Sports

Hyflyers, Stinger, Fireballs, Cleeks Advance; Semifinals Set

Published

3 years ago

October 21, 2023

FNN SPORTS

Brendan Steele and James Piot of the HyFlyers won their Foursomes match on Friday. (Photo by Doug DeFelice/LIV Golf)

BY LIV GOLF STAFF

MIAMI – HyFlyers GC and Cleeks GC pulled off the upsets as lower-seeded teams during Friday’s Quarterfinal matches of the LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami and will face the top two seeds in Saturday’s Semifinals at Trump National Doral.

HyFlyers Captain Phil Mickelson lost his high-profile singles match to Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka, 6 & 4, in a battle of LIV Golf’s most decorated major winners. But teammate Cameron Tringale beat Jason Kokrak in the other singles match, while the duo of Brendan Steele/James Piot beat Chase Koepka/Matthew Wolff in Foursomes to give the ninth-seeded HyFlyers a 2-1 victory.

“So excited about these guys. So proud of what they did, the way they played,” Mickelson said. “It’s inspiring. Look forward to the opportunity these guys gave me.”

Graeme McDowell of Cleeks GC helped give the 10th-seeded Cleeks a 2-1 victory at the Team Championship in Miami. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/LIV Golf)

Cleeks GC Captain Martin Kaymer lost to Ripper GC Captain Cameron Smith after a late rally to send his match to an extra hole. But Richard Bland beat Marc Leishman in the other singles, while Graeme McDowell/Bernd Wiesberger claimed a thrilling match against Matt Jones/Jediah Morgan in Foursomes that went three extra holes. McDowell rolled in the winning birdie putt from 20 feet to give the 10th-seeded Cleeks a 2-1 victory.

It’s the second consecutive year the Cleeks have pulled off an upset at Doral. Last year as the 10th seed, they beat 7th-seeded Torque. With a podium finish in Jeddah last week and now a quarterfinals win Friday, the Cleeks will have plenty of momentum entering Saturday.

“We’re a little bit dangerous looking going into tomorrow,” McDowell said. “We’ve kind of shifted into the next gear. We’ll try to stay in that gear.”

Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC beat Majesticks GC 2-1 in the quarterfinal round of the LIV Golf Team Championship. (Photo by Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf)

Fifth-seeded Stinger GC won all three of its matches against Iron Heads GC, while 6th-seed Fireballs GC beat Majesticks GC, 2-1.

Captains of the top four seeds then selected their semifinal opponents after Friday’s round. The shotgun start for Saturday is set for 1:15 p.m. EDT with these matchups:

No. 1 4Aces GC vs. No. 9 HyFlyers GC
No. 2 Crushers GC vs. No. 10 Cleeks GC
No. 3 Torque GC vs. No. 5 Stinger GC
No. 4 RangeGoats GC vs. No. 6 Fireballs GC

The defending Team Champion 4Aces GC will pose a tough challenge for the HyFlyers, but Mickelson – who will face Dustin Johnson in singles – looks forward to the opportunity.

“The Aces are the strongest team on LIV. They won it last year,” Mickelson said. “They’ve led throughout the year this year. But I’m really proud of my team for today and the effort that our guys made down the stretch to win and to finish the matches off.”

Johnson said selecting the lowest-seeded team available was the obvious choice. “I was sitting over here with the team, and they wanted to play the HyFlyers, so I said OK,” the captain said.

The Crushers lost in the semifinals last year with the same lineup, but captain Bryson DeChambeau said his team is stronger this year.

“I feel like we’re a force to be reckoned with, and we’ve just got to keep playing our game in the way we know we can and see what happens,” DeChambeau said.

Torque GC, the youngest team in the LIV Golf League, won more tournament titles (four) than any other team this season, but they’ll face a tough South African squad that posted the only shutout on Friday.

“They’ve got youth, so he’ll learn. So, we’ll see,” Stinger Captain Louis Oosthuizen said of his match against Torque Captain Joaquin Niemann. “It’s going to be fun tomorrow.”

RangeGoats Captain Bubba Watson will face Fireballs Captain Sergio Garcia, but the intriguing matchup will be 2023 Individual Champion Talor Gooch against young Eugenio Chacarra, who had the best performance Friday with a 6 & 5 win over the Majesticks’ Sam Horsfield.

“We’re going to go out there, we’re going to give it our best,” said Garcia, who lost a tight match against Majesticks co-captain Henrik Stenson. “My boys played amazing today, so I hope that they do more of the same tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll play a little bit better, and we’ll see if we can get that W.”

QUARTERFINALS RESULTS

No. 5 Stinger GC def. No. 12 Iron Heads GC, 3-0

Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger) def. Kevin Na (Iron Heads), 5 & 3. Oosthuizen won four consecutive holes to finish the first nine and never looked back.

Branden Grace (Stinger) def. Scott Vincent (Iron Heads), 2 & 1. Grace was 1 down before winning four of the last five holes.

Dean Burmester/Charl Schwartzel (Stinger) def. Sihwan Kim/Danny Lee (Iron Heads), 2 & 1. The Stingers rallied from an early deficit and won four holes during a seven-hole stretch to gain control.

No. 6 Fireballs GC def. No. 11 Majesticks GC, 2-1

Henrik Stenson (Majesticks) def. Sergio Garcia (Fireballs), 1 up. Stenson rallied midway through the round, winning three holes during a six-hole stretch.

Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs) def. Sam Horsfield (Majesticks), 6 & 5. Chacarra won five of the first six holes and shot 5 under for the 13 holes.

Abraham Ancer/Carlos Ortiz (Fireballs) def. Ian Poulter/Lee Westwood (Majesticks), 4 & 2. The Fireballs won three of the last five holes and closed out the match with a birdie.

No. 10 Cleeks GC def. No. 7 Ripper GC, 2-1

Cameron Smith (Ripper) def. Martin Kaymer (Cleeks), 19 holes. Smith was 3 up with three holes to play before Kaymer rallied to send the match to an extra hole, which Smith won with a birdie at the par-5 10th.

Richard Bland (Cleeks) def. Marc Leishman (Ripper), 4 & 3. The red-hot Bland was 3-up through five holes and never trailed.

Graeme McDowell/Bernd Wiesberger (Cleeks) def. Matt Jones/Jediah Morgan, 21 holes. In a sizzling extra-holes finish, McDowell’s 20-foot putt on the 21st hole was the final point that put the Cleeks through to the Semifinals.

No. 9 HyFlyers GC def. No. 8 Smash GC, 2-1

Brooks Koepka (Smash) def. Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers), 6 & 4. Koepka was 1 up through six holes, then took control by winning four of the next five holes.

Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers) def. Jason Kokrak (Smash), 2 & 1. Tringale closed out the win with a long birdie putt on the 18th while Kokrak hit two shots in the water.

James Piot/Brendan Steele (HyFlyers) def. Chase Koepka/Matthew Wolff, 1 up. The HyFlyers held on after taking the lead with a birdie at the par-3 13th, halving the final seven holes.

SEMIFINAL MATCHES

No. 1 4Aces GC vs. No. 9 HyFlyers GC

Captain Singles: Dustin Johnson (4Aces) vs. Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers)
Singles: Patrick Reed (4Aces) vs. Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers)
Foursomes: Pat Perez/Peter Uihlein (4Aces) vs. James Piot/Brendan Steele (HyFlyers)

No. 2 Crushers GC vs. No. 10 Cleeks GC

Captain Singles: Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers) vs. Martin Kaymer (Cleeks)
Singles: Paul Casey (Crushers) vs. Richard Bland (Cleeks)
Foursomes: Charles Howell III/Anirban Lahiri (Crushers) vs. Graeme McDowell/Bernd Wiesberger (Cleeks)

No. 3 Torque GC vs. No. 5 Stinger GC

Captain Singles: Joaquin Niemann (Torque) vs. Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger)
Singles: Sebastian Munoz (Torque) vs. Branden Grace (Stinger)
Foursomes: Mito Pereira/David Puig (Torque) vs. Dean Burmester/Charl Schwartzel (Stinger)

No. 4 RangeGoats GC vs. No. 6 Fireballs GC

Captain Singles: Bubba Watson (RangeGoats) vs. Sergio Garcia (Fireballs)
Singles: Talor Gooch (RangeGoats) vs. Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs)
Foursomes: Thomas Pieters/Harold Varner III (RangeGoats) vs. Abraham Ancer/Carlos Ortiz (Fireballs)

Central Florida News

Orlando Magic Fall to 0-2 Under Sean Sweeney After 115-93 Loss to Timberwolves

Published

5 days ago

October 24, 2026

FNN NEWS

Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, wearing a white No. 5 jersey, dribbles while Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards defends in a blue uniform.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero controls the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards at Kia Center in Orlando on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. Minnesota defeated Orlando 115-93, dropping the Magic to 0-2. Photo by Harry Castiblanco / Florida National News.

Shooting struggles and a costly third quarter leave Orlando winless through two games under first-year coach Sean Sweeney
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — A new coaching era has opened with consecutive losses for the Orlando Magic, who fell 115-93 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Kia Center.

Orlando dropped to 0-2 under first-year head coach Sean Sweeney as shooting struggles again slowed its offense. The Magic also struggled with turnovers and missed free throws, repeating problems from their season-opening loss to Atlanta. Yahoo Sports

Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards holds the basketball while airborne as Orlando’s Paolo Banchero contests behind him and another Magic defender raises both arms.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards handles the ball as Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero contests the play at Kia Center in Orlando on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. Minnesota defeated Orlando 115-93. Photo by Harry Castiblanco / Florida National News.

Third-quarter struggles prove costly

Minnesota led 57-45 at halftime before taking control in the third quarter. The Timberwolves closed the period with a 17-3 run, building an 86-60 advantage heading into the fourth. Orlando could not recover from the 26-point deficit. reuters.com

Carter leads Orlando

Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to lead the Magic. Franz Wagner scored 18 points before fouling out, while Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs added 14 apiece.

Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels each scored 15 points for Minnesota, which improved to 2-0. Rudy Gobert contributed 14 points and nine rebounds. Reuters

Perimeter shooting remains a concern

Orlando made just eight of its 39 attempts from 3-point range, shooting 20.5%. Minnesota connected on 37.8% of its attempts from beyond the arc. reuters.com

Two games offer a limited measure of Sweeney’s tenure, but the early results identify an immediate challenge: improving offensive execution and preventing difficult stretches from becoming decisive runs.

Central Florida News

Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Select 25 Coaches for 2027 Academy, Five for Fellowships

Published

1 week ago

October 22, 2026

FNN SPORTS

The fourth class will receive scholarships for a weeklong program in Tampa, with five participants returning for training camp and preseason.

TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are accepting applications for their 2027 National Coaching Academy, offering 25 finalists an opportunity to learn from NFL coaches and participate in rookie minicamp activities.

Applications close Dec. 31, 2026. The program uses rolling admissions, and applicants are encouraged to apply early, according to the team.

Presented by ReliaQuest, the academy was established by the Glazer family to create pathways for coaches seeking NFL opportunities. The upcoming class will be its fourth.

Eligibility and Scholarships

Applicants must have at least three years of coaching or work experience in a football program at the high school, college or semiprofessional level.

The 25 finalists will receive full scholarships covering costs while in Tampa for the weeklong academy.

After completing the program, five participants will be selected to return as fellows for training camp and the preseason.

On-Field Experience and Coaching Instruction

Finalists will attend team meetings and participate in on-field coaching sessions during rookie minicamp.

The program includes master classes led by Buccaneers coaches, along with Super Bowl-winning head coaches Jon Gruden, Bruce Arians and Tony Dungy, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronde Barber, according to the announcement.

Additional sessions cover film review, media training, business insights and networking.

Program Draws International Interest

The academy has attracted more than 3,000 applicants from 22 countries over its first three years, the team said. Dozens of previous finalists have since earned new positions or promotions at their institutions.

Applications for the 2027 class are open now until Dec. 31, 2026, with a rolling admissions program. Applicants are encouraged to apply early. More information can be found HERE.

Central Florida News

Orlando Magic Expand ThreatLocker Partnership With Warmup Branding, Cybersecurity Campaign

Published

1 week ago

October 22, 2026

FNN SPORTS

Orlando Magic, ThreatLocker Add Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign and Courtside Branding

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The Orlando Magic and Orlando-based cybersecurity company ThreatLocker have expanded their partnership to include player warmup branding, courtside signage and a cybersecurity awareness campaign, the team announced Oct. 21.

ThreatLocker’s branding will appear on the Magic’s player warmup shirts for all home and away games, as well as front-row courtside seatback covers at Kia Center.

Campaign to Share Online Safety Tips

Timed to coincide with Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the awareness campaign includes an opening-night commercial featuring ThreatLocker CEO and co-founder Danny Jenkins.

The spot will offer tips to help fans and Orlando-area residents protect themselves online, according to the announcement.

“As a Magic Champion of the Community partner since 2023, ThreatLocker has demonstrated a strong commitment to the local community,” Magic President of Business Operations Charlie Freeman said. “We’re excited to help raise cybersecurity awareness and continue growing their brand and our collective community impact.”

Branding Extends Across Games and Broadcasts

The agreement also includes a season-long commercial campaign and a custom-branded broadcast feature. ThreatLocker will receive exposure through MagicTV 27 in Central Florida and the team’s regional over-the-air broadcast network.

Warmup shirt branding will give the company visibility during pregame activities, player-focused content and game broadcasts, according to the announcement.

“We’re delighted that this partnership will help fans stay safe online,” Jenkins said. “And with October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s a great opportunity to share a few simple steps everyone can take to better protect themselves and their families.”