Sports
Several marquee names skipping PGA's return to Trump National Doral
Rory McIlroy tees off on the fourth hole during the third round of the 2026 Masters. Credit: Grace Smith-Imagn Images The PGA Tour is making its return to Trump National Doral following a 10-year hiatus this week, but even a signature event’s $20 million purse at the famous “Blue Monster” wasn’t enough to prevent several marquee names from opting out.
The Cadillac Championship is the fifth of eight signature events this season, featuring a $3.6 million winner’s check. The field is limited to only 72 players and without a cut, meaning every competitor is guaranteed at least $36,000.
However, it also comes three weeks after the Masters and two weeks after the fourth signature event at the RBC Heritage. Another signature event is on tap at next week’s Truist Championship, which is followed by the second major of the year at the PGA Championship.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy is skipping his second consecutive signature event since repeating at the Masters. No. 3 Matt Fitzpatrick, who played the Masters before winning the RBC Heritage and last week’s Zurich Classic, is also taking the week off.
So, too, are No. 9 Xander Schauffele, No. 12 Robert MacIntyre and No. 14 Ludvig Aberg.
Fifth-ranked Justin Rose will be on hand to tackle the Blue Monster, where he won in 2012. But that only comes after skipping the RBC Heritage following a tie for third at the Masters, where he held the lead on the back nine on Sunday.
Despite the massive purses and elevated FedEx Cup points on the line, the string of three signature events and two majors in a six-week span is forcing players to make some tough scheduling decisions.
“I looked at this period coming up and I think something had to give, for sure,” Rose said. ” … I felt like I knew what was coming, I knew what a big run of events were coming, obviously with PGA Championship being on the back of (these) three.
“When you’re having to miss great events to prepare for other great events, it’s not ideal. Obviously this event was added late in I guess the structure of the sort of elevated event structure that we had. This is obviously a new edition, so it had to fall somewhere.”
The makeup of the 2027 PGA Tour schedule and beyond has been an ongoing topic of discussion. After rumors of a massively revamped schedule began circulating earlier this year, the expectation is now for a first iteration of changes in 2027 followed by more in the following year.
The consensus seems to be that while the elevated purses are attractive — and difficult to walk away from — there are only so many events players can commit to over a short span. Adam Scott, who won the most recent PGA Tour event at Doral in 2016, said this year is stacking up as an exception rather than a new normal for the schedule.
The Cadillac Championship wasn’t announced as an addition to the 2026 schedule until last August.
“Ideally, this wouldn’t be the way,” Scott acknowledged. “It’s one event we’re talking about, so it makes that much of a difference adding one, it makes that much of a difference taking one away. I think we’ve got to get through this year and hopefully the schedule looks a little more balanced next year.”
Rose was asked what he believes the impact will be if a future schedule features fewer events that are all on an equal level.
“What the PGA Tour’s trying to do is create the best possible product and the best possible tournaments in the most appealing time of the year,” Rose said. “The players go, ‘That’s my job, this is the season, this is time to knuckle down and get down to business.’
“If that means that that flow of events suits you, then that’s what you have to commit to, to kind of give your best performance on the best courses or the courses that suit you the best, in order to accumulate the right amount of points to win the Fed(Ex) Cup. That’s the goal.
“Everybody’s going to have a slightly different recipe of how that’s done”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Brewers claim best record in baseball with late rally past Angels
Aug 1, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Jake Bauers (9) is greeted by left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) in the dugout after hitting a home run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Brice Turang drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Jake Bauers homered for the second straight game to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Jackson Chourio doubled and scored a run and William Contreras also doubled for Milwaukee, which moved atop the major league standings at 69-41, a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chad Patrick (6-4) struck out five and gave up one hit over two shutout innings to pick up the win in relief. Trevor Megill pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up his 18th save.
Mike Trout went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored and Jorge Soler doubled and drove in a run for Los Angeles, which lost its fifth straight game.
Samy Natera Jr. (1-1) picked up the loss, allowing one run on two hits in two innings with four strikeouts. Natera was the third of four pitchers used by the Angels, who elected to go with a bullpen game after scheduled starter Jose Soriano, the subject of trade rumors, was scratched a few hours before the game.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Trout singled and scored on Soler’s bloop double down the left field line.
Bauers, who hit a three-run homer to highlight a five-run fifth inning in Milwaukee’s 6-2 victory in Friday’s series opener, tied the game in the fourth inning with his 20th home run, a 401-foot line drive into the bleachers in right-center.
The Brewers took a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning when Chourio lined a double over the head of left fielder Jose Siri and scored on a bloop single to center by Turang.
Milwaukee added an insurance run in the ninth against Kirby Yates when Garrett Mitchell walked with two outs, stole second and scored on a softly hit groundball single to center by Cooper Pratt.
Brewers starter Robert Gasser allowed one run on four hits over five innings, striking out six and walking two. Angels replacement starter Brent Suter walked three and struck out one in two no-hit innings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Walk-filled third inning helps Pirates beat Reds, snap 4-game skid
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (9) tags out Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez (55) on his way to second in the third inning between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Pittsburgh starter Braxton Ashcraft threw five solid innings and Jake Mangum had two hits and a run to lift the visiting Pirates to a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.
Ashcraft (11-4) allowed one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts before a 106-minute weather delay preceded the bottom of the sixth inning.
Bryan Reynolds, Esmerlyn Valdez, Nick Gonzales and Henry Davis finished with an RBI apiece for the Pirates, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Gregory Soto pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 14th save. Three Pittsburgh pitchers combined to hold Cincinnati to three hits. The Pirates recorded six hits.
Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead in the third despite collecting only one hit. Davis drew a leadoff walk from starter Andrew Abbott (5-7), then Mangum singled and Brandon Lowe coaxed a walk to load the bases. Reynolds and Valdez drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 2-0.
Gonzales followed with a fielder’s choice to plate Brandon Lowe and give the Pirates a three-run lead. As a steady rain fell throughout the inning, the grounds crew briefly tended to the mound.
Cincinnati got on the board in the fifth when Jose Trevino opened the frame with an opposite-field homer to right.
The Pirates extended their advantage to 4-1 in the sixth when Davis feathered an RBI single into shallow center, just beyond the reach of a diving TJ Friedl.
The Reds, who were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, threatened in the fourth. Sal Stewart was hit by a pitch before being forced out at second on JJ Bleday’s fielder’s choice. Nathaniel Lowe singled to center and, after Noelvi Marte popped out, Bleday advanced to third when no one covered second on Ashcraft’s pickoff attempt. But Eugenio Suarez struck out to end the inning.
Elly De La Cruz lined a rocket to center to open the eighth, but Mangum chased it down and made a leaping catch.
Abbott allowed three runs on three hits while matching a season high with five walks over five innings. He struck out one.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves acquire Royals OF Lane Thomas, LHP Bailey Falter
Jul 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lane Thomas (15) hits a single against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images The Atlanta Braves added depth on the offensive and pitching sides on Saturday night, acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas and left-hander Bailey Falter from the Kansas City Royals.
In exchange for Thomas and Falter, Atlanta is sending right-hander Lucas Braun and left-hander Carter Holton to Kansas City. According to MLB Pipeline, Braun is the Braves’ No. 8 prospect. Thomas started Saturday’s road game in center field against the host Colorado Rockies, then was lifted in the fourth inning.
Thomas, 30, signed a one-year, $5.25 million deal in the offseason with the Royals and moved into an every-day role when center fielder Kyle Isbel went on the injured list on June 10. From that date through July 20, Thomas hit .262 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, 17 runs and 20 RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .232 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs in 97 games.
An eight-year veteran, Thomas was a fifth-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB Draft and debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017. He also played for the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians before joining the Royals and is a .240 hitter with 86 homers and 291 RBIs over 696 games.
Falter, 29, has only pitched in five games (two starts) this season, going 0-2 with a 13.97 ERA while spending time on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. A fifth-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2015, Falter is 25-32 with a 4.77 ERA in 119 games (85 starts) with the Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Royals over six seasons.
Braun, who turns 25 later this month, was selected in the sixth round by the Braves in 2023 and reached Double-A Columbus in his first full minor-league season in 2024. In 19 games (17 starts) for Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett this year, Braun went 8-6 with a 3.53 ERA, 82 strikeouts and 27 walks in 94 1/3 innings. Over his minor league career, he is 24-18 with a 3.43 ERA in 77 games (73 starts), posting 421 strikeouts and 113 walks in 414 2/3 innings.
Holton, 23, was a second-round pick of the Braves in 2024 and is 2-2 with a 4.32 ERA in 10 games (eight starts) this season between Augusta in the Carolina League and the Florida Complex League. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and missed the entire 2025 season.
–Field Level Media
Brewers claim best record in baseball with late rally past Angels
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