The Sportsletter - Golf-Offs & Judge Jacks

BY JEFF YODER & MARISSA KASCH

AUG. 15, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

That three-day post-Olympics breather was much needed, eh? We officially wave goodbye to the summer grind in today’s newsletter. The kids are heading back to school, and that means a non-stop fall sports schedule is near. There’s golf, baseball, basketball, soccer, football (and even the Little League World Series) on TV today.

Football Fans: We’re almost there. I just started prepping for my fantasy football draft, and Week Zero of the CFB season is less than 10 days away. Scroll to the bottom of today’s edition for our way-too-early Super Bowl LIX poll. Then stay tuned for some fun fantasy football competitions when the season picks up.

Letter Rip!

GOLF

3 Weeks to Glory ⛳️ (And $25 Million)

Photo: Ben Jared / Getty Images

The FedExCup Playoffs Begin With Round 1 at the St. Jude Championship — Can Anyone Catch Scottie Scheffler? (By Marissa Kasch)

The majors may be over in 2024, but the 18th edition of the FedExCup Playoffs are only just beginning. Golf’s postseason tees off today with Round 1 of the St. Jude Championship featuring 70 of the world’s best golfers. Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite with Xander Schauffele in the mix. After those two golfers, there is a steep drop in the FedEx Cup Points Standings. But anything is possible if a dark horse golfer wins one of the first two events.

FedEx Cup Playoffs Schedule

Points are awarded throughout the season based on placement in PGA Tour events. The 70 players with the most points are eligible to compete. The tournament features three events and progressive cuts to determine a champion on Sept. 1.

St. Jude Championship (Aug. 15-18)

Top 70 — TPC Southwind (Memphis, TN)

BMW Championship (Aug. 22-25)

Top 50 — Castle Pines Golf Club (Castle Rock, CO)

TOUR Championship (Aug. 29 - Sept. 1)

Top 30 — East Lake Golf Club (Atlanta, GA)

FedEx Cup Points

The largest amount of points a golfer can receive in a single regular-season event is 600 for winning a major. The first two events in the FedEx Cup Championship award 2,000 points to the winner. That means all 70 golfers are very much in play. The third and final event, the TOUR Championship, employs a more familiar scoring system –- stroke play. The final 30 golfers at East Lake will be given starting strokes. As of now, it’s Scheffler, Schauffele, and the field.

Current Points Standings

1. Scottie Scheffler (5,933 points)

2. Xander Schauffele (4,057 points)

3. Rory McIlroy (2,545 points)

4. Collin Morikawa (2,456 points)

5. Wyndham Clark (2,154 points)

It’s time for Round 1 (of 12) in a three-week August playoff push for the PGA’s ultimate prize: $25 million. The St. Jude Championship awaits...

Tee Times Start: 8:20 am ET

Coverage Begins: 2:00 pm ET, Golf Channel

Odds: S. Scheffler (+360), X. Schauffele (+750), R. McIlroy (+900), C. Morikawa (+1400), L. Aberg (+2000), P. Cantlay (+2500), T. Fleetwood (+2800), H. Matsuyama (+3000) | Full odds

ESPN: Scottie Scheffler Calls PGA Tour’s Playoff Format ‘Silly’

Golf WRX: St. Jude Betting Preview: Rory Ready to Roll Again in FedEx Cup Playoffs

MLB

Judge Jacks: Fastest to 300 HRs

Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

With Another Blast (43), Yankees’ Aaron Judge Becomes Fastest Player Ever to 300 HRs

A three-run homer on Wednesday night in Chicago secured a new piece of history for Yankees’ power-hitter Aaron Judge — the fastest player to 300 home runs. Judge and the Yanks buried the lowly White Sox (10-2) to keep pace with the Orioles in the AL East, but the story here was Judge’s 43rd rake of the year. The 32-year-old reached the 300-HR milestone in just 955 career games and 3,431 at-bats — both records. He eclipsed two Hall of Famers in Ralph Kiner (1,087 career games) and Babe Ruth (3,831 at-bats).

Watch: Aaron Judge Becomes Fastest Player in MLB History to 300 Home Runs

MLB Quick-Hitters

Astros Win MLB-Best 8th Straight in Extras

Astros Beat Rays (2-1) in 10 Innings

Schwarber’s Go-Ahead Slam Snaps Skid

Phillies Down Marlins (9-5)

Akil Baddoo Hits Walk-Off Double in Extras

Tigers Clip Mariners (3-2) in 10 Innings

Full MLB Scoreboard

SOCCER

Mbappe Meets Madrid

Photo: Soccrates Images / Getty Images

1 Match, 1 Goal & 1 Trophy for Kylian Mbappe in Debut for Real Madrid

What a perfect time to join a new club. Kylian Mbappe made his long-awaited debut with Real Madrid on Wednesday after leaving PSG earlier in the summer transfer window. His new team still had some unfinished summer business, though. Last night’s UEFA Super Cup final brought the first hardware of the season for the Champions League winners. Los Blancos beat Atalanta (2-0) thanks to a tap-in from Federico Valverde (59’) before — guess who! — Mbappe (68’) buried a one-timer from Jude Bellingham.

That’s one match, one goal, and one trophy to launch the Mbappe era at the Bernabeu. The trio of Mbappe, Bellingham, and Vinicius Jr. might be the most lethal attack in all of Europe for the foreseeable future.

Watch: Kylian Mbappe Scores in Debut as Real Madrid Wins Super Cup (2-0)

ESPN: Mbappe Says Real Madrid Have ‘No Limit’ to What They Can Achieve

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NEWS 📰

🥊 Conor McGregor Disagrees With Dana White’s Timeline for UFC Return (Yahoo! Sports)

⚾️ Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio Accused of Stealing Sand From Malibu Beach (CBS Sports)

🏀 Ex-NBA Player Royce White Wins GOP Senate Primary in Minnesota (ESPN)

🚨 Las Vegas Police Could Boycott Working NFL Games Over New Facial ID Policy (USA Today)

⚾️ Yankees Place Jazz Chisholm Jr. on IL With Elbow Injury (SI)

🏈 Browns & LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Agree to 3-Year, $39 Million Extension (B/R)

🏈 Ravens TE Mark Andrews Involved in Car Accident, No Injuries Reported (NBC Sports)

⚽️ Ex-Dortmund Star Marco Reus Leaves Team After 12 Years to Join L.A. Galaxy (FOX Sports)

🏈 Patriots Trade Pro Bowl LB Matthew Judon to Falcons for 3rd-Round Pick (ESPN)

SCHEDULE 🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

⛳️ St. Jude Championship

Round 1 (2:00 pm ET, Golf Channel)

🏈 NFL Preseason (Week 2)

Eagles at Patriots (7:00 pm ET, NFLN)

⚾️ MLB

Mariners at Tigers (1:10 pm ET, MLBN)

Dodgers at Brewers (2:10 pm ET, MLBTV)

Braves at Giants (3:45 pm ET, ESPN+)

Twins at Rangers (8:05 pm ET, FS1)

🏀 WNBA

Mercury at Sky (8:00 pm ET, PRIME)

Mystics at Lynx (8:00 pm ET, ESPN3)

Liberty at Sparks (9:00 pm ET, ESPN)

POLL 📊

QOTD: Super Bowl Census 🏆

Super Bowl LIX is officially six months away. Calling the SBLIX champion from the opposite end of the calendar is about as difficult as it gets, but we'll do it anyway. It's the Super Bowl Census! We’ll reveal the results of today’s mega-poll at the bottom of tomorrow’s weekend edition.

Which NFL team will win Super Bowl LIX in 2025?

*One Vote Credited Per Email User

AFC

East: Bills | Dolphins | Patriots | Jets

North: Ravens | Bengals | Browns | Steelers

South: Texans | Colts | Jaguars | Titans

West: Broncos | Chiefs | Raiders | Chargers

NFC

East: Cowboys | Giants | Eagles | Commanders

North: Bears | Lions | Packers | Vikings

South: Falcons | Panthers | Saints | Buccaneers

West: Cardinals | Rams | 49ers | Seahawks