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Golf Glance: Brooks Koepka's PGA Tour return; LPGA begins '26 with TOC

PGA: U.S. Open - Third RoundJun 14, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Brooks Koepka plays his shot from the first tee during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Brooks Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open dominates the headlines in professional golf this week. Meanwhile, the LPGA Tour kicks off its season with the Tournament of Champions, while the DP World Tour heads to Qatar.

PGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: Farmers Insurance Open, San Diego, Jan. 29-Feb. 1

Course: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South: Par 72, 7,765 Yards; North: Par 72, 7,258 Yards)

Purse: $9.6M (Winner: $1,728,000)

Defending Champion: Harris English

FedEx Cup Leaders: Chris Gotterup, Scottie Scheffler

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: Noon-3 p.m. ET (ESPN, Hulu, Disney+), 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)

Streaming: Thursday-Friday: Noon-7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)

X: @FarmersInsOpen

NOTES: All players will play one round on each course, with those making the cut competing on the South Course over the weekend. … Brooks Koepka will play in his first PGA Tour event since signing with LIV Golf in 2022, with ESPN broadcasting live its first non-major tour event in nearly two decades. … This is the third of four events that will determine the Aon Swing 5 for spots in the first two signature events of the year. The list is currently led by Patrick Rodgers, Matt McCarty, Andrew Putnam, Pierceson Coody and S.H. Kim. … English is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend at the Farmers Insurance Open since Tiger Woods won the tournament four consecutive years from 2005-08. … Woods’ 266 in 1999 tied the tournament scoring record set by George Burns in 1987. Woods also holds the South Course record of 62 set in the third round that year. … Marcus Byrd is in the field after winning the APGA Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines by three strokes. Other sponsor exemptions include veterans Camilo Villegas and Brandt Snedeker along with Justin Hastings, winner of the 2025 Latin America Amateur Championship.

BEST BETS: Xander Schauffele (+1500 at DraftKings) is making his 2026 debut. The San Diego native missed the event due to injury last year but did finish T9 here in 2024. … Ludvig Aberg (+1700) was the first-round leader last year before becoming ill. He returned a few weeks later to win the relocated Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines. … Cameron Young (+1950) is also making his season debut. He has not finished lower than 11th in his past six worldwide starts. … Si Woo Kim (+2600) closed last year with a T4 at the RSM and a third in Australia before opening 2026 with a T11 in Honolulu and a T6 at the AmEx. … Chris Gotterup (+2600) is a career-high 17th in the world following his win at the Sony Open. … Jason Day (+3300) is a two-time event winner who also has a T2 and T3 at Torrey Pines. He is also coming off a T2 at the AmEx.

Last Tournament: The American Express (Scottie Scheffler)

Next Tournament: WM Phoenix Open, Feb. 5-8

LPGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: Tournament of Championship, Orlando, Jan. 29-Feb. 1

Course: Lake Nona Golf & Country Club (Par 72, 6,624 Yards)

Purse: $2.1M

Defending Champion: A Lim Kim

Race to the CME Globe Champion: Jeeno Thitikul

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV/Streaming: Thursday-Friday: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2:30-3 p.m. (GC digital), 3-5:30 p.m. (GC); Sunday: 1-4 p.m. (Peacock), 2-4 p.m. (NBC)

X: @HiltonGrandVac

NOTES: The eighth edition of the tournament will feature a pro-am format with 39 professionals competing in a stroke-play event, along with 44 amateurs playing in a Modified Stableford scoring format. Both are 72-hole events with no cut. … World No. 1 Thitikul leads a field that includes seven of the top 10 players in the rankings. … Kim beat Nelly Korda by two strokes last year. … Korda and Danielle Kang set the tournament scoring record of 260 in 2021, when Korda went on to win in a playoff. … Lake Nona played host to the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990.

Last Tournament: CME Group Tour Championship (Thitikul)

Next Tournament: Honda LPGA Thailand, Pattaya, Chonburi, Feb. 19-22

DP WORLD TOUR

THIS WEEK: Bahrain Championship, Al Mazrowiah Bahrain, Jan. 29-Feb. 1

Course: Royal GC (Par 72, 7,439 Yards)

Purse: $2.75M

Defending Champion: Laurie Canter

Race to Dubai Leader: Jayden Schaper

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 3:30-8:30 a.m. ET; Saturday: 4-8:30 a.m.; Sunday: 3:30-8:30 a.m. (Golf Channel)

X: @DPWorldTour

NOTES: This is the third event of the tour’s International Swing and the start of the five-event Rolex Series. … Canter, Schaper and Nacho Elvira, who won in Dubai two weeks ago, will be paired together for the first two rounds. The field also includes former Masters champions Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia. … Any player who beats the course record of 61, posted by Brandon Robinson Thompson in the first round last year, will earn a $70,000 bonus.

Last Tournament: Hero Dubai Desert Classic (Patrick Reed)

Next Tournament: Qatar Masters, Doha, Feb. 5-8

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

THIS WEEK: OFF

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink

Last Tournament: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii, Jan. 22-24 (Cink)

Next Tournament: Chubb Classic, Naples, Fla., Feb. 13-15

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

THIS WEEK: OFF

Season Winners: Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: Legion XIII

Last Tournament: Team Championship (Legion XIII)

Next Tournament: LIV Golf Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 4-7

–Field Level Media

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Ebuka Okorie, Stanford bring scoring firepower into Boston College

NCAA Basketball: Georgia Tech at StanfordFeb 7, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) andguard Benny Gealer (5) and forward AJ Rohosy (4) and forward Aidan Cammann (52) enter the court after a time-out in the second half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images

Boston College will have to deal with one of the top scorers in the country when it faces visiting Stanford in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup on Wednesday night in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie enters averaging 22.4 points, seventh in the nation as of Tuesday night. The freshman guard tossed in 40 points when Stanford (15-9, 4-7 ACC) ended a five-game losing streak by beating Georgia Tech 95-72 at home on Saturday.

“Good win for our program,” Stanford coach Kyle Smith said. “We needed to have some success. (Okorie) was forcing it in the right way. Putting pressure on the defense, making plays.”

Okorie has scored at least 30 points in five games this season. His 40-point performance was the first by a Stanford player since Casey Jacobsen scored 41 against Oregon in 2002.

“The shots were falling and my teammates were finding me,” Okorie said. “It’s cool to see my hard work paying off.”

Boston College (9-14, 2-8) will be looking to end a four-game losing streak. Eight of the team’s nine victories have come at home.

“We haven’t been victorious in as many close games as we want to be, but got another game coming up so you got to keep practicing, keep chopping,” Boston College coach Earl Grant said. “Gotta keep believing and find a way to run through the finish line at the highest level you can with the hopes of putting yourself in position to still be playing in March. So that’s where we are and that’s what we’re gonna continue to do.”

The Eagles are averaging 67.3 points per game, which ranks last in the 18-team conference. Fred Payne (15.0) and Donald Hand Jr. (14.3) are the team’s leading scorers. Hand has scored 20 points or more in five games this season.

Stanford has made at least 10 3-point field goals in three of its last four games.

–Field Level Media

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Golf Glance: Pebble Beach hosts signature event; LIV parties Down Under

PGA: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - Final RoundFeb 2, 2025; Pebble Beach, California, USA; Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the fifth hole during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The PGA Tour kicks off the 2026 signature event slate at famed Pebble Beach, while LIV Golf returns to its highly popular Australian stop.

PGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach, Calif., Feb. 12-15

Course: Pebble Beach Golf Links (Pebble Beach: Par 72, 6,972 Yards; Spyglass Hill: Par 72, 7,071 Yards)

Purse: $20M (Winner: $3.6M)

Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy

FedEx Cup Leader: Chris Gotterup

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Thursday-Friday: 3-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS)

Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 11:45 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

X: @ATTProAm

NOTES: This is the first of nine signature events in 2026, featuring limited fields and increased purses. It’s the first signature event to be held at Pebble Beach, which will host its 80th pro-am on tour this year. Amateurs will compete alongside 80 professionals at each of the two courses, with the professionals competing at Pebble Beach over the final two rounds. … The field includes 18 of the top 20 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. This marks the PGA Tour season debut of defending champion and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy. … Jake Knapp was one of the final players into the field, earning a spot via the AON Swing 5 with his eighth-place finish in Phoenix, knocking Andrew Putnam out. Others in the top 5 were Pierceson Coody, Ryo Hisatsune, Matt McCarty and Patrick Rodgers. … Sahith Theegala is in the field on a sponsor exemption along with Tony Finau, Billy Horschel and Keith Mitchell. … 2017 champion Jordan Spieth makes his 14th career start in the event, where he owns six top-10s. He is making his 77th start since his most recent victory at the 2022 RBC Heritage Open.

BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+295 at DraftKings) has won seven of his past 15 worldwide starts. After winning the AmEx, he finished T3 last week falling one shot short of a playoff despite opening with a 73. … Rory McIlroy (+1300) won by two strokes here last year. He opened 2025 with a T3 in Dubai before a T33 the following week. … Si Woo Kim (+2500) is a career-best 26th in the world with four top-4s and no worse than a T11 in his past six starts. … Reigning FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood (+2800) also makes his PGA Tour season debut after a 25th and T41 in the two-event Dubai swing. … Justin Rose (+2800) is coming off a seven-shot win at Torrey Pines just two weeks ago and enters as the No. 3 player in the world. … Gotterup (+3000) has won two of his first three starts this year and has four wins in his past 10 starts on tour. This is his Pebble Beach debut. … Hideki Matsuyama (+3200) led until the 72nd hole last week and has finished T13 or better in six consecutive worldwide starts.

Last Tournament: WM Phoenix Open (Gotterup)

Next Tournament: The Genesis Invitational, Pacific Palisades, Calif., Feb. 19-22

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

THIS WEEK: LIV Golf Adelaide, Feb. 12-15

Course: The Grange Golf Club (Par 72, 7,111 Yards)

Purses: Individual: $30M (Winner: $4M); Team: $10M (Winners: $3M)

Defending Champion: Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC

2026 Season Leaders: Individual: Elvis Smylie; Team: Ripper GC

HOW TO FOLLOW

TV: Wednesday: 8 p.m. ET (Fox Sports App), 12 a.m. (FS1); Thursday: 8 p.m. (FS2), 11 p.m. (FS1); Friday: 10 p.m. (FS2), 12 a.m. (FS1); Saturday: 8 p.m. (FS1); 11 p.m. (Fox)

X: @livgolf_league

NOTES: More than 102,000 fans attended the 2025 event, and this year’s event marks the start of Adelaide’s festival season. The 165-yard 12th hole has been dubbed the “Watering Hole.” … Smylie moved to No. 77 in the Official World Golf Ranking with last week’s victory. … The daily shotgun start includes 13 teams and 57 total players, including five wild cards. … Phil Mickelson (personal) and Lee Westwood (injury) will miss their second consecutive event. Wade Ormsby will replace Mickelson for the HyFlyers and Ben Schmidt will replace Westwood for the Majesticks. The Cleeks’ Martin Kaymer will also be replaced by John Catlin.

Last Event: LIV Golf Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Individual: Smylie; Team: Ripper GC)

Next Event: LIV Golf Hong Kong, March 5-8

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

THIS WEEK: Chubb Classic, Naples, Fla., Feb. 13-15

Course: Tiburon Golf Club, Black Course (Par 72, 6,897 Yards)

Purse: $1.8M (Winner: $270,000)

Defending Champion: Justin Leonard

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink

HOW TO WATCH

TV: Friday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 3-5:30 p.m. (Golf Channel)

X: @ChampionsTour

NOTES: The 54-hole event returns to Naples, Fla. for the 39th consecutive year. … Last year marked Leonard’s maiden win on the Champions tour. Bernhard Langer has won the event five times, most recently in 2024. … Langer and Davis Love III represent the two World Golf Hall of Fame members in the field.

Last Tournament: Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii, Jan. 22-24 (Cink)

Next Tournament: James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational, Boca Raton, Fla., March 6-8

LPGA TOUR

THIS WEEK: OFF.

Race to the CME Globe Leader: Nelly Korda

Next Tournament: Honda LPGA Thailand, Pattaya, Chonburi, Feb. 19-22

DP WORLD TOUR

THIS WEEK: OFF.

Race to Dubai Leader: Patrick Reed

Last Tournament: Qatar Masters (Reed)

Next Tournament: Kenya Open, Nairobi, Feb. 19-22

–Field Level Media

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Timberwolves, buoyed by newcomer Ayo Dosunmu, battle Blazers

NBA: Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota TimberwolvesFeb 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) celebrate against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

For the first time in a week, the Minnesota Timberwolves will arrive at a game in a good mood.

Minnesota will go for back-to-back wins when it tips off against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in Minneapolis. It is the last game for the Timberwolves before the NBA All-Star break and the second-to-last game for Portland before the long layoff.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch hopes to see his players continue to perform well after they sprinted to a 138-116 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Minnesota scored 81 points in the first half, including 41 points in the first quarter.

The lopsided victory snapped a two-game skid for the Timberwolves after players such as Rudy Gobert questioned the team’s effort level and called on coaches to bench starters if necessary.

As far as Finch is concerned, the bad week is over and the team is moving forward.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re really far away from where you want to be, but you’re actually not,” Finch said. “You’ve just got to remind yourself.”

The arrival of Ayo Dosunmu has helped to shake the Timberwolves out of their recent funk. Dosunmu provided a jolt of energy off the bench on Monday, making 9 of 13 shots from the field, and he likely will figure prominently in the rotation going forward.

Minnesota acquired Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls before the trade deadline to add depth on the bench and help push the pace.

“That’s one of my strengths, and I think that’s something that can take this team to another level on both ends of the court …,” Dosunmu said. “We have so many great talents on offense that can score in so many different ways, so adding a different way to the offense is just going to make it harder to guard.”

Meanwhile, Portland enters the matchup on a three-game winning streak after knocking off the Memphis Grizzlies in back-to-back games and then cruising to a 135-118 win over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Toumani Camara will look to stay hot after erupting for career-high 30 points on 10-for-12 shooting in the win against Philadelphia. He made a career-best eight 3-pointer (on 10 attempts) and notched three steals.

Camara credited his teammates for playing a role in his sharpshooting from long distance.

“It felt great,” Camara said. “A lot of great looks, too. A lot of open shots. My teammates found good ways to find me. It felt pretty big (Monday), for sure.”

Deni Avdija in particular helps the rest of the Trail Blazers, Camara said of the player who leads the team in scoring (25.5 points per game) and assists (6.7 per game).

“He’s an All-Star for a reason,” Camara said. “He shrinks the floor a lot. A lot of people just worry about his drives and how aggressive he can be, so it opens up a lot of things for other players. And then he’s very unselfish, and he’s really looking to pass the ball a lot.”

This is the second of four meetings between the teams this season. Minnesota won the season opener for both teams 118-114 on Oct. 22 in Portland thanks to a 41-point performance by Anthony Edwards.

–Field Level Media

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