Latest news with #JohnFields
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler 'cooking up' new practice facility for Texas Longhorns
Before Scotty Scheffler even teed it up for the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the former Texas Longhorns golfer was making news. In a 5-plus minute answer at his pre-tournament press conference, Scheffler opened up about the balance he's found in his life. While he strives to be the best in the world at his chosen profession, the things that fill his heart with joy are his family and inner circle. "If feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like, a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes. That kind of euphoric feeling. ... It's not a fullfilling life. It's not fulfilling from like the deepest places of your heart." - Scottie Scheffler Scheffler is obviously dedicated to his craft. But still, in many corners of the media and the golf world, his motives and desire were questioned. "I'm kind of a sicko. I love putting in the work. I love being able to practice, I love being able to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I don't understand the point." - Scottie Scheffler The Texas Ex has compartmentalized his life. He strives to be good at his job so he can enjoy what fills his heart. His 15-month-old son Bennet, his Highland Park High School sweetheart, wife Meredith and others close to him are what matters to him. Scheffler enjoys the grind of practice. Part of that comes from his time at Texas. On Monday, Texas Longhorns Golf Coach John Fields announced Scheffler would be funding a renovation of the Longhorns' practice facility at UT Golf Club. The complex and driving range will be called "Scheff's Kitchen." Scheffler and Meredith have remained close to Coach Fields and his wife Pearl. Last year, during an alumni pro-am, Scheffler let Pearl wear his Olympic Gold Medal all day. Although the Coach knew his former player had another motive. 'That helped him because he knew everyone wanted to see that gold medal … and Pearl got to be an Olympian for the day. He just finds fun ways to enjoy that moment but not be too overwhelmed by it, and he's really good about it.' - Texas Men's Golf Coach John Fields Other Texas golfers have contributed to the Longhorns golf facility. Jordan Spieth helped design and fund the construction of a six-hole short course at the club called "Spieth Lower 40." And Texas alum, and US Open winner, Tom Kite, recently remastered the team's chipping area. Of course, Scheffler also was back on the UT Campus last year to serve as the guest picker for ESPN College Football GameDay. He also received his first major award on GameDay. In 2022 Fields presented Scheffler with the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, his first PGA Tour Player of the Year award. He's now won it three years in a row. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Scottie Scheffler to donate new practice facility to Longhorns Golf
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
British Open champion Scottie Scheffler to donate new practice facility to Texas Golf
Before Scotty Scheffler even teed it up for the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the former Texas Longhorns golfer was making news. In a 5+ minute answer at his pre-tournament press conference, Scheffler opened up about the balance he's found in his life. While he strives to be the best in the world at his chosen profession, the things that fill his heart with joy are his family and inner circle. "If feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like, a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes. That kind of euphoric feeling. ... It's not a fullfilling life. It's not fulfilling from like the deepest places of your heart." - Scottie Scheffler Scheffler is obviously dedicated to his craft. But still, in many corners of the media and the golf world, his motives and desire were questioned. "I'm kind of a sicko. I love putting in the work. I love being able to practice, I love being able to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I don't understand the point." - Scottie Scheffler The Texas Ex has compartmentalized his life. He strives to be good at his job so he can enjoy what fills his heart. His 15-month-old son Bennet, his Highland Park High School sweetheart, wife Meredith and others close to him are what matters to him. Scheffler enjoys the grind of practice. Part of that comes from his time at Texas. On Monday, Texas Longhorns Golf Coach John Fields announced Scheffler would be funding a renovation of the Longhorns' practice facility at UT Golf Club. The complex and driving range will be called "Scheff's Kitchen." Scheffler and Meredith have remained close to Coach Fields and his wife Pearl. Last year, during an alumni pro-am, Scheffler let Pearl wear his Olympic Gold Medal all day. Although the Coach knew his former player had another motive. 'That helped him because he knew everyone wanted to see that gold medal … and Pearl got to be an Olympian for the day. He just finds fun ways to enjoy that moment but not be too overwhelmed by it, and he's really good about it.' - Texas Men's Golf Coach John Fields Other Texas golfers have contributed to the Longhorns golf facility. Jordan Spieth helped design and fund the construction of a six-hole short course at the club called "Spieth Lower 40." And Texas alum, and US Open winner, Tom Kite, recently remastered the team's chipping area. Of course, Scheffler also was back on the UT Campus last year to serve as the guest picker for ESPN College Football GameDay. He also received his first major award on GameDay. In 2022 Fields presented Scheffler with the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, his first PGA Tour Player of the Year award. He's now won it three years in a row. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Scottie Scheffler to donate new practice facility to Longhorns Golf
New York Times
15-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
At this U.S. Open, a lone Venezuelan navigates golf's great test and America's immigration turmoil
OAKMONT, PA — Late in December 2004, with no other options, Jhonattan Vegas picked up the phone and called University of Texas golf coach John Fields. Vegas was stuck. He was supposed to be in Austin and enrolling for his freshman year. Instead, he was still in Maturín, Venezuela with no way out. The U.S. Embassy in Caracas, at the time, was overwhelmed by Venezuelans seeking access to the United States following President Hugo Chávez's victory in a controversial recall referendum that August. Having already missed UT's first semester due to academic snafus, Vegas now faced the possibility of missing the second semester and the entire golf season. He was told the earliest appointment available might come in March or April. He thought all was lost. Advertisement Except things have a way of getting done sometimes. Fields called legendary golfer Ben Crenshaw, a proud Longhorn and friend of President George W. Bush. Crenshaw told Fields, 'John, I don't think we need to call the president about this, but I have an idea.' Crenshaw told Fields to call Don Evans, a Texas oilman, former UT regent, and the sitting U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Evans told Fields that he was, in fact, close friends with William Brownfield, the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, and he'd see what he could do. Fields' phone rang the next day. 'Can Jhonny be in Caracas tomorrow? His appointment is at 10 a.m.' Vegas boarded a bus in Maturín, made the 300-mile overnight ride to Caracas, then received a student visa. He picked up a plane ticket and flew to Texas. He arrived on a Thursday, having missed only two days of the semester. It was, as Fields puts it, 'an extraordinary confluence of events.' That's what it took for Venezuela's lone PGA Tour player to come to live in the United States. And that, deep in the recesses of Vegas' mind, is why this U.S. Open, a national championship being played amid heightened tensions in American streets and foment-filled conversations surrounding immigration, is unlike any other for the 40-year-old. 'As an immigrant, as a guy from Venezuela, a country that's being highlighted in all this, it's tough to see,' Vegas said Saturday. 'It's tough to read the news because it directly and indirectly affects you. It's hard to see.' In a field with 67 international players, Vegas is the only one representing a country targeted in President Trump's latest round of travel bans. In addition to the 12 countries with outright bans, Venezuela is among seven foreign nations subject to partial restrictions on entering the U.S. permanently or applying for certain visas. The result is Venezuelans across the country navigating deep anxiety over not only their own status, but over bubbling hostilities in the national debate over immigration. Advertisement As Vegas took to Oakmont on Saturday, tipping his cap to throngs of fans lining the first hole in anticipation of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler playing in the next group, he was, for the moment, well removed from a bigger picture and a much, much larger story. Vegas says he thinks 'every day' about the circumstances of him leaving Venezuela and how his prodigious golf talent secured him and his family status to live in the U.S. His mother and father live near him in Houston. His brother Julio, who followed him as a player at Texas, works as a teaching professional in Florida. Another brother, Carlos, is 'in an asylum-type of process, so, not as free, but trying to do it the right way.' Other Venezuelans, Vegas knows, aren't quite so fortunate. There's a weight with that. 'I feel their pain, for the reason that our country is in a horrible spot politically,' Vegas said. 'I think we all wish we were living in our country and enjoying our country. But unfortunately, because of the political situation, we had to leave. Obviously, a lot of us came here, and now a lot of us have to leave. It's hard, man. It's hard to deal with a lot of that. I can see why there are protests. At the end of the day, I support the people that I can.' Fifteen miles from Oakmont, in downtown Pittsburgh, demonstrators marched through the streets as part of weekend protests sweeping the U.S. to oppose, among other causes, Trump's immigration crackdown and ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. In Pittsburgh, three people were arrested at one rally specifically against ICE. Vegas, meanwhile, was in the throes of one of the most difficult U.S. Opens in recent years. It's no small feat that he's still here this weekend, grinding his way to a third-round 2-over 72 and a spot in 29th place heading into Sunday. Advertisement This is somewhat new territory. Prior to May, Vegas was a journeyman in the later days of a career highlighted by four PGA Tour wins, but often derailed by injuries and hard times. His major tournament résumé was always particularly thin. Six made cuts in 16 total appearances. A top finish of T22 in the 2016 PGA Championship. That's all unexpectedly changed when he came from nowhere to finish tied for fifth at the PGA Championship last month. Now he's made his first cut in the U.S. Open since 2021. 'I think it's big for (Venezuela) for me to be here this week, playing in a major championship, and doing fairly well,' he said. 'The support I get and my family gets is incredible.' While that support is there for him, as it has been since picking up that phone in 2004, Vegas wrestles with the reality that his story is his only. He's happy to have been married in the U.S. and had two children born here. He's happy he gets to play on Sunday. And he knows what the alternative might look like. 'It's about being uncertain about your future, you know?' he said outside the Oakmont clubhouse, as his family, swing coach and manager waited for him to wrap up. 'We all have families. Most of us came here because of our families and the promise of a better future. And it's just hard when that gets taken away.' (Top photo of Jhonattan Vegas: Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
USA Today
05-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ole Miss' Chris Malloy, Stanford's Anne Walker win Golfweek's 2025 Coach of the Year honors
Ole Miss' Chris Malloy, Stanford's Anne Walker win Golfweek's 2025 Coach of the Year honors The 2024-25 college golf season is complete, which means it's time for postseason awards. There was a monumental upset on the women's side while one of college golf's best programs of all-time took home the trophy at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, where the championships were contested for a second time with three more years to come. However, when it comes to the Coach of the Year conversation, there are two who stood out among the rest, and they've been selected as the Golfweek 2025 Coaches of the Year. Golfweek selects men's and women's All-America teams and honorable mention selections, as well as Players of the Year and Coaches of the Year. All-America selections were released Wednesday, and Player of the Year honorees will be announced Friday. Here's a look at Golfweek's 2025 Coaches of the Year and a look at past winners: Golfweek 2025 Men's College Golf Coach of the Year: Chris Malloy, Ole Miss Malloy guided the Rebels to their best season in school history. Ranked 12th in the preseason, Ole Miss made match play at NCAAs for the first time in school history and fell 3-2 in extra holes against Oklahoma State in the semis, pushign the eventual national champions to the brink. Malloy also coached the individual national medalist, junior, Michael La Sasso, and helped Ole Miss win three times this season and finished fourth in the NCAA golf rankings. Golfweek 2025 Women's College Golf Coach of the Year: Anne Walker, Stanford Stanford just completed arguably the greatest season in women's college golf history (that's a discussion for another time), and it walks away without winning the national title or its conference crown. Stanford played nine stroke play events and won every single won, falling only in match play against Northwestern in the national championship match and to Wake Forest in the semis of ACCs. Walker constructed a roster that featured contributions from numerous players, with four players collecting individual wins this season. Past men's winners 2024 – Nick Clinard, Auburn 2023 – Mike Small, Illinois 2022 – John Fields, Texas 2021 – Mike Small, Illinois 2020 – None 2019 – Conrad Ray, Stanford 2018 – Alan Bratton, Oklahoma State 2017 – Casey Martin, Oregon 2016 – John Fields, Texas 2015 – Chuck Winstead, LSU 2014 – Alan Murray, UAB 2013 – Steve Desimone, California 2012 – John Fields, Texas 2011 – Mike McGraw, Oklahoma State 2010 – Josh Gregory, Augusta State 2009 – Matt Thurmond, Washington 2008 – Chris Zambri, USC 2007 – Conrad Ray, Stanford 2006 – Mike McGraw, Oklahoma State 2005 – Rod Myers, Duke 2004 – Steve Desimone, California 2003 – Larry Penley, Clemson 2002 – Bruce Heppler, Georgia Tech 2001 – Buddy Alexander, Florida 2000 – Mike Holder, Oklahoma State 1999 – Chris Haack, Georgia Past women's winners 2024 – Alicia Um Holmes, UCLA 2023 – Laurie Gibbs, Pepperdine 2022 – Dana Dormann, San Jose State 2021 – Kory Henkes, Ole Miss 2020 – None 2019 – Dan Brooks, Duke 2018 – Andrea Gaston, USC 2017 – Missy Farr-Kaye, Arizona State 2016 – Mary Lou Mulflur, Washington 2015 – Mary Lou Mulflur, Washington 2014 – Therese Hession, Ohio State 2013 – Andrea Gaston, USC 2012 – Mic Potter, Alabama 2011 – Carrie Forsyth, UCLA 2010 – Devon Brouse, Purdue 2009 – Melissa Luellen, Arizona State 2008 – Andrea Gaston, USC 2007 – Dan Brooks, Duke 2006 – Devon Brouse, Purdue 2005 – Laurie Gibbs, Pepperdine 2004 – Martha Freitag, Vanderbilt 2003 – Nancy McDaniel, California 2002 – Dan Brooks, Duke 2001 – Mike Morrow, Kent State 2000 – Todd McCorkle, Arizona 1999 – Dan Brooks, Duke How were winners chosen? Coach of the Year winners were selected based on performance of their teams throughout the season and into the postseason.
CBS News
11-04-2025
- CBS News
Man charged in 1995 murders of Marine brothers from Cicero, Illinois
Police in Cicero, Illinois, said they've found the man who shot and killed two brothers – both Marines – 30 years ago. Daniel Flores, 49, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 22-year-old John Fields, and his 19-year-old brother, Michael Fields, on April 12, 1995. Police found the two young men lying in the street along 50th Court. They each had multiple gunshot wounds and shortly after were pronounced dead. "John Fields had recently completed his service with the United States Marine Corps, while Michael Fields, who had followed in his brother's footsteps, was actively serving in the Marines, and was home on furlough after completing a tour of duty in Japan," said Cicero Police Supt. Thomas Boyle. Their case went cold for years until 2013, when police located a key witness. They said she knew enough about what happened to help them make the arrest. "Previous detectives attempted for a long time to locate her, but she had a relationship with our person of interest at the time," said Francisco Diaz, deputy superintendent of investigations at the Cicero Police Department. In 2021, the men's sister, Angela Fields, spoke with CBS News Chicago . "It's very frustrating, because it's 26 years. It's like, okay, let's get him back here. Let's get this done," she said. On Friday, she and her family stood teary-eyed as police finally announced charges. Flores, a Mexican native, was arrested in Mexico in 2023, and after two years he was extradited back to the U.S. "We're happy. We're happy that this can finally help the family of Michael and his brother to get closure on their losses," said LaDon Reynolds, the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois. Police said the shooting stemmed from an altercation, but would not elaborate on a motive for the murders. Flores was ordered held in Cook County Jail while he awaits trial. He is due back in court on May 2 in Maywood.
