Fantasy golf picks: Will 19-year-old phenom Joaquin Niemann pick up PGA Tour title No. 1 at the John Deere Classic?

Thearon W. Henderson(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)We at the Loop have long been critics of lazy sports nicknames. What used to be a world filled with “Catfish,” “Cool Papa,” and “The Big Hurt” is now filled with initials or “First letter of first name + first syllable of last name” handles. Usually the only victim of this godforsaken practice is creativity; last night in Cleveland, it decided a ballgame.
The Indians were up 4-0 against the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth inning, but surrendered seven runs to their Ohio counterparts, losing 7-4. Clearly a lot has to go wrong in such a situation. Amazingly, part of that debacle was a miscommunication of nicknames from manager Terry Francona to the Cleveland bullpen.
https://twitter.com/zackmeisel/status/1016868521765232641?s=12
The reason that matters is Otero is yielding a .368 batting average to left-handed hitters, kind of a big deal given he was brought in to face lefty Joey Votto. The former MVP proceeded to rip a three-r..

For all that's good in golf, certain things don't make sense.

The club twirl has become a common sight in professional golf and there are plenty of young masters from Alex Levy to Patrick Reed, who even introduced a one-handed version. But the godfather of this flashy move is Tiger Woods. And on Tuesday, he revealed a secret to the perfect club twirl.
RELATED: Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson are planning a $10 MILLION match
You're probably thinking how is there a secret to club twirling? You just twirl the darn club after a shot! And you're mostly correct. But as Woods shared with Ahmad Rashad (Man, I miss him on NBA Inside Stuff), there's a surprising way to get a little more oomph into those twirls. See for yourself:
LoadingView on Instagram
The right thumb?! For a left-handed twirl?! Even a surprised Justin Thomas can be overheard in the clip. But that's why Tiger's the twirl GOAT. Although, for some reason, Ahmad calls it “spinning.” C'mon, Ahmad, you're better than that. Anyway, here's a look back through..

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) American golfer Andrew Landry will play in the British Open for the first time next week at Carnoustie after replacing Bernd Wiesberger in the field.

Tournament organizers made the announcement Wednesday, with Wiesberger saying on social media that he was having problems with an ongoing wrist injury.

The Austrian, who hasn’t played competitively since April, said ”the healing process has not put me into a position where I can train, let alone play, at the level I would like to.”

The 30-year-old Landry won his first PGA Tour title in April, at the Valero Texas Open.

Fellow American Keegan Bradley is now first reserve for the British Open, which starts on July 19, followed by Adrian Otaegui and Aaron Wise.

Jay HannaIt's early on a Tuesday morning at Edgewood Tahoe. The waverunners aren't out quite yet and the slot machine crawlers haven't gone to bed, but Aaron Rodgers, Ray Allen, and A.J. Hawk are already crunching on leathery cigars and crushing Titleist all around the pine stands and primped fairways. “Living the dream” doesn't even begin to describe this.
The occasion? The American Century Championship in Stateline, NV—an annual gathering of golf-obsessed athletes, celebrities, comedians, and friends whose names you don't know and never will perched on the shores of Lake Tahoe. Walking with the HoF-worthy group for several holes, A.J. Hawk flashed his 2009 and 2011 ACC long drive contest-winning length while also this draining slippery downhill putt from the fringe:
FacebookPinterestFacebookPinterestJay HannaRay Allen, meanwhile, went full Margaritaville with some deft wedge play from the beach while replying to kids asking him if he planned to come out of re..

New York City's five boroughs—Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island—are home to 8.5 million people and 13 municipal golf courses.

None

Our new video series allows you to learn from one of the game's greats.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) The timing for a revamped PGA Tour schedule could not have been more appropriate.

This is the 50-year anniversary of the PGA Tour breaking away from the PGA of America, leading to years of disharmony. Well, as much as this gentile game allows. And yet all these years later, it took a strong relationship between the two organizations for American-based golf to get the schedule it wanted.

Next season’s schedule was released Tuesday, and there were lots of moving parts, most of them already known.

The FedEx Cup playoffs have been reduced from four events to three, with the opening event alternating between the New York area and Boston. The season will end at the Tour Championship on Aug. 25, allowing the richest payoff in golf – expect that $10 million FedEx Cup prize to increase significantly next year – to be awarded before fans shift their interest to college football and the NFL.

Minnesota replaces Houston. Golf returns to Detroit and leaves Washington..