Lowry figures out Bay Hill . . .at last
Shane Lowry knew he was playing good golf because he gave himself a chance to win last week. He also knew his record at Bay Hill was as bad as any course he has played.
Good form won out Thursday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Lowry made three birdie putts from outside 20 feet, chipped in for eagle and avoided most of the trouble for a 6-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead after the opening round.
How bad is Lowry around this track?
“Horrific,” the Irishman said with a laugh, and the numbers bear that out.
In his sixth time playing the tournament, this was the first time Lowry broke 70. Last year was the first time he made the cut, and he might have fared better than his tie for 67th if not for an 80 in the third round.
Lowry held a share of the 54hole lead last week at the Cognizant Classic until posting a 71 over two days in the rain-delayed tournament to finish four back.
He needed a sponsor exemption to get into this signature event with a 69-player field. As a British Open champion, all-around good bloke and ambassador for MasterCard (the presenting sponsor), that was the easy part.
Bay Hill was always the hard part. He just made it look easy for once.
“It’s one of these places where some people love it. I’ve struggled with it over the years,” he said. “It’s a nice place to come, it’s obviously a great tournament, a huge tournament, and I’m very happy with that today. Maybe that’s the kind of score I need to shoot around here to just give myself the confidence to go out and play my game around here.”
BEARS’ JOHNSON NETS $76M
The Bears and Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson agreed Thursday to a four-year, $76 million contract that guarantees him $54.4 million.
Two people familiar with the situation confirmed the financial terms of the deal.
“We’re extremely excited to be able to keep Jaylon here for the next four years,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. “He’s an integral part of our defense and his leadership will help our team continue to ascend.”
The move comes two days after the Bears placed the franchise tag on Johnson. He would have been due $19.8 million in 2024 had he not agreed to the extension prior to the July 15 deadline. He had said he wanted to remain with the Bears.
Johnson, who turns 25 in April, intercepted four passes and returned one for a touchdown last season after picking off one pass in his first three years. He totaled 10 passes defensed, forced one fumble and was selected second-team All-Pro.
The Bears’ defense ranked 12th in the NFL despite struggling in the early going. Chicago was 25th against the pass.
MITCH BACK WITH BILLS
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is returning to Buffalo to reprise his role as Josh Allen’s backup after signing a two-year contract with the Bills on Thursday.
The player selected No. 2 overall in the 2017 draft rejoins the Bills after failing to re-establish himself as a starter during two rocky seasons with the Steelers. Trubisky was cut by Pittsburgh last month after going 2-5 — including 0-2 last season — in 12 overall appearances and eventually losing the backup job to Mason Rudolph.
The Bills continue to believe in Trubisky, who at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds has the size and mobility to oversee a similar offensive scheme as Allen. Trubisky spent the 2021 season with Buffalo, where he was limited to mop-up duty in completing six of eight pass attempts for 43 yards and an interception in six appearances.
BRONCOS RELEASE SIMMONS
Justin Simmons became one of the top free agents on the market Thursday when the Broncos released their star safety in a cost-cutting move.
Simmons is the first veteran to pay the price for the enormous dead cap charges the Broncos are facing when they release quarterback Russell Wilson next week.
A second-team All-Pro in four of his last five seasons, Simmons intercepted multiple passes in each of his eight years in Denver and his 30 picks lead all NFL players since his rookie season in 2016, when the Broncos selected him in the third round out of Boston College.
Simmons was set to earn $14.5 million this upcoming season, the final year of the four-year, $61 million deal he signed in 2021.
All high-earning veterans on the Broncos roster are vulnerable to release because the team is facing a record $85 million in dead cap charges in the fallout from Wilson’s impending departure.
The team hasn’t decided whether to absorb $35.4 million or $53 million of Wilson’s dead-cap hit in 2024, but either way it has a long way to go to get under the salary cap, and Simmons’ release is just the beginning of a painful roster purge this offseason.
JONNU REACHES MIAMI DEAL
The Dolphins and tight end Jonnu Smith agreed to terms Thursday on a two-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations, giving the Dolphins a pass-catching threat that they lacked at tight end last season.