Sports
Alex Smalley sets clubhouse lead, Chris Gotterup posts 65 at PGA
May 15, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Alex Smalley reacts on the fourth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Alex Smalley closed with a birdie to set the clubhouse lead at 4-under-par 136 on Friday, while Chris Gotterup and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama put themselves in contention at the PGA Championship halfway through the second round at Aronimink Golf Club.
Smalley, one of seven co-leaders after 18 holes, signed for a 1-under 69 at about 2:30 p.m. local time. He was tied with South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter and Australia’s Min Woo Lee, who were 1 under par early in their respective rounds.
The other first-round leaders playing this afternoon are Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.
Gotterup’s 5-under 65 was the best round of the tournament by two strokes. The native of nearby New Jersey burst onto the scene with last year’s Scottish Open title and third-place finish at the Open Championship before he won two events on the PGA Tour this winter.
Gotterup birdied Nos. 7, 8 and 9 at the end of his round to surge up the leaderboard.
“If you’re in the right spot you can make a putt, but it’s really hard to get it close,” Gotterup said of the scoring conditions. “I felt like I got it about as close as you could on 11 today, and I had 25 feet and — made a nice putt. But, yeah, I felt like I just was in a good spot for some of those putts.”
Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, is vying for his second major after a consistent tee-to-green day with four birdies and one bogey. He said his birdie at No. 7 was his favorite.
“My birdie putt hung on the lip for a while, and then the wind blew it in,” Matsuyama said. “So that was probably my best one.”
Smalley started the day at 3 under and was the first player to reach 5 under this week before squandering the cushion he’d built. He played the back nine — the more difficult half of the course — in 2 under par but proceeded to bogey Nos. 1, 2 and 3. He bounced back with a birdie at No. 4 before pitching his third shot at the par-5 ninth to 14 inches.
Australia’s Jason Day birdied the first two holes of his afternoon round to join the tie at 3 under.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler completed a 1-over round of 71 in more than 5 1/2 hours as sluggish pace of play became a prevailing topic of discussion around Aronimink.
Scheffler dropped to 2 under for the tournament, joining Cameron Young (67) and Justin Thomas (69) two shots behind the leaders.
Notable players with afternoon tee times include Xander Schauffele (2 under in the first round), Brooks Koepka (1 under), Jordan Spieth (1 under), Jon Rahm of Spain (1 under), Rickie Fowler (even), Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (4 over) and Bryson DeChambeau (6 over).
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
Sports
Emma Raducanu reunites with coach from '21 U.S. Open run
Emma Raducanu gets set to serve to Amanda Anisimova during their third-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Sunday, March 8, 2026. Emma Raducanu is reuniting with the coach who guided her to her only career title — the U.S. Open in 2021.
That is Andrew Richardson, a veteran coach and former singles player on the ATP Tour. Raducanu said in a statement issued Friday that she is “grateful to have reconnected with someone who has known me for over a decade now and looking forward to building together one iteration at a time.”
Raducanu was an 18-year-old qualifier when she captured the Grand Slam championship in New York. Soon after, she split with Richardson.
Their new partnership begins immediately. Richardson will be in Raducanu’s corner at the Strasbourg International, a 500-level WTA Tour event that starts Sunday in France.
Richardson, 52, most recently worked at the Ferrer Tennis Academy in Spain. Like Raducanu, he is from Great Britain.
The Tennis Podcast reported that Raducanu and Richardson worked together at the academy in April.
Raducanu, 23, has had nine coaches but has not had a permanent one since January, when she and Francisco Roig split after her loss at the Australian Open.
She has not played many matches this season, recently pulling out of the Italian Open because she did not feel well. ESPN reported Friday that she has a “post-viral illness.”
She last took the court for the third round at Indian Wells in March and faced Amanda Anisimova, losing 6-1, 6-1.
At Strasbourg, Raducanu will have the opportunity to practice on the clay courts to prepare for the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, which will run May 24-June 7.
Raducanu will fall from No. 30 to No. 37 in the rankings next week.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal already playing catch
Apr 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal already is playing catch, just nine days after undergoing elbow surgery, the New York Post reported Friday.
The left-hander underwent an arthroscopic procedure on May 6 to remove loose bodies in his pitching elbow. His original estimated recovery time of two months could be shortened to six weeks, per the report.
Skubal, 29, experienced discomfort in his April 29 start against the Atlanta Braves in a 4-3 loss. He gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out seven. He did not figure into the decision.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner is 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA in seven starts this season. He has struck out 45 batters and walked only six in 43 1/3 innings.
Skubal has a 57-39 record and a 3.06 ERA in seven seasons and 144 games (141 starts) for the Tigers since 2020, striking out 934 batters while walking 178.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Pitt adds Bryant transfer G Timofei Rudovskii
Timofei Rudovskii, Bryant Men’s Basketball Bryant transfer wing Timofei Rudovskii has committed to Pitt.
ESPN reported the news Friday morning, and Rudovskii confirmed it in his Instagram bio.
Rudovskii averaged a team-best 12.9 points to go along with 4.7 rebounds in 31 games (all starts) last season en route to being named to the America East All-Rookie team.
The 6-foot-9 Russian shot 41.0% from the floor and 36.2% from 3-point range during his lone campaign with the Bulldogs.
–Field Level Media
Emma Raducanu reunites with coach from '21 U.S. Open run
Report: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal already playing catch
