Fritz wins, and Rafa enters the picture

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Taylor Fritz was talking about what some would say was the biggest win of a growing career, and there over his shoulder in the interview room at Indian Wells was a television shot of, yes, Rafael Nadal.

That’s the way it is in tennis, a sport where you virtually aren’t allowed to get your moments without somebody else intruding, if unintentionally.

There’s always another game, another match, especially at the BNP Paribas Open, where the action is compressed to a point you wonder not so much who’s on the court but who isn’t.

On Saturday, in the usual 80-degree-plus temperature of the California desert in March, Fritz, the underdog if only barely, knocked off Andrey Rublev, 7-5, 6-4.

Then in the other half of a doubleheader that filled the 23,000-seat Stadium One, Rafa (phew) made it by fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

That puts Fritz and Nadal into the Sunday final of an event that’s a notch or two down from the Grand Slams. They’ll play following the women’s final between Iga Swiatek and Maria Sakkari.

The action really is compressed, and yes, the ladies deserve a separate day for their own final. But unless the Gregorian calendar can be revised, things aren’t going to change.

What’s changed for Fritz, the native southern Californian (lower case, he didn’t attend any university, much less USC), is that he’s become as effective with the forehand as the backhand.

That’s according to Andrey Rublev, whom Fritz defeated.

Rublev, higher ranked (eighth) than Fritz (16th), is the Russian who with a felt-tip pen a few weeks ago scribbled an anti-war message on a television camera lens.

Fritz, 24 (born Oct. 28, 1997), is exactly a week younger than Rublev, one of those bits of trivia that contribute to sporting interest.

His mother, Kathy May, was a tennis champion; His father, Guy, played professionally and coached. Taylor’s destiny was decided early. His success came later as a pro, Fritz battling all those eastern Europeans.

He played Nadal a couple of years back, but Rafa was more experienced, polished, and effective, toying with Fritz.

“I remember I felt like he kind of just played high spinny balls to me,” said Fritz about that match. “He like actually just gave me a lot of forehands in my favorite spot, like the shoulder-high one to like kind of slap flat, and I think he literally just kept doing it until like I missed eventually. I felt like almost baiting me to go for it.

“But yeah, I mean, I kind of beat myself trying to fire off winners against him. So I think my level's so much higher than then, so I won't, maybe won't be feeling like I need to pull the trigger so much, need to do so much. Like, I can kind of just play more within myself.”

Fritz is the first American male player to reach the Indian Wells finals since John Isner in 2012. The fact that it will be against Nadal, who is unbeaten in 20 matches this season (including that record-setting 21st major at the Australian Open), is another issue.

Still, he has taken a step beyond, and he’s satisfied as well he should be.

“When I hit (the final shot),” he said, “as soon as I hit the ball I was like, I think that's going to be good enough to win the point, and then, yeah, as soon as I saw that he hit it and it wasn't going to go on the court, I was just like, you know, so much relief and like, I mean, I just couldn't, you know, couldn't believe it.

“Those moments are like the reason why I wanted to be an athlete, wanted to play professional tennis. It's the best part of it all.”

Even when Rafa Nadal enters the picture.

Fritz likes the video — and his place in Indian Wells semis

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — This is how it is in tennis these days. Taylor Fritz has reached the Indian Wells semifinals and ranks first among American male players, but he’s still a distant second in popularity to the controversial video posted by his girlfriend.

Don’t you just love it? Fritz does, but others involved in his sport (the old boys) do not.

The hot news (in 87-degree weather, seemingly everything’s hot): Fritz, the 24-year-old from over the hill in San Diego, defeated his own nightmares (three double faults back-to-back-to-back in the second set) and Mimi Kecmanovic of Serbia, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1.

So, for a second straight BNP Paribas tournament (the last one, a mere five months ago, was a drop-in due to COVID-19), Fritz is in the final four.

In one semi on Saturday, he’ll face Andrey Rublev, who defeated Grigor Dimitrov, 7-5. 6-2. In the other, a couple of Spaniards, young Carlos Alcaraz and not-so-young Rafael Nadal, face each other.

So you say tennis is nothing but hitting balls across a net (as compared to golf, hitting balls in a pasture)? That’s where Fritz’s gal, Morgan Riddle, enters the scene — or more accurately, her TikTok video enters the screen. 

It shows life on the tour, and it’s registered something like 3.7 million views. It’s aimed at non-tennis people, with explanations of the game’s scoring system (of course some quips about “love”) and a bit of self-indulgence. It mentions the importance of the Grand Slams; Fritz did make the fourth round of the Australian.

“I know tennis is relatively uncool and unknown in America,” Riddle said of the reason for the project. That in the video Riddle says she gets to have “champagne and strawberries and cream” at Wimbledon, as well as “getting to wear really cute outfits,” irritated some critics.  

At Indian Wells earlier in the week, Fritz said he believes the video is good for the sport. “I think what she did was awesome for our sport," he said. “It got a ton of people looking at it.

"I’m the one that’s a professional tennis player, I’m the one that does this for a living. I 100 percent agree with everything in that video.”

The win over Kecmanovic was no less agreeable, even with all those uncharacteristic double faults.

“I have no idea what that was,” said Fritz. “I've never done that in my life. Like, I actually have no idea. I literally forgot how to play.

“I really could have easily let that bother me a lot, let it affect me in the third set. I kind of just tried to laugh it off and forget about it. Kind of embarrassing. I think a lot of people saw that.”

Like everyone spread about 16,000-seat Stadium One, and those watching live on Tennis Channel.

“Yeah, I just regrouped in the third. I just told myself it was a fluke, that's not going to happen again. Told myself I had lots of chances to break serve in the second set. He only had the one where I literally forgot how to play tennis. I told myself to regroup, do the same thing.

“I did in the second set, take care of my serve, win those break points. That's what I did.”   

It worked, obviously, and quickly enough there was Fritz, like an actor at curtain call, his arms out, thanking the cheering fans.

“I have a lot of family here,” said Fritz. “I played Easter Bowl here when I was a kid. A lot of history. My dad is the coach at College of the Desert here. I'd come here when I was a kid for the tournament.

“Just a place I'm really familiar with it. It feels like a second home, really.”

No controversial videos, just acceptance.

This is what makes Rafa great, says Kyrgios

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Nick Kyrgios threw his racquet at the court, a symbolic gesture of frustration. Why not? In his mind, he already had thrown away his biggest match of the season.

Sport is awash in possibilities — the what-ifs, could-haves and should-haves. We learned that long ago, so it does no good to think Kyrgios looked very much as if he would defeat Rafael Nadal.

Because he didn’t.

Just the way over two months no one has defeated Nadal, from the Australian Open to Thursday’s quarterfinal in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Rafa’s 7-6 (0), 5-7, 6-4 triumph in the sweltering 85-degree weather of the Coachella Valley — yes, it’s dry heat, but in a three-hour match, who cares? — gave him a mark of 19-0 for 2022.

And it gave Kyrgios, the 25-year-old Aussie with such athletic ability, and we’re told such potential, the agonizing second thoughts that inhabit the disappointed.

“That one hit pretty hard,” conceded Kyrgios, who got into the tournament as a wild card.

“I felt like, honestly, I was the one to end the streak. I felt like I was playing well. I felt like I did everything right in the first set that I planned to do. I sat down with my coach, myself, and I had a game plan, and everything was working. Two points away from the first set, I don't know how he got out of that game. 5-4, 30-15, just kept replaying that point over and over and … over again.”

Rafa got out of it because, at 35, he has the experience and most significantly the wherewithal. In short, been there, done that.

Nadal has won more than 400 matches, on clay — all those French Opens — on grass and as the surface is at Indian Wells, hard court.

“And competing, competing,” reminded Kyrgios about Nadal’s persistence.

“Somehow snagged the second and a couple points in the third that just, a couple break points. One of them I couldn't do anything on and two, I just missed a backhand by who knows, three inches. That's all it is against Rafa all the time.”

You don’t give Nadal an opportunity. The way you don’t give Tom Brady or didn’t give a younger LeBron James an opportunity. They’ll find a way to beat you, or to let you beat yourself.

“I did it emotionally and mentally,” explained Nadal about winning when others might not have won. “I was ready to keep fighting. So happy with the victory and of course happy with the level of the set.”

Analysts sought reasons, breaking down the little things, the response to some of Kyrgios’ errors, forced or unforced, or to Rafa’s own errors. No one, however, took issue with Kyrgios getting blanked, shut out in the first-set tiebreak. When’s the last time anybody, much less a quality player like Kyrgios, failed to score a tiebreak point?

Nadal, as is his right, wanted to reflect on the result, the victory. The rest is trivia, except for the guys and girls in the press box.

“For me, it was one more match,” said Nadal .“Honestly, no, it's another match of quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 in a big stadium, one of the best stadiums in the world, in front of a great crowd, great opponent in front.

“So for me it was like this, another (hard-fought) match that I needed to play, to play well to go through. I enjoy these kinds of matches. I enjoy the challenges. And today, I was able to keep going, and that makes me happy and makes me proud.”

Rafa said he wasn’t aware Kyrgios hurled his racquet after the final point. What Kyrgios was aware of was his opponent.

“He's too good, I guess.,” Kyrgios said. “He played a few points well and he got out of it and that's what he does. That's what makes him great.”

Exactly.

Just win, baby — and Nadal, Fritz do just that

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Rafael Nadal keeps beating everyone he plays, and as sporting philosophers from Al Davis (“Just win, baby”) to Herman Edwards (“You play to win the game”) have told us, not much else matters. 

Sure, his victory over the 6-foot-11 Reilly Opelka in the BNP Paribas Open tournament was narrow. But it was a victory, the only sort of result Rafa has provided this year.

He won 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on (what else?) an 80-degree-plus Wednesday afternoon in the desert, extending his streak since the start of year (and including the Australian Open) to 18-0.

Not only does that represent perfection, it sets up a Thursday match against the guy who is part athlete (a very large part) and part entertainer, the Australian Nick Kyrgios, who says he’d rather be in the NBA on a basketball court than in an open on a tennis court.

The way basketball people used to get excited about a matchup between LeBron James and Steph Curry in the golden days of the Lakers way back in 2019, tennis folk are anticipating Rafa vs. Nick.

And not because it’s the only thing they have. The almost local kid, Taylor Fritz of San Diego, was a winner, defeating Alex de Minauer 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

So, no Roger (sob) or Novak (No-vax) but some intriguing competitors. At least to some mavens. The writer in the Desert Sun even called Nadal-Kyrgios “must see” tennis.” Wow.

Records in tennis may not be as accurate as those in, say, baseball, but apparently Guillermo Vilas of Argentina won 34 straight matches in the 1970s and Djokovic 53 straight in 2010-11.

Rafa, then, has a long way to go, and even though he’s a mere 35, it’s doubtful he’ll get to the big numbers. Still, 17 without a blemish is not unimpressive.

Similar to any top-line athlete, he says he’s unconcerned with all the numbers except the ones on his scorecard at the conclusion of a match. Is that the Spanish version of “just win, baby”?

Asked if he was happy that he won in straight sets, Nadal had a response often repeated in a career that has produced 401 victories (a record 21 in Grand Slams): “Happy to win. Doesn’t matter how many sets.“

Unless maybe it’s the fifth set of a four-hour Wimbledon semifinal, and recovery tie for the final would be limited. Not that things like that ever affected Rafa.

“But I am happy of course to be in the quarterfinals of this great tournament, playing better without a doubt,” he added. “That's my best match of the tournament. Happy the way that I was able to play during the whole match. I only played one bad game with myself. For the rest, I think I played solid. I did what I had to do against a very difficult player to play, like Reilly.”

Nadal, a four-time winner at Indian Wells, has a winning record against Kyrgios as he has against virtually everyone else.

“(Thursday) is going to be a tough match, but we are in quarterfinals of Indian Wells,” he said. “I have to expect a very tough opponent.”

It’s difficult to say what Fritz expected against de Minauer, but he was behind quickly. Strange thoughts then creep through one’s mind.

”We were talking about this after the match,” said Fritz, who then used a term that makes some athletes cringe. “I'll choke some matches here and there, for sure. A lot of people do. But then I'll also clutch out a lot of matches like I have the last two days, and this one felt really — honestly, the last two third-set breakers I played have been really solid for me, not a lot I did wrong either one.”

Not when you’re the winner.

Isner's win brings back memories — and brings up hopes

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — There was John Isner, the bill of his cap turned the wrong way, as if he were a baseball catcher and not a tennis player. He had overcome an 87-degree temperature and Diego Schwartzman, 7-5, 6-3, in a third-round match of the BNP Paribas Open.

Meaning he’ll move on.

But for so many of us, John Isner provides an excuse to look back, remembering both his own historic match at Wimbledon and, for no particular reason, a time when Americans could win major tournaments.

Maybe they still are capable.

Not Isner, admittedly. True, he reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2018, but now he’s 36.

If a U.S. player is to break through, it will be somebody like Taylor Fritz or Francis Tiafoe, both 24.

Isner is still a player, as verified by his victory Tuesday over Schwartzman, who once was as high as eighth in the ATP rankings. He was one of four U.S. players to advance, including Fritz, who beat Alex de Minaur of Australia, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2).

Fortunately or unfortunately, nationality plays an important role in tennis, alongside personality. With no team (other than the Davis Cup), the sport relies on fans supporting their men or women.

The greats, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, built an international reputation and following, but for the majority of tennis players where you’re from often counts as much as how you perform.

For a long time, the game seemingly belonged to American men. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang won majors in the 1980s and 90s. But no U.S. player has taken a major since Andy Roddick won the U.S Open in 2003 — 19 years ago.

Isner made his run, with that big serve, but it wasn’t to be. His plaque on the wall at Wimbledon is for that 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 victory over Nicolas Mahut that took more than 11 hours in 2010.

Wimbledon then changed the tie-break rules, so that record will remain forever.

So, at times, does it appear will the record for America going winless in majors.

The potential is out there, numerous fine young American tennis players, one of whom, Jenson Brooksby, upset a major finalist, Stefanos Tsitsipas, here on Monday night. Potential, but so what? When will it be realized, if ever? And why won’t it be realized?

The United States has more people (other than a couple of Asian nations), better facilities and supposedly a love of sports. Yes, “love” is the tennis term for “nothing,” yet it shouldn’t be applied here.

The explanations for America’s ineffectiveness at Wimbledon, Australia or the U.S. Open — we’ll concede, no chance on the clay at Roland-Garros — are based on the thought that tennis is a minor sport.

Russians play tennis, Serbs play tennis, Spaniards play tennis. Americans play football, baseball, basketball, hockey and golf. Maybe it was Tiger Woods, or maybe it was stars from other sports in pro-ams, but golf has the popularity that tennis seeks.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York City draws more than 500,000 spectators. It’s an event as much as a championship. Does it help any kid in the country become the U.S. Open winner? See the blanks.

Fritz has been touted since he dominated others at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. His father is involved in the U.S. national tennis teaching program. His mother, Kathy May, was a tremendous player. He turned down a scholarship at USC to turn pro.

Five years later, with an improved forehand, Fritz said, “I expect a lot more of myself.

“I think just my level as a player has gone up. I feel I have gone up several levels, so yeah, I expect a lot more of myself. Six months ago, I think I was ranked almost 40, and now I’m between 15 and 20.”

No one wants him to play a marathon match like Isner — just do something Isner hasn’t, win a Grand Slam.

Medvedev’s loss was Djokovic’s gain

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — So the unvaccinated Serb who isn’t even here because he’s unvaccinated will slip back atop the men’s rankings because the Russian who is here came apart in his match against the Frenchman.

Yes, tennis is very international. And at times quite nonsensical.

At the start of the second week of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, it was more a case of what didn’t happen than what did.

You like warmth? It was 86 degrees around 3 p.m. Monday.

You like upsets? Gael Monfils came from a set down and beat Daniil Medvedev, 4-6. 6-3, 6-2.

You like familiarity? Our old (relatively speaking) pal Rafael Nadal defeated Dan Evans, 7-5, 6-3, and now has won 17 straight matches and a total of 400 his career.

The ranking system in both men’s and women’s tennis seems part hopscotch, part quantum physics. Sure, victories are the most important element, but it’s also a matter of when and against whom. And don’t take time off for illness or injury, or you’re likely to plummet to where they’ll never find you on the chart.

This was a prelude to deal with Novak Djokovic, who won’t follow procedures in preventing Covid-19, and his opponent, Medvedev.

Novak loves Indian Wells and won it a few times. But he cannot play in the great state of California, as he could not in the great land of Australia because he is adamant about not receiving a vaccination.

That didn’t temporarily displace him from No. 1 in the rankings, Medvedev did. But Medvedev’s loss Monday means Djokovic gets the last laugh by regaining first place.

“He steps up the level a little bit,” Medvedev said, alluding to Monfils. “I couldn’t find it. I’m actually playing a little bit bad, which for me is not a bad thing.

“Yeah. I just couldn't find my rhythm and completely lost it in the third set because, I think actually first match and first set maybe played even a little bit bad, not a bad thing with me. So I think I got a little bit too confident in that, OK? I'm starting to feel my rhythm.

“Maybe should have paid more attention to small details, which, yeah, in the third set is really tough to get it back, and, yeah, it was going easy for him.”

Asked if there was added pressure because of the No. 1 ranking. Medvedev said, “Definitely not pressure. I thought it could give me more motivation, well, I have been motivated. It's just that, yeah, as I say, I didn't find my best tennis. Well, now I know l’m going to lose the No. 1. When I play my best tennis, it’s tough to beat me.”

Monfils, 35, has always been among the game’s most recognized players, agile and quick if not always consistent. A year ago he married Elina Svitolna, one of the top female competitors, and because she is Ukrainian as much in the headlines for her nationality as for her tennis.

He has been around, heard all the questions, given all the answers.

Monfils tried to downplay the win, realizing that at this stage — he beat Nadal 13 years ago — it’s as much a grind as a game.

“It's tough because you guys make it,” Monfils said, meaning the media.

“I make it like a good win, you know? But tough. I played a great player, of course, one of the best players. I just felt good today. Tactically, I was good. I'm full of confidence, of course, so you know, I'm just happy to win this match.”

 As happy as Medvedev was unhappy to lose his — and fall from No. 1.

Indian Wells is not "Tennis Paradise" for Osaka

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — It was 83 degrees by late afternoon on Sunday in the desert, warm enough to dry Naomi Osaka’s tears. Assuming she hadn’t blown town.

After coming unglued once again.

“Tennis Paradise” is the slogan for the magnificent sporting complex not far from Palm Springs where the BNP Paribas Open is held annually.

That depends on your definition of paradise.

Years ago, it was the place where Serena Williams was booed viciously by spectators when Williams withdrew from a semifinal match against older sister Venus.

Then Saturday night, a heckler got to traumatized Naomi Osaka a few moments after Veronika Kudermetova got to her, 6-0, 6-3 in a second-round match of the 2022 BNP.

The guy shouted, “Naomi, you suck.” Not very kind, and hardly expected from the tennis clientele, but not quite the sort of remark that would have you sobbing.

Unlike baseball, however, there is crying in tennis, usually joyful after a championship at the U.S. Open, which Osaka has won, or Wimbledon.

But these were tears of anger. Or disappointment. Or misery. Or frustration.

Tears during a post-match interview over the stadium public address system. Tears that even had the individual conducting the interview, Andrew Krasny of the Tennis Channel, consoling Osaka with the words “We love you here.”

At least everybody but one person.

We’ll get to Osaka shortly after we get to fans, whose displeasure and intent on acting obnoxious, inherent in baseball, football and basketball, has expanded to golf and tennis.

Which can be considered both unfortunate — quiet on the tee, please — and in a way advantageous.

If you want to fill the arenas, ballparks and galleries, you’re going to have to accept someone mocking Bryson DeChambeau.

Or belittling Osaka. As improper and unsympathetic as that may be.

Most times, the comments are swallowed up by the noise of the crowd. And if they’re not, well, among the first things a young athlete is taught is to ignore the disparagement, the so-called bench-jockeying from opposing players who spare no possible insult.

Osaka is 24, a four-time Grand Slam winner whose fame, or infamy of late, is less from the shots off her racquets than from her general well-being.

At the French Open in May, Osaka first refused to attend a media conference and then withdrew from the tournament, citing mental health problems, a story that became larger than any triumph.

Returning to tennis, Osaka was beaten in the third round of U.S. Open last fall, then left the sport again, explaining she no longer found satisfaction in playing.

She returned to the tour in Australia in January, apparently more upbeat, but lost to Amanda Anisiimova, the American, in the third round.

Indian Wells was only Osaka’s third tournament in six months. She insisted she needed matches to get into shape, but she played only two here.

Kudermetova broke Osaka’s serve in the opening game, and the spectator’s shout came as Osaka prepared to return serve. She approached the chair umpire, Paula Vieira Souza, and appeared to ask about having the spectator ejected, but Souza did nothing,.

Kudermetova held serve, and Osaka began to tear up as she prepared to serve the next game.

“To be honest, I’ve gotten heckled before, and it didn’t really bother me,” Osaka said. “But, like, heckled here? I watched a video of Venus and Serena getting heckled here, and if you’ve never watched it, you should watch it.

“And I don’t know why, but it went into my head, and it got replayed a lot.”

Of course, in Tennis Paradise, a little bit of hell always gets attention.

LeBron stops the boos — and the Warriors

One game, two conclusions: There’s nothing wrong with LeBron James. There’s plenty wrong with the Golden State Warriors.

On Saturday night in Los Angeles, the fans stopped booing the home team just long enough to watch James score a season-high 56 points and the Lakers defeat the Warriors, 124-116.

For the Lakers, who Monday night play at San Antonio, the victory ended a four-game losing streak.

For the Warriors, who Monday night play at Denver, the defeat extended a losing streak to four games.

“Right now I don’t give a damn about the 56,” was James’ post-game statement. “I’m just glad we got a win.”

That’s something Warriors coach Steve Kerr understood, because he didn’t get one in a game the Dubs led in the fourth quarter, as if that matters.

Suddenly the Warriors are in third place overall in the NBA. They already were behind Phoenix. Now they’re also in back of Memphis.

“There’s more games coming, so we’ve got to do this ourselves,” said Kerr, emphasizing the obvious. “We’ve got to dig out of the mud, and nobody’s going to help us.”

A tale of two Californians: in southern Cal, the patrons are more demanding — thinking back to the days of Magic and Shaq and Kobe, of showtime and multiple titles.

In Northern Cal, we’re grateful for the seasons of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and, oh-so-briefly, Kevin Durant.

The name missing from the time of Warriors success is that of Draymond Green, who for years — well, it’s just a few weeks, but it seems like years — has been rehabbing, not playing.

His last game was in January. You wonder if his next game won’t be until June.

Just as LeBron showed us he still is LeBron, on Saturday night Steph showed us he’s still Steph, 30 points and some poignant analysis on the post-game show.

“We’re finding different ways to lose,” said Curry. “Self-inflicted wounds.”

You understand what he means, but truth tell, the Dubs are losing only one way. They’re not getting enough points, and the opponent is getting too many.

One reasons is that Klay Thompson, back once more after two seasons recovering from two different serious injuries, has struggled.

Just because you’re finally back on the floor doesn’t mean you’re immediately going to be back in the groove. “I think Klay is pressing,” said Chris Mullin, the former all-star who now does commentary on Warriors telecasts.

Well, of course. He is impatient to be the player he was previously, and Warriors fans are no less impatient. Still, these things can’t be rushed. 

Thompson was out recently with what the injury report listed as  a “general illness.” Whatever, it knocked him off his stride.

“I feel like the sickness affected his conditioning and his timing,” said Kerr.

Timing is such a critical element, not only within the game, the passing, the rebounding, the switching on defense, but also on the scheduling.

If the Warriors played the Lakers on another night, well, LeBron is great but who would imagine he would get all those points?

And, in a way, make a point to anyone who figured he had declined.

“When he has it going like that,” Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, said of James, “there’s nothing nobody on the other team can do about it. He forced his will and was able to direct the game on all levels.

“It was really big, especially in a game where we needed a win.”

The Lakers got their needed win. The Warriors did not. “Obviously we’re going to have to get healthy,” said Kerr. “We desperately need Draymond.”

They need something, no question.

Baseball people forget it’s a game, not just a business

There used to a game called baseball, and it was as much a part of summer as corn on the cob and watermelon. Kids could play it in the streets, and it grew to the point it was known as America’s Pastime.

All you needed was a bat, a ball, and a dream.

It gave us heroes like the Babe and the Iron Horse and Jackie Robinson. It was full of cliches that became part of the language and culture, like “I can’t get to first base with that girl.” The president of the U.S. even showed up to throw out a ball to start the season.

But baseball became extinct, like the Tyrannosaurus rex. The people who played it and the people who controlled it forgot it was a game and not a business. While the fans were interested in things like RBIs and ERA, the team owners — and the players — seemed more concerned with luxury tax and bonus pools.

Labor problems were the death of baseball. Lockouts by the owners, as we are stuck with now, or strikes by the players killed interest in the game. Fans may enjoy arguments on the diamond, but they were weary of debates in executive offices.

It was believed baseball had become so ingrained in the nation that it even could survive the people who run it, that like cockroaches it was impossible to eradicate. But that was before the country changed — and perhaps because the game didn’t.

Some question whether in these manic times the game is too slow for the new generation, and the sport has been inflicted with some ridiculous revisions, like putting a man on second in extra innings — what next, four outs an inning? — but the real trouble is what’s happening now, cancellation of the season’s opening series.

The more baseball fails to deliver every scheduled game of its schedule, the more fans will tend to ignore games when they are played. If they don’t think every pitch, every fly ball is important, then why should they pay attention?

Once the only three sports that mattered in this country were boxing, horse racing and baseball. Nobody cares about the first two — yes, the Kentucky Derby is important, but more as historical tradition than a competition — and baseball is slipping.

Tim Kurkjian, who was a writer before joining ESPN, loves the sport and recently was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “The game is in trouble,” he said the other day, and that was when we still had hope the 2022 season would begin on time.

The person who would have been at the ballpark or in front of the TV screen is losing patience, which means baseball is destined to lose even more fans. The NFL never ends, or so it seems. The NBA is everywhere, and March Madness is about to march into our lives.

Meanwhile, baseball is sinking out of view and into oblivion.

This doesn’t consider the ancillary folk whose livelihoods, as concession workers and other jobs, depend on games being held. Already the exhibition season is gone, a financial blow to Arizona and Florida.

A few days ago, somebody suggested that representatives from the owners and the players be locked in a room and kept there until reaching an agreement. That virtually happened, at least the part of being locked in a room, talks on Monday lasting until the wee small hours of Tuesday morning. But there was no agreement.

All we had was commissioner Rob Manfred trying to explain why the two sides remain apart. And alas, the sport he oversees is not going to be seen on the diamonds.

Phil always had to be different

He’s always been the one who had to be different. Sometimes for the better. Often for the bizarre. Have his caddy pull the flag on a shot 70 yards from the cup? Blame the captain of a losing Ryder Cup team of which he was a member? Intentionally hit a moving ball while the world watched during the 2018 U.S. Open? That was Phil Mickelson.

He pushed the envelope and pulled our chains. Indeed, the way he belittled Tom Watson for what Phil contended was mishandling the preparations for the American team in the 2014 Ryder Cup was awkward and embarrassing.

The other incidents, the flagstick at Torrey Pines, knowingly violating the rules of golf by smacking a ball that was in motion during the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, were goofy. As people said, “Phil being Phil.”

What’s happening inside the heads of these great sporting stars? Novak Djokovic, No. 1 in the world tennis rankings, refuses to accept the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination, is thrown out of the country before the start of the Australian Open and also may be banned from the French Open and Wimbledon.

Mickelson had this hare-brained idea he could revise golf by persuading the big boys to abandon the Tour and play in Saudi Arabia for huge sums of money. The players and, not surprisingly, Tour executives were not thrilled. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson were outspoken in favor of the status quo.

That Mickelson felt compelled to apologize perhaps was as much a result of capitalism as contrition. If you thought the general public was, say, disturbed by Phil’s plans, how do you think his sponsors, the firms that sell their services and products to that general public, feel?

The golf stars earn several million a year alone for what is on the front of their hat, the most visible article of attire any pro wears and a reason that even after a round, and particularly during interviews, it never is removed. For years, Mickelson’s hat — or visor — displayed “KPMG,” the international consulting and accounting group..

KPMG announced Tuesday that it ended its relationship with Mickelson, a deal that that began in 2008. Although the release said the two sides had “mutually agreed” to end the partnership, it was clearly a reaction to eroding support for Mickelson

“The Tour likes to pretend it’s a democracy, but it’s really a dictatorship,” Mickelson told author Alan Shipnuck. “They divide and conquer. The concerns of the top players are very different from the guys who are lower down on the money list, but there’s a lot more of them. They use the top guys to make their own situation better, but the top guys don’t have a say.”

Mickelson said the conversations with Shipnuck, a former Sports Illustrated staffer, were off the record, but Shipnuck said that was not true.

Where Phil goes from here is a question, not that having earned some $800 million in a career that included six majors he needs to go anywhere. If and when he returns to golf — a PGA Tour suspension is unlikely — Mickelson could be an outcast, but that’s improbable.

He always was the guy talking to the gallery, signing autographs. Besides, sports fans are notably forgiving. As Jaime Diaz pointed out on the Golf Channel, it didn’t take long for Tiger Woods to regain his status after his escapades. Phil didn’t try to overthrow the government, just change golf the wrong way.

"Although it doesn't look this way now given my recent comments,” wrote Mickelson, either on his own or after persuasion, “my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interests of golf, my peers, sponsors and fans. There is the problem of off-the-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions.

"It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."

Niemann wins, but talk in golf is still about Phil

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Golf, the Tour, is going to be like this for a while, at least until The Issue, the Phil Mickelson-Saudi plan, is resolved. If ever it is resolved.

A pro wins a tournament, plays brilliantly as did the young man from Chile, Joaquin Niemann, who was ahead start-to-finish, took the Genesis Invitational, which ended Sunday at Riviera, and all anyone seemed to care about was the game’s future.

Which depending on your viewpoint may not be as interesting as the present.

This should have been Niemann’s moment, and surely, shooting an even-par 71, and hanging on to a lead that after an eagle 3 on the 11th was up to five strokes but finished at two over Collin Morikawa, it was.

In winning for the second time on Tour, the 23-year-old from Chile shot a 19-under total of 268.

Great golf in a, well, not so much troubled time but distracting time, not that Niemann appeared at all distracted on yet another beautiful, blue-sky Southern California afternoon.

The top 10 in the World Golf rankings all were entered in the Genesis, which both made Niemann’s victory impressive but also brought many of the top journalists, most of whom had questions about Phil trying to get his fill.

Mickelson was not at Riviera. In body. Talk of his project to force a remodeling of the PGA Tour by leveraging money from Saudi Arabia — yes, they’re killers and such, but the plan only deals with golf, not humanity — was everywhere.

Niemann surely is perceptive enough to realize this whole mess is like Covid-19 and other misfortunes in life to deal with as maturely as possible. Another season and Niemann would be receiving accolades — after all, he won on the course where Tiger Woods never has — rather than questions.

Hey, the wise and capable know not to get riled about situations beyond their control. They step forward and leave the grumbling to others. Of all the sports, golf especially teaches how to deal with adversity.

Niemann didn’t have much in his three days until holing the final putt. Then a reporter told him,  “…while you were doing some pretty good golf out there today, there was a lot of news going on with the Tour when DJ (Dustin Johnson) and Bryson (DeChambeau) said that they were going to be staying on the PGA Tour . ...I know you didn't want to talk about it earlier, but in a broader view when the top 12 players in the world have indicated that they're staying here, do you think that it would make it tougher for someone to not want to compete against the best?”

Niemann was as sharp with his words as he had been with his clubs. “I want to compete with the best players in the world,” he said. “I want to be No. 1 one day ... I think there's nothing better like what I'm feeling right now, winning a PGA Tour event, getting a trophy.”

In 2019 Niemann took first in the Military Tribute tourney at the Greenbrier, joining the late Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy as the only foreign-born players in the last 98 years to win on Tour before turning 21.

Some 10 years later, McIlroy has four majors — and at Riviera on a Sunday an opinion on where golf is going and why he’s staying.

“I don't want to kick someone while he's down obviously,” McIlroy said, meaning Mickelson, “but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant. It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I'm sure he's sitting at home sort of rethinking his position.”

Joaquin Niemann’s position in the Genesis doesn’t need rethinking, only cheers.

An eagle on “best short hole in golf” sparks Niemann

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The platform is small and subtle, the opposite of what we too often misconceive as Southern California chic. But the 10th hole at Riviera — merely called by Rory McIlroy the best short hole in golf — can be as difficult as it is beckoning.

It plays to around 310 yards, which is nothing in these days of hulked-up golfers and high-powered golf clubs, designed back in the 1920s by George Thomas, an ageless gem that creates a question in the player’s mind: Do I lay up or take a chance?

The stories are legendary. Some guys have ruined their chances by taking a chance. A few years ago in a playoff, Phil Mickelson (this was before he became an object of scorn) went with his driver and went for a birdie.

On Saturday, Joaquin Niemann, well aware of his own position — first place — in the Genesis Invitational as well as the risk-reward quality of the 10th hole, played it smartly and safely just short of the green and made a 22-footer for an eagle two.

“I felt the crowd there,” said Niemann. “There was a lot of crowd. It was a big putt there. It was good because I was coming out of a few birdies, so it was great to make that eagle.”

Niemann, the 23-year-old from Chile, shot a 3-under-par 68, his worst score by far of the three rounds — he had back-to-back 63s, but with a 54-hole total of 19-under 194 still expanded his lead. Second-place Cameron Young had a 69 for 197, while Viktor Hodland, with the day’s low, a 65, is at 200. Justin Thomas (70) is at 201 and Collin Morikawa (68) 202.

The way he is scoring and enthusiastically reacting to the support of the gallery, fans still wound up by the Rams in the Super Bowl, Niemann would seem destined to be the wire-to-wire winner, But as we’ve learned so many times, golf can be an ornery game. You can’t protect a lead. And you can’t keep someone else from building one.

As Niemann, despite his youth, knows quite well. He has gone about the task at hand, with a smile or two but showing little other excitement, which brought about an inane question of whether he was enjoying himself.

“Yeah, I'm having the best time of my life right now,” he said. “I just try to keep it calm, but yeah, I'm enjoying it a lot and I just can't wait to have a good day (Sunday).”

There haven’t been a lot of good days in the media for Mickelson, since the story broke that he is working with the abusive (some would say treacherous) Saudi group to finance golf competition that would compete with the PGA Tour. Phil, who won at Riviera, isn’t entered in the Genesis this time, but his presence can’t be denied.

Niemann, naturally, was hit with a reference to Phil, a journalist wondering if Joaquin “had been involved in talks at all with the Saudi league.” His answer was direct if not specific

“Yeah. I mean, obviously a lot going on,” he said. “I don't know much about it and I don't want to say anything about it. I just wait.” 

Golf is a game of waiting — and then performing.

Niemann plays his way into Riviera history

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The place is known as Hogan’s Alley. There’s even a statue of Ben alongside the practice green. Howard Hughes was a member. So was Humphrey Bogart.

Riviera Country Club had its moments and its stars. Now a kid from Chile has played his way into Riviera history.

There never may be a carving of Joaquin Niemann on the course called the “The Riva,” but his name is in the record book, which isn’t bad considering who played here and when.

People like Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead.

Joaquin Niemann, 23, is another of those prodigies from a land not enough Americans associate with golf, which in a way is both insular and unintelligent.

The game may not be as far-reaching as soccer, but it’s played in areas we sometimes ignore.

Niemann, who Friday in the second round of the Genesis Invitational shot another 8-under-par 63 and holds the halfway lead at 16-under 126, a record, is from Chile.

So is Mito Pereia, who is up there, as are Viktor Howland of Norway, Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, C.T. Pan of Taiwan and Sunga Kim of Korea. 

We used to ask, “Who are those guys?” We’ve learned. They’re world-class golfers.

Niemann in fact was the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur for many months. He was going to enroll at the University of South Florida— well, that’s closer to Chile than other U.S. schools — but there was a mix-up with his grades.

So he turned pro, which he would have done inevitably. Won a tournament early on too. Already earned millions.

Last summer, in the final round of the Tour Championship, he won another sort of event. In last place after 54 holes, he did one of those dumb but laughable things top golfers do when they have no chance. He went against the clock rather than the card, playing for time instead of score. 

Niemann looks like a guy who could enter a marathon. His caddy, Gary Mathews, looks like a middle linebacker. All the excess paraphernalia, practice material, rain gear, was extracted from the bag.

They made the 18 holes on hilly East Lake in 1 hour 53 minutes, an-all-time best. Paul Azinger, the announcer and a former PGA champion, didn’t like what Niemann did, saying he disrespected the game and cost himself a ton of money.

Niemann still earned a $405,000 bonus for finishing 29th in what had been a 30-man field (Brooks Koepka had withdrawn because of an injury) and had a good time. Spectators had something to keep them attentive before the leaders went off, Patrick Cantlay eventually winning the tournament.

"I didn't know how fast I could play 18 holes, but on the front nine, I decided to play quick, but not like crazy quick, not like rushing and hurrying up," Niemann said. "But then they told me I did like just over an hour, I was like, 'ah, I'm just going to rush it and try to break the record.' It was pretty good, the back nine."

At Riviera, the final two rounds this beautiful weekend of sunshine, Niemann will be concentrating on par, not pace. On Friday, he had seven birdies and an eagle.

“I think everything is working pretty well,” said Niemann, confirming what was on the card. “Obviously, I'm making a lot of putts right now. I feel I'm starting my ball online with the putter, so that's obviously — when you have greens this good when you start your line, I think you've got a good chance of making putts, so I think that's been big this week.”

Niemann birdied the first and second hole, to get to 10-under with 16 holes remaining.

“Yeah, obviously it was a great start after (Thursday’s) round. Didn't sleep much, it was pretty late when I finished and we started pretty early, but yeah, we got it going pretty good at the beginning.

“Yeah, I really like the way I handled myself out there after been playing good the front nine. Didn't hit a great driver on 11, still made birdie there. That different mentality this week, I think, is helping a lot.” 

Hot and Chile is a good forecast.

Phil wants to take over the Tour — but he’s not at Riviera

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — So Phil Mickelson, who’s not even here, wants to remake the PGA Tour and blocked his Twitter account.

Somebody from Golf Digest hopes the Waste Management Phoenix Open will not continue to play the last round during the Super bowl.

And there’s a story the Saudis are going to destroy pro golf as we know it with their millions.

But looking down the fairway from the elevated first tee at Riviera Country Club, there’s a better view of golf, one of old eucalyptus trees, kikuyu fairways and a tournament as competitive as it is historic.

Round one of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday offered a leaderboard that included the guy who won in Arizona on Sunday, Scottie Scheffler — yes, when you’re hot, you’re hot — Jordan Spieth and, on top, Joaquin Niemann. 

Obviously it did not include Phil, a.k.a. Lefty, who although residing maybe 80 miles south and having won here — remember the time he flew up daily in his jet? — chose not to enter.

But apparently he has chosen to push the limits of how pro golf is controlled. And also chosen not to allow critics to enter his social media platform.

Phil is always one of the friendlier, more cooperative guys in golf, full of opinions, willing to take a stand or a chance on making a tough shot.

Virtually everyone was thrilled when last summer, at almost age 51, he took the PGA Championship and became the oldest man ever to win a major.

Then a couple weeks ago, Mickelson skipped the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which he had won five times, to play in the filthy rich Saudi event — and while there lambasted the PGA Tour for “obnoxious greed.”

While explaining why he would be open to playing in the filthy rich Saudi Golf League.

That didn’t make him overly popular with those who run the Tour or play the Tour, or with Brandel Chamblee, the astute Golf Channel commentator who briefly played on the Tour. Chamblee referred to Mickelson as a highly paid ventriloquist puppet.

Phil recently claimed that Augusta National, the club where he won the Masters three times, made $3.5 million from licensing his 2010 shot off the pine needles to the 13th green.

It’s amazing how a game supposedly built on sportsmanship and fair play can make so many people so angry, including fans and media. Of course, it’s also built on money.

According to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press, Mickelson told a journalist writing a biography on him that he recruited three other “top players” to the Saudi-supported golf league. And his intent is to remake the Tour more than to help Saudi golf.    

The comments are from an interview with former Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck, who has a book on Mickelson coming in May.

“They’re scary mother-bleepers to get associated with,” Mickelson said of the Saudis. “We know they killed (Washington Post reporter Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights.

“Why should I get involved? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”    

The worry may be how Phil operates. Anger is being expressed against Mickelson in messages on the internet. He responded in kind. Off went Phil’s site.  

That’s the side of golf some prefer to ignore. Controversy sells, but so do birdie putts and success stories. They prefer beautiful locations such as Riviera, which along with Pebble is one of California’s most famous, as well as one of its best.

The pros hesitate to put too much into the opening round of any event — they tell us you can’t win a tournament on the first day, but you can lose it — but those were impressive starts on Thursday.

Niemann had an 8-under 63, while Scheffler, Spieth, Cameron Young and Max Homa shot 66.

But the question remains: With this Mickelson news, will anyone notice?

Tiger talks of a great past and doubtful future

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — He was sitting behind a table instead of standing on a tee, but wherever Tiger Woods finds a place any tournament belongs to him, especially the one where he first had the chance to play against the game’s top players — before he would become the game’s best.

It’s called the Genesis Invitational now. Before, it was the Nissan Open. But we know it as the Los Angeles Open, at historic Riviera Country Club, where the stars hung out, Ben Hogan dominated and in 1992 a teenage Tiger made his pro debut.

Woods now is the host, ironically for an event on a course where he never won but where his presence as both spokesman and hero perhaps carries as much significance as any of his 82 Tour victories.

A year ago, Woods drove off a curving road maybe 20 miles from Riviera. As he reminded Tuesday, “I’m lucky I’m alive.” He had his right foot reattached, underwent months of rehabilitation, eventually was able to play with son Charlie in the PNC Father-Son tournament and at age 46 remains uncertain about his future.

Among his tasks here were to create the attention impossible for anyone else in golf. The room in the old Spanish clubhouse used as the media headquarters suddenly filled to overflowing when Woods walked in on Wednesday, first to introduce pro Adam Beverly — a college star at Sacramento State — as recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption.

Woods recalled the difficulty he faced when at age 16 he was in the big time, and no less pertinently mused about his chances in April of playing the Masters Par-3 tournament (possible) and the Masters itself (doubtful).

“I wish I could tell you when I'm playing again,” said Woods. “I want to know, but I don't. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven't done any long stuff seriously.

“I'm still working. Like at the PNC, I'm still working on the walking part. My foot was a little messed up there about a year ago, so the walking part is something that I'm still working on, working on strength and development in that. It takes time. What's frustrating is it's not at my timetable.”

There has been progress since the father-son. He is stronger, able to hit more balls.

“But as I was alluding to at the PNC, I was in a cart,” he said. “I can play weekend warrior golf, that's easy. But to be able to be out here and play, call it six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it's the cumulative effect of all that.

“I'm not able to do that yet. I'm still working on getting to that point.”

He is more realistic than pessimistic. He came to grips with the situation lying in a hospital bed. There is just possibility or impossibility.

The opportunity to discuss the Sifford award, presented annually to one of the country’s top minority golfers, brings Tiger back to an earlier time.

The PGA of America (which controlled tournament golf before the PGA Tour was formed in 1968) had a Caucasian-only clause in its by-laws. Charlie Sifford and other African Americans were not allowed to play. A threat by California attorney general Stanley Mosk to ban any tournament from the state forced the PGA to eliminate the clause.

When Sifford won the L.A. Open in 1961, at Rancho Park, he sent Mosk a telegram of appreciation. Tiger Woods, with a Black father and Asian mother, was well-schooled in ethnic discrimination.

“Charlie was the grandfather I never had,” said Tiger. “To me, he was Grandpa Charlie. I would see him at Firestone every year. I was telling Aaron over here that I would get these yellow texts in my locker every time I had a chance to win a tournament and I'll summarize it by saying ‘go out and win.’”

What Tiger told Adam Beverly was that playing in a Tour event for the first time would be both intimidating and thrilling.

“It was like going from playing JV baseball to all of a sudden facing — you're going to be on the bump against Nolan Ryan. That's how big a jump that felt like.”

Big or small, the jump ended beautifully.

Spieth’s 63 shows there’s nothing wrong

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — A year ago, a lot of people in golf were asking what was wrong with Jordan Spieth. The answer, in the briefest of explanations: Nothing.

Spieth shot a 9-under 63 on Saturday, his lowest ever at Pebble Beach, and bounded into contention after three rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

With one round to go and most of the celebrity amateurs, including the irrepressible Bill Murray, having taken their hopes and their double-bogies to other locales, the AT&T has become what many wanted: A battle among some of golf’s more recognizable players.

Maybe Beau Hossler, Andrew Putnam and Tom Hoge, the three guys sharing first with 54-hole totals of 15-under-par 200, don’t have their own line of clubs or clothing, but they’re hardly in that grouping of unheralded.

Hossler held a brief lead in the 2012 U.S. Open at San Francisco’s Olympic Club when he was a 17-year-old amateur. Hoge is the pro from Fargo, the city in North Dakota, not the dark-humor movie. Putnam has been on Tour and off.

But a stroke behind at 201 are Spieth, FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay and Joel Dahmen. Another shot behind at 202 is the chap from Ireland, Seamus Power, who sadly verified what we all know: Golf can be cruel.

After 64s at two of the more difficult courses, Pebble and Spyglass Hill, Power shot 74 Saturday at Monterey Peninsula’s Shore Course.

You might think the tournament would come down to Spieth, a three-time major champion, and Cantlay, the one known as “Patty Ice.” But there’s no defense. You can’t stop the other guy, you just have to outscore him.

Not easy when Spieth has an eagle, eight birdies and only a lone bogey.

“I guess I'm one back,” said Spieth. “I think the leaderboard's pretty bunched. Pebble can yield low scores.“

A 63 would indicate as much.

“So I think I just kind of learned a little from last year,” Spieth said. “Last year I went in with the lead and I was a little tentative early and (Daniel) Berger came out firing, I think, went like birdie, eagle to start. 

“I think not being in the final group (Sunday) I just kind of approach it like (Saturday) where I feel like, you know, sometimes it can be a little easier not in the final group to go ahead and fire away. You almost just set a goal for a number for the day and pretend you’ve got to get there in order to win.”

In the pre-tournament interviews, Cantlay, born in Long Beach, was asked why he didn’t go this week to the tourney in Saudi Arabia, where entrants are being awarded seven-figure bonuses.

He said he wasn’t asked, and besides, he prefers what he called “California golf.” You can see why.

“If the lead stays at 15-under, I'm obviously right there,” he said before the last player came in. “I think I came back from more strokes behind than that. So I'm in great position and I love this golf course, and everyone will be playing on the same golf course (Sunday), so it should be fun.” 

Asked if he and Spieth would have an advantage playing Pebble in consecutive rounds, Cantlay said, “A little bit. The greens definitely were the firmest of the three places here at Pebble. With the wind up a little bit, I think it may dry out a little more.”

After all the times it’s rained during the AT&T and its predecessor, the Crosby, nobody will complain about anything being too dry.

Ireland to Pebble, by way of East Tennessee State

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Rory McIlroy deserves some credit, in a rather convoluted way.

Rory signed a letter of intent to play golf at East Tennessee State but turned pro instead. So the State coach, Fred Warren, went about recruiting other Irish players.

Which is how Seamus Power ended up at East Tennessee, and in a way how Power on Friday ended up with the second-round lead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

An enormous lead, in relation to par if not the actual scoring totals, because two of the courses, Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill are 72, Monterey Peninsula 71.

A lead of five, equaling the biggest for 36 holes, in the history of this tournament, now in its 76th year. Bob Rosburg was five ahead at the 36-hole mark in 1958 and Charlie Wi in 2012. Neither won.

Power had an 8-under 64 Friday at Pebble, the same as Thursday at Spyglass Hill, a 128 total and 16 under.

First-round leader Tom Hoge, Andrew Putnam and Adam Svenson are 11 under. After his 63 Thursday at Pebble, Hoge shot 69 Friday at Monterey Peninsula.

“I was a little shaky at the start,” said Hoge, the man from Fargo, N.D.

Power is the man from Waterford, the community famous for its crystal. But the only kind of glass he cares about is the type cut into golf trophies.

Hoping to get to a school in the U.S., Power was at a European junior event in Italy. So was Warren, the East Tennessee coach, still seeking someone who might be as talented as McIlroy. OK, there wasn’t anyone, but a coach needs to keep looking.

Along came Power.

“He had an American-style game,” Warren told Michael Arkush of the New York Times. “A long hitter, aggressive, trying to make birdies. I was real impressed with him.”

Warren would offer Power a partial scholarship if Power were willing to wait a year. Power agreed.

“No problem,“ wrote Arkush. “Power had written letters to other colleges in the United States but did not receive encouraging responses. In fact, if it had not been for the interest from East Tennessee State, he would have followed through on another plan: Take an accounting course at a university in Ireland.”

Counting numbers is familiar to a golfer. In fact, another Irishman of some fame, PGA championship and Open Championship winner (and Euro Ryder Cup captain) Padraig Harrington has an accounting degree.

After leaving East Tennessee, Power struggled, not unusual for almost all young golfers, playing the Buy.com Tour and something called the eTour, going from tournament to tournament in an old Toyota.

Finally, in 2019 he qualified for the PGA Tour, and in 2021 he won the Barbasol Open. That would have been fantastic except because it was the same week as the Open Championship, the British Open, it didn’t get him in a first Masters. 

It could be corrected with a victory here, of course. Power, who will be 35 in March, has paid his dues.

“That's certainly part of it,” said Power. “I've always loved playing golf. I have fond memories of playing those tours. Obviously, it's not where you want to be, but I mean any time you get to play golf for a living, like you're in a pretty good spot.

“So it's obviously satisfying, but, I mean, guys have gotten here a lot of different ways and it doesn't matter once you're here, it's how is your game going to hold up. That's kind of the fun part, trying to improve and just see where you can kind of put yourself.”

At Pebble this week, with great weather, where he puts himself could be in a special place.

The man from Fargo warms up at Pebble

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Just for the record, it was -5 degrees on Thursday in Fargo, N.D. Also on Thursday, Tom Hoge, the best pro golfer ever to come from Fargo — at least in recent memory — was -9.

That’s because he was playing Pebble Beach, where sometimes conditions during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am might make people think they’re in North Dakota rather than Northern California.

But not this year. If it wasn’t Maui, the temperature on the Monterey Peninsula leveling at 57 degrees, there were no clouds, no rain and for Hoge no bogies.

OK, so he isn’t as well known as guys like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson, and coming into this tournament he had missed 89 cuts of the previous 202 tournaments he played, but Hoge (pronounced HOAG-ey, like the sandwich) finished second in the American Express a couple weeks back.

And on Thursday he shot a 63 on one of the world’s most famous courses in some of the winter’s best conditions. Sell the umbrellas. Ditch the apres-ski boots. Bring your admiration.

This is hardly a lock for Hoge. He’s only a shot ahead of the Irishman Seamus Power, who recorded his 64 at Spyglass Hill, another of the three courses used in the first three rounds. PGA Tour champ Patrick Cantlay had a 65 and former AT&T winner Jordan Spieth a 68, both at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

Still, for a man from a city made infamous in the black-humor flick “Fargo” a few years back, being in the sunshine and being in the lead is, well, special.

He played here in the years of chilblains and heavy rains, so-called Crosby weather (remember, the tournament was created by Bing Crosby).

“Yeah, I enjoy it,” he said. “You know, when the years have bad weather it's still fun to be out here. And then you get weather like (Thursday) and this week, and it's fantastic.”

Hoge, 32, was born in North Carolina, but his family moved to North Dakota, when he played between blizzards, and he later went to school at Texas Christian.

He started his round at 10, the hole before the course turns away from the water, with a birdie. Then he birdied 11. And 18. But it was on the front where he made the run, six birdies in a row, on holes three through eight.

“It's hard to be in a bad mood out here,” said Hoge. “I mean, Pebble Beach and perfect weather is about as good as it gets. So it was a lot of fun.

“I feel like I've been playing well. I've been excited to get out here on the golf course and feel like Pebble Beach is a golf course that suits me well, so I was excited to get out here this week.”

And get as far away Fargo as possible?

“The first reaction is usually the movie, yes,” Hoge told Helen Ross of PGATour.com, discussing the reaction to his background. “And then the second statement is that I’m the first person they’ve ever met from North Dakota.

“So I’m kind of ready for those two all the time.”

On this fine day, he was just as ready for Pebble Beach.

Cantlay chooses Pebble beauty over Saudi payoff

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — So Pebble Beach, despite a misquoted observation, isn’t the greatest meeting of land and water in the world, but the view on Wednesday — sun glistening on Carmel Bay — was overwhelming,

A highlight of practice rounds for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a sparkling, enticing invitation to a place Patrick Cantlay calls “the epitome of California golf.”

Cantlay, currently No. 4 in the world ranking, is a home state guy all the way. He was born in Long Beach, went to UCLA and chose familiarity and natural beauty over the lure of a huge payoff.

Not that he wouldn’t someday change his mind.

There’s another tournament about to start on Thursday, head to head against the AT&T some 5,000 miles away, where the setting may be less inviting unless you’re big on sand dunes, but the money is enormous — the Saudi Arabia Invitational.

The PGA Tour gave exemptions to those who chose the Saudi event — and please don’t ask about politics; “we’re only going there to play golf” — but below the surface is a bigger issue, the future of the pro game..

The Saudi tournament is part of the DP Tour, which used to be the European Tour, and because Greg Norman is maneuvering behind the scenes, the probability is there’s only going to be one tour, with the biggest names.

This time a former AT&T winner, Dustin Johnson; a former Masters champion, Patrick Reed (as Johnson is also); Tony Fine; and (gadzooks) even five-time AT&T champ Phil Mickelson are there.

But former U.S. Open, British Open and Masters champ Jordan Spieth (who endorses AT&T products) and Cantlay are here. So was defending AT&T winner Daniel Berger, until he was forced to withdraw because of a back injury.

Cantlay perhaps is the least famous of the most famous golfers on the globe. As an amateur, he was No. 1 in the world. Then last summer, he not only won the FedEx Cup but did it in a fashion, making putt after putt under pressure, which gained him the nickname, “Patty Ice” — he was that cool.

He may not yet register on a scale with Tiger Woods or Mickelson, but his colleagues know how good he is, especially around the greens, where golf is decided.

What Cantlay (who turns 30 next month, on St. Patrick’s Day), decided was to stay loyal and stay close by. Not that he didn’t pay attention to Saudi Arabia.

“I think with the amount of money they're talking about,” he said, “it's always very tempting. I think it's tempting for everybody. And to deny that would be, you know, maybe not true.”

The actual Saudi purse is smaller than the $8.7 million AT&T purse, but there are reports that golfers will be paid tens of millions in fees, illegal on the PGA Tour.

“But I'm really glad that I'm here this week,” said Cantlay, “and I love Pebble Beach and so that definitely factored into my decision.”

Golf and tennis are dependent on the recognition factor, on fame, personality — as Tiger’s presence verified. People would flock to see him, even if they didn’t know a thing about the sport.

If golf does shift toward a super tour, grabbing away the crème de la crème, where does it leave those left outside? Will anyone care about the minor leaguers, as it were?

“I think it's a complicated thing, and I don't think there's an easy answer,” Cantlay said. “If people want to be more interested in golf and want to put more money into golf, I think that's a good thing. I think definitely there's a want of the best players in the world to play against the other best players in the world, and so it's hard to quantify exactly.  

“Some move the needle more than others, and some are at the top of the game more than others.“

Right now, with the beauty of Pebble Beach as a backdrop, Cantlay can concentrate on a more specific issue, playing well.

Rams to Super Bowl; Niners to great unknown

The better team won. As difficult as it is for 49er fans to admit it. “All-stars and super stars,” 49ers receiver George Kittle said of the Los Angeles Rams.    

They were built to go to the Super Bowl, which will be held in their multi-billion-dollar SoFi Stadium in two weeks.

Construction obviously is a success. If not by much.

Six straight the Niners had beaten the Rams. One of those games was as recently as a few weeks ago. But there would be no lucky seventh for San Francisco.

The semi-glorious season of 2021, with its agonizing about Jimmy Garoppolo; with its marvelous comebacks (down 17 to the very same Rams in the last game of the regular schedule); with its misbegotten belief of another Super Bowl, came to an end Sunday, with a 20-17 loss to the Rams at SoFi.

It is L.A. going to a Super Bowl in its home stadium (that hadn’t happened in the first 54 years of the game, and now it's two in a row). The Niners go to the great unknown.

It was one of those “if only” games for the Niners — if only the offensive line had protected Garoppolo better when the Niners had a 17-7 lead heading into the fourth quarter, if only Jaquiski Tartt had held on to the apparent interception that would have halted a drive that resulted in the field goal which tied the game, 17-17.

But losers always think that way. Winners just do what is required.

Which is what the Rams did, starting with the stunning off-season trade of quarterback Jared Goff, the onetime overall No. 1 pick from Cal, for Mathew Stafford and adding all-pro defensive lineman Von Miller.

Stafford did what Garoppolo couldn’t do Sunday, unload long passes when needed, completing 31 of 45 for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan rightfully did not belittle Garoppolo, who got him to one Super Bowl and was one game from another. Yet he and management did trade up in last spring’s draft to take a quarterback, Trey Lance.

Now, after mostly watching during his rookie season, Lance presumably will be the Niners’ starter next fall, and Garoppolo, so maligned, so adept at handling criticism as well as reacting to a heavy pass rush, will be traded. Presumably.

Still, a great quarterback is not always the answer. The Kansas City Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, and on Sunday, a couple hours before the Niners were eliminated from the playoffs, KC was eliminated by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Who, as Niner supporters know, twice made it to a Super Bowl and twice were beaten by the Niners.

This time it will be the Rams, even though the majority of fans Sunday at SoFi seemed to cheering for the Niners. San Francisco played tenaciously but too often couldn’t make the critical play, and the Tartt drop was just one of the examples. 

At their best the 49ers hang on to the ball for a long while, and then if they do give it up without a score, get it right back. But it was the Rams who controlled the ball — L.A. had it more than 35 minutes of the total 60 — in effect, using Niner style and play-calling to beat San Francisco.

“That is a good team we played,” said Shanahan, still appearing somewhat bewildered by the result, “but we had opportunities we didn’t use.

“We’re hurting in that locker room. We came up short. That’s part of sports you have to learn to deal with.”

Just not the part the Niners are used to against the Rams.