Mad Dog Game

Somewhere in the lengthy list of curiosities that sat at the heart of his infamous PGA Tour career, there is this: He had more legal names than victories.

That’s right. The man born Phil McGlenno later became Phillip McClelland O’Grady, then simply Mac O’Grady. That accounts for a 3-2 decision over his victories (for the record, they came at the Sammy Davis Jr Greater Hartford Open in 1986 and the Tournament of Champions in 1987).

If you are guessing O’Grady was a bit on the eccentric side, give yourself a gold star. Heck, he once tried to enter a team competition – by himself. Said he was going to play left-handed and right-handed.

Tournament officials were not impressed and refused O’Grady’s request. Which never was much of a problem with O’Grady; he was easily dismissed, given his quirkiness.

But here is one assessment offered by O’Grady that would be widely embraced by anyone who has spent a lot of time either playing the PGA Tour or watching it: “One minute you’re bleeding. The next minute you’re hemorrhaging. The next minute you’re painting the Mona Lisa.”

Should you be in the market for a current player who personifies what O’Grady meant, may we introduce Tyrrell Hatton? The 29-year-old Englishman can go from bleeding to hemorrhaging to painting a masterpiece in the time it takes to play two holes – with brilliant dialogue to dress it up.

“Head Case Hatton,” he conceded his name would probably be if he were a disc jockey.

Funny line, but the truth is, Hatton is a showcase event on the golf course – and not just because he is wearing out a pathway to the winner’s circle. Actually, the European Tour victories in Abu Dhabi in January and at the BMW PGA Championship last October cemented his spot in the elite atmosphere of global players (he rose to No 5 as of February 21), but did nothing to make people stop talking about his on-course antics and mannerisms.

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Wayne Riley and Nick Dougherty review Hatton’s final round as he claimed victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational

And nowhere did he generate a sort of social media frenzy more than at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational, as much for his gut-check maiden win on the PGA Tour as for the string of sarcasm and self-deprecating commentary that he levelled.

“Have you seen a worse golf shot?” Hatton could be heard muttering to his caddie, Mike Donaghy, after hitting an approach wide right at the ninth hole in the API. When Donaghy fell quiet, Hatton pressured him.

“Answer the question,” said the player.

“No,” conceded Donaghy.

Hatton agreed and said loudly, “that’s terrible.”

But when the woes continued two holes later and Hatton splashed a shot into the water, it was as if everyone at Bay Hill was prepared to duck for cover as the volatile Englishman lined up an eight-foot putt for double-bogey.

“We all know what the sound is when the teapot is ready,” Paul Azinger said on NBC‘s coverage.

Indeed, we do, only the situation never escalated. Fans standing near the 11th green could breathe a sigh. Hatton made the putt for a double and while weekend conditions last March proved demanding and he shot over-par both Saturday and Sunday, somehow, he prevailed.

Perhaps because it is time to brush aside the emotional diatribes and focus more on Hatton’s immense ball-striking. The man is, after all, up to 10 worldwide wins, including six on the European Tour and he did stare down none other than Rory McIlroy to win in Abu Dhabi.

Dig deeper and you will find four wins, eight other top 10s, and brilliant consistency (16 top 20s) in Hatton’s last 25 tournaments. So, it is not as if Hatton will not deserve the spotlight on March 4-7 when he returns to Bay Hill as the defending champion. He surely does.

It is just that no matter how solid his golf is, Hatton knows people will never stop watching, just to see if he lets off a little steam after a bad shot. After all, how many world-class pros would say something like this after a shot, as Hatton did a few years ago: “Oh, it’s a lovely flight. Just a shame it’s 25 yards left.”

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Hatton admits he faced some nervy moments as he battled his way to a one-shot victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational

Witty and silly, for sure, but Hatton back in 2016 earned the ire of fellow European Tour pro Gary Evans, who told the then-24-year-old to “grow up”. Mark Roe, commentating on Sky Sports, also chastised Hatton for his behaviour.

Not that petulant behaviour is anything new in professional golf. Good gracious, Woody Austin nearly knocked himself unconscious one time by slamming his own putter off his head after missing a putt and Hale Irwin was known to berate himself unmercifully.

To PGA Tour veterans like Billy Andrade, it has always been part of the job to try and ignore the sideshow that some competitors bring to the course.

“You’d play with these guys who would look like the world was about to end, complain that they never hit a good shot, and I never understood it,” said Andrade. “If I did that, I would have been off the Tour, because I needed to be as positive as I could to play well.

“But I guess some guys need to be brutal on themselves. Maybe it’s what makes them great.”

While accepting that his running commentary and his body language might actually be overshadowing his brilliant play of late, Hatton said he feels he has a grip on it.

“I guess it has its positives and negatives. It can be an issue if you start getting a fine, which is never good,” Hatton said. “But generally, it’s just a reaction. I kind of wear my heart on my sleeve, you know how I’m feeling, so I don’t try and hide that.

“It’s only an issue if I’m affecting my playing partners from it. Obviously, I would feel really bad about that. It’s definitely not my intention, I’m just – I’m obviously kind of venting.”

Then he smiled and acknowledged that he knows you can find plenty of video clips on social media that show him as “the angry golfer”.

“I managed to, I guess, produce some funny moments on the golf course so far with some of my reactions,” he said.

“You know, I’m just being me. I’m just kind of, it’s a reaction without thinking and sometimes that can be bad, so you have to give me a little bit of slack sometimes.”

So long as he keeps playing superbly and stringing together victories, giving him “a little bit of slack” will be easy. Especially if he also delivers the chuckles.

Connor Watson has jumped to the defence of embattled Newcastle Knights teammate Mitchell Pearce as the star halfback nears the end of a nightmare off-season, praising the impact he’s had as a mentor.

Pearce’s life was thrown into disarray when news broke of the 31-year-old sending racy text messages to a female Knights employee, which led to his wedding to Kristin Scott being cancelled less than a week out from the event, late in December.

That led to Pearce resigning from his post as Newcastle’s captain early in the new year, before breaking down in tears as he read a statement in a press conference.

Pearce addresses text message scandal

The tumultuous off-season of the former NSW Blues playmaker took another ugly twist when he broke his right thumb and was forced to undergo surgery late in January.

And in the latest crushing blow, The Daily Telegraph has reported that Pearce is set for a pay cut of $250,000 per season to remain at the Knights in 2022.

But Watson, who crossed from the Roosters to the Knights with Pearce ahead of season 2018, took the opportunity in an exclusive interview with Wide World of Sports to stress the fact that he’d been “a big help”.

“Me and ‘Ju’ are close mates. He’s been right by my side since I first came into first grade and even before that he was a big help when I was playing 20s and SG Ball. He was always there for me then,” Watson said.

“I have a lot of respect for ‘Ju’. He definitely helped me come through the grades and has helped me become the player that I am.

“As a kid coming through he was massive in helping me and I know he’s done it for a lot of guys, especially a lot of young halves. There are a lot of guys he’s mentored and a lot of them play first grade now too.”

Pearce last year led the Knights to their first finals appearance since 2013, with the club finishing seventh before crashing out in a 46-20 defeat to the Rabbitohs in an elimination final.

The Knights’ new skipper is yet to be named but the race was narrowed to five when the club finalised a new five-man leadership group in late January, consisting of Kalyn Ponga, Blake Green, Daniel Saifiti, Mitch Barnett and Jayden Brailey.

Green touted as Pearce successor

Watson backed Pearce to carve out a strong 2021 campaign.

“It’s been a tough couple of months for ‘Ju’,” Watson said.

“He’s working hard on himself and that’s important. He knows he’s made a mistake and there’s no shying away from that.

“But even though he’s gone through a lot I don’t think ‘Ju’ will miss a step this year playing footy.”

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USA Today High School Sports spent the month of February getting to know the next crop of elite high school football recruits and the depths of the class of 2022.

Now that March is underway, it’s time to take a trip across the United States to see where the best of the best in the class of 2022 reside.

With talent spanning from the east coast to the west coast, USA Today High School Sports takes a look at the top-ranked recruit in each state according to the industry-generated according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. With recruits not yet ranked in Maine, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming, those states were excluded from the list.

RELATED: Meet the top 25 football recruits in the class of 2022

Some athletes have already made verbal commitments to specific NCAA programs, so that information is also included below — and will be updated should anything change.

Now, let’s get to it. Here are the top-ranked 2022 football recruits in each state.

Chris Wilder admits he does not know if he will be Sheffield United manager next season, despite confirming he wants to remain in charge at Bramall Lane.

Sheffield United are bottom of the Premier League and 15 points adrift of 17th with 12 games left of the season.

Wilder, who led the Blades to a ninth-placed finish last season, feels it is difficult to plan for the 2021/22 campaign because the necessary talks regarding the future “are not happening”.

Asked if he will be at the club next season, Wilder replied: “I don’t know. We always plan short, medium and long term, but that plan is determined by other people than me.

“I’ve not had those conversations. I think they should be happening, but they’re not happening.”

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Wilder received a public vote of confidence in December from owner Prince Abdullah, who insisted at the time the former Sheffield United defender would remain in charge even if he was unable to prevent relegation to the Championship.

Since taking charge at his boyhood club in May 2016, Wilder led the club to two promotions in three years but this term his side have failed to replicate the impressive results achieved in their first season back in the Premier League.

When pressed on whether he wants to remain as manager, the 53-year-old said: “Yes, definitely. If we stick to the plan.

“The plan as always was to leave a legacy, change things off the pitch, which need changing, and stick with the players we’ve invested in and add a couple and try to bounce back – simple as that.”

The SPFL is backing a mental health initiative as part of a charity set up following the tragic death of former player Chris Mitchell.

All 42 clubs have enrolled staff in Mental Health First Aid Training (MHFAT) which is delivered by the SPFL Trust in partnership with the Chris Mitchell Foundation.

The organisation was established by Mitchell’s family and friends, including Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield, to raise awareness of mental health and well-being as well as support players suffering with depression.

It comes after Mitchell took his own life in May 2016 after a period of depression that followed the end of his career through injury – the former Falkirk and Scotland U21 international was just 27-years-old.

On the foundation, Arfield said: “Chris (Mitchell) was my best friend, he is sorely missed by all of us, every day.

“But he will always be remembered. He was so popular and a pleasure to be around.

“It’s not easy to think about the circumstances around his tragic passing but I am hopeful that our charity work underlines the importance of mental health awareness and training to break the stigma.

“No matter who you are, or the circumstances you face, please don’t give up and speak to people around you for support.”

An average of five participants from every SPFL club have already been trained over the last four years with a significant increase in the rate of sign ups during the pandemic – accounting for nearly 20 per cent of all participants since the training launched.

In total, over 600 people have taken part in MHFAT with delegates attending from across football in Scotland at all levels from the men’s and women’s game.

Bernadette Malone, chair, SPFL Trust, said: “The SPFL Trust is committed to using the power of football to enable a change in conversation, because we know talking can save lives.

“Our partnership with the Chris Mitchell Foundation was born out of tragedy, and we know that his family mourn his passing every day. But from that darkness there has been some light.

“Scottish football is now talking about mental health. There is still so much to do, as recent trends show us.

“No death by suicide should ever be inevitable, and so we will continue to support and build programmes that use football for good.”

Philip Mitchell, co-founding trustee, Chris Mitchell Foundation, added: “We miss Christopher every day and set up the foundation in his memory.

“We want to prevent other families from having to go through the pain that we’ve been through in recent years. No one should have to experience the loss of a loved one to suicide.”

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email [email protected] or [email protected]

England rugby player Ellis Genge says he received death threats after not clapping his Welsh opponents following his side’s defeat in the Six Nations.

In rugby, it’s tradition for teams to applaud each other after a match as they walk off the pitch.

“Don’t know why I’m not clapping in that tunnel must be deep in thought, utmost respect for the Welsh,” Genge wrote on Twitter.

“As for keyboard warriors sending death threats etc…” added Genge, referring to the abuse he’d been sent over social media after footage was circulated of the incident.

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On Sunday, England Rugby released a statement saying that respect is a “core value” of the sport and that Wales “deserved their victory.”

It continued: “Unfortunately, some of the reaction on social media to players and the team has not shown the level of respect the rugby community prides itself on.

“We will support our players and team against online abuse and hope true rugby fans will stand with us.”

Twitter did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

This comes after BBC reporter Sonja McLaughlan also revealed that she had received abuse on Twitter following her post-match interviews.

McLaughlan asked England captain Owen Farrell and coach Eddie Jones a number of times about controversial refereeing decisions during his side’s 40-24 defeat.

READ MORE: Waratahs coach responds to sacking threat

READ MORE: Presenter left in tears after Test captain interview

READ MORE: What we learned from wild Super Rugby round

“Toxic, embarrassing, disgraceful, appalling. Just some of the feedback I’ve had,” McLaughlan wrote on Twitter.

“Thanks for using @ sign so it’s all hit home. Now imagine getting inundated with abuse for doing your job. In my car crying. Hope you’re happy.”

In response to the tweet, England Rugby said that “abuse for doing your job is not OK and we stand with you. We will see you for the next one. Hold your head high and know you have our support.”

The Six Nations also said that “abuse of public figures or members of the media on social media or anywhere else is not acceptable,” while the BBC “strongly condemn(ed)” the abuse sent to McLaughlan and said she “absolutely has our full support.”

On Monday, the Welsh Rugby Union said it was “hugely disappointed and saddened by the social media abuse directed at opposition players and members of the media” and that such abuse “has to stop.”

Before Saturday’s game, which saw Wales secure the Triple Crown after victories against Ireland, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations, England coach Eddie Jones had told CNN that social media is “never going to change” and that his coaching staff leave it to individual players to decide how they deal with abusive messages.

Last month, Instagram announced tougher measures to combat online abuse on its platform, including further controls to reduce the abuse people see in their direct messages (DMs).

The platform also told CNN that between July and September 2020, it took action on 6.5 million pieces of hate speech, including in DMs, 95 percent of which was found before anyone had reported it.

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Connor Watson has jumped to the defence of embattled Newcastle Knights teammate Mitchell Pearce as the star halfback nears the end of a nightmare off-season, praising the impact he’s had as a mentor.

Pearce’s life was thrown into disarray when news broke of the 31-year-old sending racy text messages to a female Knights employee, which led to his wedding to Kristin Scott being cancelled less than a week out from the event, late in December.

That led to Pearce resigning from his post as Newcastle’s captain early in the new year, before breaking down in tears as he read a statement in a press conference.

Pearce addresses text message scandal

The tumultuous off-season of the former NSW Blues playmaker took another ugly twist when he broke his right thumb and was forced to undergo surgery late in January.

And in the latest crushing blow, The Daily Telegraph has reported that Pearce is set for a pay cut of $250,000 per season to remain at the Knights in 2022.

But Watson, who crossed from the Roosters to the Knights with Pearce ahead of season 2018, took the opportunity in an exclusive interview with Wide World of Sports to stress the fact that he’d been “a big help”.

“Me and ‘Ju’ are close mates. He’s been right by my side since I first came into first grade and even before that he was a big help when I was playing 20s and SG Ball. He was always there for me then,” Watson said.

“I have a lot of respect for ‘Ju’. He definitely helped me come through the grades and has helped me become the player that I am.

“As a kid coming through he was massive in helping me and I know he’s done it for a lot of guys, especially a lot of young halves. There are a lot of guys he’s mentored and a lot of them play first grade now too.”

Pearce last year led the Knights to their first finals appearance since 2013, with the club finishing seventh before crashing out in a 46-20 defeat to the Rabbitohs in an elimination final.

The Knights’ new skipper is yet to be named but the race was narrowed to five when the club finalised a new five-man leadership group in late January, consisting of Kalyn Ponga, Blake Green, Daniel Saifiti, Mitch Barnett and Jayden Brailey.

Green touted as Pearce successor

Watson backed Pearce to carve out a strong 2021 campaign.

“It’s been a tough couple of months for ‘Ju’,” Watson said.

“He’s working hard on himself and that’s important. He knows he’s made a mistake and there’s no shying away from that.

“But even though he’s gone through a lot I don’t think ‘Ju’ will miss a step this year playing footy.”

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!

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Karachi: Veteran South African pacer Dale Steyn has opened up on why he chose to take part in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and other franchise leagues instead of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 37-year-old Steyn thinks that IPL is less rewarding as compared to other leagues in the world. He believes that due to the amount of money, cricket gets forgotten in IPL.

“I wanted some time off. I found that playing in these other leagues was slightly more rewarding as a player. I think when you go to IPL, there are such big squads and so many big names and so much emphasis on maybe the amount of money players earn and everything like that, so sometimes, somewhere down the line, cricket gets forgotten,” Steyn told Cricket Pakistan in an interview.

“When you come to like a PSL or the Sri Lankan Premier League [LPL], for that matter, there is an importance on the cricket. I have only been here for a couple of days and I have had people in and out of my room, just wanting to know about where I have played and how I went about it,” he added.

“Whereas, when I go to something like the IPL that gets forgotten and the main topic is how much money did you go for in this IPL? That’s just me being brutally honest. I wanted to stay away from that and really put more emphasis on playing and bringing good vibes to good cricket teams and tournaments I feel are worth it,” he maintained.

Note, Steyn is representing Quetta Gladiators in PSL 6. In PSL 5, he represented Islamabad United.

Read: ‘Do your job’ Steyn reacts on Doull’s comments on his hair

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