John Smoltz didn't need to rely on guile to dominate opposing batters in his prime. With a fastball that topped out in the high-90s and a wicked slider, it's no wonder he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. But his ensuing golf career has required Smoltz to be a little more creative when he competes.
Enter this putter he's using at this week's Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, which is both a celebrity golf event and the season opener on the LPGA Tour. Check out this video obtained by Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols:
https://twitter.com/GolfweekNichols/status/1085924202606153728
Unfortunately, Smoltz didn't have quite enough magic to get that putt to drop, but he's no stranger to playing big-time golf. The 51-year-old qualified for and played in last year's U.S. Senior Open.
And in case you're wondering, yes, that putter is legal by the rules of golf. The standing club that helps players with their alignment on the greens..

There comes a time in every professional athlete's career when they realize it's time to hang 'em up. As many legends have said, the game has a way of ushering you out the door no matter how much you want to keep hanging on. For Milwuakee Bucks power forward Ersan Ilyasova, that time may have come on Wednesday night, despite the fact he's only 31 years old and likely still has a few good years left in him.
But when you get dunked on the way he did in Memphis, by a guy you've probably never heard of, retiring may be your only option. Yes, this sounds hyperbolic, until you see the posterization in question:
https://twitter.com/usatodaynba/status/1085714128981889024
This is exactly what you should get when you try to pick up a cheap charging foul underneath the basket. All that does is ruin a great offense play because you couldn't man up and play a little defense. Great job by the referee, who is clearly on team #BanTheCharge, in turn allowing a great moment..

I didn't think it was possible, but the Ho-sung Choi experience seems to be getting even crazier to watch. Playing in this week's Singapore Open that's co-sanctioned by the Asian and Japan Golf Tours, Choi's appearance on Golf Channel had Golf Twitter plucking clips of the 45-year-old Korean golfer turned viral sensation. And they didn't disappoint.
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Here's a Ho-sung sampling from his opening 69 that has him tied with Sergio Garcia among others for 22nd place. First, on a tee shot, which somehow, playing partner Matthew Fitzpatrick doesn't even look at:
https://twitter.com/GolfChannel/status/1085719392112074753
Probably smart. You don't want to be blinded by Ho-sung's star right now. Then on an approach shot:
https://twitter.com/GolfChannel/status/1085713606539382785
Then whatever the heck this pre-shot routine is, leading to another wild reaction to a f..

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Ezra ShawRemember when we all tried our very hardest to kill the Golden State Warriors? That was cute. To be fair, they did give us reason to hashtagdone them. There was that time Kevin Durant was miffed over not getting the ball from Draymond Green late in a November loss to the Clippers. Speaking of Green, he's been awful all year, and he did peg Klay Thompson in the face with the basketball (okay, so maybe that was on accident). Then there was Steph Curry's injury, which caused him to miss 11 games, six of which the Warriors lost. It did appear as though there was trouble in paradise, or we all just desperately hoped that was the case.
It took all of nine games for that narrative to completely die. The Warriors have won eight of those nine, losing only to the Houston Rockets on a miraculous late three-pointer from James Harden. In three of their last four wins, they've scored 142 points or more. The scariest part for the rest of the league has been the play of Curry, ..

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Golf's new rules are all the rage right now, and two in particular have garnered the most attention, those being that you can putt with the flagstick in and the requirement to drop the ball from knee height rather than shoulder height. Putting with the flagstick in seems to be the one players are coming around on, as Bryson DeChambeau has started a revolution of sorts. Adam Scott even went as far to say that he'd keep it in for a putt to win the Masters.
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The knee-height drop rule, however, is still producing some mixed reactions. Jordan Spieth is not a fan, DeChambeau made a bit of a mockery of it during the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and also called it “absurd” that same week. Henrik Stenson appeared to have some trouble with it in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship:
https://twitter.com/EuropeanTour/status/1085495933842976768
The best reaction so far came from Lee Westwood, who ..