Fowler replaces Watson on Cup golf team
Rickie Fowler, who played for the United States in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, replaced Bubba Watson on the U.S. team for the World Cup of Golf at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, from Nov. 23-27. He will be joined on the U.S. team by Jimmy Walker.
Watson said he was forced to withdraw because of scheduling and personal issues.
“It was a very difficult choice not to play in the World Cup of Golf,” Watson said in a statement. “Rickie and Jimmy will do a great job as a team, and I wish them the best.”
Fowler and Walker, the PGA champion, both will be playing in the World Cup of Golf for the first time. However, they have been teammates in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup in recent years.
Saban cuts Alabama quarterback list to two
Alabama coach Nick Saban has narrowed the Crimson Tide’s quarterback competition down to two players: redshirt junior Cooper Bateman and redshirt freshman Blake Barnett.
Saban addressed the hottest topic surrounding the Crimson Tide in his opening statement during his Monday news conference opening USC week. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on ABC.
“Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett are probably the two guys that we’re getting ready to play in this game, and that’s the way it’s going to be for right now,” Saban said. “We’re going to try to continue to try to develop all of our guys. We made this choice, we made this decision because it’s what’s going to give us the best chance to win this game, but it’s also about future development of our players.
“We want to play the guy that’s the most ready to give us the best chance. We also want to continue to develop guys that can compete at this position in the future. That’s kind of where it is right now. There’s really nothing else to talk about. Nothing else to say.”
Two lead South Carolina football team
Former starting cornerback Rico McWilliams and redshirt freshman wide receiver Christian Owens have left the South Carolina Gamecocks football team.
McWilliams started 10 games as a junior last season, but had fallen out of the top defensive back rotation and new coach Will Muschamp said he has decided to give up football. McWilliams, who started 18 games over the past three seasons, had returned to the team last week after missing several days of the preseason to help family dealing with flooding in Louisiana.
Owens was a 6-foot-5 recruit out of Griffin, Ga. who signed as part of the 2015 class under then-coach Steve Spurrier and went on to redshirt last season. He had been competing for a backup spot in fall camp.
Cardinals reach injury settlement with cornerback
The Arizona Cardinals parted ways with a pair of injured cornerbacks to reach the roster limit of 75 players on Tuesday.
Arizona reached an injury settlement with veteran Alan Ball and placed rookie Elie Bouka on injured reserve.
Ball’s stay with the Cardinals lasted just under four weeks, as the 31-year-old sustained a quadriceps injury a few days after signing with the club on Aug. 4. Ball recorded 18 tackles in 15 games with Chicago last season.
Bouka, who was a free agent from the University of Calgary, sustained a leg injury during summer practices. The 24-year-old Quebec native did not participate in training camp.