🗞 Golden Cap

December 10, 2019

Morning.

On this day in 2009, Tiger Woods announced an indefinite leave from golf to focus on his marriage (after, you know). Fast forward 10 years and he's about to captain the USA presidents cup team in Melbourne. Cats always land on their feet.

In today's edition of SJ:

⚽️ EPL transfer window preview

🏉 Bombshell about to break

⛳️ Reed is public enemy #1

Napoli lead 3-0 & Liverpool lead 2-0 in the European early kick offs and Mo Salah just did this.beautiful.

Sports news lite

⚽️ ACL Group: In a remarkable coincidence, Ange Postecoglou’s title-winning Japan side Yokohama F. Marinos have been drawn to face Sydney FC in the 2020 Asian Champions League (ACL). (foxsports)

🏏 BBL: The leading run-scorer and wicket-taker at any given time of this season’s Big Bash will wear a golden cap, not their official franchise headwear. Like the Tour De France and IPL. (foxsports)

🚘 Motorsport: With Holden announcing the iconic Commodore name will be dropped, take a look back at the brand’s – and the Commodore’s – remarkable numbers in ATCC/Supercars history.(foxsports)

🏅Olympics: Russian doping for dummies: Why they’re banned and what comes next (foxsports)

🏏 Cricket: Sport Minister Mick Murray fires back at 'thin-skinned' cricket writer after he branded Optus Stadium 'sterile' suggesting a Boxing Day Test would never take place there. (thewest)

⚽️ Transfer Window

Christmas wishlist: What every Premier League team needs in January transfer window

Fox Sports have broken down who they feel each team needs to buy during the window. (Foxsports)

We've highlighted 4 players that will be in every gossip column from now until the window slams shut.

Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli) - The best player on his team in every match I've seen. Man City will surely be sniffing around. In my opinion, Liverpool should break the bank (again), imagine him and Van Djik?! I'd be wasting my time to suggest Arsenal should sell 7 of their aged, slow, careless wasters and buy one Koulibaly.

Nathan Ake (Bournemouth) - Chelsea have had their transfer ban reduced and have been linked with buying back the player they sold for £20m for around £40m in January. Business.

Erling Haaland (Red Bull Salzberg) - Son of former City player Alf-Inge. At 19 he's breaking records across Europe. There is some gossip about his buy-out clause being €30m which would surely be met. Expect him to make a stepping stone move (probably to Germany) before a big move in a couple of years.

Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) - What a talent, homeboy Grealish will surely want to stay and keep his club in the Premier League. He's no stranger to the tabloids in the UK...from girlfriends to getting smashed on holiday!

🏉 NRL

Drug Bombshell set to break

One of the league's biggest names in the last 20 years is facing serious drugs supply charges.

The player, now retired, can't be named on the instructions of the judge handling the case - for the moment. But he was arrested last week and appeared in court before being granted bail.

But he will be back before the judge soon and is then likely to be 'outed' - and make front page news.

The case is no fault of the NRL - it did the right thing by the player during his long career - but the incident will give the game another black eye nonetheless because of the man concerned's high profile.

It's possible the story is linked to this court sitting in Auckland a week ago... (newshub)

👏🏻 A cancer-stricken boy said: ‘Mum, let me die’. Then Shaun Johnson changed his life

...“Then Cronulla turned up with Shaun Johnson.”

Within an hour Jason was running around, once vacant eyes now dancing with life.

“We got our son back that night,” Greg declared.

It was a simple gesture from the Sharks and Johnson, a routine hospital visit, which Greg said changed his son’s life.

He described Johnson “running around like an idiot” with a sombrero on his head.

⛳️ Presidents Cup

'Selfish, horrible' US golf star Patrick Reed faces brutal Melbourne reception. Cameron Smith expects the Melbourne crowds to stick it to Patrick Reed at this week's Presidents Cup as the fallout continues from the American's cheating scandal.

'It's a dream come true': Tiger Woods and USA team arrive in Melbourne for Presidents Cup

Tiger Woods and his US team have touched down in Melbourne ahead of the Presidents Cup which gets underway on Thursday.

The US team, which also includes five of the top nine ranked players, flew in on a specially chartered flight from the Bahamas.

Then guys at oddschecker have done the research and are picking Luis Osthauzin $6.5 and Justin Thomas $5.5 - as top point scorers for each team. (oddschecker)

🏏 Cricket

Michael Vaughan says Steve Smith isn't out of form. And New Zealand is about to find that out (starts Thursday)

Vaughan expects a big series from the one-time Australian captain against New Zealand.

Smith made scores of 4 and 36 in his only two hits against Pakistan.

"I wouldn't say (he had) a lean run. He got 30 odd in Adelaide where, I wouldn't be concerned about that," Vaughan told foxsports.com.au.

"I would expect him to get runs this series, and I'm pretty sure he will get in a lot earlier than he did against Pakistan.

Smith is $8.0 to be man of the match.

Shield players choke on smoke as incredible haze blankets the SCG

🇦🇺 AFL

‘Don’t drink wine at charity events!’ — Dale Thomas’s cheeky advice to Carlton’s Fraser Phillips

#2 - you may remember...is a reference to Footy Classified's Caroline Wilson who reported, Thomas was at a Camp Quality charity function when he had “too much to drink”, back in May and suggested Thomas had been involved in an incident with ex-Fremantle and Carlton ruckman Robbie Warnock “involving drink spilling”.

🏅 Olympics

Queensland to bid for the 2032 Olympic Games

News broke on Monday that Queensland is one step closer to making history, with state leaders moving to launch an official bid for the 2032 Olympic Games.

Instead of a traditional city hosting the games, Queensland's bid involves a state-wide approach which would likely include regional cities like Cairns, Townsville and the Gold Coast.

🏈 College Football

The 2019 Heisman finalists have been announced

LSU's Joe Burrow, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts and Ohio State's Justin Fields and Chase Young have officially been announced as the finalists for the 85th Heisman trophy which is awarded annually to the outstanding player in NCAA football (yahoo)

Two Aussie punters continue amazing college football trend

Former AFL player Max Duffy who is one of three finalists - and one of two Aussies (Dane Roy of Houston, the other) - in the running for the Ray Guy Award this year, given to the best punter in college football in the USA.

From being delisted by the Fremantle Dockers in 2015, to having the longest punt average in all college football (48.60 yards) from just 47 punts

Five of the last six winners come from Down Under.

All of those Aussie winners since 2013 have two things in common too;

  1. They were budding AFL players before pivoting to American football,

  2. They were all helped on that path by the Prokick Australia program. Run by former NFL punter and AFL player Nathan Chapman

The show follows 3 of the top high school players, as they attempt to get into the best colleges. It's crazy, high school games with 15,000 people in the crowd.

Sport on TV

⚽️ Champions League - 4:55am kick offs, including; RB Salzburg v Liverpool

🏄🏻‍♂️ 5:00am Day 3 of the Men's Pipe Line comp

⚽️ Champions League - 7:00am kick offs, including; Chelsea v Lille & Inter v Barcelona

🏀 NBA

🐴 Racing from Ararat and Wagga

Enjoy the start of the golf...Back on Friday!