The Masters Tournament teed off this morning. Plus, checking in on the in-progress MLB season.
Weather delays, LIV golfers, Tiger Woods - Top Stories from the Masters Tournament
The most popular (in terms of TV viewership) golf event of the year is set to tee off today, late, due to severe weather. The Masters Tournament in Augusta is facing a 90% chance of showers, high winds, and thunderstorms until 1 p.m. ET. The tournament has delayed opening the gates to patrons due to the weather, and there’s also expected to a significant impact on the tournament due to the wind.
But, weather aside, the Masters comes with a little added drama this year as the proposed merger (proposed in June 2023) between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf hasn’t actually happened yet. So, that leaves us wondering, what will the impact be to LIV golfers?
Over on the green, Scottie Scheffler is the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world heading into the 88th Masters Tournament. But, he’s up against Jon Rahm, who is defending his title from last year, along with a peaking Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods is back looking to don a green jacket once more. Here’s a look at the top five golfers to keep an eye on.
A look at where baseball stands
While we were all busy with brackets, Caitlin Clark, and college basketball in general, the MLB season got underway…and brought all the drama with it. We told you about Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani and the betting scandal that took the baseball world by storm, which has an update. Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is in talks to plead guilty to the theft of the baseball star’s money.
What you might have missed is that the MLB Players Association is blaming the pitch clock for causing an ‘epidemic’ of injuries to pitchers. The league implemented the pitch clock in 2023, and 31 pitchers ended up needing Tommy John surgery, which is higher than the average of 25. The 2024 season has already claimed several victims.
The Oakland, but soon-to-be, Vegas Athletics announced they’re leaving Oakland early, as in the end of the 2024 season. The team plans to play at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento for several years prior to their move to Sin City.
In good news, the Baltimore Orioles have called up MLB’s top prospect, Jackson Holliday. Holliday is the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, and will wear his father’s No. 7.
Other Top Stories:
The women’s basketball title game drew a record number of viewers, as to be expected after the trend started in Elite 8. But, the women also drew a far larger audience than the men’s national championship game. Big names from the basketball world, like LeBron James, are weighing in on the change. Meanwhile, Iowa has already announced that they will retire No. 22 in honor of Caitlin Clark.
Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari has officially announced his departure, after confirming that he will take the head coaching position at Arkansas, left open by Eric Musselman’s move to Southern California. Now, Kentucky, which was bounced early from the men’s tournament, has lost two top recruits. And, it doesn’t seem like the program and its illustrious history are enough to lure top name coaches like Dan Hurley (UConn) and Nate Oats (Alabama).
