Coming Soon
It was always going to be a fight for the USC Aiken men's basketball team.
Scottie Scheffler has become the first player in the 50 years of The Players Championship to win back-to-back. This was the hardest. Not only was he dealing with neck pain all week, he started the final round five shots behind. Scheffler closed with a 64. That matches the lowest final round by a winner. He also tied a Players Championship record with a five-shot comeback. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, British Open champion Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele all finished one shot behind. All of them had their chances over the final three holes to force a playoff.
Scottie Scheffler has become the first player in the 50 years of The Players Championship to win back-to-back. This was the hardest. Not only was he dealing with neck pain all week, he started the final round five shots behind. Scheffler closed with a 64. That matches the lowest final round by a winner. He also tied a Players Championship record with a five-shot comeback. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, British Open champion Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele all finished one shot behind. All of them had their chances over the final three holes to force a playoff.
Denny Hamlin has won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway after passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps. It's his fourth victory at the famed short track. Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September. This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon as only five cars finished on the lead lap — the first time that has happened in the Cup Series in 20 years. The Gibbs cars were the class of the field.
Community support is the bedrock of local journalism. If you aren't already among our loyal subscribers, please consider supporting our important work of covering Aiken County and beyond.
Defending champion Connecticut, along with Houston, Purdue and North Carolina are the top seeds in a March Madness bracket that started going haywire even before the pairings came out. Of the four top seeds, only UConn heads into the tournament coming off a win. That played into the Huskies receiving the No. 1 overall seed. The other three top seeds lost in their conference tournaments.
Defending champion Connecticut, along with Houston, Purdue and North Carolina are the top seeds in a March Madness bracket that started going haywire even before the pairings came out. Of the four top seeds, only UConn heads into the tournament coming off a win. That played into the Huskies receiving the No. 1 overall seed. The other three top seeds lost in their conference tournaments.
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The second-seeded USC Aiken men's basketball team lost a 70-69 heartbreaker to seventh-seeded Emmanuel in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
Bristol Motor Speedway has ditched the dirt and is back to being a concrete coliseum for its annual spring race.
Fox Creek swept Silver Bluff in first region series after beating the Bulldogs 11-0 and 10-0.
The nine Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame have reached an agreement on a six-year deal to continue the College Football Playoff through the 2031 season. The move establishes a revenue-sharing plan and allows the CFP to finalize a new media rights agreement. Executive Director Bill Hancock says the agreement doesn't lock in a format for the CFP for 2026 and beyond. The playoff is expanding this season from four teams to 12, but that number could grow after the current contract with ESPN expires after the 2025 season. The new deal guarantees playoff access for at least five conferences through 2031.
NFL teams have spent hundreds of millions of dollars this week to add new players, re-sign their own and try to improve their chances of winning. From Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley changing teams soon after the league’s tampering window opened to Chris Jones and Mike Evans staying put before hitting the open market, it’s been a wild spending spree. The grades are in and the Eagles, Buccaneers, Packers and Commanders get the highest scores. The Cowboys are the only failure.
It's now win or go home for the USC Aiken men's basketball team.
Rory McIlroy had 10 birdies, two water balls and one lengthy dispute on where to take a penalty drop. It added up to a 65 at The Players Championship. That's his lowest start at the TPC Sawgrass and it gave him a share of the lead with Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark. One tee ball went into the water on the 18th. The one causing issues was on No. 7, his 16th hole of the round. Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland were questioning whether the ball landed above the red hazard line. McIlroy says he was comfortable with where he dropped.
The No. 3 USC Aiken golf team is set for the upcoming Bobcat Invitational, which will take place March 18-19 in Eatonton, Ga.
Matt Hayes knew as a sophomore at Silver Bluff High School that he wanted to be a teacher and a coach.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan isn't offering any details on negotiations with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. But he expresses confidence the tour can strike a deal with the Public Investment Fund and that golf's fractured landscape can be repaired. He also sounded a confident tone that he's the best person to lead the way. Monahan held a news conference Tuesday for the first time in nearly seven months. Since then, the tour got a minority investor pumping up to $3 billion into golf. And LIV persuaded Masters champion Jon Rahm to join. Monahan did not set a timetable for an outcome.
Boys' Soccer
The North Augusta softball team is on the offensive this year.
North Augusta baseball started the week off by shutting out Aiken 10-0 in five innings on Monday night.
Tucker Wilkinson started the lacrosse program at Fox Creek five years ago before returning to his hometown in West Virginia and leaving the program in the hands of Jake Torres.
The top senior high school basketball players from the area and other parts of the state were in action one final time Friday at Aiken High School.
The USC Aiken men's basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament, but the Pacers won't be playing on their home floor.
Scottie Scheffler is the best in golf from tee to green. He was hot with the putter at Bay Hill and the result was predictable. Scheffler demolished a strong field to win by five shots. It's the largest margin at the Arnold Palmer Invitational since Tiger Woods in 2012. Scheffler shot a 66 in the final round while playing in the last group. That was the best score by two shots on Sunday. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark had a 70 and was runner-up. Shane Lowry shot 72 and finished third. Lowry started the final round tied for the lead with Scheffler.
Brice Garnett wasn't sure how many PGA Tour events he could play this year with only past champion status. He played his first one in the Puerto Rico Open and came away a winner. Garnett made a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to beat Erik Barnes. The victory gives him a two-year exemption. That's effectively the next three years on the PGA Tour. It sends him to The Players Championship next week and the PGA Championship in May. Barnes narrowly missed a 12-foot birdie putt to extend the playoff. He was looking for his first win.
No. 3 IOWA 94, NEBRASKA 89 (OT)
North Augusta High School wrestling standout Nick Moore signed his letter of intent for Newberry College on Sunday.
No. 3 IOWA 95, MICHIGAN 68
ORLANDO, Fla. — Scottie Scheffler was losing ground and losing his mind Saturday at Bay Hill, and he wasn't alone at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Larson spent most of the afternoon near the front of the pack during the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, putting himself in position for a second NASCAR Cup Series championship in three years.
No. 17 SOUTH CAROLINA 93, MISSISSIPPI STATE 89 (OT)
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Kamilla Cardoso banked in her first-ever 3-pointer at the buzzer and rescued No. 1 South Carolina’s perfect season with a 74-73 victory over Tennessee at the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Arthur Kaluma scored 23 points, Cam Carter added 21 and Kansas State beat sixth-ranked Iowa State 65-58 on Saturday, giving the Wildcats’ flickering NCAA Tournament hopes a big boost heading into the Big 12 Tournament.
The preseason favorite to win the Peach Belt Conference, the North Georgia men's basketball team has remained at the forefront of the conversation throughout the entire season.
Booth Malone left his day job to pursue a career in fine art 35 years ago, and found his passion in painting horses and hounds.
Say the words "Triple Crown" to folks and you're likely to get a variety of answers.
Fox Creek baseball remains undefeated after beating the Academy of Richmond County 7-0 on Friday night.
Boys' Golf
North Augusta boys' tennis is building the foundation for the years ahead with a large team of newcomers for the 2024 season.
Boys' Soccer
Richard Crawford III and Ryan Aquino looked just as surprised as anybody Wednesday night to be handed a headset on press row at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.
Three area high school basketball players have been selected for this month's North-South All-Star games.
No. 8 GEORGIA COLLEGE 83, No. 1 USC AIKEN 71
Boys' Golf
After a second consecutive Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship for the USC Aiken men's basketball team, Tyler Johnson has been named PBC Player of the Year presented by College Ave while Tehree Horn and Jalen McCoy also earned all-conference honors. Head coach Mark Vanderslice …
The University of Georgia and Georgia Southern battled on a rainy Tuesday at the ballpark at SRP Park in North Augusta.
National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. is expected to be ready for opening day with the Atlanta Braves after a more thorough examination of his sore right knee found no serious issues. Acuña left the Braves’ spring training site in Florida to be examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Monday night. The team says ElAttrache found only irritation in the meniscus of his right knee. Acuña will be able to gradually increase his baseball activities and is expected to be cleared when the Braves open the regular season at Philadelphia on March 28.
Tehree Horn didn't have to come back.
Rory McDonald O'Brien had an idea of where he stood in relation to the lead near the end of Tuesday's final round of the 27th annual Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first player to struggle with one part of his game. The putting stands out because everything else about his game is so good. And it doesn't help that he gets extra attention as the No. 1 player in the world. Scheffler is coming up on the one-year anniversary of his last official PGA Tour win. He made five straight birdies on his way to a blowout victory at The Players Championship. Scheffler can't dodge questions now about his putting and he understands why everyone is talking about it. He's keeping patient through more quiet reflection.
Can't make it to the Masters Tournament but still have a craving for pimento cheese or egg salad sandwiches?
Baseball
North Augusta kicked off its Region 4-AAAA season with a 3-0 win over South Aiken at home on Monday.
USC Aiken men's basketball standout Tyler Johnson has been named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week, as announced by the league office.
USC Aiken baseball standout Matt Garcia has been named the Peach Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office.
Today's Top Headlines
-
Damage reported in downtown Aiken building following fire
-
Aiken County authorities looking for missing Batesburg woman
-
Did a secret meeting derail Aiken's $75 million project? Here's what we know.
-
Missing 2-year-old boy found Sunday in Aiken County
-
Wagener Medical Center closes doors, faces murky future