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Good morning! Goodbye, Coyotes.
Hi, I am Dominant: The legend of Nelly Korda
Nelly Korda finished the first round of the Chevron Championship, one of the LPGA’s five major tournaments, on Thursday at 4 under par, two shots behind leader Lauren Coughlin. Solid, right? In the running. Good.
But there is much more. Two things you may not know about Korda:
- She has won FOUR consecutive LPGA tournaments, one short of the tour record..
- She is currently the best golfer in the world and her name is not Scottie Scheffler.
Golf fans are familiar with world No. 1 Korda, but her streak opens a new avenue to the attention of the general sporting public. I went to Gabby Herzigour latest golf writer, for proper context on this ridiculous streak of domination:
I want to get some perspective first. Where does Korda’s four-game winning streak fit into the history of women’s golf?
Chatter: It’s up there – Korda’s streak puts her next to some legendary names in women’s football. Korda just became the first player to win four straight starts since Lorena Ochoa in 2008, and an American player has I haven’t done a race like this in 46 years, dating back to Nancy Lopez’s five-game winning streak in 1978. Lopez and Annika Sorenstam are the only players to go 5 out of 5 (Sorenstam did it twice). Korda has the chance to match them.
You wrote in our round table that a fifth straight win is certainly possible – but I want a prediction. Will she equal the record this weekend?
Chatter: I am confident that she will achieve her fifth victory this week. Korda has proven that she can win in a variety of circumstances. She came from behind and she blew away the field – she is simply head and shoulders above everyone else right now.
If she does, she’s headed to the JM Eagle LA Championship with history on the line. She had a top-10 finish there last year. Would you favor it for six times in a row?
Chatter: Six consecutive victories seem excessive to me. During her pre-tournament press conference, Korda spoke about feeling extreme exhaustion last week after the LPGA match play event. I wonder if, at some point, earning that much is just not sustainable from a recovery perspective.
We’ll have more on Sunday Korda weekend.
News to know
The Coyotes are officially heading to Utah
The NHL Board of Governors has officially approved the sale of the Arizona Coyotes to owner Ryan Smith for $1.2 billion, paving the way for the team’s move to Salt Lake City. Zoom out and it’s one of the strangest relocation sagas in modern professional sports: NHL says it remains fully committed to having a team in Arizona (🤨), and now former Coyotes owner Ryan Meruelo continues to look for a new arena deal. Still, staying in the 4,500-seat Mullett Arena was unfeasible for the league, so here we are. The full story helps make more sense of it all.
Deion laughs at departures
Eleven Colorado players entered the transfer portal this week — including freshman Cormani McClain, a former five-star recruit — but Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders clearly has no concerns about the Exodus. At a press conference, Sanders simply asked, “What are we losing?” » He also indicated that none of the 26 players who left since the end of last season would start. Read his full comments here.
Rashada in the portal
Also leaving Arizona State: Jaden Rashada, the former Arizona State quarterback who started two games last season. Rashada made waves as a rookie after signed a $13.85 million sponsorship deal to play in Florida, then withdrew after not receiving payment. His probable destination: Georgia.
No more news
New failures: The new Lions jerseys are ____
Very good? Honestly, if you take off the alternate uniform, the new Lions jerseys are as close to perfect as possible.
Look at the digital font compared to last year’s edition:
I never realized how bad those weird, thin “numeric” numbers were. Bleh. I would like each team to have their jerseys back from the early 1990s, please.
I hope they never wear black jerseys and blue helmets. For their own good.
But it’s not just me. Tell me I’m wrong in our latest Pulse poll. The black jerseys and new helmets are:
- Raw. Can we at least remove the helmet?
- Awesome. Taste it, Branch.
Make your voice heard here. We will share the results on Monday.
Watch this match
NBA: the bulls in heat
7 p.m. on ESPN
Miami will likely be without Jimmy Butler here, which will hurt their Play-In Team of Destiny status moving forward. If Butler sits, don’t be surprised if the Bulls come out with a tough one.
NBA: Kings vs. Pelicans
9:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Likewise, New Orleans will be missing Zion Williamson in this game, which is good fortune for the visiting team. Sacramento is leaving a significant victory and has been a strong road team this year. The visitors could go 2-0 in the Play-In despair round.
Pulse selection
There is angst surrounding what could be a deep playoff run for the Edmonton Oilers This year. The season has been described in terms of “Cut or Bust” or even “Last Dance”. Daniel Nugent-Bowman a truly insightful story about what could be the final fight Connor McDavid And Leon Draisatl.
Keith Law top 50 2024 MLB Draft outlook is here. Keith is the best in the business at this. Also learn some of these names before they tear up the College World Series.
Joe Vardon, meanwhile, ranks among the top 50 American basketball players of all time in honor of the 2024 roster announcement. Michael Jordan is, uh, ninth on this list. You’re going to want to read this.
Why the hell was he Usain Boulon has Burnley A U-21 match? Andy Jones has the scoop.
Most clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The story about Jontay Porter banned for life in the NBA. Without surprise.
Most read on the site yesterday: That awkward exchange between local columnist and Caitlin Clark Clark’s introductory presser is always a big talker.
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