Liberty’s Walker tests positive
Another Liberty player was confirmed to have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Rookie Megan Walker, was diagnosed with COVID-19 before the Liberty left for the WNBA's season in Florida and has been self-isolating since, the team announced on Friday. Walker, drafted No. 9 overall, has been asymptomatic and under the care of team physicians and did not travel with the team to the IMG Academy in Braden- ton, Fla. on Monday.
The UConn product will miss the start of training camp, but the team is hopeful she'll recover and make her WNBA debut this season once it is safe for her to.
“She strongly encourages everyone to wear a mask in public and practice social distancing to help prevent the spread of the virus,” the team said on Walker's behalf.
Walker, who is one of seven rookies drafted in this year's virtual WNBA draft, is the second Liberty player to test positive for COVID-19. On Tuesday, second-year star Asia Durr announced she would not take part in this season because she's been battling coronavirus since her June 8 diagnosis.
“So much about this virus is unknown and my heart is heavy, even as I make the decision that I know is best for my long term wellness,” Durr wrote in an Instagram post.
Since the team's departure for the Florida bubble, Walker has been sharing what could be old photos of herself on Instagram and still showing her teammates and the W support from afar.
“The safety and health of our players and staff is of the highest priority to the organization and the team is doing everything within its power to ensure that Megan receives the best care possible,” the team said in a statement.
The Liberty officially started their training camp on Thursday. The team — with its handful of rookies including No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu — as a whole has a lot of connecting and catching up to do under rookie head coach Walt Hopkins heading into the 22-game regular season, which is set to tip off the end of the month. Sarah Valenzuela
MORIKAWA LEADS PGA TOUR EVENT
DUBLIN, Ohio — Among the lessons Collin Morikawa took away from missing his first cut as a pro was that his reliable cut shot had left him. He found at it Muirfield Village, and suddenly looks as though he'll be tough to catch at the Workday Charity Open.
Morikawa ran off four straight birdies after making the turn Friday, finished with another birdie and shot 6-under 66 to build a fourshot lead over Sam Burns (66) in the storm-delayed tournament.
His 13-under 131 was one shot off the course record set by Jason Dufner in 2017 at the Memorial.
The Workday Charity Open, which replaces the canceled John Deere Classic for this year only, has been set up a little easier than it will be for the Memorial next year, with slightly slower greens and rough that isn't quite as high or thick.
Morikawa is still playing a different brand of golf than anyone else. Through two rounds, he has 15 birdies and an eagle. His four bogeys have come from silly mistakes that are bound to happen.
Ian Poulter, back at Muirfield Village for the first time since 2009 because of a reconfigured schedule brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, had a 69 and joined Chase Seiffert (69) at 7-under 137.
The second round had a pair of 75-minute delays because of the rumbling thunder and lightning that seems to appear whenever the PGA Tour is at Muirfield Village.