Preview: Stevenage vs. Bristol Rovers - prediction, team news, lineupsai sport betting 。

Bad Axe: Wisconsin wary of rival Minnesota with bowl bid in perilBad Axe: Wisconsin wary of rival Minnesota with bowl bid in perilTrump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks

FrankSpeech Broadcast Network Surges in Q3 2024: Record Growth in Viewers and Platform Expansion

LONDON, Nov 28 –– YouTubers KSI and IShowSpeed have joined forces with Ronaldinho, Gary Lineker and Luis Figo to launch the British and American versions of Baller League. First introduced in Germany by footballers Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski, in conjunction with entrepreneur Felix Starck, the six-a-side format is going global in 2025 with a host of stars attached to the project. Baller League’s unique selling point will be the involvement of social media influencers with huge reach. KSI, who has 24.8 million YouTube subscribers, will be president of the UK tournament. Streamer IShowSpeed, who has over 60 million followers across multiple platforms, was named as president of the US competition on Tuesday. Miniminter and Tobi, both part of YouTube group Sidemen, plus streamer AngryGinge are set to try their hand at management in the British event. Former Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho, a World Cup winner in 2002, is also part of the American tournament. Former England captains Lineker and John Terry, as well as ex-Barcelona and Real Madrid forward Luis Figo, have been lined up as team managers in the UK. Micah Richards, Alan Shearer, Freddie Ljungberg, Jens Lehmann and Robert Pires have also been signed up as coaches. Baller League UK will run from March 3 to May 19 next year, featuring matches every Monday on indoor pitches with 12 teams competing. Trials to find players for the event are due to take place in London and Manchester. Former professionals, futsal players, free agents and released academy players are among those eligible to take part. Each match will be live streamed, with YouTuber Chunkz hosting a weekly show. “Sport is no longer as easy as just saying ‘look, we’re here now, come and watch us’,” Starck told the BBC. “That’s just not how sport works any more. It needs to be exciting, and it needs to be authentic. Those are the two words that we always use at Baller League.” –– AFP

Staci Zampa Team – Stamford Real Estate Agent At Compass: The Real Estate Agent Helping Stamford Buyers And Sellers Succeed

Time is quickly running out for the public to submit nominations for the 2025 Nebraska Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame. Nominations are due by December 31, 2024. Started in 2006, the Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame continues to honor the men and women who have made a lasting contribution to the Sandhills and our cowboy way of life. Nomination forms are available by contacting any Board Member or Executive Secretary Rod Palmer at P.O. Box 127, Ainsworth, Nebraska or calling 402-387-2212. Nominees must be 50 years or older or deceased. The nominees must fit the following criteria: “The Nebraska Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame honors those individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the Western lifestyle of horse culture in the area of competition, business, or support of rodeo in the Sandhills of Nebraska. This includes rodeo, ranching, rodeo stock contractors, western arts, western entertainment, and special achievements awards.” Online nomination forms are located at the website: www.sandhillscowboys.com The mailing address is: Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame, 121 East 2nd Street, P.O. Box 127, Ainsworth, NE 69210

2 Biotech Stocks to Buy Hand Over Fist in DecemberDays after a Boxing Day humbling by Wycombe Wanderers, Stevenage return to League One action keen to dispatch struggling Bristol Rovers in Sunday's gameweek 23 clash at the Lamex Stadium. Alex Revell 's men were powerless to resist the second-placed side's attacking prowess on Thursday, but seek a return to winning ways against a club winless in five matches, losing four in that period, and under new management after Inigo Calderon 's post-Christmas appointment. Stevenage went into Christmas undefeated in five League One matches (two wins), only to come unstuck at the hands of Wycombe on December 26. The Boro had gone four matches unbeaten on home soil before their recent humbling, although they seek a response to that reverse in Hertfordshire. Having accrued 20 of their 26 points in home games, supporters anticipate another strong showing from their side to end 2024 encouragingly with a seventh victory at the visiting club's expense. Despite their middling status — the 16th-placed Boro are unlikely to challenge for a top-six berth and are seven points clear of Crawley Town in 21st — the Hertfordshire outfit have somehow stayed motivated, especially on home soil. Thus, a Stevenage victory is anticipated this weekend, even though Bristol Rovers are winless in five league matches, losing four. Worryingly for the Pirates, they have fired blanks three times, losing to Blackpool (2-0), Leyton Orient (3-0) and Birmingham (2-0) during the wretched spell that threatens to see them slide into the bottom four heading into 2025, something newly-appointed Calderon hopes to avoid. With three points separating Calderon's men from Crawley, defeat for the Pirates this weekend and a Crawley win at Exeter could pull the Gas into the dreaded positions at the end of 2024. Those prospects are conceivable considering Rovers' away record: two wins, one draw and eight losses, with four defeats in their recent five matches on their travels. Only Stevenage and Rotherham United (six points each), and Shrewsbury Town and Cambridge United (five points each) have accumulated fewer away points than the Pirates this term, highlighting the club's away blues ahead of Sunday. Despite those problems, Rovers have enjoyed recent visits to Hertfordshire, beating Stevenage 4-0 in February 2022 and 3-2 in the same month earlier this year, and a repeat will be just what the doctor ordered for the visitors hoping to avoid being in the relegation places at the turn of the year. Stevenage have no fresh injury problems going into Sunday's match, though Jake Forster-Caskey will undergo last-minute checks. Jamie Reid (five) and Daniel Kemp (four) lead for goal contributions for the hosts, making the pair the Boro's leading threats in gameweek 23. Harvey White has fashioned five big chances this term, more than any player on either side, and the midfield man could be pivotal in unpicking the struggling visitors. Rovers came through Boxing Day unscathed and have a clean bill of health this weekend. Promise Omochere has netted in back-to-back games for the Pirates, and the 24-year-old forward could retain his starting role for the away side. Stevenage possible starting lineup: Ashby-Hammond; James-Wildin, Thompson, Piergianni, Butler; Phillips, White; Roberts, Kemp, Young; Reid Bristol Rovers possible starting lineup: Griffiths; Wilson, Taylor, Mola; Senior, Lindsay, Conteh, Thomas; Forde, Omochere, Hutchinson Despite a wretched sequence of results in the lead-up to Sunday's visit to Stevenage, Rovers are undefeated in three trips to Hertfordshire, and they could eke out a draw to extend that unbeaten run in a low-scoring draw. For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here .There are times when a postseason bowl seems like the first game of next year for the participating teams. That cliche means something a little different for NC State and East Carolina. The Wolfpack and Pirates face each other in the Military Bowl on Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland. Then they'll see each other again in about eight months. NC State opens the 2025 season at home against ECU on Aug. 30. There is certainly plenty of familiarity between these two programs, even though NC State (6-6) is in the ACC and East Carolina (7-5) is in the AAC. The teams — located about 80 miles apart — have met 32 times, most recently in 2022 when the Wolfpack won 21-20. From 1970-87, these teams played each other every year. Since 2004, they haven't gone more than two consecutive seasons without meeting. “Hour and a half down the road and you're playing — whether you play every year or don't play every year — I think it's still a rivalry," East Carolina coach Blake Harrell said. "Our fans still get excited. They still think that's a rivalry. Our players still think that's a rivalry.” NC State leads the series 19-13 and has won three straight — but East Carolina won three in a row before that. “It's weird playing a team that we open with next year,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “We don't play them that much. We play them every three years, so it's really a roster turnover. Every time we see them, it's a different ballclub for the most part. But yeah, finishing with who you open with is unique.” NC State and East Carolina met in the Peach Bowl in 1992 — during an eight-year hiatus in their regular-season series. ECU scored three touchdowns in the final 7:26 to win 37-34. “We had that time during COVID, we obviously all had some down time. I remember searching through YouTube, just past games to check out. That game did pop up," Harrell said. "That was a special moment for that team and that program at the time, and this could be a special moment for this team and this program.” NC State is playing in the Military Bowl for the first time. East Carolina was supposed to participate in 2021, but the game was canceled. The Pirates lost to Maryland in the 2010 edition. Harrell took over on an interim basis in the middle of the season when Mike Houston was fired. After leading the Pirates to four straight wins, Harrell had the interim tag removed . Freshman CJ Bailey took over at quarterback for NC State this season after concussion problems ended Grayson McCall's career. Bailey has completed 64.1% of his passes. Only Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson threw for more touchdowns as a freshman for the Wolfpack than Bailey, who has 14 TD tosses. “He's a really good player. Doesn't play like a freshman to me,” Harrell said. "Makes really good throws down the field, has a really good arm, and then if he takes off scrambling or if the quarterback-designed run game, he's a long strider. He can eat up some ground. Nobody ever catches him." Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

JACKSON, Miss. -- The U.S. Supreme Court should overturn Mississippi's Jim Crow-era practice of removing voting rights from people convicted of certain felonies, including nonviolent crimes such as forgery and timber theft, attorneys say in new court papers. Most of the people affected are disenfranchised for life because the state provides few options for restoring ballot access. “Mississippi’s harsh and unforgiving felony disenfranchisement scheme is a national outlier,” attorneys representing some who lost voting rights said in an appeal filed Wednesday. They wrote that states "have consistently moved away from lifetime felony disenfranchisement over the past few decades.” This case is the second in recent years — and the third since the late 19th century — that asks the Supreme Court to overturn Mississippi's disenfranchisement for some felonies. The cases use different legal arguments, and the court rejected the most recent attempt in 2023. The new appeal asks justices to reverse a July ruling from the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Mississippi legislators, not the courts, must decide whether to change the laws. Stripping away voting rights for some crimes is unconstitutional because it is cruel and unusual punishment, the appeal argues. A majority of justices rejected arguments over cruel and unusual punishment in June when they cleared the way for cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside in public places. Attorneys who sued Mississippi over voting rights say the authors of the state's 1890 constitution based disenfranchisement on a list of crimes they thought Black people were more likely to commit. A majority of the appeals judges wrote that the Supreme Court in 1974 reaffirmed constitutional law allowing states to disenfranchise felons. About 38% of Mississippi residents are Black. Nearly 50,000 people were disenfranchised under the state's felony voting ban between 1994 and 2017. More than 29,000 of them have completed their sentences, and about 58% of that group are Black, according to an expert who analyzed data for plaintiffs challenging the voting ban. To regain voting rights in Mississippi, a person convicted of a disenfranchising crime must receive a governor’s pardon or win permission from two-thirds of the state House and Senate. In recent years, legislators have restored voting rights for only a few people. The other recent case that went to the Supreme Court argued that authors of Mississippi's constitution showed racist intent when they chose which felonies would cause people to lose the right to vote. In that ruling, justices declined to reconsider a 2022 appeals court decision that said Mississippi remedied the discriminatory intent of the original provisions in the state constitution by later altering the list of disenfranchising crimes. In 1950, Mississippi dropped burglary from the list. Murder and rape were added in 1968. The Mississippi attorney general issued an opinion in 2009 that expanded the list to 22 crimes, including timber larceny, carjacking, felony-level shoplifting and felony-level writing bad checks. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in a 2023 dissent that Mississippi's list of disenfranchising crimes was “adopted for an illicit discriminatory purpose."Some tech industry leaders are pushing the incoming Trump administration to increase visas for highly skilled workers from other nations. The heart of the argument is, for America to remain competitive, the country needs to expand the number of skilled visas it gives out. The previous Trump administration did not increase the skilled visa program, instead clamping down on visas for students and educated workers, increasing denial rates. Not everyone in corporate America thinks the skilled worker program is great. Former workers at IT company Cognizant recently won a federal class-action lawsuit that said the company favored Indian employees over Americans from 2013 to 2022. A Bloomberg investigation found Cognizant, and other similar outsourcing companies, mainly used its skilled work visas for lower-level positions. Workers alleged Cognizant preferred Indian workers because they could be paid less and were more willing to accept inconvenient or less-favorable assignments. Question: Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? Economists Caroline Freund, University of California-San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy YES: Innovation is our superpower and it relies on people. Sourcing talent from 8 billion people in the world instead of 330 million here makes sense. Nearly half our Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Growing them also relies on expanding our skilled workforce. The cap on skilled-worker visas has hardly changed since the computer age started. With AI on the horizon, attracting and building talent is more important than ever. Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: After years of openly allowing millions of undocumented entrants into the country, why is there controversy over legally increasing somewhat the number having desirable skills? Undocumented immigration significantly impacts lower skill level jobs and wages competing with domestic workers at every skill level. Why should special cases be made against those having higher skills? Could they just not walk across the border anyway, why make it more inconvenient to those with desirable skills? James Hamilton, University of California-San Diego YES: Knowledge and technology are key drivers of the U.S. economy. Students come from all over the world to learn at U.S. universities, and their spending contributed $50 billion to U.S. exports last year. Technological advantage is what keeps us ahead of the rest of the world. Highly skilled immigrants contribute much more in taxes than they receive in public benefits. The skills immigrants bring to America can make us all better off. Norm Miller, University of San Diego YES: According to Forbes, the majority of billion-dollar startups were founded by foreigners. I’ve interviewed dozens of data analysts and programmers from Berkeley, UCSD, USD and a few other schools and 75% of them are foreign. There simply are not enough American graduates to fill the AI and data mining related jobs now exploding in the U.S. If we wish to remain a competitive economy, we need highly skilled and bright immigrants to come here and stay. David Ely, San Diego State University YES: Being able to employ highly skilled workers from a larger pool of candidates would strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. companies by increasing their capacity to perform research and innovate. This would boost the country’s economic output. Skilled workers from other nations that cannot remain in the U.S. will find jobs working for foreign rivals. The demand for H-1B visas far exceeds the current cap of 85,000, demonstrating a need to modify this program. Executives Phil Blair, Manpower YES: Every country needs skilled workers, at all levels, to grow its economy. We should take advantage of the opportunity these workers provide our employers who need these skills. It should be blended into our immigration policies allowing for both short and long term visas. Gary London, London Moeder Advisors YES: San Diego is a premiere example of how highly skilled workers from around the globe enrich a community and its regional economy. Of course Visa levels need to be increased. But let’s go further. Tie visas and immigration with a provision that those who are admitted and educated at a U.S. university be incentivized, or even required, to be employed in the U.S. in exchange for their admittance. Bob Rauch, R.A. Rauch & Associates NO: While attracting high-skilled immigrants can fill critical gaps in sectors like technology, health care and advanced manufacturing, increasing high-skilled immigration could displace American workers and drive down wages in certain industries. There are already many qualified American workers available for some of these jobs. We should balance the need for specialized skills with the impact on the domestic workforce. I believe we can begin to increase the number of visas after a careful review of abuse. Austin Neudecker, Weave Growth YES: We should expand skilled visas to drive innovation and economic growth. Individuals who perform high-skilled work in labor-restricted industries or graduate from respected colleges with relevant degrees should be prioritized for naturalization. We depend on immigration for GDP growth, tax revenue, research, and so much more. Despite the abhorrent rhetoric and curtailing of visas in the first term, I hope the incoming administration can be persuaded to enact positive changes to a clearly flawed system. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health YES: But it should be based upon need, not politics. There are several industries that have or could have skilled workforce shortages, especially if the next administration tightens immigration as promised and expected. Over the years, there have been nursing shortages that have been met partially by trained and skilled nurses from other countries. The physician shortage is expected to get worse in the years to come. So, this visa program may very well be needed. Jamie Moraga, Franklin Revere NO: While skilled immigration could boost our economy and competitiveness, the U.S. should prioritize developing our domestic workforce. Hiring foreign nationals in sensitive industries or government-related work, especially in advanced technology or defense, raises security concerns. A balanced approach could involve targeted increases in non-sensitive high-demand fields coupled with investment in domestic STEM education and training programs. This could address immediate needs while strengthening the long-term STEM capabilities of the American workforce. ©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Olympic skier Cyprien Sarrazin, 30, in intensive care with head injury and will undergo surgery after horror crash

Strictly results have been leaked online. Strictly Come Dancing's Christmas Special has been spoiled weeks before the show's Day broadcast. The lineup includes Formula 3's Billy Monger, ' Tamzin Outhwaite, Gladiators' Nitro, comedian Josh Widdicombe, presenter Vogue Williams and RuPaul's Drag Race UK's Tayce. Although the special won't air until December 25, the winner's identity has been revealed by the Spoiler website, which frequently discloses the main show's weekly results. The site teased the reveal, stating, "Because my stocking is full to the brim of spoilers, here are the results," before announcing the glitterball trophy winner. Daily Star has decided not to reveal the champion of the 2024 Christmas special. Strcitly fans have flocked to social media to react to the news: "I'M SO HAPPY! They're the couple I wanted to win! I hope to see XXX on the main show next year." However, some fans' reactions were mixed with one viewer chiming in: "Wanted XXX to win ... but congratulations to XXX and XXX," reports . Another fan offered warm wishes: "Congratulations to XXX. Would have liked XXX to win." Another person added, "I am glad to see who won it. It should be a good show. I really like the Christmas special." Ahead of the main series' final episode, Sarah Hadland spoke exclusively to Daily Star about her co-star Chris McCausland. She said: "I will be happy if Chris wins. What he’s doing week on week is jaw-dropping. When you’re lucky enough to see it up close, it’s extraordinary." “What Chris has done for the blind community is just wonderful. People like him are being represented on the show and it’s not like people are saying, ‘He’s doing well considering he’s blind’. He’s doing incredibly well, full stop. Those lifts he’s done are amazing.” “Chris is hilarious and a lovely bloke. He’s a great laugh. We have lovely chats. He’s a lovely human being and so deserving, so I would be delighted for him if he won.” The Daily Star is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us! Through the app, we'll send you the sassiest showbiz stories, some naught headline and a seismic smattering of aliens...along with the latest breaking news of course. To join our community, all you have to do to join is , select 'Join Chat' and you're in! No one will be able to see who has sign up and no one can send messages except for the Daily Star team. We also treat our community members to competitions, special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our .Mesoblast’S RYONCIL® Is The First U.S. FDA-Approved Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Therapy

T.D. Jakes gives update on health, says he didn't suffer strokeNASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas was long off the tee and made a few long putts on the back nine to overtake Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and build a one-shot lead Saturday over golf's best player going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas is trying out a 46-inch driver — a little more than an inch longer than normal — that he previously used for practice at home to gain speed and length. He blasted a 361-yard drive to 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole and led the field in driving distance. But it was a few long putts that put him ahead of Scheffler, who had a 69. Thomas was on the verge of falling two shots behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 12th hole. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy area and could only splash it out to nearly 50 feet. He made that one for a most unlikely birdie, while behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the 13th hole and made his lone bogey of a windy day. Scheffler never caught up to him, missing birdie chances on the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th. Thomas hit his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 16th after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th to close within one. Scheffler missed birdie chances on the last two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot range, while Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at the last. "I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today," Scheffler said. Thomas hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Club wouldn't count as an official win. But the two-time major champion has made steady progress toward getting his game back in order. "I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it," Thomas said of his longer driver. "I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green. I'm still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that's golf and we're always going to say that." Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will be in the final group Sunday with Scheffler, who is trying to end his spectacular season with a ninth title. Tom Kim put himself in the mix, which he might not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over through six holes of the holiday tournament. Kim got back in the game with a 65 on Friday, and then followed with 12 birdies for a 62. He had a shot at the course record — Rickie Fowler shot 61 in the final round when he won at Albany in 2017 — until Kim found a bunker and took two shots to reach the green in making a double bogey on the par-3 17th. Even so, he was only two shots behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was four back. "Feel like I've been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that's all I can do," Thomas said. "I can't control everybody else or what's going on, I've just got to keep playing as good as I possibly can and hope that it's enough come Sunday." Get local news delivered to your inbox!NASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas was long off the tee and made a few long putts on the back nine to overtake Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and build a one-shot lead Saturday over golf's best player going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas is trying out a 46-inch driver — a little more than an inch longer than normal — that he previously used for practice at home to gain speed and length. He blasted a 361-yard drive to 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole and led the field in driving distance. But it was a few long putts that put him ahead of Scheffler, who had a 69. Thomas was on the verge of falling two shots behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 12th hole. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy area and could only splash it out to nearly 50 feet. He made that one for a most unlikely birdie, while behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the 13th hole and made his lone bogey of a windy day. Scheffler never caught up to him, missing birdie chances on the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th. Thomas hit his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 16th after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th to close within one. Scheffler missed birdie chances on the last two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot range, while Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at the last. "I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today," Scheffler said. Thomas hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Club wouldn't count as an official win. But the two-time major champion has made steady progress toward getting his game back in order. "I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it," Thomas said of his longer driver. "I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green. I'm still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that's golf and we're always going to say that." Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will be in the final group Sunday with Scheffler, who is trying to end his spectacular season with a ninth title. Tom Kim put himself in the mix, which he might not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over through six holes of the holiday tournament. Kim got back in the game with a 65 on Friday, and then followed with 12 birdies for a 62. He had a shot at the course record — Rickie Fowler shot 61 in the final round when he won at Albany in 2017 — until Kim found a bunker and took two shots to reach the green in making a double bogey on the par-3 17th. Even so, he was only two shots behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was four back. "Feel like I've been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that's all I can do," Thomas said. "I can't control everybody else or what's going on, I've just got to keep playing as good as I possibly can and hope that it's enough come Sunday." Get local news delivered to your inbox!

NASSAU, Bahamas — Justin Thomas was long off the tee and made a few long putts on the back nine to overtake Scottie Scheffler with a 6-under 66 and build a one-shot lead Saturday over golf's best player going into the final round of the Hero World Challenge. Thomas is trying out a 46-inch driver — a little more than an inch longer than normal — that he previously used for practice at home to gain speed and length. He blasted a 361-yard drive to 8 feet on the par-4 seventh hole and led the field in driving distance. But it was a few long putts that put him ahead of Scheffler, who had a 69. Thomas was on the verge of falling two shots behind when he made an 18-foot par putt on the par-3 12th hole. On the reachable par-4 14th, he was in a nasty spot in a sandy area and could only splash it out to nearly 50 feet. He made that one for a most unlikely birdie, while behind him Scheffler muffed a chip on the 13th hole and made his lone bogey of a windy day. Scheffler never caught up to him, missing birdie chances on the reachable 14th and the par-5 15th. Thomas hit his approach to 3 feet for birdie on the 16th after a 343-yard drive. Scheffler made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th to close within one. Scheffler missed birdie chances on the last two holes from the 10-foot and 15-foot range, while Thomas missed an 8-foot birdie attempt at the last. "I had a stretch at 13, 14, 15 where I felt like I lost a shot or two there, but outside of that I did a lot of really good things today," Scheffler said. Thomas hasn't won since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and a victory at Albany Golf Club wouldn't count as an official win. But the two-time major champion has made steady progress toward getting his game back in order. "I'm driving it great. I've had a lot of confidence with it," Thomas said of his longer driver. "I feel like I've been able to put myself in some pretty good spots going into the green. I'm still not taking advantage of some of them as much as I would like, but that's golf and we're always going to say that." Thomas was at 17-under 199 and will be in the final group Sunday with Scheffler, who is trying to end his spectacular season with a ninth title. Tom Kim put himself in the mix, which he might not have imagined Thursday when he was 3 over through six holes of the holiday tournament. Kim got back in the game with a 65 on Friday, and then followed with 12 birdies for a 62. He had a shot at the course record — Rickie Fowler shot 61 in the final round when he won at Albany in 2017 — until Kim found a bunker and took two shots to reach the green in making a double bogey on the par-3 17th. Even so, he was only two shots behind. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (68) was four back. "Feel like I've been seeing signs of improvement, which is what you want and that's all I can do," Thomas said. "I can't control everybody else or what's going on, I've just got to keep playing as good as I possibly can and hope that it's enough come Sunday." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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