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  • November 6, 2019
    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. [b]Wholesale Fake Shoes[/b] . - Tim Clark was wrong about one thing. Hes not the shortest hitter on the PGA Tour.Justin Leonard earned that distinction last season on the PGA Tour by finishing at No. 177 in measured drives at an average of 270.3 yards. Clark was three spots better at 272.2 yards. Either way, he quit worrying about driving distance a long time ago, realizing he can make up for it with other parts of his game.But it led to a question: How long is long? And when is it long enough?Russell Knox has the reputation of being on the short side, even though he feels he can get it out there far enough. Knox was at No. 120 in driving distance last year. He believes there are three categories of length.Guys that are a little short. Everyone else. And guys who bomb it, Knox said. And theres probably 10 guys who bomb it.There were 25 players who averaged 300 yards off the tee last year, though that group included Charles Howell III and Lucas Glover. They are power players, but probably not in the same bombers class as Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland or Rory McIlroy.I played with Bubba a couple of years ago and I almost cried, Knox said. I was like, if this guy hits it straight, I might as well try to caddie for him. But the reality is, distance is maybe 10 per cent of golf. If those guys hit it so much further than me, theres obviously part of my game that is better than theirs or Id never beat them. I need to focus on those parts.Knox might be too stingy by saying there are only about 10 guys in the A-plus power group. He also thinks there are no more than 10 players who are seriously short.Most guys that are short have been out here a long time, he said. Theyre absolutely geniuses. They have great short games. Theyre great putters.Clark referred to players like Adam Scott who could be in the A-plus group if he wanted to except that Scott tries to play more under control.Theres a lot more real bombers than we think, Clark said. If youre just looking at the stats, it doesnt give a true picture of how long these guys are. ... Thats almost as big of a group as the medium guys.One medium guy might be Russell Henley, who was No. 61 in driving distance last year. Henley said there were five levels of power on the PGA Tour, and he put himself somewhere around the middle because the smashers — Watson, Johnson, Holmes — are probably two levels above me.Henley offered this definition of his driving distance: When youre short, it puts pressure on your drive because youve got to hit the fairway. I need to hit the fairway, but its not the end of the world if I dont.Henley already has two of the 10 drives that have been measured at 400 yards or more this year, all of them at Kapalua. One of them was on the 17th hole, all the way to the bottom. He still made par.___MOVING ON: Phil Mickelson is more interested in the next decade or two in the Ryder Cup, not what happened the last time in Gleneagles. Mickelson made his first public appearance last week since he spoke openly in the closing press conference at Gleneagles about the lack of a communication between U.S. captain Tom Watson and the team.Mickelson is part of a Ryder Cup task force geared toward creating a model. It already has met once, with another meeting expected next week.Would this open dialogue have occurred had Mickelson not spoken up after the loss to Europe in September?I just think theres a lot of great input. Im excited about what were doing moving forward, Mickelson said last week. How we got there, doesnt matter. Were there now and were going to make it a really great experience for the next generation of players as they go through the next decade or two.Watson, too, is ready to move on.He played the Champions Tour opener last week in Hawaii and was excited to see two Ryder Cup players, Patrick Reed and Jimmy Walker, win the Hawaii events.Im proud of Jimmy and Patrick, and the way they played at the Ryder Cup, Watson said. Im proud of the way all the players played on the Ryder Cup team. They gave it their best shot. The other team just played better is the bottom line. It was a great event for the Europeans. It was not a great event for us, although we had our moments.When asked if it was time to move on, Watson replied, Sure. Because theres nothing we can do about it now.___SPIETH DEAL: One new deal, one long-term renewal. Jordan Spieth has made quite an impression since the end of the last PGA Tour season, all very quietly.First was the deal with AT&T, significant because the Dallas-based telecommunications firm not only is one of the strongest corporate partners on the PGA Tour, but because it has not signed any golfer to a personal endorsement since it cut ties with Tiger Woods in 2009.The deal shows a lot of trust in the 21-year-old Spieth.And then last week, Under Armour announced a comprehensive, 10-year extension with Spieth.Spieth first signed with Under Armour in 2013 when he turned pro and is the first golfer to be outfitted head-to-toe in Under Armour gear. The company plans international marketing with Spieth, and he is involved in a golf shoe that is to debut in the spring.___BASEBALL FEAT: Rob Manfred took over Sunday as commissioner of MLB, and during a guest appearance on the leagues network he was asked his greatest athletic achievement. After taking a mulligan (he played two years of tennis at Le Moyne College), Manfred said he has made a hole-in-one — twice, on the same hole.Manfred said he used a 6-iron to ace the third hole at Sleepy Hollow.And the next year I was older, used a 5-iron, he said.___DIVOTS: Juli Inkster has selected Wendy Ward to be one of her assistant captains at the Solheim Cup in Germany this year. ... Frank Nobilo is joining CBS Sports as a golf analyst. Peter Oosterhuis announced last week he was retiring. Nobilo will continue his work at Golf Channel. ... The USGA has selected James R. Hansen for its Herbert Warren Wind Book Award. Hansen wrote A Difficult Par: Robert Trent Jones Sr. and the Making of Modern Golf.___STAT OF THE WEEK: Starting with the final round at Kapalua, the low scores in each of the last nine rounds on the PGA Tour have been 62, 62, 62, 62, 63, 63, 61, 63 and 63.___FINAL WORD: I lost a few world ranking points, a trophy and some money. But I can handle all of those three things. — Martin Kaymer, on losing a 10-shot lead with 13 holes to play in Abu Dhabi. [b]Fake Jordan[/b] . -- So much for concern that running back Marshawn Lynch would be absent from the Seattle Seahawks minicamp. [b]Fake Sneakers[/b] . - Joao Plata scored twice in the final 24 minutes, including the winner in stoppage time, to help Real Salt Lake remain unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over the winless Chicago Fire on Saturday night.ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - NHL Central Scoutings mid-season rankings are out, and to no ones surprise Connor McDavid is at the top.The Erie Otters centre is the runaway favourite to be selected first overall at the 2015 NHL Draft.Its cool, (but) it really doesnt mean anything, McDavid said. You dont dream about being ranked No. 1 at the mid-term rankings. Its all about whats down the line here and at the end of the day its all about what teams and what GMs have to say about you.Its hard to find bad things to say about McDavid, who has 60 points (21 goals and 39 assists) in 23 Ontario Hockey League games this season. He broke a bone in his right hand during a game in November but returned to action at the world junior hockey championship last month and helped Canada win a gold medal.McDavid was ranked ahead of American forward Jack Eichel (Boston University) in the list of top draft-eligible skaters from North America. Boston College defenceman Noah Hanifin, Kingston Frontenacs forward Lawson Crouse and Otters centre Dylan Strome rounded out the top five.I try not to look at that, but obviously its always there and youre always going to see it, said Crouse, who was also on Canadas gold--medal-winning world junior team. [b]Fake Shoes From China[/b]. Its a privilege, but I still have to earn that spot.The OHLs leading scorer, Mitchell Marner of the London Knights, is ranked seventh.I think everyones (going to) kind of take a look at them, Marner said as he prepared to play in the CHL top prospects game Thursday. Everyone wants to know what the kind of placement is right now. I think its nice to see what place everyone is.Swedish defenceman Oliver Kylington was the top-ranked skater from Europe. Finnish right-winger Mikko Rantanen, who impressed at the world juniors, held the No. 2 position.Barrie Colts netminder Mackenzie Blackwood was the top-ranked North American goaltender. He is 20-7-1 this season with a 2.81 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 29 appearances.Im excited about it, but theres still a lot of work to be done, Blackwood said. Nothings happened yet. It just means youre on the right track, so you just have to stick with it.The mid-season rankings feature the top 210 skaters and 35 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 112 skaters and 11 goaltenders from Europe.The 2015 draft will be held June 26-27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. ' ' '