Golf
One tournament into his return was all Tiger Woods needed to strike a deal with Bridgestone to play its golf ball.Bridgestone Golf said Thursday it has signed Woods to a multi-year agreement in which he will play and promote the golf ball. Woods effectively became a free agent for equipment deals when Nike decided to stop making clubs and golf balls and instead focus on apparel.
Woods began his career using Titleist and switched to a Nike ball in May 2000. He said finding the right golf ball was “essential” and that the Bridgestone B333-S was the right fit for him.
SEOUL, South Korea – Bubba Watson might add a pink golf ball to go with his pink driver – and a green ball for the Masters.The JoongAng Daily in South Korea reports that Watson has agreed to a deal to use the Volvik golf ball starting next month. The Korean ball manufacturer mainly has been used on the LPGA Tour and is best known for golf balls it produces in a variety of colors. And that might be the perfect fit for the two-time Masters champion.
Watson for years has used a driver with a pink shaft and pink club head. He also wears different colored golf gloves. Shin Dong-hwan, president of Volvik USA, told the newspaper that Watson suggested using a pink golf ball for the final round.
MLB
DENVER – The Colorado Rockies shored up their shaky bullpen by agreeing to a $19 million, three-year contract with reliever Mike Dunn on Thursday.
Colorado desperately needed bullpen help after blowing 28 saves last season. The 31-year-old left-hander went 6-1 with a 3.40 ERA in 51 appearances for the Miami Marlins last season. He also had eight holds and four blown saves.
Skiing
VAL GARDENA, Italy – Aiming to extend his perfect start to the speed season, Kjetil Jansrud of Norway led the final training session for the classic downhill on the Saslong course on Thursday.Jansrud was a slim 0.05 seconds ahead of three-time Val Gardena winner Steven Nyman of the United States, and 0.12 in front of Max Franz of Austria.
VAL D’ISERE, France – Italian skier Sofia Goggia was fastest in the second World Cup downhill training session on Thursday, nearly one second ahead of defending overall champion Lara Gut.Goggia was .31 seconds ahead of Cornelia Huetter and .85 clear of Gut on the Oreiller-Killy course in the French Alps.
Soccer
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced plans Thursday for the league’s expansion to 28 teams, including a deadline for owners to apply and a new franchise fee.
The fee for the two teams expected to be granted next year is jumping to $150 million. Garber also set a Jan. 31, 2017, deadline for interested potential owners or ownership groups to apply.
The league has expanded to 22 teams with the addition of Atlanta United FC and Minnesota United FC, which will debut next season.
The Los Angeles Football Club will join the league in 2018 as the 23rd team. The league announced it is “making progress” on plans to add a team in Miami – the high-profile bid that includes David Beckham – that would bring the league to 24.
MLS made improvements in both its racial and gender hiring practices. It received an overall grade of B+ with a combined grade of 84.7, up by a significant 1.5 percentage points from the league’s 2015 overall grade.
Associated Press
