×
NBA awards picks for every honor, including MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, and more  The NBA’s 65-game rule is wreaking havoc on the awards landscape to end the 2025-26 season. Luka Doncic won’t be eligible for MVP, Cade Cunningham doesn’t qualify for the First-Team All-NBA honors he deserves, and Anthony Edwards didn’t play enough games for an All-NBA nod, either.This year will be remembered for another close MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic — only this time, Victor Wembanyama made it a three man choice. Wembanyama’s ascension is the biggest story of the season, even if it isn’t surprising for a player getting compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a year before he was drafted. Wembanyama will be the favorite to win MVP next season, and he’ll almost certainly win the league’s top individual honor at least a few times in his career, but he’s not quite there yet.With the regular season now over, here’s our picks for every NBA award this season.MVP: Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderNikola Jokic has been the best player in the world for the last five years, but this is the season Gilgeous-Alexander stole that title away from him. It’s excruciating not to give Jokic his fourth MVP after a season where he led the league in both rebounds and assists while scoring just about as well as ever, but it’s a testament to SGA’s level that he’s still ultimately most deserving of the honor. Don’t believe the narrative that Gilgeous-Alexander is simply a free throw merchant (Austin Reaves had a higher free throw rate this year) or that OKC’s success is only about its defense. Switch SGA with even another offensive star like Jalen Brunson, and there would be so many more holes to pick in the Thunder. He was already the best guard alive even before he unleashed a deadly step-back three-pointer this year, which he used to win several games at the buzzer. Gilgeous-Alexander putting up 45.3 points per 100 possession on 66.5 percent true shooting is simply absurd stuff for a 6’6 guy. He’s legitimately one of the best guards the league has seen post-Michael Jordan, and Steph Curry is really the only guard I feel comfortable saying had an objectively higher peak in the time since. SGA crushed Jokic in EPM (+9.3 to Jokic’s +8.0) and estimated wins (+19.1 to +17.1) this year. Some of the other advanced stats slightly favor Jokic or even Wembanyama, but Shai grades out as an elite player in all of them, and the Thunder would have been nowhere close to 64 wins without him, especially in a year where Jalen Williams barely played. Wemby is coming for the Best in the World title next season, but SGA has it for now, along with what should be his second MVP.Defensive Player of the Year: Victor WembanyamaThere’s no need to spend much time on this one. Apologies to Bill Russell, but Wembanyama is already maybe the best defensive player in league history at age-22. With an 8-foot wingspan, incredible speed, and a high motor, he’s going to win this award every year for the foreseeable future as long as he plays enough games. If Wembanyama weren’t eligible this season, I’d go with Chet Holmgren as a distant second choice.Rookie of the Year: Kon KnueppelI went longer on this year’s Rookie of the Year race last week, but Knueppel deserves the award over his college teammate Cooper Flagg because he was simply a better and more impactful player this season. Knueppel’s shooting and screening have been elite traits from day one. I’d say he’s been a top-50 player in the entire league as a rookie. Flagg would still go No. 1 in a redraft, but Knueppel has been the NBA’s best rookie this season, and I honestly don’t think it’s all that close.Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon JohnsonI agree with Mat Issa’s analysis of the Sixth Man of the Year race: this is Keldon Johnson vs. Jaime Jaquez, and Johnson has a slight edge for being a little bit more impactful.Coach of the Year: JB BickerstaffI considered Joe Mazzula, Jordan Ott, and Charles Lee for this honor, but ultimately Bickerstaff deserves the nod for getting this Pistons team from 14 wins to 44 wins to 60 wins. I felt like Detroit downgraded over the offseason by losing Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley among others, but Bickerstaff got the most out of the defense, developed two-way guard Daniss Jenkins into a key contributor, and found ways to prioritize Jalen Duren offensively as he made a huge leap. Bickerstaff deserves a lot of credit for Detroit going 13-5 without Cade Cunningham this season, and he’s the brains behind the league’s No. 2 overall defense. The Pistons’ preseason over/under was only 46.5 wins. No one thought this would be the best team in the East this season, and Bickerstaff’s fingerprints are all over their success. The Monty Williams era seems so long ago at this point, and that might be Bickerstaff’s biggest accomplishment yet.Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderGilgeous-Alexnader led the league with 175 points in the clutch this season. Jamal Murray (166) and Nikola Jokic (155) were second and third in that category, but unlike Denver’s star duo, SGA didn’t really have anyone else to take the pressure off him in late-game situations. Chet Holmgren was the only other Thunder player to finish top-100 in clutch points this year by checking in at No. 49. The development of his step-back, like the game-winner against Denver above, is going to make him so much harder to guard in the playoffs.Most Improved Player: Jalen DurenThere are plenty of worthy candidates for this award, but it still feels like it’s going to come down to Nickeil Alexander-Walker vs. Duren. I’m going with the Pistons center because I feel like the leap he made this season — going from a pretty good starter to a potential All-NBA nod — is more difficult than the one NAW made. I had Duren at No. 5 on my 2022 draft board, so I always believed he had this type of development in him coming out of Memphis. Duren was the NBA’s youngest player as a rookie, and he was the first guy to enter the league who was born after LeBron’s debut. It’s wild to think he’s still only 22 years old, and he’s younger than several projected first-round picks in the 2026 draft, including Bennett Stirtz, Thomas Haugh, and of course Yaxel Lendeborg. His ability to attack off the dribble just exploded this year, and he also became more efficient from short mid-range, while continuing to crush the glass at both ends. Detroit’s offense scored 122 points per 100 possessions with Duren on the floor this year for more than 1,800 minutes — which would have led the league. When he was off, the team only scored 114.7 points per 100. His free throw improvement from 66.9 percent last year to 74.7 percent this year is also part of the story. Duren’s defense can still get better, and he’s got plenty of time for that. He’s one of the best centers in the league right now, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming before this season started.NBA All-Defensive Team picksFirst team: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White, Rudy GobertSecond team: Scottie Barnes, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, OG Anunoby, Cason WallaceFirst team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan MitchellSecond team: Jaylen Brown, Chet Holmgren, Jamal Murray, Jalen Duren, LaMelo BallThird team: Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Durant, Derrick White, Jalen Brunson, Scottie Barnes  #NBA #awards #picks #honor #including #MVP #Rookie #Year #AllNBA

NBA awards picks for every honor, including MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, and more

The NBA’s 65-game rule is wreaking havoc on the awards landscape to end the 2025-26 season. Luka Doncic won’t be eligible for MVP, Cade Cunningham doesn’t qualify for the First-Team All-NBA honors he deserves, and Anthony Edwards didn’t play enough games for an All-NBA nod, either.

This year will be remembered for another close MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic — only this time, Victor Wembanyama made it a three man choice. Wembanyama’s ascension is the biggest story of the season, even if it isn’t surprising for a player getting compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a year before he was drafted. Wembanyama will be the favorite to win MVP next season, and he’ll almost certainly win the league’s top individual honor at least a few times in his career, but he’s not quite there yet.

With the regular season now over, here’s our picks for every NBA award this season.

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the world for the last five years, but this is the season Gilgeous-Alexander stole that title away from him. It’s excruciating not to give Jokic his fourth MVP after a season where he led the league in both rebounds and assists while scoring just about as well as ever, but it’s a testament to SGA’s level that he’s still ultimately most deserving of the honor. Don’t believe the narrative that Gilgeous-Alexander is simply a free throw merchant (Austin Reaves had a higher free throw rate this year) or that OKC’s success is only about its defense. Switch SGA with even another offensive star like Jalen Brunson, and there would be so many more holes to pick in the Thunder. He was already the best guard alive even before he unleashed a deadly step-back three-pointer this year, which he used to win several games at the buzzer. Gilgeous-Alexander putting up 45.3 points per 100 possession on 66.5 percent true shooting is simply absurd stuff for a 6’6 guy. He’s legitimately one of the best guards the league has seen post-Michael Jordan, and Steph Curry is really the only guard I feel comfortable saying had an objectively higher peak in the time since. SGA crushed Jokic in EPM (+9.3 to Jokic’s +8.0) and estimated wins (+19.1 to +17.1) this year. Some of the other advanced stats slightly favor Jokic or even Wembanyama, but Shai grades out as an elite player in all of them, and the Thunder would have been nowhere close to 64 wins without him, especially in a year where Jalen Williams barely played. Wemby is coming for the Best in the World title next season, but SGA has it for now, along with what should be his second MVP.

Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama

There’s no need to spend much time on this one. Apologies to Bill Russell, but Wembanyama is already maybe the best defensive player in league history at age-22. With an 8-foot wingspan, incredible speed, and a high motor, he’s going to win this award every year for the foreseeable future as long as he plays enough games. If Wembanyama weren’t eligible this season, I’d go with Chet Holmgren as a distant second choice.

Rookie of the Year: Kon Knueppel

I went longer on this year’s Rookie of the Year race last week, but Knueppel deserves the award over his college teammate Cooper Flagg because he was simply a better and more impactful player this season. Knueppel’s shooting and screening have been elite traits from day one. I’d say he’s been a top-50 player in the entire league as a rookie. Flagg would still go No. 1 in a redraft, but Knueppel has been the NBA’s best rookie this season, and I honestly don’t think it’s all that close.

Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson

I agree with Mat Issa’s analysis of the Sixth Man of the Year race: this is Keldon Johnson vs. Jaime Jaquez, and Johnson has a slight edge for being a little bit more impactful.

Coach of the Year: JB Bickerstaff

I considered Joe Mazzula, Jordan Ott, and Charles Lee for this honor, but ultimately Bickerstaff deserves the nod for getting this Pistons team from 14 wins to 44 wins to 60 wins. I felt like Detroit downgraded over the offseason by losing Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley among others, but Bickerstaff got the most out of the defense, developed two-way guard Daniss Jenkins into a key contributor, and found ways to prioritize Jalen Duren offensively as he made a huge leap. Bickerstaff deserves a lot of credit for Detroit going 13-5 without Cade Cunningham this season, and he’s the brains behind the league’s No. 2 overall defense. The Pistons’ preseason over/under was only 46.5 wins. No one thought this would be the best team in the East this season, and Bickerstaff’s fingerprints are all over their success. The Monty Williams era seems so long ago at this point, and that might be Bickerstaff’s biggest accomplishment yet.

Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexnader led the league with 175 points in the clutch this season. Jamal Murray (166) and Nikola Jokic (155) were second and third in that category, but unlike Denver’s star duo, SGA didn’t really have anyone else to take the pressure off him in late-game situations. Chet Holmgren was the only other Thunder player to finish top-100 in clutch points this year by checking in at No. 49. The development of his step-back, like the game-winner against Denver above, is going to make him so much harder to guard in the playoffs.

Most Improved Player: Jalen Duren

There are plenty of worthy candidates for this award, but it still feels like it’s going to come down to Nickeil Alexander-Walker vs. Duren. I’m going with the Pistons center because I feel like the leap he made this season — going from a pretty good starter to a potential All-NBA nod — is more difficult than the one NAW made. I had Duren at No. 5 on my 2022 draft board, so I always believed he had this type of development in him coming out of Memphis. Duren was the NBA’s youngest player as a rookie, and he was the first guy to enter the league who was born after LeBron’s debut. It’s wild to think he’s still only 22 years old, and he’s younger than several projected first-round picks in the 2026 draft, including Bennett Stirtz, Thomas Haugh, and of course Yaxel Lendeborg. His ability to attack off the dribble just exploded this year, and he also became more efficient from short mid-range, while continuing to crush the glass at both ends. Detroit’s offense scored 122 points per 100 possessions with Duren on the floor this year for more than 1,800 minutes — which would have led the league. When he was off, the team only scored 114.7 points per 100. His free throw improvement from 66.9 percent last year to 74.7 percent this year is also part of the story. Duren’s defense can still get better, and he’s got plenty of time for that. He’s one of the best centers in the league right now, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming before this season started.

NBA All-Defensive Team picks

First team: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White, Rudy Gobert

Second team: Scottie Barnes, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, OG Anunoby, Cason Wallace

First team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell

Second team: Jaylen Brown, Chet Holmgren, Jamal Murray, Jalen Duren, LaMelo Ball

Third team: Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Durant, Derrick White, Jalen Brunson, Scottie Barnes

#NBA #awards #picks #honor #including #MVP #Rookie #Year #AllNBA

The NBA’s 65-game rule is wreaking havoc on the awards landscape to end the 2025-26 season. Luka Doncic won’t be eligible for MVP, Cade Cunningham doesn’t qualify for the First-Team All-NBA honors he deserves, and Anthony Edwards didn’t play enough games for an All-NBA nod, either.

This year will be remembered for another close MVP race between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic — only this time, Victor Wembanyama made it a three man choice. Wembanyama’s ascension is the biggest story of the season, even if it isn’t surprising for a player getting compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a year before he was drafted. Wembanyama will be the favorite to win MVP next season, and he’ll almost certainly win the league’s top individual honor at least a few times in his career, but he’s not quite there yet.

With the regular season now over, here’s our picks for every NBA award this season.

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the world for the last five years, but this is the season Gilgeous-Alexander stole that title away from him. It’s excruciating not to give Jokic his fourth MVP after a season where he led the league in both rebounds and assists while scoring just about as well as ever, but it’s a testament to SGA’s level that he’s still ultimately most deserving of the honor. Don’t believe the narrative that Gilgeous-Alexander is simply a free throw merchant (Austin Reaves had a higher free throw rate this year) or that OKC’s success is only about its defense. Switch SGA with even another offensive star like Jalen Brunson, and there would be so many more holes to pick in the Thunder. He was already the best guard alive even before he unleashed a deadly step-back three-pointer this year, which he used to win several games at the buzzer. Gilgeous-Alexander putting up 45.3 points per 100 possession on 66.5 percent true shooting is simply absurd stuff for a 6’6 guy. He’s legitimately one of the best guards the league has seen post-Michael Jordan, and Steph Curry is really the only guard I feel comfortable saying had an objectively higher peak in the time since. SGA crushed Jokic in EPM (+9.3 to Jokic’s +8.0) and estimated wins (+19.1 to +17.1) this year. Some of the other advanced stats slightly favor Jokic or even Wembanyama, but Shai grades out as an elite player in all of them, and the Thunder would have been nowhere close to 64 wins without him, especially in a year where Jalen Williams barely played. Wemby is coming for the Best in the World title next season, but SGA has it for now, along with what should be his second MVP.

Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama

There’s no need to spend much time on this one. Apologies to Bill Russell, but Wembanyama is already maybe the best defensive player in league history at age-22. With an 8-foot wingspan, incredible speed, and a high motor, he’s going to win this award every year for the foreseeable future as long as he plays enough games. If Wembanyama weren’t eligible this season, I’d go with Chet Holmgren as a distant second choice.

Rookie of the Year: Kon Knueppel

I went longer on this year’s Rookie of the Year race last week, but Knueppel deserves the award over his college teammate Cooper Flagg because he was simply a better and more impactful player this season. Knueppel’s shooting and screening have been elite traits from day one. I’d say he’s been a top-50 player in the entire league as a rookie. Flagg would still go No. 1 in a redraft, but Knueppel has been the NBA’s best rookie this season, and I honestly don’t think it’s all that close.

Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson

I agree with Mat Issa’s analysis of the Sixth Man of the Year race: this is Keldon Johnson vs. Jaime Jaquez, and Johnson has a slight edge for being a little bit more impactful.

Coach of the Year: JB Bickerstaff

I considered Joe Mazzula, Jordan Ott, and Charles Lee for this honor, but ultimately Bickerstaff deserves the nod for getting this Pistons team from 14 wins to 44 wins to 60 wins. I felt like Detroit downgraded over the offseason by losing Dennis Schroder and Malik Beasley among others, but Bickerstaff got the most out of the defense, developed two-way guard Daniss Jenkins into a key contributor, and found ways to prioritize Jalen Duren offensively as he made a huge leap. Bickerstaff deserves a lot of credit for Detroit going 13-5 without Cade Cunningham this season, and he’s the brains behind the league’s No. 2 overall defense. The Pistons’ preseason over/under was only 46.5 wins. No one thought this would be the best team in the East this season, and Bickerstaff’s fingerprints are all over their success. The Monty Williams era seems so long ago at this point, and that might be Bickerstaff’s biggest accomplishment yet.

Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexnader led the league with 175 points in the clutch this season. Jamal Murray (166) and Nikola Jokic (155) were second and third in that category, but unlike Denver’s star duo, SGA didn’t really have anyone else to take the pressure off him in late-game situations. Chet Holmgren was the only other Thunder player to finish top-100 in clutch points this year by checking in at No. 49. The development of his step-back, like the game-winner against Denver above, is going to make him so much harder to guard in the playoffs.

Most Improved Player: Jalen Duren

There are plenty of worthy candidates for this award, but it still feels like it’s going to come down to Nickeil Alexander-Walker vs. Duren. I’m going with the Pistons center because I feel like the leap he made this season — going from a pretty good starter to a potential All-NBA nod — is more difficult than the one NAW made. I had Duren at No. 5 on my 2022 draft board, so I always believed he had this type of development in him coming out of Memphis. Duren was the NBA’s youngest player as a rookie, and he was the first guy to enter the league who was born after LeBron’s debut. It’s wild to think he’s still only 22 years old, and he’s younger than several projected first-round picks in the 2026 draft, including Bennett Stirtz, Thomas Haugh, and of course Yaxel Lendeborg. His ability to attack off the dribble just exploded this year, and he also became more efficient from short mid-range, while continuing to crush the glass at both ends. Detroit’s offense scored 122 points per 100 possessions with Duren on the floor this year for more than 1,800 minutes — which would have led the league. When he was off, the team only scored 114.7 points per 100. His free throw improvement from 66.9 percent last year to 74.7 percent this year is also part of the story. Duren’s defense can still get better, and he’s got plenty of time for that. He’s one of the best centers in the league right now, and I don’t think anyone saw that coming before this season started.

NBA All-Defensive Team picks

First team: Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Bam Adebayo, Derrick White, Rudy Gobert

Second team: Scottie Barnes, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, OG Anunoby, Cason Wallace

First team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell

Second team: Jaylen Brown, Chet Holmgren, Jamal Murray, Jalen Duren, LaMelo Ball

Third team: Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Durant, Derrick White, Jalen Brunson, Scottie Barnes

Source link
#NBA #awards #picks #honor #including #MVP #Rookie #Year #AllNBA

Previous post

13 Celebrities That Don’t Age (13 pics)

Next post

Deadspin | Hornets knock off Knicks to secure East’s ninth seed <div id=""><section id="0" class=" w-full"><div class="xl:container mx-0 !px-4 py-0 pb-4 !mx-0 !px-0"><img src="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28716448.jpg" srcset="https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/28716448.jpg" alt="NBA: Charlotte Hornets at New York Knicks" class="w-full" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager"/><span class="text-0.8 leading-tight">Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) dribbles up court against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images<!-- --> <!-- --> </span></div></section><section id="section-1"> <p>Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball and Coby White each scored 19 points as the visiting Charlotte Hornets earned the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a 110-96 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday.</p> </section><section id="section-2"> <p>Ball made five 3-pointers and added seven rebounds and six assists for Charlotte (44-38), which will host the Miami Heat in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Wednesday. Kon Knueppel finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.</p> </section><section id="section-3"> <p>New York (53-29) had nothing to play for after already clinching the East’s No. 3 seed. With most of their regulars sitting out, the Knicks started Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti.</p> </section><section id="section-4"> <p>Bridges’ consecutive games played streak reached 638 with his brief appearance.</p> </section><section id="section-5"> <p>Bridges is the NBA’s active leader in consecutive regular-season games played and was replaced by Jordan Clarkson just 23 seconds into the contest as part of a plan by coach Mike Brown to keep the streak intact.</p> </section><section id="section-6"> <p>McBride made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points for New York, which had its five-game winning streak come to an end. Alvarado had 16 points, Kevin McCullar Jr. added a career-high 14, Pacome Dadiet scored a career-high 12, and Jeremy Sochan also tallied 12.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-7"> <p>New York will face the East’s No. 6 seed in a first-round series beginning either Saturday or Sunday.</p> </section> <section id="section-8"> <p>The Hornets shot 45.9% from the field and 36.5% (19 of 52) from 3-point range.</p> </section><section id="section-9"> <p>Ten different players played at least 12 minutes for New York, which connected on 43.3% of its shots from the field and 32.5% (13 of 40) from beyond the arc.</p> </section><section id="section-10"> <p>Charlotte led 30-20 at the end of the opening quarter and extended its lead to 50-35 on Miller’s two foul shots with 3:34 left in the second. The Hornets took a 57-44 lead into the half.</p> </section><section id="section-11"> <p>Knueppel drilled one of his three 3-pointers to give the Hornets a 69-54 lead with 8:53 left in the third quarter. Charlotte held an 87-73 advantage at the end of the period.</p> </section><section id="section-12"> <p>The Hornets maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter and led 108-91 on Sion James’s trey with 3:02 remaining.</p> </section><section id="section-13"> <p>Both teams garnered a dozen offensive rebounds, but Charlotte outscored New York, 26-12 on second chance points.</p> </section><br/><section id="section-14"> <p>–Field Level Media</p> </section> </div> #Deadspin #Hornets #knock #Knicks #secure #Easts #ninth #seed

Deadspin | Open Championship tee times: Scheffler paired with LIV Golf’s DeChambeau, Hatton  Sep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA golfer Scottie Scheffler and golfer Bryson DeChambeau on the 11th hole on the penultimate day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images   World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is paired with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.   Scheffler, playing the Open Championship for the sixth time, arrived after missing the cut at the Scottish Open. It was the first time he failed to reach the weekend since the 2022 St. Jude Championship.   Scheffler has 11 sub-70 rounds in 20 total rounds in his Open Championship career.   He won the Open last year at Royal Portrush at 17-under par to run away with the Claret Jug. He has two other top-10 finishes among his previous five starts (T7 at Royal Troon in 2024 and T8 in his debut at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s).  Scheffler and DeChambeau have been partners for the United States in the Ryder Cup.  This is the ninth Open Championship for DeChambeau. He overcame a first-round 78 at Portrush last year to finish tied for 10th, his best showing since St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for eighth. DeChambeau’s first-round score of 69 in 2022 is the only time he shot better than 70 on his opening 18 in the event.  Their group, which remains together for another 18 holes Friday, goes off for the first 18 ahead of a threesome of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood.  Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are playing with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele.  –Open Championship tee times   First round, Thursday   First tee (local time/ET)  6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas  6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan  6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan  7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean  7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick  7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate  7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)  7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith  8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)  8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury  8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)  8:36 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren  8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth  9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune  9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard  9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee  9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland  9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day  9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau  10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm  10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor  10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig  10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)  10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt  11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald  11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)  11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen  11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman  12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter  12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)  12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama  12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber  12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger  12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis  1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li  1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick  1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)  1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima  1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)  2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert  2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston  2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott  2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard  2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka  3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg  3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick  3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)  3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria   3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta  3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow  4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen  4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)  Second round, Friday  First Tee (local time/ET)  6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen  6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman  6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter  7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)  7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama  7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber  7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger  7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis  8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li  8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick  8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)  8:26 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima  8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)  9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert  9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston  9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott  9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard  9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka  9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg  10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick  10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)  10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria  10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta  10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow  11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen  11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)  11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas  11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan  12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan  12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean  12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick  12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate  12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)  12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith  1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)  1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury  1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)  1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren  1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth  2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune  2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard  2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee  2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland  2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day  3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau  3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm  3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor  3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig  3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)  3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt  4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald  4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)   #Deadspin #Open #Championship #tee #times #Scheffler #paired #LIV #Golfs #DeChambeau #HattonSep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA golfer Scottie Scheffler and golfer Bryson DeChambeau on the 11th hole on the penultimate day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is paired with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.

Scheffler, playing the Open Championship for the sixth time, arrived after missing the cut at the Scottish Open. It was the first time he failed to reach the weekend since the 2022 St. Jude Championship.

Scheffler has 11 sub-70 rounds in 20 total rounds in his Open Championship career.

He won the Open last year at Royal Portrush at 17-under par to run away with the Claret Jug. He has two other top-10 finishes among his previous five starts (T7 at Royal Troon in 2024 and T8 in his debut at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s).

Scheffler and DeChambeau have been partners for the United States in the Ryder Cup.

This is the ninth Open Championship for DeChambeau. He overcame a first-round 78 at Portrush last year to finish tied for 10th, his best showing since St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for eighth. DeChambeau’s first-round score of 69 in 2022 is the only time he shot better than 70 on his opening 18 in the event.

Their group, which remains together for another 18 holes Friday, goes off for the first 18 ahead of a threesome of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are playing with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele.

–Open Championship tee times

First round, Thursday

First tee (local time/ET)

6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas

6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan

6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan

7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean

7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick

7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate

7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)

7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith

8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)

8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury

8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)

8:36 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren

8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth

9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune

9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard

9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee

9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland

9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day

9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau

10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm

10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor

10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig

10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)

10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt

11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald

11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)

11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen

11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman

12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter

12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)

12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama

12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber

12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger

12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis

1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li

1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick

1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)

1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima

1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)

2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert

2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston

2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott

2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard

2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka

3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg

3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick

3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)


3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria

3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta

3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow

4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen

4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)

Second round, Friday

First Tee (local time/ET)

6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen

6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman

6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter

7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)

7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama

7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber

7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger

7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis

8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li

8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick

8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)

8:26 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima

8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)

9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert

9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston

9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott

9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard

9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka

9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg

10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick

10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)

10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria

10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta

10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow

11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen

11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)

11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas

11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan

12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan

12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean

12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick

12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate

12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)

12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith

1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)

1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury

1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)

1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren

1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth

2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune

2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard

2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee

2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland

2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day

3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau

3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm

3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor

3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig

3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)

3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt

4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald

4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)

#Deadspin #Open #Championship #tee #times #Scheffler #paired #LIV #Golfs #DeChambeau #Hatton">Deadspin | Open Championship tee times: Scheffler paired with LIV Golf’s DeChambeau, Hatton  Sep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA golfer Scottie Scheffler and golfer Bryson DeChambeau on the 11th hole on the penultimate day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images   World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is paired with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.   Scheffler, playing the Open Championship for the sixth time, arrived after missing the cut at the Scottish Open. It was the first time he failed to reach the weekend since the 2022 St. Jude Championship.   Scheffler has 11 sub-70 rounds in 20 total rounds in his Open Championship career.   He won the Open last year at Royal Portrush at 17-under par to run away with the Claret Jug. He has two other top-10 finishes among his previous five starts (T7 at Royal Troon in 2024 and T8 in his debut at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s).  Scheffler and DeChambeau have been partners for the United States in the Ryder Cup.  This is the ninth Open Championship for DeChambeau. He overcame a first-round 78 at Portrush last year to finish tied for 10th, his best showing since St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for eighth. DeChambeau’s first-round score of 69 in 2022 is the only time he shot better than 70 on his opening 18 in the event.  Their group, which remains together for another 18 holes Friday, goes off for the first 18 ahead of a threesome of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood.  Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are playing with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele.  –Open Championship tee times   First round, Thursday   First tee (local time/ET)  6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas  6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan  6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan  7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean  7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick  7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate  7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)  7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith  8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)  8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury  8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)  8:36 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren  8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth  9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune  9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard  9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee  9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland  9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day  9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau  10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm  10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor  10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig  10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)  10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt  11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald  11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)  11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen  11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman  12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter  12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)  12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama  12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber  12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger  12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis  1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li  1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick  1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)  1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima  1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)  2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert  2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston  2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott  2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard  2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka  3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg  3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick  3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)  3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria   3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta  3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow  4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen  4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)  Second round, Friday  First Tee (local time/ET)  6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen  6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman  6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter  7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)  7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama  7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber  7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger  7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis  8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li  8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick  8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)  8:26 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima  8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)  9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert  9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston  9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott  9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard  9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka  9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg  10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick  10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)  10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria  10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta  10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow  11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen  11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)  11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas  11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan  12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan  12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean  12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick  12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate  12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)  12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith  1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)  1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury  1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)  1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren  1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth  2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune  2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard  2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee  2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland  2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day  3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau  3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm  3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor  3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig  3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)  3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt  4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald  4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)   #Deadspin #Open #Championship #tee #times #Scheffler #paired #LIV #Golfs #DeChambeau #Hatton

Expanding technology and resale options were supposed to make obtaining tickets to sporting events easier than ever, but instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.

It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.

When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.

“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”

This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.

Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.

Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:

On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.

StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:

  1. A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of tickets
  2. Rather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expenses
  3. Andro profits off the inflated ticket sales
  4. StubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer fees

That’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.

Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.

Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.

The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.

There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.

#StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers">StubHub’s CEO is helping fund the biggest ticket scalpers  Expanding technology and resale options were supposed to make obtaining tickets to sporting events easier than ever, but instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of ticketsRather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expensesAndro profits off the inflated ticket salesStubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer feesThat’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.  #StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers

instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.

It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.

When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.

“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”

This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.

Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.

Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:

On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.

StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:

  1. A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of tickets
  2. Rather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expenses
  3. Andro profits off the inflated ticket sales
  4. StubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer fees

That’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.

Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.

Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.

The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.

There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.

#StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers">StubHub’s CEO is helping fund the biggest ticket scalpers

Expanding technology and resale options were supposed to make obtaining tickets to sporting events easier than ever, but instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.

It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.

When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.

“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”

This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.

Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.

Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:

On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.

StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:

  1. A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of tickets
  2. Rather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expenses
  3. Andro profits off the inflated ticket sales
  4. StubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer fees

That’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.

Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.

Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.

The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.

There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.

#StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers

Post Comment