Golfer Jason Kokrak was more interested in starting next year healthy -- and on time -- than improving his chances in the FedEx Cup.
Kokrak was 43rd in the FedEx Cup standings after The Players Championship when he shut it down for three months to have hernia surgery. He has dealt with having a small hole in the muscle wall just above his waist line since college. He figured he would take care of it as soon as he knew he had his card locked up for the year.
This was no easy fix.
"They had to stretch the muscles together to suture them [over the hole]," he said. "That first week, I couldn't move."
That he managed to play the rest of the year was a mild surprise. Doctors told him it would be at least two months before he could even hit a driver.
Kokrak returned at the PGA Championship, where he shot 70-80 to miss the cut. He started the FedEx Cup playoffs having slipped to 89th, but at least he made it to the second week by making the cut at The Barclays. And he nearly made it to Denver for the third playoff event. He shot 66 on Monday and ended his year at 73rd in the FedEx Cup.
He has a month off before the new season, but at least he's healthy. And he has his card.
"The other option was to wait until after the FedEx Cup, but I didn't want to have to sit out the entire fall and get behind that early," he said. "Once I had my card locked up, I was going to get it done."
Hard to bring down
Baylor unveiled a statue of former quarterback Robert Griffin III before a 45-0 victory over SMU in its opener Saturday.
Wrote Reggie Hayes of The News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Ind.: "Baylor knew it was in for a fun afternoon when SMU players showed up at the ceremony and the statue broke two tackles."
Sinking ship
Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg, on Tiger Woods firing his third swing coach, Sean Foley: "In golf terms, that is known as firing the dance instructor on the Titanic."
Add Kaseberg
"The Baltimore Ravens have had five arrests in the offseason," reports comedy writer Alex Kaseberg. "It is so bad, Netflix is making a series about the Ravens called Orange is the New Purple and Black."
Mets miscues
In a Labor Day debacle, the New York Mets committed six errors -- including three during Miami's three-run eighth inning -- and lost 9-6 at Marlins Park.
"It's not a big-league baseball game, I could tell you that," Mets Manager Terry Collins said. "There were a lot of phases of the game that just weren't very good. I don't know how many runs they attributed to us not catching the baseball, but we didn't pitch all that good either, so it wasn't just one area."
Sports quiz
Entering Tuesday, what major-league baseball team had committed the most errors during the 2014 season?
Sports answer
The Cleveland Indians with 105.
Sports on 09/03/2014