts were successful.
SOURCE: SN
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No Panic for Patrick Mahomes and The Chiefs After Another Quiet Travis Kelce game.
Sports
No Panic for Patrick Mahomes and The Chiefs After Another Quiet Travis Kelce game.
(VOR News) – Nine times in the passing game was Travis Kelce, a tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, targeted when he debuted in the 2023 season.
He did, however, only finish with four receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown overall. He responded the next week with seven receptions for 69 yards, the Chiefs adding another score to his record and thus allaying some of the worries of some who were on the sidelines looking in.
Kelce’s third consecutive week of poor performance marked the end of his third game of the 2024–25 season.
Two days before the year ended, this Chiefs event occurred.
Although his four receptions and thirty yards are all season highs, if they had been attained concurrently they would have been among his worst efforts from the previous season.
Once more on Sunday’s triumph over the Atlanta Falcons, a sluggish effort from the offense was evident; Kelce was not an exception to this rule. While this is the case, quarterback for Chiefs Patrick Mahomes thinks the most important symbol of respect is Kelce’s receiving less than a month away from his 35th birthday.
“I mean it’s crazy since teams are still… the respect factor Travis has is just unreal,” Mahomes said to reporters. “It is well-deserved, but we are calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it seems like just two or three people are going to him,” the spokesman added. He understands this clearly.
His desire to win at the end of the day is, in my view, the most admirable trait about him; he is not simply interested in having an impact on the game. I shall give it top attention in the future to keep giving him the ball whenever he is there and on the pitch.
At the conclusion of Week 3, Kelce ranked second only to Rashee Rice in terms of targets, receptions, and yards by the pass among all Chiefs pass catchers. This shows Kelce has made notable advancements on the right path. The other man merely had 12 receptions and 14 targets; Rice had 14 targets and 12 receptions for 110 yards.
Their differences were quite considerable. As of right now this season, three games have been played; Kelce has not yet found the end zone. He had two outstanding catches in the second half.
One was a third-quarter 17-yard gain that put the Chiefs in red zone.
The head coach and Mahomes both expressed hope that Kelce would finally reach his big-time goals after the weekend’s victory. Although this is the new normal for one of the league’s best tight ends, nobody seemed to be worried about it.
This is still the case after a week; yet, the longer Chiefs games pass without a vintage Kelce effort – or anything that even loosely resembles one – the more attention will be paid to his specific stats.
Though he has lost a lot of agility compared to his prime, Kelce is still able to get open. Besides, his head is still clear, hence he is obviously capable of writing correctly.
For a different set of factors, he is not getting targets or catches inside the rhythm of the offensive, though. Maybe we could have opened that window if our sample size had been larger.
Mahomes believes that everything else will take care of itself if other guys start (or, in Rice’s case, keep going) and Kelce keeps on going.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated, “The more plays Rashee makes, the more effectively we can run the football, which allows us to involve (Xavier) Worthy, thereby increasing Travis’s opportunities to be open.” “Individuals are genuinely concerned about attempting to remove him, which is facilitating opportunities for other players.”
SOUREC: SI
SEE ALSO:
A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race
McLaren And Lando Norris Seek To Pressure Red Bull In F1’S Singapore Grand Prix
Sports
A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race
Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the first elimination race of NASCAR’s playoffs will pit a three-time Daytona 500 winner against two past Cup Series champions.
The trio is also among NASCAR’s greatest stars in a 16-driver playoff field that includes popular racers Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace who did not qualify.
So this year’s field is rather depleted, but Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Harrison Burton are all below the cutline heading into the first elimination race of the playoffs. The bottom four drivers from Saturday night’s race will be removed.
So, what is the plan?
Hamlin, a four-time champion at Bristol, has a simple ambition.
“I’m coming here to win,” Hamlin declared Friday. “That plan will remain unchanged unless the scenario in the race changes. I’m going to go on offense straight away, and I’ll be fine regardless of the outcome.
“I just know, that over 500 laps here, things will work themselves out.”
A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race
Joey Logano is the only driver who has already qualified for the second round after winning the playoff opener in Atlanta. This leaves the remaining 11 positions available, with the bottom four in the most jeopardy.
The Atlanta race and the road circuit at Watkins Glen last week were new sites on the 10-race playoff schedule, which is how Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, 2012 champion Keselowski, and 2017 champion Truex ended himself in this position.
Both circuits are unpredictable, and Keselowski finished 19th at Atlanta, the highest of the three drivers in both races. Truex, who finished 20th at Watkins Glen, was furious after the race about the lack of respect among drivers in the field.
He’s retiring from full-time competition after the season, and he decided it’s probably too late to become a dirty driver. He stated that he was unsure whether he would be willing to compromise his ethical views to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
“I honestly don’t know. “I believe it will just depend on the situation — what we find ourselves in and what is going on,” Truex stated. “But most likely not.” I’ll probably race the same way I always do, and maybe we’ll be good enough to finish the job that way.”
Hamlin clarified that the contract extension handed to Wallace earlier this week does not indicate that 23XI Racing is close to signing NASCAR’s charter agreement.
When NASCAR issued a deadline two weeks ago to accept its last offer, 23XI was one of only two holdouts. Wallace has agreed to a multi-year contract deal, according to the organization.
“Nothing has changed on our side on (charters),” said Hamlin, the team’s co-owner alongside Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk. “We’ve said for awhile that we plan on racing next year and we’re sticking to that.”
That was the message Hamlin delivered this week at a sponsor summit held by 23XI Racing for its partners.
“We were quite clear in our messaging that nothing was changing. “The battles we have off the track are over ownership,” Hamlin stated.
Driver exchange
Spire Motorsports and Rick Ware Racing announced Friday that they will swap drivers beginning with next week’s race at Kansas Speedway, marking a rare in-season team trade.
Corey LaJoie, who had already been informed that he would not be returning to Spire next season, will start racing for Rick Ware Racing next weekend. Justin Haley, who has previously driven for Spire, will return to his former squad to replace LaJoie.
Haley’s seat is secured until 2025, while LaJoie is virtually on trial with Rick Ware Racing for the next two months of the season.
LaJoie is regarded as the leading contender for the full-time driver position at RWR, but he needs establish himself in the next seven races of the season.
Haley has driven partial schedules for Spire throughout numerous seasons and earned the team’s only Cup Series victory in July 2019 at Daytona.
NASCAR transactions are unusual because sponsorship contracts are normally connected to a car or a certain driver.
A Trio Of NASCAR Stars In Danger Of Playoff Elimination At Bristol Cutoff Race
“It’s unique, it’s unconventional,” RWR president Robby Benton explained. “Driver swaps and player trades are very different from what we do (in NASCAR).” But I want you to know that everything is friendly.”
Kurt Busch switched to Furniture Row Racing for the final six races of 2012, while Jeff Burton joined Richard Childress Racing with 14 races remaining in 2004. The closest driver trade occurred in 2003, when Jeff Green and Steve Park switched rides.
Is Dale Jr. finally gone?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway would be his last until at least 2026.
JR Motorsports’ agreement with sponsor Hellmann’s Mayonnaise required the Hall of Fame driver to drive the vehicle at Bristol. That clause does not exist in 2025.
“I’m not planning on racing in the Xfinity Series next year,” Earnhardt added. “I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up for anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports.”
Earnhardt, who turns 50 later this year, says he will miss racing in the series next year and “terribly regret that I didn’t race and probably in 2026 find me somewhere that I can go compete in the Xfinity Series again.”
“If a partner comes together with a package that helps one of the other cars fill out multiple races that we have some inventory, I’m absolutely on board to do a race for that reason alone,” according to him.
Earnhardt will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet at Bristol, which Connor Zilisch won in his Xfinity Series debut last weekend at Watkins Glen.
Earnhardt stated that JR Motorsports had not ended conversations on potentially fielding a Cup team.
“You just never know that when the phone rings what’s going to be on the other end of that call these days especially,” he told me. “There’s a lot of fresh interest coming into the sport, and with the new (charter) agreement, it’ll churn a bunch of potential partners who have been looking at the sport and waiting for that deal to happen to see where the monies end up.
“We may be able to capitalise on some of that momentum and those events. We may not. If it doesn’t happen, I’m not sure if I’ll have a huge regret.”
SOURCE | AP
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