PGA tees off today in Napa with Fortinet
Justin Thomas has a lot of work to do at the PGA Tour's Fortinet Championship at Napa's Silverado Resort beginning today. Most importantly, he has an opportunity to sharpen his game ahead of Ryder Cup two weeks away.
Thomas, the former No. 1 player in the world who was a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup, hasn't played since finishing 12th at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina on Aug. 6. He is looking forward to getting back on course.
“With the way the season ended last year, I just didn't want to go take that long off (from) competitive golf,” said Thomas, adding he didn't picked up a club for two weeks after his season ended. “It worked out even better after getting picked for the Ryder Cup to get some competition under my belt before going there. I haven't gone this long without competitive golf in a while so I'm excited.”
Thomas is one of four members of the Ryder Cup team playing at the Silverado Resort in the heart of the Northern California's wine valley. He joins two-time defending champion Max Homa from Cal, U.S. captain Zach Johnson and assistant captain Stewart Cink, who won in Napa in 2000.
Homa at No. 7 is the only player from the top 10 in the world in Napa. He is trying to become the first player to win the same tournament three straight years since Steve Stricker at the John Deere Classic from 2009 to 2011. SENATOR SUBPOENAS SAUDIS OVER LIV-PGA TOUR DEAL >> The chairman of a Senate investigations subcommittee issued a subpoena for documents on Saudi Arabia's new golf partnership with the PGA Tour, saying the kingdom had to be more transparent about what he said was its $35 billion in investments in the United States.
The move is the latest to challenge Saudi Arabia's assertion that as a foreign government that enjoys sovereign immunity from many U.S. laws, it is not obliged to provide information on the golf deal.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal's subpoena comes after the Connecticut Democrat's unsuccessful requests to the head of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, Yassir al Rumayyan, to testify before Blumenthal's Senate permanent select investigations subcommittee about the SaudiPGA golf deal.
The surprise deal, which would join the venerable PGA Tour and a rival Saudi-funded golf startup, LIV, was announced in June. It overnight gave the Saudi government a major role in one of the main institutions of U.S. sport. Terms of the agreement are still being worked out.
The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, called the Public Investment Fund, or PIF, is controlled by the Saudi government.
“The Saudi's Public Investment Fund cannot have it both ways: If it wants to engage with the United
States commercially, it must be subject to United States law and oversight,” Blumenthal said.
Minor league baseball
SAN JOSE FACES ELIMINATION TONIGHT >> The San Jose Giants need a win to keep their season alive when they host the Modesto Nuts in Game 2 of the best-of-3 California League North Division Series tonight at Excite Ballpark.
Modesto rallied to beat the Giants 6-5 in 10 innings on Tuesday night as Colt Emerson's basesloaded single provided the Nuts with a walkoff-victory at John Thurman Field. If the Giants win tonight, the teams will play a deciding Game 3 in San Jose on Friday at 7 p.m. for a berth in the league's championship series.
Tennis
CANADA, U.S. OPEN WITH DAVIS CUP WINS >> Canada started the defense of its Davis Cup title by beating Italy 3-0 in the group stage of the finals, with the United States, Britain and the Czech Republic also winning.
The Americans got a boost from Piedmont's Mackenzie McDonald in their win. The U.S. opened their match in Split against host nation Croatia with a 6-4, 6-2 win for McDonald over Dino Prizmic only for 11th-ranked Frances Tiafoe to lose surprisingly to No. 77 Borna Gojo, 6-4, 7-6 (6).