ATLANTA (AP) Matt Parziale won the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship on Friday, routing Josh Nichols 8 and 6 in the 36-hole final to earn spots next year in the U.S. Open and Masters

The 30-year-old Parziale, a firefighter from Brockton, Massachusetts, had 10 birdies – eight during the morning 18 – over 30 holes at Capital City Golf Club’s Crabapple Course.

Last week, the USGA announced that the U.S. Mid-Amateur winner would earn a spot in the U.S. Open, set for June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, New York.

”At the time, I didn’t know I would be the one going, but I’m very fortunate to have that opportunity now,” Parziale said. ”I’m very excited for the upcoming year.”

Parziale’s margin of victory matched the third-largest in championship history. The 2017 Massachusetts Amateur champion’s 7-under 63 in the morning 18 – with the usual match-play concessions – was the best score in a U.S. Mid-Amateur final since the USGA switched the format to 36 holes in 2001.

The 26-ye..

CARY, N.C. (AP) Jerry Smith, David McKenzie and Gibby Gilbert III shared the first-round lead at 5-under 67 on Friday in the PGA Tour Champions’ SAS Championship.

Jerry Kelly, Bart Bryant and Fran Quinn were a stroke back at Prestonwood Country Club in the 50-and-over tour’s regular-season finale.

Smith closed with a bogey on the par-4 ninth.

”A tough hole, especially with the wind blowing,” Smith said. ”I tried to be aggressive with the driver and hit a natural kind of cut for me down there, but I didn’t pull it off and hit it in the fairway bunker and just had to pitch it out. That’s really the only option I had.”

Making his fifth start on the tour, McKenzie entered the week 64th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. The top 72 will advance to the playoff opener next week in Richmond, Virginia.

The Australian qualified for the event Monday, shooting a 3-under 69 and winning a three-man playoff for the fourth and final spot.

”Ultimately golf takes care of itself,” McKenzie…

Jamie Donaldson will always be remembered for his winning wedge shot at the 2014 Ryder Cup, but when it comes to degree of difficulty, that has nothing on the shot he pulled off during the second round of the European Tour's Italian Open. With 291 to the pin on his final hole — the par-5 9th at Golf Club Milano — on Friday, Donaldson hit a driver off the deck that nearly found the bottom of the cup. Check it out:
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What a great call by the announcer as well. “Oh, hello. Hello. Go on. Oh, surely not. Can't be! Ohhh, Jamie Donaldson that close to an albatross.”
Donaldson is also pretty close to the top of the leader board, trailing Marcus Fraser and Matt Wallace by two shots entering the weekend. The 41-year-old Welshman is looking for his first European Tour title since 2014 and his fourth overall.
At the very least, he'll leave Italy having hit one of the all-time driver-off-the-deck shots. Of course, this one by Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill in 2004..

It's difficult to imagine Rocky Balboa playing golf, but Sylvester Stallone is actually a decent player. The jacked actor checked in with an 11.4 handicap in Golf Digest's 2007 ranking of Hollywood golfers and we found this old clip of his athletic swing on YouTube:
And it looks like at least one of his daughters, Sistine, has inherited some good golf genes from her father. Sly shared this clip of him taunting her to hit a shot and she pulls it off — despite not exactly wearing proper golf attire:
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Nicely done, Sistine. Hitting a 3-wood off the deck is tough for even experienced golfers. And we appreciate the celebratory club toss at the end to rub it in dad's face after he says, “Thanks for humiliating me.” That's the type of showmanship that would make Apollo Creed proud.
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MONZA, Italy (AP) Australia’s Marcus Fraser carded the lowest round of his European Tour career to take a share of the lead at the midway point of the Italian Open on Friday.

Fraser produced nine birdies – including five consecutive in the middle of his round – and no bogeys for a second-round 62 that took him to 13-under.

”To come and do that today, I’m pretty proud of myself and it’s quite reassuring that I still can play golf,” said Fraser, a three-time European Tour winner ranked a dismal 136th in the Race to Dubai.

”I felt like I’ve putted well and scrambled well this week,” Fraser added. ”Today I took it to a new level with the putter.”

Open de Portugal winner Matt Wallace was also at 13-under following a bogey-free 65.

”I just played good golf out there today and it’s perfect weather for us to shoot low,” Wallace said.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Jamie Donaldson are each two strokes behind, while defending champion and home favorite Francesco Molinari was one stroke fur..

Bryce Harper's two-out strikeout in the bottom of the ninth inning on Thursday night ended the latest postseason disappointment for the Washington Nationals. But after, the 24-year-old superstar maturely handled the situation — even when faced with a “clown question” from a reporter.
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Remember that phrase? Clown question? Harper famously said “That's a clown question, bro” five years ago when the then 19-year-old outfielder was asked by a reporter in Toronto if he'd celebrate a home run by taking advantage of Canada's younger drinking age. In case you don't remember that classic exchange, here's a look back:
Unfortunately, there were no home runs to ask Harper about on Thursday night, but one reporter decided to ask for Harper's thoughts on the upcoming Cubs-Dodgers series. Again, this was just minutes after Harper's Nationals had their season ended..

INCHEON, South Korea (AP) Angel Yin shot a 7-under 65 and took a two-stroke lead after the second round of the KEB Hana Bank Championship on Friday.

Yin had an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole and six birdies, offset by a lone bogey on No. 17, to finish at 11-under 133, two shots ahead of overnight leader Sung Hyun Park (69).

Park, who won the U.S. Women’s Open for her first major and was ranked No. 2 in the world, was tied with fellow South Koreans In Gee Chun (65) and Jin Young Ko (67).

On the fifth, Yin struck a 6 iron to 12 feet and coolly sank the eagle putt.

”That got everything started,” Yin said. ”I made a few pars in the beginning, but that eagle just fired everything up.”

In Gee, a two-time winner on the U.S. LPGA Tour, is still hunting for her first victory of the year, after posting five runner-up finishes among her eight top-10s.

”I’m quite proud of myself for maintaining the scores that I have been showing lately,” In Gee said. ”I’m kind of playing without any re..

Golf Digest Podcast: Jerry Kelly on surviving as a short hitter, hanging with Aaron Rodgers, and trying to end Bernhard Langer's senior reign

Whether he's playing or spectating, rarely will you see Michael Jordan in a golf setting without a cigar in hand. Seriously, just type in “Michael Jordan golfing” into your Google search bar and it's hard to find a picture where he isn't puffing away on the course, like a boss:
FacebookPinterestSam GreenwoodFacebookPinterestDavid CannonFacebookPinterestIsaac BrekkenHis love for stogies is no secret, something he made clear in a 2005 interview with Cigar Aficionado. Twelve years later, the six-time NBA champion sat down once again with the publication for a rare interview in which they discussed everything from the PGA Tour's young stars to the amount of cigars he smokes per day. Would you believe it if I said the number is equal to his championship rings?
“I smoke.. six cigars a day, maybe,” Jordan said to Cigar Aficionado publisher Marvin Shanken.
Six!? Goodness gracious MJ, that is a lot of smoking. It's understandable though, considering the amount of golf h..

There's fandom, and then there's obsession. Fandom is remortgaging your home for an out-of-market streaming package. Fandom is sitting on the couch in a player who retired 12 years ago's jersey bellowing every swear in the swear book at the sheetrock. Obsession is buying a $1,500 poodle, shaving it, dying it, and painting it to reflect your love of a warm-weather hockey team who has never won the Stanley Cup. If that sounds oddly specific, that's because it's absolutely is. Meet Wesley the PoodleShark, everyone:
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RELATED: Meet Davos, a golf ball-retrieving dog who uses his skills to help animals in need
Like most good boys, Wesley likes staring through fences…
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running around with no destination or purpose…
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and hanging with his dawgs.
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Unlike most good boys, Wesley also likes meeting San Jose Sharks legends…
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Going to San Jose Sharks ga..