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Throughout a down period in his career that is now approaching three years, Rickie Fowler managed to maintain an air of positivity, sprinkled with some self-deprecation, while seemingly never allowing for any sort of dark moments to consume him.

He approached his slump with hard work, didn’t get impatient by moving on from his coach, John Tillery, talked a good game and simply expected his golf to one day cooperate.

Three tournaments into a new season and there are certainly plenty of positives for Fowler to build on, but also a slap of reality that played out over the weekend in Japan, where he was unable to take advantage of a small field and the chance to improve his world ranking.

Fowler certainly had plenty of time for reflection over recent months. He failed to qualify for either the Masters or the U.S. Open, firsts for him in 10 years. He didn’t make the FedEx Cup playoffs, meaning he was outside of the top 125 and not yet qualified for the 2022 Players Championship — a tournament he won with a stunning flourish in 2015.

The six-week break saw him go to work. He returned to competition and promptly missed the cut at the Shriner’s tournament in Las Vegas. But with a weekend off, he used the opportunity to visit his old coach, Butch Harmon, to make sure what he was working on got a stamp of approval.

With Harmon’s blessing and the ensuing confidence, Fowler took the 54-hole lead at the CJ Cup and ended up finishing tied for third behind winner Rory McIlroy. A victory would have solved a lot of problems, but given that Fowler’s last victory came at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2019, a strong showing was welcome.

“[It] was a very good week for me, especially after the last couple years,” Fowler said at the Zozo Championship in Japan. “I played very well tee to green. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a very good feel on the greens with speed, so that is where I struggled a little bit, but very happy with the ballstriking.

“That’s something we’ve been putting a lot of work in on the last couple years, especially the last couple of months — long time coming.”

Fowler’s long game was an issue for much of last season, when he ranked 89th in strokes gained tee to green on the PGA Tour. He ranked first at the CJ Cup, although his once extremely reliable putting stroke has cost him at times.

He hoped to take that momentum to Japan, but it didn’t materialize, which highlights the difficulty Fowler faces in returning to an elite level. He had slipped to 128th in the world after missing the cut in Las Vegas, jumped to 82nd with his tie for third at the CJ Cup, then lost three spots after a tie for 44th at the Zozo. Fowler never broke par in the limited-field event and now needs to decide how much to tee it up in the remaining events of 2021.

After this week’s Bermuda Championship, there are just three tournaments — Mayakoba in Mexico, the Houston Open and the RSM Classic.

The top 50 in the world at the end of 2021 receive a Masters invite, and that’s reason enough for Fowler to add a couple of those tournaments — although it does him no good to finish well down the list. Top-10 finishes are the only meaningful way to move up. Short of that, Fowler will head into 2022 with a lot of doubts about his playing schedule.

In order to make the Masters field, he will need to either win a PGA Tour event or be among the top 50 in the world two weeks prior to the first major championship. Winning would also get him in the Players, as would being among the top 50 in the world or top 10 in FedEx Cup points.

“Everyone’s gone through ups and downs in golf,” he said. “When you’re in those low points, there’s times when you wonder like ‘Am I ever going to be back in that position?’ Obviously you believe that you can, but there’s those thoughts [that] golf is obviously one of the most humbling sports there is and you can never take it for granted.

“So being in those positions, you know where you want to be, you know you can be there, you’ve been there before, but it seems like a long uphill battle. It’s definitely been humbling. We’ve been patient, but it’s nice to see some stuff start paying off.”

Hideki’s homecoming

Hideki Matsuyama capped off a historic year with a victory in his home country, the only PGA Tour event to be staged in Japan. But it was far from easy. While the 5-shot margin of victory might appear routine, Matsuyama trailed Cameron Tringale by a shot through 10 holes on Sunday and then produced three birdies over the next six holes to take the lead.

Even standing on the 18th tee, after bogeying the 17th hole, Matsuyama led by just 2 shots.

But from more than 240 yards, he powered his second shot onto the par-5 green and then made the eagle putt. And for one of the rare times, Matsuyama let loose some emotion and a big smile.

The 2021 Masters champion added a second victory this year after missing out on a medal at the Olympics, also in his home country. It was his seventh PGA Tour win.

Prior to the tournament, Matsuyama had said his form was nowhere near what it was when he won the Masters.

“I would rate my performance as a 2 or 3,” Matsuyama said afterward. “From the results perspective, it went to about 8, but I think it’s because all the energy that I was getting from the fans and I was very surprised how much energy I was feeding off of them.”

Matsuyama, 29, who once was ranked as high as second in the world, has climbed back to 12th.

Saudi releases

It will be interesting to see how the PGA Tour and commissioner Jay Monahan decide to proceed with several players seeking releases to play in the Saudi International tournament early next year.

Golfweek reported last week that eight players, including defending champion Dustin Johnson, sought the releases — which are required to play in a conflicting event opposite the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Typically this is not a problem, and the tour has granted numerous such releases in the past.

But last year the European Tour dropped its sanctioning of the event, and the PGA Tour said it would not give releases to players wishing to play in an unsanctioned tournament. The Asian Tour has sanctioned the tournament — after considerable backing from Saudi Golf, which made a $100 million investment.

The PGA Tour last year formed a strategic alliance with the European Tour and is trying to enhance its offerings to fend off talk of a rival tour supported by the Saudi government known as the Super Golf League.

Among the other players who Golfweek reported sought releases were Graeme McDowell, Tommy Fleetwood and Lee Westwood. Phil Mickelson played in the event each of the past two years.

At issue is the tour’s ability to restrict its members, who are independent contractors. The tour has rules that require releases to play in competing events.

Langer’s longevity

Bernhard Langer won his first PGA Tour Champions event in 2007. Fourteen years later, he is still going strong. His victory on Sunday at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic gave him a win in 15 straight years. At age 64, he is the oldest champion in the Tour’s history.

The two-time Masters champion and European Ryder Cup star had not won since early 2020. He defeated Doug Barron in a sudden-death playoff.

Langer is one of just a handful of players to win in their 60s and surpassed Scott Hoch, who was 63 when he won in 2019. When Langer won the 2020 Cologuard Classic, he was the fifth-oldest winner in tour history. He now has 42 Champions wins, three behind the record held by Hale Irwin.

Langer also accumulated 42 victories on the European Tour, the first in 1980 at the Dunlop Masters.

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

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Hard-throwing rookie Misiorowski going to ASG

Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.

Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.

If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.

Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.

“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”

Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.

“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”

Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.

The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.

“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”

The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.

Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.

The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”

Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.

Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.

San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.

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White Sox unveil Buehrle statue: ‘Well-deserved’

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White Sox unveil Buehrle statue: 'Well-deserved'

CHICAGO — Former White Sox lefty Mark Buehrle was forever immortalized inside Rate Field as the team unveiled a statue in his honor Friday.

Buehrle, 46, played 16 years in the majors, including the first 12 with the White Sox, who he helped win a World Series in 2005. He won 214 games and pitched 200 innings or more in 14 consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2014.

“I can’t put it into words,” Buehrle said after the unveiling. “You don’t play the game for any of this. You never think of number retirements or statues. I can’t even wrap my head around it. It doesn’t make sense.”

The statue is an action shot of him throwing a pitch.

His wife and kids were in attendance and helped pull off the cover to unveil the statue while his 2005 teammates looked on. The event kicked off a weekend reunion for the World Series team which went 11-1 in the postseason, beating the Houston Astros in four games to take home the title.

Buehrle was a five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, finishing fifth in Cy Young voting in 2005.

“Well-deserved,” former right fielder Jermaine Dye said of the statue. “Great teammate. Great leader. Definitely someone you want on a ballclub to lead a pitching staff.”

The White Sox rotation — led by Buehrle — threw four complete games in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox in 2005, missing a fifth complete game by two-thirds of an inning. It’s an unheard of accomplishment in today’s game since starters infrequently go the distance.

Besides being an innings-eater on the mound, Buehrle was a fast worker — a favorite trait of his catcher, A.J Pierzynski. And he wasn’t someone who threw a lot of different pitches. He caught it and threw it without much input from behind the plate.

“He was fast,” Pierzynski said. “We had Jermaine Dye calling pitches from right field some games. We did come crazy things you wouldn’t recommend to people to do nowadays.”

Buehrle is a notoriously low-key guy who hates the spotlight but even he was moved by the team’s decision to honor him with a statue, which joins former slugger Harold Baines in the right-field concourse.

“I joked with him when I saw him,” Dye said. “I told him ‘Man it takes you getting a statue to get you out of the house.'”

Buehrle added: “I was literally nervous as can be today. This is not my comfort zone but by no means am I taking it lightly. This is incredible.”

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Giants’ Devers dealing with disk injury in back

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Giants' Devers dealing with disk injury in back

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers is dealing with a disk injury in his lower back that has limited his production since joining his new club.

Manager Bob Melvin is hopeful Devers won’t require a stint on the injured list given the upcoming time off for the All-Star break.

Devers has begun anti-inflammatory medication for the irritation symptoms he is experiencing and is playing through the issue. He underwent an MRI exam Thursday.

“He went on some medication, feels a little bit better today. We’ll see how he responds to that,” Melvin said Friday. “I’m glad we got the MRI done so we know what’s going on.”

Acquired last month from the Red Sox, Devers entered the series opener Friday against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers batting .245 with 23 strikeouts, four doubles, a home run and six RBIs over his past 14 games dating to June 26. He was hitting .261 with 17 homers and 67 RBIs overall.

The Giants took on Devers’ mega contract when they traded for him June 15 to boost their offense after the slugger made it known he didn’t want to play first base for Boston. But he arrived in the Bay Area insisting he would do anything asked of him to help San Francisco win.

A three-time All-Star, Devers signed a $313.5 million, 10-year contract with the Red Sox in 2023.

On Friday, he was in the lineup as DH batting third. He isn’t ready to play the field, including first base, where he has been doing regular fielding work.

“He feels it mostly running, probably a little bit at the plate, but not as much as when he’s running bases,” Melvin said. “I think with the break hopefully [he’ll be OK]. I think he’s been playing through it for a little bit, basically since he’s been here. It’s the reason he’s not out in the field right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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