South-Carolina
Nikki Haley slated for a dozen fundraisers before South Carolina primary — despite hit in New Hampshire
Despite a punishing loss in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley has nearly a dozen fundraisers scheduled between now and the South Carolina primary — and insiders are now wondering how many of these shindigs will actually happen.
On Jan. 30 in New York City, billionaires including Leonard Stern, Cliff Asness, Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone and Henry Kravis are co-hosting an event for the former South Carolina governor.
On Feb. 6, Silicon Valley mogul Tim Draper is hosting Haley in Atherton, Calif. On Feb. 15, Haley also is slated to be feted in Dallas by real estate tycoon Harlan Crow, according to an invitation reviewed by On The Money.
Elsewhere, Haley is scheduled for fundraisers from Greenville, SC to Houston to San Antonio, with hosts including real estate magnate Ross Perot Jr., French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s ex-wife Cécilia Attias, Susan Rockefeller, GOP strategist Karl Rove’s wife Karen, and former US Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), according to invitations obtained by On The Money.
That’s despite the fact that Haley, also a former US ambassador to the United Nations, trails Trump by 30 percentage points in her home state of South Carolina.
Many donors admit her chances of winning the nomination are slim to none — and some insiders say that for billionaires with cash to spare, supporting Haley may be more about impressing friends with a cocktail party than betting she can pull off an upset.
Indeed, for some hedge fund managers and venture capitalists, it’s far more important to show their friends they tried to stop Trump than actually bet on a winning horse, sources add.
Sources add that Haley bundlers see their support as a sort of “vanity project” to show they will support a centrist candidate — and note that the cash outlay isn’t even in a rounding error in their bank accounts.
Other sources, however, say that some event hosts are re-considering whether it’s worth it to throw good money after bad when they believe Haley has no chance of winning.
“They want to show her respect and not cancel the day after so we won’t know what happens for another couple days,” one source said. But on the other hand, “It’s a weird dance where people are figuring out how to not upset anyone.
“Some of these people viscerally hate Trump but they’re also some of the most sophisticated and successful Americans… and they know when it’s time to fold,” another source added.
Last week, Ken Langone said of Haley, “If she doesn’t get traction in New Hampshire, you don’t throw money down a rathole.”
However, he didn’t go so far as to say he would step away from the fundraiser if he is disappointed by her performance. As of Wednesday, the Jan. 30 event in New York was moving forward.
Part of the new calculation is also trying to avoid the ire of former President Trump — the man who is now expected to nab the nomination and stands a shot of becoming president again.
That is compounded by the fact that if Trump were to drop out, Haley doesn’t necessarily get the nomination — it’s the delegates at the convention who ultimately decide and vote on a replacement. They may select someone who embraces the MAGA agenda as opposed to choosing a more centrist candidate like Haley.
On The Money previously reported that as Haley nabbed endorsements from Republican kingmakers — like the Koch brothers — some wealthy Democratic donors were also quietly funneling cash to her campaign.
Deep-pocketed participants viewed the unusual diversion of funds as an “opposition effort” against another Trump presidency, according to insiders. Haley raised $24 million in the last three months of 2023.
Other fundraiser hosts include hedge fund managers, venture capitalists, partners at law firms like Kirkland Ellis and Paul Weiss as well as former and current executives at Meta, Google, and UBS.
CEO of JPMorgan Chase’s wealth management division Kristin Lemkau is also involved with the New York fundraiser for Haley. Last year her boss, Jamie Dimon, encouraged others on Wall Street to support Nikki Haley. More recently, he has also defended Donald Trump as “kind of right” about a lot of his policies.
All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.
“My hands were shaking uncontrollably,” said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. “But I’ve had some moments like this before, and I think I’ve just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.”
Advertisement
Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada.
Connor Doyal, a 26-year-old mid-amateur golfer from Charleston, S.C., celebrates with the trophy after winning the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament.
“Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish,” Doyal said. “I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me.
Advertisement
“Coming down the stretch, I had to battle. I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, the heart rate is still extremely high right now.”
Doyal had seven birdies in his final round, the best of which came on the par-4 No. 14. He used his six-iron to blast his second shot 220 yards to within inches of the cup, setting up a short putt that gave him a one-shot lead over Bell.
Doyal followed with a birdie on No. 15 to up his lead to two strokes, but made things interesting by shorting a putt on No. 17 for bogey.
Playing in a group just ahead of Doyel, Lew missed a 35-foot try for birdie on the par-5 No. 18 a smidge left to finish at 11-under after a final round 68.
Advertisement
Clinging to that one-shot lead on No. 18, an admittedly amped-up Doyal nearly overshot the green on his third shot from about 80 yards out, the ball settling on the back fringe. He followed with a deft chip, setting up his tournament-winning putt.
“It was a little bit nervy there, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Doyal said. “I’m always going to be able to look back at that up and down on 18 and be like I have what it takes when the pressure is on.”
Widely regarded as one of the best amateur events for junior golfers in the country, the Terra Cotta’s field included nearly the entirety of the top 25 in the Rolex American Junior Golf rankings. That included Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who was gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive Terra Cotta championship. The 18-year-old Vanderbilt commit came up short in his quest, finishing 3-under and in a tie for 21st place.
“I started off pretty bad, just kind of had a weird first day,” said Colton, who opened with a 2-over 74. “Nothing was going my way. But I was pretty happy with the way I ended it.”
Advertisement
Colton said the Terra Cotta is one of his favorite events of the season.
“You’ve got a great field and obviously an amazing course,” he said. “I think that’s why everybody wants to come and play at this tournament.”
Another top junior was a late and unreported entry to the Terra Cotta. Charlie Woods, son of golfing great Tiger Woods, got off to a rough start with an opening round 79, but shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 42nd place with a 3-over 219.
Among the five Naples-area competitors, former Gulf Coast High School standout and current University of Florida golfer Noah Kent had the best showing. The 20-year-old finished with a 2-over 218 for the tournament, placing him in a tie for 34th. The other local entrants were Spencer Ives (220), Brian Bassett (222), Jack Ryan Donovan (224), and Kaden Latrielle (229).
Advertisement
Contact Sports Reporter Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Connor Doyal wins Florida amateur event, Charlie Woods ties for 42nd
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
-
Technology5 minutes agoiPhone and Samsung flashlight tricks you should know
-
Business11 minutes agoDavid Ellison hits CinemaCon, vowing to make more movies with Paramount-Warner Bros.
-
Entertainment17 minutes agoLarry David discusses ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ ‘Seinfeld’ legacies and new HBO series
-
Lifestyle23 minutes agoNine non-negotiable items for a well-designed life
-
Politics29 minutes agoSupreme Court weighs phone searches to find criminals amid complaints of ‘digital dragnets’
-
Sports41 minutes agoRyan Ward has a solid debut, but bullpen blows it again as Dodgers lose to Rockies
-
World53 minutes agoSchools, shops shut in northern Israel to protest the Lebanon ceasefire
-
News1 hour agoCommunities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest