With just over a month remaining to qualify for the Presidents Cup, this is shaping up as a new American team.
Charley Hoffman's playoff loss in the Canadian Open moved him to No. 10 in the standings, which is based on FedEx Cup points. That gives the U.S. team five players from the top 10 who have never competed in a Presidents Cup or a Ryder Cup. The others are Justin Thomas (No. 3), Daniel Berger (No. 4), Kevin Kisner (No. 7) and Kevin Chappell (No. 9). U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka is No. 5 and has never played the Presidents Cup, although he played the Ryder Cup last fall.
U.S. captain Steve Stricker could see this coming.
He was an assistant to Davis Love III at Hazeltine last year. Thomas and Berger were invited to play the Minnesota course ahead of the final picks, although neither of them was chosen. The last pick went to Ryan Moore, another Cup rookie.
"You could see the change there, even though some of them didn't play," Stricker said. "You can see the movement is definitely going to younger, powerful players."
Right behind them is a blend of experience (Patrick Reed, Jason Dufner, Brandt Snedeker) and new (Brian Harman, Gary Woodland). The top 10 players qualify after the Dell Technologies Championship on Sept. 4.
That could have a bearing on how Stricker uses his captain's picks.
"It concerns me a little bit that we have a lot of rookies," he said. "But it also excites me what I'm seeing from them. They're very courageous, they're feisty, they're making clutch putts when they have to. It just shows a lot of guts. These guys are playing well and showing a little attitude when they're doing it, which is nice to see, especially in match play."
Cowboy down?
CSN Philly wrote about how a Dallas Cowboys fan wore a Dez Bryant jersey to Eagles training camp practice. Kind of a troll move, but harmless enough.
But Ed Kracz, a beat reporter for the Bucks County Courier Times, tweeted that the fan was told to remove the jersey or leave.
"Do you buy that it had nothing to do with the fan wearing a jersey of the rival Cowboys, and that a Tennessee Titans or Los Angeles Chargers fan would have been treated the same way?" wrote Frank Schwab of Shutdown Corner on sports.yahoo.com. "Me neither."
The Eagles told CSN Philly it wasn't a team policy, but they find it disrespectful for people who were invited to training camp to wear another team's jersey.
It seems kind of petty, but the NFC East rivalries run deep. Eagles practice is no place to fly your Cowboys flag.
Change the call
Rays third baseman Evan Longoria needed a double and the help of video review to hit for the cycle Tuesday night against the Astros.
In the ninth inning, Longoria hit a line drive to left field. He attempted to leg-out a double to reach the rare feat, but he was called out after stellar throws by outfielder Derek Fisher and shortstop Marwin Gonzalez.
After a video review, Longoria was ruled safe at second. He finished 4 for 5 with 3 RBI and two runs scored in the Rays' 6-4 victory.
Sports quiz
Evan Longoria became only the second Rays player to hit for the cycle. Who was the first?
Sports answer
B.J. Upton (now Melvin Upton) in 2009.
Sports on 08/03/2017