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sports Saturday 13 auguSt 2022

Sepp Straka, of Austria, watches his birdie putt on the 18th
hole during the second round of the St. Jude Championship
golf tournament Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn.
Associated Press

Straka shakes out of slump,

grabs early lead in Memphis
Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis (7) scrambles as offensive tackle Dillon Radunz (75)
blocks for him during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Thursday,
Aug. 11, 2022, in Baltimore. By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press AP Golf Writer
Titans have competition for backup MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Sepp Straka showed up for
the start of the PGA Tour’s postseason and only saw
QB job thanks to Willis opportunity instead of two months of bad results in his
rearview mirror.
Straka had not made it to the weekend since the Me-
morial in early June. And then he opened the FedEx
By TERESA M. WALKER as possible this preseason. in the pocket, then threw Cup St. Jude Championship with rounds of 64-66 to
AP Pro Football Writer Willis has had opportunities the ball away a couple of take the early lead Friday at the TPC Southwind.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — to work with the second- plays later. Vrabel said it’s “Hadn’t played great coming into this week. Missed a
The Tennessee Titans have team offense during train- just execution and where bunch of cuts coming in,” Straka said (in his case, “a
a competition for the job ing camp, and he started Willis’ eyes are progress- bunch” would be six in a row). “But that’s golf. You’re
backing up Ryan Tannehill, against Baltimore over Lo- ing through his reads. The going to have the ebbs and flows and just kind go with
and coach Mike Vrabel gan Woodside, who has work continues Saturday in it.” And off he went, especially at the end, when he
has made it very clear they been Tannehill’s backup camp, and the Titans also finished with three straight birdies to get to 10 under.
want rookie Malik Willis the past two seasons. have a pair of joint practic- He had a one-shot lead over Denny McCarthy (65),
throwing more. Vrabel said they knew the es with the first Wednesday with Brian Harman (66) another shot back. All of them
Vrabel pulled Willis two Ravens would give them with the Tampa Bay Bucca- already were safe to be among the top 70 who ad-
plays into Tennessee’s first multiple looks and pres- neers ahead of their exhibi- vance to the second stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs
drive of the third quarter af- sures. The challenge for Wil- tion Aug. 20 in Nashville. next week in Delaware.
ter the quarterback scram- lis is what Vrabel called the “This is all happening pretty Tony Finau, coming off two straight victories, was
bled on the second play “fine line” between moving quick and much quicker among those playing in the afternoon.
for 17 yards in the Titans’ around inside the pocket with more consequences Rory McIlroy was among those who likely would not be
23-10 loss Thursday night to tapping into the drills they in the game than what it’s playing the rest of the week. McIlroy was going along
Baltimore. Willis showed off practice every day and been in practice,” Vrabel reasonably well until taking bogey from the trees and
his scrambling ability run- working through his reads said. Woodside has had finishing with a bogey on the par-4 ninth for a 69.
ning five times for 38 yards to find receivers. little competition in back- That put him at 1-under 139, and scoring was so good
with a touchdown, and his “And then there’s times ing up Tannehill the past in ideal conditions that making the cut looked to be
strong arm was on display where we’re going to want two seasons, playing in 11 unlikely.
with a 48-yard toss to Rac- him to go and be an ath- games. The quarterback At least he can afford it as the No. 6 seed. Friday
ey McMath. lete,” Vrabel said. “And drafted in the seventh marked the end of the season for some players who
An impressive debut that so there’s some things we round out of Toledo in 2018 miss the cut and either could not move into the top 70
had the rookie trending have to work on with ... by Cincinnati spent the first or were probably going to get bumped out.
with video snippets of his certainly the timing and three weeks on the Titans’ Straka won the Honda Classic for his first PGA Tour title
highlights all over social what he’s seeing when practice squad in 2018 and this year. That got him into the Masters for the first time
media. Yet Willis finished those throws depend on all of 2019 injured on the and he can’t wait to get back. Reaching the FedEx
with only one more com- it. And then there’s other practice squad. Cup finale at East Lake might be the ticket, and he’s
pletion than rushes, going times that I thought he re- Against the Ravens, Wood- off to the right kind of start.
6 of 11 for 107 yards while ally made some nice plays side threw more than twice He holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 14th, got
being sacked twice. down the field and and as many passes as Willis go- up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 16th and closed
And the Titans lost. kept his eyes down the ing 14 of 24 for 102 yards. with a pair of birdies from the 15-foot range for his 66.
“We wanted him to rip it, field.” One came on the But he was intercepted Straka, born and raised in Austria until moving from
and he didn’t,” Vrabel said play to McMath to set up twice, the first at the Ra- Vienna to Valdosta, Georgia, as a teenager, nev-
Friday. “And so I’m sure a field goal in the second vens 2 on a pass to Terry er dragged two months of bad golf with him to the
he’ll rip it the next time that quarter. Willis also com- Godwin, who Vrabel said course.
he has an opportunity.” pleted a sidearm throw could’ve helped break up “You can’t afford to do that out here,” he said. “The
The Titans traded up to around a defender to tight that interception. margin’s so small, if you miss some fairways, now you’re
draft Willis at No. 86 overall end Tommy Hudson. Wil- “Ultimately, the guy that starting to play for pars and you can’t really do that.
out of Liberty in April, and lis took a sack just before has the ball is responsible You’ve just got to remind yourself that any one thing
they’ve been giving the halftime when he held for taking care of it,” Vrabel can change it the other way.”q
rookie as much experience onto the ball too long while said.q