EDDIE PELLS National Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Ohio State head coach Ryan Day looks on before the College Football Playoff national championship game against Notre Dame, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)

NIL promises made to recruits, now coaches wait for key decision to learn whether they can keep them

July 23, 2025

Next week, college football coaches can put the recruiting promises they’ve made to high school seniors on paper. Then, the question becomes whether they can keep them. Uncertainty over interpretations of a key element of the lawsuit settlement that’s reshaping college sports has placed recruiters on a tightrope. They need clarity about whether the third-party collectives that ruled name, image, likeness payments over the first four years of NIL can be treated as a workaround of the $20.5 million cap on what schools can now pay players directly or whether they’ll simply become a small cog in the new system.

FILE - Big Ten Conference commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during a news conference after meetings with the Southeastern Conference, Oct. 10, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

Big Ten’s Petitti: No support for SEC’s at-large bid preference for College Football Playoff

July 22, 2025

The Big Ten commissioner is reiterating the league’s preference for multiple automatic qualifiers in the next version of the College Football Playoff, increasing the likelihood of a showdown with the Southeastern Conference when the format for 2026 is decided. Commissioner Tony Petitti says any change that adds at-large bids and increases the discretion and role of a selection committee — a format the SEC and others have shown a preference for — “will have a difficulft time getting support of the Big Ten.”

At US Senior Open, Harrington hangs on, wins head-to-head showdown with Cink

June 29, 2025

Padraig Harrington came out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play, closing his final round with seven straight pars at the U.S. Senior Open to top Stewart Cink by one shot. Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington shot 3-under 67 to finish at 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor. The Irishman sealed this match by hitting his approach to 8 feet on No. 18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one could not cash in with a late birdie to tie.

Harrington’s chip-in on 18 leaves him tied (again) with Hensby, Cink at US Senior Open

June 28, 2025

Padraig Harrington chipped in from 20 yards off the green on the 18th hole to salvage a floundering round and pull back into a tie for the lead with Stewart Cink and Mark Hensby at the U.S. Senior Open. Harrington’s chip-in for birdie capped a round of 2-under 68 and put him in the same spot he was in to start — tied with the same two opponents he played with over a day at the Broadmoor that included wind, rain, even a flash of lightning that pulled the players off the course for a half-hour.

Power pair of Cink and Harrington tied along with Hensby heading into weekend at US Senior Open

June 27, 2025

Padraig Harrington and Stewart Cink endured the ups and downs of the U.S. Senior Open together for a second straight day and found themselves tied for the lead. The payoff — sharing the final tee time to kick off the weekend at the hilly, hard-to-read Broadmoor. Cink made up five shots over the final nine holes of his head-to-head pairing against Harrington, and the players headed into the weekend tied at 6-under 134, along with late-charging Mark Hensby.

For Harrington, one bogey outshines the birdies and keeps him in share of lead at US Senior Open

June 26, 2025

Padraig Harrington made four birdies, though it was the bogey he saved after losing a tee shot deep in a thicket of trees on the 15th hole that helped him keep a share of the first-round lead with Mark Hensby at the U.S. Senior Open. The leaders shot 3-under 67 for a one-shot advantage over a group of seven, including Stewart Cink, who hit the first 17 greens before making bogey after coming up short on No. 18.

Adam Scott, of Australia, reacts after missing a putt on the 16th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

At US Open, Adam Scott turns back the clock and climbs within a shot of the lead

June 14, 2025

Adam Scott is one shot out of the lead heading into the final round of the U.S. Open. The 44-year-old Aussie is the only player in the top 10 at Oakmont who has won a major. Scott birdied three of the last six holes to shoot 3-under 67 and finish a shot behind Sam Burns and tied for second with J.J. Spaun. Scott and Burns will have the final tee time Sunday at Oakmont.

Marc Leishman, of Australia, celebrates after making birdie on the eighth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

At LIV and loving it, Leishman returns to the majors and gets in the mix at the US Open

June 14, 2025

Marc Leishman’s bunker shot splashed out of the sand, took four quick bounces and rolled straight into the hole for birdie on the long, par-3 eighth hole at Oakmont. Suddenly, a name that was once no stranger to leaderboards at majors was up there once again. Not bad for a player who had every reason to wonder if he’d ever get another chance to play in one, let alone contend. The 41-year-old Australian, now on the LIV tour, shot 2-under 68 at the U.S. Open on Saturday. He’ll start the final round tied for 11th, eight shots off the lead.

Thriston Lawrence, of South Africa, hits from the 18th fairway during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

US Open players get that sinking feeling, straight down into the rough at brutal Oakmont

June 12, 2025

All across Oakmont, there were plenty of tales from the rough. The U.S. Open came to what might be its toughest venue and players faced difficult lies in the 5-inch rough and lots of chances to hack and pray. Handling it best was J.J. Spaun, who chipped in for birdie from the rough to open his day. He shot a 4-under 66 to lead after the first round.

At the US Open, Patrick Reed hits the rarest of shots — an albatross

June 12, 2025

Patrick Reed made only the fourth double-eagle since the U.S. Open started keeping records some four decades ago, dunking in his second shot from 286 yards on the par-5 fourth hole at Oakmont. The so-called albatross is considered the rarest shot in golf, with only a few hundred being made a year across the world, compared to more than 30,000 holes-in-one. The 2018 Masters champion joins T.C. Chen (1985 at Oakland Hills), Shaun Micheel (2010 at Pebble Beach) and Nick Watney (2012 at Olympic) as the only players to make an albatross at the U.S. Open since the event started keeping such records in 1983..

Chase Johnson lines up a putt on the fifth hole during a practice round ahead of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

25 years after Tiger’s romp, a huge fan, Chase Johnson, is US Open’s only player of Black heritage

June 11, 2025

On the 25-year anniversary of Woods’ historic dismantling of Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open — a milestone win that some thought might puncture golf’s stereotype as a sport for rich, white men — Chase Johnson is the only player of Black heritage in the 156-man field at Oakmont. The last man to qualify for this year’s Open, Johnson says he’s trying to build his profile so maybe he can inspire young players the way Woods once inspired him.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, is seen during a practice round ahead of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Heading into US Open, McIlroy still looking for motivation after historic Masters win

June 10, 2025

Heading into the U.S. Open this week, Rory McIlroy has been disabused of any notion that life once he completed the career Grand Slam with that win at the Masters would be smooth sailing. McIlroy conceded he’s had some trouble finding motivation after conquering his biggest goal. The results have showed. He finished 47th at the PGA Championship last month and missed the cut at the Canadian Open last week. In the meantime, he’s had to adjust to a new driver after the old one was declared nonconforming in a routine test before the PGA.

FILE - Vanderbilt fans climb a goalpost as they celebrate on the field after defeating Alabama in an NCAA football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

SEC amps up fines to $500,000 for rushing field, storming court

May 29, 2025

The Southeastern Conference is ratcheting up penalties on schools whose fans storm the field or rush the court, doing away with an escalating fine system and now charging $500,000 per incident. The conference also has the authority to wave the fine if the visiting team and officials are allowed to get to the locker room before fans descend onto the field or court. The new policy replaces an old one that called for an escalating fine structure that started with $100,000 for the first offense, raised to $250,000 for the second then hit $500,000 for the third.

FILE - In this photo taken with a slow shutter speed, Wichita State's Ron Baker runs during practice for the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 20, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)

College sports lurches forward, hoping to find a level playing field with fewer lawsuits

May 29, 2025

On the one hand, what this new version of cash-infused college sports needs are rules that everybody follows. On the other, they need to be able to enforce those rules without getting sued into oblivion. The newly created College Sports Commission will be in charge of counting the money, deciding what a “fair market” deal for players looks like and, if things go well, helping everyone in the system avoid trips to court whenever a decision comes down that someone doesn’t like.

FILE - Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during SEC NCAA college football media days, July 15, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)

SEC’s spring meetings: The future of college sports is in the balance at Florida resort

May 28, 2025

Nothing less than the future of college sports is being hashed this week at the Southeastern Conference’s annual spring meetings in Florida. Among the topics are the future of the College Football Playoff, the SEC’s own schedule, the transfer portal and the NCAA itself. All are influenced by the fate of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement that hovers over almost every corner of college athletics.

EDDIE PELLS National Writer.