As expected, there were more tumbles, stumbles and complete somersaults on the Sunday leaderboard at The Honda Classic than there were ripples along the waters that guard so many of the holes at PGA National’s often ferocious Champion layout.
Of course, there seemingly is always an outlier in the crowd. This week at Honda, that was Matt Jones. The well-tested veteran from Australia started Sunday on top by three shots and despite all the tumult around him, he never did budge, never did give in. It was as if he took the strongest rope he could find and tethered himself to the largest rock he could find in the nearby Atlantic Ocean.
With the exception of a brief spell on Friday night, the 40-year-old Jones held some sort of ownership of the lead most of the week at Honda. He pretty much just shrugged his shoulders after shooting a record-tying 61 to open, trailed by three on Friday night after his 70, and had the lead again when he went to bed Saturday. By Sunday night, having closed with a technically-sound round of 2-under 68 to push his way to 12-under 268, five shots clear of his nearest pursuer, he’d earned the beautiful crystal trophy he would hold. It had been a while since tasting victory on this side of the pond. Honda was Jones’ second PGA TOUR title, adding to the 2014 Vivint Houston Open, and moves him up to 11th in the FedExCup standings.
Brandon Hagy, an alternate to start the week, battled back after shooting 76 on Saturday to shoot 66 on Sunday and climb all the way into solo second at 7 under. It was a career-best finish for Hagy, arriving on the Californian’s 30th birthday. He finished hours ahead of Jones, who on this week resided in a stratosphere all his own. Jones’ experience in the wind – he owns two Australian Open titles – showed up on the weekend in the way he flighted his golf ball. It also showed in the way he carried himself. It was well, different. In his 330th career TOUR start, he said he felt the calmest he ever has felt. And after one last par putt fell at 18, Jones got emotional.
“I mean, golf … it’s a very tough sport we play out here,” Jones said. “It’s very cutthroat. We’re working to keep our jobs every year. And you have to perform well to be able to do that. It’s been seven years since I won, and there have been some lean years in there.”
When Jones won his first title in Houston seven years ago, he holed a long pitch to prevail in a playoff over Matt Kuchar. He had holed a 45-foot putt at the 72nd hole just to earn his spot. He was catching lightning. This time around, even on one of the TOUR’s most demanding tests, things were much easier. His hair is sprinkled with gray for a reason; his seasoning showed in how he managed a golf course that has potential disaster awaiting at every corner. A day after scrambling to a 1-under 69 in the wind, Jones hit 17 of 18 greens and kept giving himself quality birdie looks. He made easy pars, and five birdies. Nobody matched his total of 20 birdies for the week.
“I’m wondering why this guy isn’t a household name,” said NBC’s Paul Azinger, admiring the ballstriking display he was witnessing. Jones, now an Arizona resident who works via Facetime with coach Gary Barter back in Australia, said he had felt something coming with his ballstriking. It wasn’t too off at Bay Hill, where he missed the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard two weeks ago. At THE PLAYERS, as he worked on his craft on the practice tee, it clicked.
The man with one victory in 329 career TOUR starts confided to a friend that something very good was about to happen at PGA National. As others around him staggered into doubles and triples and penalty areas on the weekend, how was it that Jones remained so calm? He smiled when asked the question. He really doesn’t know the “why” of it.
Sunday, when Jones made the rare mistake – a three-putt at the seventh, a short miss for par at 11 – he also had an answer. Birdies at the 12th and 13th holes pushed him to a five-shot lead. He treated the ever-lurking Bear Trap (holes 15-17) as if it were a small and harmless cub. Par. Birdie. Par. When his ball he struck with a wedge safely crossed water and hit land on the rugged par-3 17th, he pumped his right fist. Jones really enjoyed the walk up the last. For the second consecutive round he was the lone player in the final six pairings to break 70. All the while, he was so calm.
“I couldn’t put anything on it. I probably had a goal this week to walk a little slower, and just relax,” Jones said. “I’m normally an up-pace, up-tempo person. I play golf quickly. So I tried to stay calm and stay relaxed out there. You have to be when you play this golf course. I set that as a goal this week, and it worked out.”
It did. Jones was going to take three weeks off after Honda, but now he will be getting ready for his second Masters in Augusta, Ga. The only other one he played was a whirlwind, as he’d won in Houston on the Sunday leading into the tournament to become the last man in. The week remains a blur. He’ll take his time and enjoy this visit. There’s also the two-year PGA TOUR exemption, and starts in other big tournaments that he wasn’t able to play as a golfer ranked 83rd in the world. Jones even mentioned the Olympics as a possibility, and maybe even making his first Presidents Cup team.
So many possibilities. Amazing how one week can change a golfer’s life. Over four days at Honda, and after seven lean years, Matt Jones had earned every inch of it.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
