ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Going, Going, Gone

The long-term funding for LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed breakaway golf tour, has been in question for several weeks, ever since Saudi officials outlined a financial future that did not mention ongoing sports investment. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, players will be notified Thursday that funding is officially coming to an end.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has poured billions into the tour over its four-plus years of existence, will end its funding as of the end of this season. The loss of PIF backing would all but certainly end LIV Golf in its current incarnation, with small fields of highly-paid players competing for massive tournament purses.

LIV began in the early 2020s as a breakaway golf league offering players as much as nine-figure signing bonuses, and a significant number of notable players, primarily those on the back half of their careers, jumped at the opportunity for one more major paycheck.

But LIV was also able to attract several stars in the primes of their careers — Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm — and, for a moment, appeared to be a viable competitor, and even an existential threat, to the PGA Tour itself.

If LIV loses its Saudi PIF backing, it’s virtually impossible that the tour will be able to make up the shortfall by more traditional means like sponsorships and ticket sales. Whether that means the tour would fold up operations, operate at a downsized capacity, or merge with another existing tour is a question for down the road, as is the fate of LIV’s players who could be left without a tour after this season.

Earlier this year, a small set of LIV players that included Koepka, DeChambeau and Rahm was offered a one-time pathway back to the PGA Tour. Only Koepka took it. Reed opted not to re-sign with LIV and instead will sit out a year of PGA Tour events before he’s reinstated. The question of what, if any, pathway back for those who remained with LIV is still up in the air.

Yes, it appears the handwriting is on the wall.

Order yours today before they are gone!

Top 5: Here’s the cream of the crop....

1. Dodgers (20-10: Los Angeles leads the majors in most offensive statistics thanks to Shohei Ohtani and Co. The starting rotation also ranks among the league's best thanks to, well, Shohei Ohtani and Co.

2. Braves (21-9): Drake Baldwin is one of the best catchers in baseball, Ozzie Albies is enjoying a bounce-back season, Michael Harris II is on fire and Matt Olson looks like the elite 2023 version of himself. Once Ronald Acuña Jr. heats up, watch out.

3. Yankees (20-10): As with the Dodgers, there's dominance on all sides of the ball in the Bronx. Aaron Judge and Ben Rice are pacing the offense, while Max Fried and budding ace Cam Schlittler lead a dynamite rotation that will only get stronger once Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón return in the next month or so.

4. Padres (19-10): San Diego's pitching has powered its hot start. While all-world closer Mason Miller gets most of the attention, it's been a full team effort as the staff ranks near the top in several key metrics including whiff rate, chase rate and more.

5. Cubs (18-12): Chicago's defense not only leads the majors in most metrics, but also routinely passes the eye test with Pete Crow-Armstrong dazzling in center, Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson manning the middle, Alex Bregman locking down the hot corner and Ian Happ pushing for his fifth consecutive Gold Glove in left field.

6-10: Reds (19-10), Pirates (16-14), Rays (18-11), Tigers (15-15), Diamondbacks (15-13)

TRENDING TODAY
Cowboys, Eagles and Pickens

Move over, A.J. Brown and Aaron Rodgers. George Pickens has just joined you atop the NFL’s pile of unfinished offseason business.

This comes on the heels following last week’s NFL Draft as the rest of the league begins readying to shore up remaining roster holes, 

The confusion — and Pickens’ lack of signing the tag — potentially sets up another roller-coaster summer for the Cowboys, who spent last offseason grappling with contract extension and trade reports surrounding star pass rusher Micah Parsons. Parsons and Pickens share the same agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First. Parsons was ultimately traded to the Green Bay Packers prior to the season, after rounds of public jousting between the Cowboys and their edge rusher.

Now Pickens’ contract situation will come into acute focus over the next several weeks and months. He has until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal with the Cowboys. After that point, he will have to play out the 2026 season on a one-year fully-guaranteed deal for $27.3 million. 

Of course, he’s not the only headlining player who is going to draw a spotlight heading toward the June mandatory camps. Brown is still in a holding pattern with the Eagles as he awaits an anticipated trade to the New England Patriots, while the Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting on word from Rodgers about his plans for the 2026 season.

Let the soap operas begin.

Marc is red-hot hot in this postseason and is currently the No.1 ratedhandicapper by the
Sports Monitor
in Oklahoma.