Florida Sports Wire

By FRED SEELY Jax Golf News Probably will be some confusion about this fall's PGA Tour stop in Sea Island because of the corporate name change of the sponsor.  It's still The McGladrey Classic, even though the financial services company will be renamed RSM by that time (Nov. 19-22) and the tournament will be rebranded the RSM Classic. We all probably can live with that because it's generally called the “Sea Island Tournament” anyway. A few comments about the event: • It has the best field of the pack of events which now make the PGA Tour a year-round affair, rather than shutting down from October until January. Tournament founder Davis Love III cashes a lot of chips out there, plus he would have a strong field if he only invited Sea Island residents (Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, etc.) • They'll use both the Seaside and Plantation courses for the first two rounds, which makes for a much better fan and player experience. No more dawn-to-dusk. • Not many s

By FRED SEELY JAX GOLF NEWS Gone and, let's hope, forgotten. The 115th U.S. Open was a debacle, from its $17 million cost overrun to its three-putt ending, with unwatchable television and bad spectator sightlines in between. You have to go back to 1970, when a prominent USGA member pulled the strings to get the event at his home course in Minnesota — Hazeltine, the “cow pasture” — to find such a mess.  But this couldn't have been backscratching: Chambers Bay is a muny, owned by the county. Any other ownership and it would have smacked of FIFA-like payouts. The course was hokey, and every aerial shot showed exactly that. It looked as if it had been dropped in from space. The surrounding land looked nothing like the golf course.  It was contrived, and it was an insult to every golfer who treasures the traditions of the game. It was also in awful shape. I can't speak to growing seasons in the Pacific Northwest, but obviously it isn't June.  It was torturo

OMAHA, Neb. – A bases-loaded sacrifice fly by senior Kenny Towns snapped a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning and brought home freshman Ernie Clement with what proved to be the winning run as Virginia (42-23) defeated No. 4 Florida (52-18), 5-4, on Saturday night at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.  With the victory, the Cavaliers advance to the best-of-three CWS Finals, where they will face defending national champion Vanderbilt in a rematch of last season’s title series. Junior Josh Sborz (6-2) provided four innings of scoreless relief to collect the win, Towns drove in three runs and sophomore Matt Thaiss was 2-for-3 with two runs and a homer. Leading the Gators offensively, junior Harrison Bader was 4-for-5 with a solo homer and sophomore Peter Alonso cranked a two-run shot in the second inning that was longest in the stadium’s existence. Thaiss had given the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a two-out homer to right field off of sophomore righty Dane Dunning. It was his 10th

Jacksonville, Fla., was one of 13 winners in the 34th annual USTA (United States Tennis Association) Facility Awards Program, which recognizes excellence in the construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities throughout the country. Representatives from the Southside Tennis Complex will be honored at the USTA Semi-annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Sept. 6, 2015. “Tennis is a big here in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, as evident by the strong support for Team USA in their Davis Cup tie against Brazil in 2013,” said Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. “The sport’s popularity is also bolstered by the more than 10,000 players who play at the Southside Tennis Complex every year. I am proud of the players and staff at Southside and congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.” The City of Jacksonville’s Southside Tennis Complex is home to approximately 10,000 tennis players each year. Approximately 20 teams per year participate in USTA-sanctioned

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Jacksonville Suns (29-38) mustered up a mini two-run rally in the ninth but fell short 3-2 to the Chattanooga Lookouts (41-25) Friday night from AT&T Field. Alex Wimmers (W, 5-1) twirled a gem in his start for Chattanooga lasting seven scoreless frames allowing three hits while walking two and striking out a career-high 11 batters.  Suns starter Austin Brice (L, 2-6) worked four and two-thirds innings surrendering two runs (both earned) on four hits while walking five and striking out six. Madison Boer (S, 1) earned the save for the Lookouts in two innings of work relinquishing two runs (both earned) on three hits while not walking a batter and striking out one. The scoring would begin in the bottom of the third for Chattanooga, after Niko Goodrum worked a lead off walk to then move down to second with a stolen base. Next batter Levi Michael then laced a RBI single to push his squad in front 1-0. After a Michael stolen base, Jorge Polanco ripped a ru

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Jacksonville Suns (29-36) generated an eight-run seventh to help top the Chattanooga Lookouts (39-25) 8-4 Wednesday night from AT&T Field. Blake Logan (W, 3-1) twirled a scoreless and hitless one and two-thirds innings while not walking a batter and striking out two out of the bullpen for Jacksonville.  Nick Burdi (BS, 2) (L, 3-4) did not retire a Sun allowing five runs (all earned) on three hits while walking two and not striking out a batter in the loss for Chattanooga. Suns starter Matt Tomshaw lasted five and one-third innings allowing surrendering three runs (all earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out four in a no decision.  Out of the bullpen Craig Stem worked a scoreless eighth for Jacksonville. Juancito Martinez hurled a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation for the Suns. The Suns and Lookouts will square off once again Thursday night from AT&T Field with a first pitch slated for 7:15 p.m. ET.  The Suns will send

LAS VEGAS – The three-time defending ArenaBowl champions are within striking distance of the top spot in the AFL Media Poll, as the Arizona Rattlers (9-2) leapfrogged the Philadelphia Soul (10-2) to move up to No. 2 in this week’s voting. The Rattlers picked up three first place votes after manhandling the Portland Thunder (3-8), 69-42, on the road for their fifth straight win in Week 12. J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Week, AJ Cruz, stole the show, scoring touchdowns as a runner, receiver, and return man, in addition to starting at Jack linebacker. Arizona hosts the South Division-leading Orlando Predators (7-5) – who came in at No. 4 in this week’s Media Poll – Saturday night on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The San Jose SaberCats (11-1) maintained the No. 1 spot in the AFL Media Poll for the fifth consecutive week, despite suffering a shocking overtime defeat at the hands of the LA KISS (2-9) in Week 12. The SaberCats will look to get back on track and o

LAS VEGAS – Jacksonville Sharks wide receiver Joe Hills has been awarded Russell Athletic Offensive Player of the Week, while LA KISS defensive back Rayshaun Kizer has been awarded Riddell Defensive Player of the Week, and Arizona Rattlers Jack linebacker AJ Cruz has been awarded J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Week for Week 12 of the 2015 Arena Football League season. In addition to these awards, the AFL is also awarding the Cutters Catch of the Week and AFL Highlight of the Week. The Cutters Catch of the Week has been awarded to Tampa Bay Storm wide receiver Julius Gregory, while the AFL Highlight of the Week has been awarded to LA KISS wide receiver DeMarco Sampson. RUSSELL ATHLETIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Hills (6-5, 215, Tennessee State) tied the Jacksonville Sharks’ franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a game with six in the team’s 56-63 loss to the Tampa Bay Storm in Week 12. He has caught a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, the longest active streak in

By FRED SEELY Jax Golf News Gerry James is a frequent competitor in North Florida Chapter events and you may know him as a Senior long-drive champion, but what you don't know is that he once was a professional wrestler.  Wearing the bad guy's mask, he toured Europe with Andre the Giant. • A lot of guys thought they had a chance to succeed Tim Finchem as PGA Tour commissioner and one was David Pillsbury, who headed the TPC club division.  He didn't make the cut (Jay Monahan is the chosen one) so he's now with a company in the health care industry. • Monahan must be secure in his future: he's torn down a Ponte Vedra home and a new one is under construction. • Add another good golf name to Northeast Florida. We've had Craig Shankland around for quite a while; now we have Ryan Parr. He's head pro at The Palencia Club in St. Augustine. • Yes, the PGA is going back to Kiawah Island but there's some good news, too. The only road in and out will

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - As the Jacksonville Armada FC wrapped up their inaugural North American Soccer League Spring Season on Saturday evening at James M. Shuart Stadium, they gave Spring Season champions New York Cosmos all they could handle in a 3-3 draw. Even after falling behind 2-0 in the first half and again 3-2 in the 86th minute, the Armada FC (3W-3D-4L, 12 points) showed they were not intimidated by the flash of a storied Cosmos club stocked with legendary names.  Haitian forward Pascal Millien, who is expected to get the call up to play for his country for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, played a part in all three Armada FC goals, scoring the first two and assisting on the third. He became the first player in club history to score multiple goals in one game. Although New York ended up clinching the spring title with the draw, Jacksonville did what it came to do: show the league they could go toe-to-toe with its top team. The Armada FC scored the most goals of any team against the Co

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (28-33) used an efficient one-hit performance achieved by four different pitchers to defeat the Tennessee Smokies (32-29) 2-0 Friday night from Bragan Field. Jake Esch (W, 5-3) in his start for Jacksonville worked six scoreless innings allowing only a solo hit while walking one and striking out six in a winning decision.  Smokies starter Frank Batista (L, 6-2) hurled seven frames surrendering two runs (both earned) on a pair of walks and four strikeouts. Steve Cishek (S, 2) collected his second save with Jacksonville after providing a perfect ninth inning that was accompanied with a strikeout. In this pitcher’s duel, the scoring would begin in the bottom of sixth, after Viosergy Rosa worked a lead off walk, to then get driven in by Matt Juengel’s RBI triple to leap the Suns in front 1-0.  Next batter Terrance Dayleg, subsequently grounded a RBI infield single to shortstop that sent home Juengel and doubled up Jacksonville’s lead to 2-

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  - The Jacksonville Armada FC will host their first-ever international friendly match at EverBank Field at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 against world-renowned Argentinian soccer club Boca Juniors. "We are thrilled and excited to be able to announce this match with a team of Boca Juniors' caliber and history," said Armada FC owner and CEO Mark Frisch. "This will not only be a great opportunity for Jacksonville fans to see our Armada matched up against one of the best club teams in the world but also a significant opportunity for us to showcase our beautiful city to millions around the world through the television broadcast." Tickets for the prestigious matchup, co-produced by Onside Entertainment, will start at $14 per seat and are available beginning today by contacting the Armada FC ticket office at 1-844-2-Armada and on the Armada FC website at armadafc.com. The Armada FC have a strong Argentinian connection with Boca in head coach Gui

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Southern League announced that four Jacksonville Suns have been named to the league’s South Division starting lineup for the 2015 Southern League All-Star Game on Tuesday June 23 at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama. The Suns have more starters than any other South Division club, with Matt Juengel, Zack Cox, Sharif Othman, and Jake Esch all a part of South Division (and Suns) manager David Berg’s lineup. Juengel will bat seventh and will be the designated hitter for the South Division. Juengel has led Jacksonville in power hitting all season, and he is currently hitting .277 with 10 homers and 33 RBI in 55 games played for the Suns.  His 10 homers are tied for fourth-most in the league, and he also averages a home run every 20.0 at-bats, which is fourth best in the Southern League. Juengel was named on Monday as the Southern League Player of the Week for June 1-7.  Over that week Juengel hit .391 (9-for-23) with six extra-base hits, 21 total bas

PENSACOLA, Fla.  – The Jacksonville Suns (26-33) fell 7-6 in walk off fashion to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (23-35) Wednesday night from Pensacola Bayfront Stadium. The scoring would begin in the bottom of the second frame, after the bases were worked full by the Wahoos courtesy of a Juan Perez walk, and a pair of singles by Sean Buckley and Lou Marson, setting the table for Beau Amaral’s two RBI single.  Two batters later, Jesse Winker looped a run-scoring single into center to move Pensacola’s advantage to 3-0.  Ray Chang continued the second inning rally with a two-run triple that provided the Wahoos with a 5-0 edge. Then a wild pitch from Lyman, scored Chang, and completed the six-run second for Pensacola. Suns would face a daunting 6-0 deficit through just two innings of play. To the top of the fourth, and the Suns got on the board after one swing of the bat by Matt Juengel (HR, 10), who would send a two-run blast over the left field wall to trim the Suns deficit to 6-2.

CHICAGO – The Jacksonville Sharks (6-5) jumped up two spots to No. 4 in the latest AFL Power Rankings, the League office announced on Monday. Jacksonville defeated the Orlando Predators (6-5), 66-51, to take the head-to-head point differential tiebreaker for the lead in the American Conference South Division in Week 11. Joe Sykes, who earned Riddell Defensive Player of the Game honors, set the single-season franchise record for sacks by recording his 14th of the season in the contest.  Sykes is now just two sacks shy of his own AFL single-season record of 16, which he set in 2012. Sykes, who has gotten to the quarterback in 10 consecutive games, will have the opportunity to make history in front of a national audience again in Week 12, as the Sharks travel to Tampa Bay on Friday night for a matchup with the 4-6 Storm. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The San Jose SaberCats (11-0) remain atop the latest AFL Power Rankings after securing their second consecutive Pacific Di

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -  With one team in a scoring drought and the other on a shutout streak, the Jacksonville Armada FC and Ottawa Fury FC produced just about what you'd expect on Sunday afternoon: a scoreless draw. But it wasn't the kind of yawn-inducing, energy-sapping 0-0 game that every soccer fan dreads. Rather, this one featured shots from seemingly every angle and plenty of attacking play - just not the goal that the 7,586 fans at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville so desperately wanted. It was the team's first clean sheet since May 9th and the 39th of Gallardo's career, a positive step ahead of next weekend's clash with the high-powered, league-leading New York Cosmos. With just two points from their last four NASL games, the Armada will hope to finish the NASL Spring Season on a high note in that one, which kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. in New York.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Sharks scored 50 second-half points on Saturday night, as the team erased a seven-point halftime deficit en route to a 66-51 victory over the Orlando Predators in front of 10,217 on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Jacksonville (6-5) turned the tide by forcing a pair of turnovers in the third quarter. With his team down by a 30-22 count Tommy Grady hit Jeron Harvey on a 10-yard touchdown pass to bring the Sharks within a point. With their fifth straight win, the Sharks have now moved into first place in the South Division for the first time this season. Jacksonville currently owns the second tiebreaker over Orlando based on point differential in head-to-head games. In the victory, Grady completed 26 of his 36 pass attempts for 275 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions. After throwing both of those picks in the first half, Grady went 13-for-14 with five touchdown passes over the game's final two qu

NEW YORK - The North American Soccer League (NASL) Spring Season is heading down the final stretch, and depending on a pair of Week 10 results, the league could have its newest Spring Season Champion as early as Saturday night. While the league-leading New York Cosmos are off this weekend, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and/or Minnesota United FC must win in order to delay the Cosmos' celebrations for at least one more week. As part of a Saturday night slate that features four 7:30 p.m. ET kickoffs, United visits the Carolina RailHawks at WakeMed Soccer Park, while the Rowdies host FC Edmonton at Al Lang Stadium. The Atlanta Silverbacks and Fort Lauderdale Strikers also play at home on Saturday night, with Jacksonville Armada FC hosting the league's lone Sunday match. Here is a look at all of the Week 10 matchups: Atlanta Silverbacks vs. San Antonio Scorpions 7: 30 p.m. ET | Saturday, June 6 Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Atlanta, Ga. Watch | ESPN3 (National - U.S.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After two consecutive road games, the Jacksonville Sharks return to their home turf this weekend, as the team hosts the Orlando Predators. Kickoff on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is set for 7 p.m. tonight. Jacksonville (5-5) enters this week just one game behind Orlando (6-4) in the South Division Standings, as each team has eight regular-season games remaining.  This is the second of three matchups between the two teams, as the Predators topped the Sharks, 55-54, on Sea Best Field in Week 2. Jacksonville will head down to Orlando for the third matchup in Week 19. The Sharks will take the field on Saturday as winners of four consecutive games, as Jacksonville extended its win streak with a 41-35 victory over the Los Angeles KISS this past Sunday.  In that game, the Sharks raced out to a 21-0 lead, thanks in large part to Alvin Ray Jackson’s interception return for a touchdown on Los Angeles’ second snap.  But the KISS battle

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Suns (22-31) picked up their first series victory since early May after a 5-1 win over the Montgomery Biscuits (24-29) Thursday night from Bragan Field. Trevor Williams (W, 2-6) manufactured his longest start of the year for the Suns lasting seven scoreless frames relinquishing seven hits while not walking a batter and striking out four in the win. Biscuits starter Blake Snell (L, 3-1) worked five innings surrendering four runs (all earned) on seven hits while walking four and striking out six in a losing decision. The scoring would begin in the top of the third, after Kenny Wilson led off with a single, to then get knocked in by Carlos Lopez (HR, 1) who blasted his first double-A home run. With that hit, Lopez provided the first knock Biscuits’ starter Snell would offer up against a lefty in the Southern League, snapping a 0-for-38 stretch for left-handed batters against the Washington native. Suns now led 2-0 through three frames at Bragan F

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A banner and well decorated season full of accomplishments continued on Wednesday night for the Jacksonville University Athletics Department. The Dolphins swept the Atlantic Sun Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year awards with Garrett Ruckel (baseball) and Sammie Strausbaugh (volleyball) receiving the league’s top honors. The awards were handed out in conjunction with the A-Sun Annual Spring Meetings Banquet. Ruckel, who is also one of 18 finalist for the 2015 TD Ameritrade Fan’s Choice Award, is a recent a recent Magna cum Laude graduate and was Jacksonville University’s 2015 President’s Award winner for Outstanding Leadership. A member of the Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society as well he posted his best statistical year batting .324 with five doubles while posting a team-best on-base percentage of .442. Ruckel also notched a career-best nine RBI, scored 17 runs and struck out just four times in 71 at bats. Off the field, the Jacksonville native a

The Jacksonville Jaguars were awarded second-year quarterback Jeff Tuel off waivers from the Buffalo Bills.  Rookie quarterback Jake Waters was waived from the roster.   Tuel, 6-3, 221, was signed as an undrafted rookie by Buffalo in 2013 and played in two games with one start for the Bills over the past two seasons.   He spent his entire rookie season on the 53-man roster and made his only career start on Nov. 3, 2013 against Kansas City.  He served on the Bills practice squad for the majority of the 2014 season. Tuel, who was born in Boca Raton, Florida, played collegiately at Washington State where he saw action in 31 games and made 26 starts.  He finished his career with 5,936 passing yards and 33 touchdowns on 531 of 865 passing.   He left as the school’s all-time leader in completion percentage (61.4), fifth in completions, sixth in passing attempts and seventh in passing yards.  He was only the second quarterback in school history to start as a true freshman, joining for

ANAHEIM, CA – Holding a six-point lead in the final minute on Sunday, the Jacksonville Sharks needed one final stop and the defense delivered just that, as Greg Reid hauled in an interception on the final play of the game to seal Jacksonville’s 41-35 victory at Honda Center. Jacksonville (5-5) had the ball in Los Angeles (0-9) territory at the one-minute timeout, as the Shark offense had an opportunity to either run out the clock or take a two-touchdown lead. But after an offensive penalty backed the Sharks up to 4th and 16 from the KISS’ 21, Julian Rauch’s field goal attempt missed wide right. A Los Angeles defender fell on the rebound, giving the KISS a chance to march down the field with 37 seconds left. In the victory, QB Tommy Grady completed 20 of his 33 pass attempts, throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. Derrick Ross ran 11 times for 61 yards and three touchdowns. At receiver, Tiger Jones led the Sharks with nine receptions for 122 yards and a