Month: December 2022

Augusta National Golf Club announced Tuesday that LIV golf participants who qualified for the 2023 Masters Tournament will be invited to compete, ending speculation that the criteria would be changed for the PGA Tour defectors.

Augusta National Golf Club and Masters chairman Fred Ridley issued a statement on Tuesday to announce the decision: “Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it.” He went on to say the club is “disappointed in these developments but will focus on honoring the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April … Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.”

The 2023 Masters will run from April 6 to 9 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Rumors about potential qualification changes swirled over the past year amid a rift between players who chose to leave the PGA Tour to compete in the rival, Saudi-financed golf competition.

Augusta National’s statement added that the club has “reached a seminal point in the history” of the sport: “At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges through the years, will endure again.” Ridley said any modifications for future Masters qualification criteria will be announced in April.

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According to The Athletic and ESPN, Mat Ishbia, the billionaire CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, is expected to purchase the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a price of $4 billion. The Athletic also reported that Justin Ishbia, Mat’s brother, will be a part of the ownership group. The sale would end the tenure of embattled owner Robert Sarver, who announced in September that he would sell his take in both the Suns and the Mercury after being suspended for one year by the NBA due to the findings of an independent investigation into the teams’ workplace culture and Sarver’s conduct. In November 2021, ESPN published an investigation into the Suns’ workplace under Sarver’s watch, leading the NBA commissioning an investigation.  Sarver purchased the Suns in 2004 for $401 million, at the time an NBA record.

Ishbia has a personal history in basketball, first as a walk-on for the Michigan State Spartans from 1999-2002, as well as winning a national championship in 2000. After graduating from MSU’s business school, he started working at the Michigan-based mortgage lending company UWM. In 2013 he was named CEO, succeeding his father, founder Jeff Ishbia.  Ishbia was also part of a group that tried to purchase the Denver Broncos earlier this year, and he has also reportedly been interested in buying the Washington Commanders.

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Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, The San Diego Padres are finalizing a deal with right-hander Seth Lugo. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported that it is expected to be a two-year deal, worth $15 million with a player option after the 2023 season.

The 33-year-old Lugo was drafted by the New York Mets in the 34th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his debut for the Mets in 2016 and pitched at the Major League level for the last seven seasons, mostly as a starter for the first two seasons of his career. In 2018, 49 of his 54 appearances came out of the bullpen. He made seven starts in the shortened 2020 season, where the Mets felt he would be most effective as a reliever.

Lugo pitched a 3.60 ERA in 65 innings out of the bullpen in 2022, earning a setup role alongside Adam Ottavino. Ottavino is still unsigned after a dominant year with the team, pitching to a 2.06 ERA in 65 2/3 innings.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Monday they have acquired forward Dryden Hunt from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Denis Malgin.

The 27-year-old Hunt has two goals in 28 games for Colorado this season.  He registered 14 goals and 28 assists for 42 points in 193 career NHL games split between the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche. Hunt was picked up by the Avalanche on Oct. 20 after he was placed on waivers by the Rangers. He is in the second year of a two-year, $1.525 million contract.

Malgin registered two goals and two assists in 23 games with Maple Leafs in 2022-23. In 215 NHL games, the 25-year-old has 30 goals and 34 assists. The forward, a fourth round selection by the Florida Panthers in 2015, spent four seasons in South Florida before the Maple Leafs acquired him in February 2020. Malgin is currently signed to a one-year, $750,000 deal and is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

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