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SPORTS Wednesday 16 august 2023
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Small fields in FedEx Cup is a dangerous comparison with LIV

By DOUG FERGUSON would create less reason
AP Golf Writer to play elsewhere. As it
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. (AP) — stands, the other tourna-
Good news for Chicago: ments are now important
The golf-crazed market as a pathway to get into
that once feared it would the big-money events. The
get the big names only ev- signature events will have
ery other year now gets two 15 extra spots that come
tournaments in a month. from performances in regu-
Both events have $20 mil- lar tournaments, key to the
lion purses. Both have small concept of meritocracy.
fields populated by former How it plays out for an en-
major champions. Only tire season remains to be
one can be found on The seen, though the PGA Tour
CW Network. has run some projections
Of course, the BMW Cham- and is trying to get to the
pionship that starts Thurs- same turnover rate among
day and LIV Golf-Chicago the top 50 players, which
on Sept. 22-24 have far is roughly 62%. Turnover is
more differences than simi- key, and one example of
larities. how hard golf has become
Start with the venue. Olym- Lucas Glover holds the winner’s trophy after winning the St. Jude Championship golf tournament is the Tour Championship.
pia Fields is best known for Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Hideki Matsuyama has the
hosting four men’s majors Associated Press longest streak of reaching
and one that used to be events next year on the PGA Tour model was only ago. Now golf has seen the the FedEx Cup finale nine
considered a major (West- PGA Tour, giving them an about the elite looking af- emergence of Wyndham years, now in jeopardy
ern Open); Rich Harvest advantage over everyone ter their own interests. Clark and the resurgence since only a blazing finish
Farms is best known for else. And only 70 players But it is something the PGA of Lucas Glover, to name last week allowed him to
hosting the Solheim Cup reached the postseason Tour should consider going a few. There will be others. get to Chicago. Next in line
and the Palmer Cup. last week at the TPC South- forward, because if there is That’s critical to the suc- are Jon Rahm, Tony Finau
The most notable differ- wind, down from 125 play- one risk of looking like LIV, cess of this new PGA Tour and Xander Schauffele, all
ence not just the blaring ers a year ago. The difficul- it’s seeing the same play- model. of whom are set to go to

music or players in shorts ty of making it to the FedEx ers at every tournament. Bigger fields have a great- East Lake for the seventh
is that one is played over Cup playoffs was obvious That makes it hard to de- er tendency to generate straight year.
54 holes with the same 48 when it was announced velop storylines, which was better outcomes. Some of Also worth noting is that of
players. That’s a big reason last summer and highlight- the case with the last three the biggest challenges Ti- the 23 players in the Dela-
why the Official World Golf ed even more when Justin majors held over 10 weeks. ger Woods faced were not ware meeting last year
Ranking board is still trying Thomas didn’t make it. That’s what Phil Mickelson from Mickelson or Ernie Els. that began to reshape the
to determine how or even The chatter on the range always wanted. He said as They were from Bob May PGA Tour model, five of
why LIV should be part of last week was whether the much as early as 2005, if and Grant Waite, even them didn’t even make it
ranking. Then again, only PGA Tour would adjust the not sooner, arguing for few- Kaname Yokoo one year to the postseason Thomas,
50 players made it to Olym- number to 72 next year to er PGA Tour events on the on the Japan Golf Tour. Billy Horschel, Shane Low-
pia Fields, the second and look after Thomas. Some schedule so the top play- Having a small field for the ry, Kevin Kisner and Adam
arguably the most critical of those tongue-in-cheek ers could compete against $20 million events were Scott. Two others are in-
of the FedEx Cup playoff notions were borne out of each other more often. important in the big pic- jured (Woods and Will Za-
events. Those 50 get in all jealousy, some out of cyni- It was easier to identify the ture. To have those events latoris). Another (Joaquin

the $20 million signature cism that this brand-new top players some 20 years at 120 players or even 90 Niemann) went to LIV. q

Umpire Angel Hernandez loses again

in lawsuit vs MLB

By RONALD BLUM pire in 1993, sued in 2017. the difference in crew chief
AP Baseball Writer He alleged he was discrimi- promotion rates between
NEW YORK (AP) — Um- nated against because he white and minority umpires
pire Ángel Hernández lost had not been assigned to was not statistically sig-
again in his racial discrimi- the World Series since 2005 nificant. Hernández offers
nation lawsuit against Ma- and had been passed over no explanation as to why
jor League Baseball when for crew chief. “Hernán- MLB’s statistical evidence
a federal appeals court re- dez has failed to establish is unreliable.” The deci-
fused to reinstate his case a statistically significant sion was made by Circuit
on Tuesday. disparity between the pro- Judges Susan L. Carney
The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court motion rates of white and and Steven J. Menash, who Umpire Ángel Hernández during the first inning of a baseball
of Appeals upheld a 2021 minority umpires,” the 2nd heard oral arguments on game between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros,
District Court decision that Circuit said in an 11-page June 8. The court said the Friday, Aug. 4, 2023, in New York.
granted MLB a summary decision. “MLB has provid- third member of the panel, Associated Press
judgment. ed persuasive expert evi- Circuit Judge Rosemary S. MLB executive Joe Torre, ity toward Hernández dat-
The Cuba-born Hernández, dence demonstrating that, Pooler, died last Thursday. who made key decisions ing to Torre’s time as New
hired as a big league um- during the years at issue, Hernández claimed then- over umpires, held animos- York Yankees manager.q