Legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne’s grave has been moved to the Notre Dame campus.
Rockne’s casket, along with that of his wife, son, and grandson, were exhumed from Highland Cemetary in South Bend at dawn on Sunday and moved to Notre Dame’s campus where a reburial and ceremony occurred later in the day.
Moving the gravesites to Notre Dame’s campus will come with more security according to Rockne’s granddaughter Jeanne Anne Rockne, who spoke to WNDU in South Bend.
“I pick up cigarette or cigar butts, shot glasses and whiskey bottles,” said Jeanne Anne.
There are jagged edges and burn marks where people have chipped away at the headstone and snuffed out their cigars.
“People don’t respect things anymore,” said Jeanne Anne.
College football’s all-time most famous coach died in a plane crash in 1931 and his previous gravesite was chosen by his wife Bonnie.
What’s the secret to winning this week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first leg of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs? Players might start by keeping their golf balls out of the water.
Sounds simple, right? PGA Tour players are immensely skilled at avoiding the double and triple bogeys that often follow any splashdowns. But TPC Southwind in Memphis is a different animal than most Tour courses, with water directly in play on 10 holes for top-quality players.
Since 2023, TPC Southwind leads all Tour courses with most balls in the water. Players have deposited 6,166 balls into the wet stuff in that period, more than a thousand more than at any other Tour course.
If lined up, that would be 287.75 yards worth of golf balls.
A golf ball weighs 45.93 grams – actually, they can’t weigh more than that, but manufacturers do try to max out their density. So altogether those wet golf balls would tip the scales at just more than 624 pounds. And you thought your carry bag was heavy with those open-in-case-of-emergency 18-packs.
Keep scrolling for the top three Tour courses of the past 20 years to see the most balls in the water.
“Once you get a taste of (winning), you want to get back there as soon as possible.” — Davis Riley
DUBLIN, Ohio – When former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover pulled up to the front gate at Jack Nicklaus’s Muirfield Village Golf Club this week, he asked the attendant how he was doing.
“He said, ‘If I was any happier, I’d be dancing.’ I’d never heard that one before,” Glover said. “And then he followed that up by saying, ‘And nobody wants that, trust me.’ ”
On a warm, sunny Thursday at the Memorial, Davis Riley danced around Jack’s Place to the tune of 5-under 67, to lead Englishman Matt Wallace by a stroke.
Riley, 26, made birdie on three of the final four holes to vault to the top of the leaderboard. But it was a par save at the second hole that jump-started his round after an errant tee shot left stopped behind a tree. Riley pitched out sideways and then wedged inside 3 feet and holed the putt.
“I felt like that was kind of a momentum-keeper shot and hole and, yeah, that kind of kept the round going,” he said.
He made a birdie at the third and finished with a flurry of birdies including a 13-footer at the ninth.
“I thought that I left the last one short and thankfully it fell in on the last roll and it was a good way to end the day,” he said.
A year ago, he shot an opening-round 67, too, and was part of a six-way tie for the lead before finishing T-13. Riley, who claimed his first PGA Tour win last month at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, entered the week having missed four straight cuts.
“I hit a really hard reset at the beginning of this week and said to my caddie James (Edmonston) – he helped me out a lot with that and he’s like, ‘Look, you just need to keep doing your thing, good golf is right around the corner.’ I know it’s weird saying that when you win, six, seven weeks ago, but it’s just one of those things to try to kind of get that consistency part, I feel like I need to be a little easier on myself and just keep playing my golf,” he said. “Once you get a taste of (winning), you want to get back there as soon as possible, and I feel like I’ve been getting in my own way a little bit.”
Asked if he would treat himself to one of Muirfield’s trademark milkshakes after his strong start, Riley said he’d hold off because it would keep him up all night and he’s got an early wake-up call for his 8:12 a.m. tee time. “If tomorrow goes well I’ll probably have to have one,” he said.
StrackaLine offers a hole-by-hole course guide for Muirfield Village in Ohio, site of the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour.
Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio – site of the 2023 Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour – was founded and designed by Jack Nicklaus, opening in 1974. The course has been the site of the Memorial since 1976.
The course, which completed a large renovation in 2020, will play to 7,533 yards with a par of 72 for this week’s Memorial Tournament.
Thanks to yardage books provided by StrackaLine – the maker of detailed yardage books for thousands of courses around the world – we can see exactly the challenges the pros face this week at Muirfield Village.
The win is the seventh of Horschel’s PGA Tour career.
DUBLIN, Ohio – Billy Horschel does not idle well.
He walks fast, talks fast, plays fast and is one to get, well, angry fast. His middle name could be Impatient. Or Fidgety.
Always been that way for the veteran. From time to time, he’s overcome his lack of easing off the pedal and won six PGA Tour titles. But for some time now, his team has urged him on many occasions to slow his roll.
He’s finally taking their advice.
After a heart-to-heart with his caddie, Mark “Fooch” Fulcher, following last week’s missed cut in the Charles Schwab Challenge, Horschel deliberately eased his pace and took 10-15 more seconds to figure out what the two wanted to do on every shot in The Memorial, Jack Nicklaus’ annual gathering of the game’s best players at Muirfield Village Golf Club, the course the Golden Bear built.
Through three rounds, it worked and Horschel led by five with 18 holes to play.
But come Sunday, Horschel had to rely on a heavy dose of his new approach – and a ton of patience – in the final round to overcome a pedestrian start and shake Nicklaus’ hand in victory.
In winning for the seventh time on the PGA Tour, Horschel didn’t buckle when his consecutive bogey-free streak ended at 50 holes with a bogey on the sixth. Didn’t buckle despite his overnight lead falling to two with six holes to play. Didn’t buckle even after driving his ball on the 13th into the trees.
Staring collapse directly in its face, Horschel laid up to 102 yards on 13 and then canned an 11-footer for par to increase his lead to four.
After making a gutsy par from eight feet on the 14th, Horschel had the big moment he was waiting for by making a 53-foot eagle putt on the 15th.
Horschel signed for an even-par 72 to finish at 13 under and four shots clear.
Aaron Wise was playing alongside Horschel and pushed him best he could. He made big par saves and then big birdie putts on the 10th and 11th holes and another strong par save on the 12th to pull within two. But Horschel held him off.
Wise finished second at 9 under with a 71.
Defending champion Patrick Cantlay and Joaquin Niemann each shot 71 to finish in a tie for third at 7 under.
Max Homa (69), Will Zalatoris (70), Denny McCarthy (72), Sahith Theegala (71) and Daniel Berger (73) finished in a tie for fifth at 6 under.
Saw Rickie Fowler in this hat and knew his time was coming soon.
The PGA Tour is in Ohio this week for the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. Jack’s place has produced big-name winners over the last four seasons: Patrick Cantlay twice, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau.
Muirfield Village is a par 72 layout measuring over 7,500 yards. It’s gone through a renovation over the last few years that included the resurfacing of every green on the property.
Among the big names, there are several players further down the odds list to keep an eye on.
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Can another youngster grab his first PGA Tour win?
From Fort Worth, Texas, to Dublin, Ohio, the PGA Tour has moved its way north and it’s time for a weekend at Jack’s place.
Last year’s Memorial was, well, unique. Jon Rahm had the tournament all but locked up, tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw after the third round, and the trophy eventually went to Patrick Cantlay, his second career win at Muirfield Village.
Like most years, the field is loaded. Rahm and Cantlay are joined by world No. 3 Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Viktor Hovland.
Changes were made to the course over the last few years including the resurfacing of every green, adjustments to 14 of the putting surfaces, and No. 15 was completely redone.
Golf course
Muirfield Village | Par 72 | 7,533 yards
General view of the 16th hole during the final round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 5, 2016 in Dublin, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
Key stats
Strokes Gained: Tee to Green: The last five winners of the Memorial entered the week ranked inside the top 14 in SG: Tee to Green on the season.
Strokes Gained: Around the Green / Scrambling: Short game is key around Muirfield Village. Players who are unable to avoid bogeys around the greens are going to have trouble contending.
Data Golf Information
Course Fit (compares golf courses based on the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — to predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead), 2. The Concession Golf Club, 3. Sea Island GC
Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): 1. Jon Rahm (7.3 percent), 2. Patrick Cantlay (5.3 percent), 3. Rory McIlroy (5.1 percent)
Latest Twilight 9 episode
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#Chiefs HC Andy Reid paid tribute to his friend John Madden at Monday’s celebration of life at the Oakland Coliseum.
Andy Reid's closing remarks at John Madden's Celebration of Life: "John's in heaven now… Constantly talking to the greats of all sports, telling them why football is the greatest sport of all. God has asked him to be careful flailing those big arms of his." @KCTV5pic.twitter.com/8wvRnk6Zy7
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid had a chance to memorialize the late John Madden on Monday evening.
Reid was one of eight speakers at Madden’s celebration of life at the Oakland Coliseum, where he delivered an emotional speech on his good friend. He spoke on the lessons he learned from Madden, the privilege it was to work alongside him to better the league and told some funny stories about him and the great coach and broadcaster. Those stories included their love of ‘Diners Drive-Ins and Dives’ and a story about Brett Favre playing a prank on Madden.
Reid kicked things off by taking a knock at a crowd mostly comprised of Raiders Nation.
“I glad I’m not at spitting distance,” Reid said with a crowd full of Raiders fans. “It’s good to be in the black hole.”
Then, Reid continued to deliver his speech. You can watch a few select clips shared by KCTV5’s Jared Koller at the top of the page, or you can read the speech in its entirety down below:
“Listen, I first met coach (John) Madden about 30-plus years ago my first year in Green Bay. He took me in like one of his own. He said, ‘You played offensive line?’ I said, ‘I did.’ He said, ‘You’re in.’ I was in the club, officially. Coach taught me to appreciate every day, every game, every play of every game. He taught me not to back off (from) what I knew would be the best for the National Football League. He taught me that coaches weren’t the hamburger flippers of the National Football League — that we had a voice and if properly presented people would listen — Roger Goodell and the owners. Commissioner Goodell asked Coach (Madden) to put together a committee of present-day coaches that could review the rules and regulations of the National Football League. I got a call from Coach Madden to be on that committee and I was proud of it as were the other coaches who were also on the committee. I got to work hand in hand with a great coach, John Madden, and it was an honor. His relentless trust in his own common sense, suggestions to change the game for its betterment, probably drove commissioner Goodell crazy. But it was awesome to watch his beautiful mind formulate each want.
He taught me to never lose my childish love for life. I remember a time we played the 49ers and Coach (Madden) met with me down in San Francisco. I called him when I got there, it was a two-day trip. I’m sitting on the 30th floor and I call Coach (Madden) on my cell phone on Saturday before a walkthrough. As I’m talking to him, I look down, 30 floors above and I see this little blue hat. And there’s a man sitting down in an open cafe in the middle of downtown San Francisco and he’s talking to everybody that walks by. I keep hearing on my cell phone, ‘How are you doing?’ I go, ‘Coach are you in an open cafe down below me, are you wearing a blue hat? He goes, ‘Yes.’ I go, ‘I could spit on your head right now.’ I’m 30 stories up and I said, ‘You know what I’m going to do, I’m going to call you when I get back from the walkthrough.’ He said his apartment was right across the street, so I came back and I called him in his apartment. Don’t forget the childish part. I asked where is his apartment, he says I’m kitty-corner. I said I’m standing in the window in the corner, so all of a sudden I see the curtains moving out of the way and the couch moves out of the way and there’s coach. I count the floors, I’m on the 18th floor and I told coach, ‘I’m about 18 floors up.’ So I told coach to take a peek and I’m doing this *flails arms wildly* and the windows are tinted. And then we see each other and it’s like two little fat kids in a candy store. It was a beautiful thing.
Also, I look forward to Friday nights, which is ‘Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives.’ Coach (Madden) and I like to eat, which I think is obvious. We would grade Guy Fieri on the meals that he was checking out. We’d say, ‘Does Guy like it or doesn’t like it? Is this a good meal or bad meal? If it was a good meal, we’d have that bad boy. We’d proceed — him in Northern California and me in Kansas City — we’d proceed to go get the Burrito or the hotdog or if the hamburger was on — we’d have to have one that night. Thank you, Guy Fieri.
(Coach Madden) taught me that a sense of humor goes a long way, especially with players and really with people in general. . . Coach Madden had an issue, if he smelled somebody’s gas and Brett Favre had a lot of gas. But on this day, during the production meeting, we’re on the road and Brett Favre had a plan. Brett was a big prankster as Coach Madden was. So Brett got his hands on a little bottle of morning breeze. It was sulfur and it smelled like natural gas — like Brett’s natural gas. So during their production meeting, Brett had this plan, he was going to get the coach to gag. So he took it during the production meeting, he sprinkled this morning breeze on the coach’s feet and I sat outside the door. And here comes Coach Madden through this thing like he used to make his guys drive the 7-man sled. He was gagging all the way out, cherry red and he looked at me and he goes, this quarterback of yours is unbelievable I love this guy.
Coach loved being one of the guys. Coach loved the common human. Most of all he loves his beautiful wife, Virginia, the tough farm girl. He loved his boys and he loved his grandkids. Coach Madden loved life and life loved him back. Coach was able to turn everything into gold and we got to ride on those big gold broad shoulders of his.
John Madden is in heaven now. It’s 100 times bigger than the Hall of Fame. The busts are now alive. He’s constantly talking to the greats of all sports and telling them why football is the greatest sport of all. God has asked him to be careful flailing those big arms of his. John, we have a packed house out here, look over there. Pete Rozelle is still hiding from Al Davis. The past officials are still hiding behind Pete Rozelle. The sideline polar bear has arrived! He’s here and he’s ranting, ‘Turducken’s For Everybody!” We will make heaven an even better place than it already is. Pat Summerall and John Madden are together again. The father, the son and the holy ghost bow to the echo of this holy reunion. Their play-by-play has brought a peaceful excitement to the heavens. All is well. We love you, coach.”
Jon Rahm does not apologize for losing his temper, but if he did, it would be done thoughtfully.
DUBLIN, Ohio — Jon Rahm’s golf game swings between the spectacular, seething and suspicious.
When he gets rolling, the defending Memorial Tournament champion is as good as anyone. Just 25 years old when he won at Muirfield Village Golf Club in July, the victory moved Rahm atop the world ranking, making him only the fifth player to reach No. 1 before turning 26. The others? Rory McIlroy (four major championships), Jordan Spieth (three), Justin Thomas (one) and some guy named Woods (15).
That’s strong coffee. Phil Mickelson (six majors) has at times called Rahm the best young golfer on the planet.
But when Rahm roils, his club tossing and angry outbursts deflect attention from his immense talent. After being seen hammering his clubhead into the ground during the final round of the 2020 Memorial, the Spaniard received an on-air verbal reprimand of “chill” from CBS broadcaster Nick Faldo. Two weeks ago at the PGA Championship, Rahm slammed his iron into a TV microphone after a poor tee shot.
Now ranked No. 3 globally, Rahm does not apologize for losing his temper. (But if he did, it would be done thoughtfully; he is among the more introspective and self-aware players on Tour).
“I’m not mad if I get angry,” Rahm said last week, channeling Yogi Berra. “It helps me compete. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten angry, then gone on a run of nine holes that locks me in.”
Jon Rahm plays his shot from the fairway on the ninth hole during the final round of the 2020 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Photo by Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Rahm referenced the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines when, after lipping out for birdie at No. 10, he shot 6 under par over the last eight holes to win the first of his five PGA Tour titles.
“That lip-out was not on camera, but I got really mad and then you see what happened,” he said. “It’s a complicated logic process. Everybody gets angry on the golf course, but none of us want to play angry. You’re looking for that sweet spot where you use the anger to get in the focus zone to get you going.”
If Rahm rues anything about his behavior, it is that he has a propensity to whine.
“The complaining? I hate it, and judge myself heavily over it,” he said. “I see it getting better, but I really wish sometimes I had the level of maturity on the course that I have off it.”
Such refreshing transparency is rare among superstar athletes. Whether it carries to the golf course remains unclear, as multiple accusations of cheating have cast suspicion.
The wondering began in 2017 when Rahm was accused of breaking the rules by marking his ball incorrectly on the green during the Irish Open. He was cleared of wrongdoing, but soon after was caught up in more controversy when playing partner Lee Westwood reported him for moving a tree branch in an attempt to improve his stance before playing a shot during the first round of the 2017 British Open. Rahm again was cleared.
Even if we extend grace and attribute Rahm’s rules hiccups to lack of concentration more than intent to gain advantage, repairing a soiled reputation as a Tour rules breaker is a conundrum that requires a player to stop doing what he claimed he never did in the first place. Rahm can go the next 10 years without a single allegation of cheating, yet for some the stain will remain. Ask Vijay Singh or Patrick Reed about that.
“I’m an honest player,” Rahm has said more than once. And there’s the rub, because most Tour players never need to defend their integrity even once.
To that end, last year’s rules infraction on Muirfield’s 16th hole during the final round of the Memorial did not help Rahm’s reputation. Leading Ryan Palmer by three shots with three holes to play, Rahm chipped in for birdie, but he later was assessed a two-shot penalty when replay showed his ball moved slightly when he grounded his wedge in the rough. He won by three shots, but the penalty still rubs him wrong.
“I still can’t believe it, the fact that I couldn’t see what was going on,” he said, protesting that the two-shot assessment was misapplied because Tour rules make clear that for a penalty to occur the player must be able to see the ball move in real time.
Rahm is just as bothered that Tour officials did not notify him of the penalty before his TV interview that immediately followed the round, a decision that put him in an awkward position of trying to explain on camera something he never saw.
If that sounds like whining, well, he is working on it.
“Sometimes you have to take a few steps back before you leap forward,” he said.
Rahm made a big leap in April by becoming a father — son Kepa was born a week before the Masters — a change that has provided life perspective.
“I can sense a shift within me for the better,” he said. “Priorities change.”
At least off the course. On it?
“It’s not going to be a softer Jon Rahm,” he said. “I’ll still fight with every fiber of my being.”
Can’t wait to see it. And trust me, we will. The volcano is perpetually prepared to erupt.
Another defensive end recruit is offered by Notre Dame.
Earlier this week, Notre Dame made an offer to strong-side defensive end recruit Nigel Smith. Now, the Irish have decided it’s time to continue shoring up that position for the future. Mike Elston had a conversation with Kennedy McDowell of Memorial in Frisco, Texas, and it led to an offer. From the sound of this tweet, it appears McDowell is serious about both the athletic and academic side of his collegiate career:
— Kennedy ”Mayhem” McDowell (@MayhemMcDowell) May 13, 2021
Only seven programs have made offers to McDowell, so it’s obviously early in the recruiting process for him. At this point, the other schools competing for his services are Vanderbilt, Arizona State, Kansas, FIU, Colorado and SMU.
In addition to playing football, McDowell recently was a state qualifier in the 110-meter hurdles. It’s safe to say that whoever lands him is going to be getting quite an athlete. Opposing offenses are going to have to keep a close eye on him because this is a kid meant to compete at the next level and make big plays to boot.
