PINEHURST, N.C. – After Andy Ogletree won the U.S. Amateur on Sunday, his mother, Melissa, found Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler and made an uncomfortable admission.
“I don’t think he has a passport,” she said sheepishly.
That’s a problem, of course, with Ogletree automatically qualifying for the U.S. Walker Cup team by virtue of his victory. The Americans are set to leave in about a week and a half for the Sept. 7-8 matches at Royal Liverpool.
U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree and runner-up John Augenstein were selected to help round out the American Walker Cup team.
Ogletree, who grew up in Little Rock, Mississippi (population: less than 2,000), didn’t even realize that he’d need a passport until he was asked about it by a reporter after his winner’s news conference. The only times he’s traveled outside the continental U.S. were to play in the Yellow Jackets’ events in Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
“Oh, that’s not good,” he said. “I’m glad you reminded me. I’ll get that done.”
Such requests can take months to process, of course.
“I know you can expedite stuff now,” Heppler said. “But I don’t know if you get it that fast.”
A USGA official, however, confirmed that the organization is “already on it.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Jets coach Adam Gase took the blame for Avery Williamson's season-ending knee injury, second-guessing his decision of playing the starting linebacker for as long as he did Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
That injury, Gase admitted Sunday night, played a small factor in why he has decided to sit star running back Le'Veon Bell for the remainder of the preseason. Bell, the team's prized free agent, saw no action in the first two games.
"I was 99.9 percent sure what we were going to do," Gase said, referring to Bell. "The [Williamson injury] probably made it 100."
It's rare for coaches to question themselves publicly, but Gase seemed remorseful about how he handled the Williamson situation.
Williamson, their leading tackler last season, played into the late second quarter, the only starter on the field at the time when he suffered a torn ACL. It happened when cornerback Tevaughn Campbell dived into Williamson's right knee when trying to defend a pass in the end zone.
After the game, Gase gave a cryptic explanation, saying players were designated for a specific number of snaps. Three days later, meeting reporters for the first time since the game and knowing the full extent of the injury, he struck a different tone.
Asked if he regrets the decision to play Williamson with the backups, Gase said, "Yes, I do."
He went on to say Williamson was learning a new position -- weak-side inside linebacker -- and that the coaches wanted him to play alongside Neville Hewitt, the backup middle linebacker. Basically, they were trying different combinations to prepare themselves in the event of an injury to starting middle linebacker C.J. Mosley.
"Looking back on it -- hindsight is 20/20 -- I wish I would've gotten him out of there a series earlier," Gase said. "I talked to him. It's on me. I'm the one who has to make that call and get him out of there. We didn't. It's a shame because he was having a good camp."
Williamson, who signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract in 2018, has a fully guaranteed salary of $6.5 million. But the injury increases the chances of him being released next season, when there's no guarantees left in the contract.
Gase, who had been secretive with regard to his weekly plan for Bell, was surprisingly candid after the team's annual Green & White practice at MetLife Stadium. The Jets play the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night at MetLife. Before the first two games, Gase refused to divulge his Bell plan until kickoff.
"He's in a good place right now," Gase said. "The way he's working in practice, the way he's running the ball in practice, I feel really good about him when he hits the regular season."
Bell, who wasn't available to reporters, has said he would leave it up to the coaches. Bell seemed fine with the decision on Twitter.
Bell's practice reps have increased in recent days. After sitting out last season in a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he hasn't played a game in 19 months.
"I feel like he's in great shape," Gase said. "He's been contacting about as good as anybody on the practice field, so I feel confident he'll be ready for Week 1."
Meanwhile, recently signed center Ryan Kalil made his practice debut. Kalil, 34, who ended a short-lived retirement by signing a one-year, $8.4 million contract on Aug. 1, admitted he needs a lot of work before Week 1. He misfired on two shotgun snaps.
"Not rusty, just playing slow," he said. "Physically, I feel like I'm in good shape. Football shape, not so much."
DeShawn Shead 88 Yrd Interception Return, (Kick formation) J.Myers extra point is GOOD, Center-T.Ott, Holder-M.Dickson.
11 plays, 58 yards, 5:46
10
3
TD
1:05
Irv Smith Jr. Pass From Sean Mannion for 3 Yrds, (Kick formation) D.Bailey extra point is GOOD, Center-A.Cutting, Holder-C.Beebe.
7 plays, 63 yards, 0:43
10
10
third Quarter
SEA
MIN
FG
9:00
Jason Myers Made 52 Yrd Field Goal
5 plays, 38 yards, 1:02
13
10
TD
2:29
Brandon Zylstra Pass From Kyle Sloter for 4 Yrds, (Kick formation) K.Vedvik extra point is GOOD, Center-A.Cutting, Holder-C.Beebe.
11 plays, 73 yards, 6:29
13
17
fourth Quarter
SEA
MIN
FG
12:20
Jason Myers Made 27 Yrd Field Goal
11 plays, 61 yards, 5:13
16
17
TD
5:10
Khari Blasingame 1 Yard Rush, (Pass formation) TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. M.Boone rushes up the middle. ATTEMPT SUCCEEDS.
12 plays, 84 yards, 7:06
16
25
FG
3:14
Jason Myers Made 20 Yrd Field Goal
10 plays, 57 yards, 1:58
19
25
Data is currently unavailable.
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I love the National League East. If they gave a daytime Emmy Award for best soap opera of 2019, it would have to go the NL East. We have Bryce Harper, bullpen problems up and down the division, managers on the hot seat, cold spells, hot streaks, Pete Alonso mashing, Ronald Acuña Jr. hitting home runs and robbing home runs and stealing bases ... and, on Sunday, not hustling and turning an extra-base hit into a single and a caught stealing.
We'll get to Alonso and the wildness the past two days in D.C. in a moment, but Sunday's Bravo-approved drama begins with Braves manager Brian Snitker pulling Acuña from a 5-3 victory over the Dodgers after Acuña watched a fly ball fall short of a home run, turning a sure double into a single. He then compounded his mistake by getting caught stealing.
At the time, the Braves were down 3-0, so it was a gutsy decision by Snitker to remove his young star from the game. "He didn't run. You've got to run," Snitker said after the game. "That's not going to be acceptable here. The name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back. ... You can't let your teammates down."
play
1:04
Acuna removed from game after watching fly ball
Ronald Acuna Jr. watches his hit go off the wall in the third inning, which results in a single. Acuna is taken out of the game after four innings.
Acuña said there was "no excuse" for watching the ball instead of running and that he respected Snitker's decision. OK, sounds like this is one plotline that won't develop into a full-blown melodrama. Indeed, the hopeful result is a valuable lesson learned for Acuña:
Ronald Acuña Jr. has been taken out of the biggest game yet for watching a potential HR turned single. This will be a GOOD LESSON for a young player with TONS of talent. Snitker Cares about Ñ, THE TEAM & sends a message to everyone about playing the game the right way. #ChopOnpic.twitter.com/ysPYnUczfE
Acuña has earned a reputation for showboating at times, although I interpret that more as a young kid having fun. Still, there's a time to have fun and a time when you hustle at all costs. As Cubs manager Joe Maddon said from the Little League Classic on Sunday about what advice he'd give Little Leaguers: "Run hard to first base. I think if you run hard to first base, it affirms the rest of your game. I don't think it's any more complicated than that."
Snitker understands this more than most. He's a longtime minor league manager who has seen countless players with a fraction of Acuña's talent play hard at all times and fail to reach the majors. The last thing you want to see is a 21-year-old star develop bad habits.
I think it importantly shows Snitker's confidence in doing his job the way he believes it needs to be done -- a job that continues to mount in pressure as the Braves' bullpen has struggled and Snitker has wavered on how he deploys his relievers. The Braves probably should be running away with the division given the often mediocre results from the Nationals, Phillies and Mets, but instead lead by just 5½ games. Remember, general manager Alex Anthopoulos inherited Snitker as manager. There's always some lack of job security in a situation like that.
Maybe one reason everything seemed calm after the game is the Braves won, as outfielder Rafael Ortega, making his first start of the year, hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth off Dodgers rookie Dustin May. The bullpen even tossed four innings of one-hit relief, with Chris Martin, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon -- the three deadline acquisitions -- tossing the final three frames without allowing a hit.
So lesson learned for Acuña. And the bullpen may be rounding into shape. Maybe the Braves will make it a drama-free race in September.
Alonso sets rookie record: The Mets beat the Royals 11-5, trailing 4-3 in the seventh when they rallied for six runs on eight hits -- all singles and doubles. Granted, it wasn't Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis in relief for the Royals, but it was fun to see a team attack the strike zone, put the ball in play and spray it around for a big rally. Alonso hit an RBI double off the top of the wall in right field in that inning, then added his 40th home run in the top of ninth:
play
0:29
Alonso sets rookie record with 40th homer
Pete Alonso crushes a home run that gives him 40 on the season, making him the first National League player to hit 40 in his first MLB season.
That broke Cody Bellinger's National League rookie mark of 39 set in 2017. Next up: Mark McGwire at 49 and then Aaron Judge's MLB record of 52, also set in 2017. After a slow July in which he hit .177 with six home runs, Alonso has bounced back in August, hitting .355/.444/.710. Alonso is now slugging .604. The only Met with a .600 slugging percentage in a season: Mike Piazza, who slugged .614 in 2000 and .607 in 1998.
Nationals bounce back, slug eight home runs: Further evidence that there's no such thing as momentum in baseball (unless you're a pitcher for the Orioles). The Brewers beat the Nationals 15-14 in 14 innings on Saturday, in what was maybe the game of the year -- and the toughest loss for a team all season. The Brewers took the lead in the ninth inning of that game when they hit three home runs off Nationals closer Sean Doolittle. The Nationals would tie it to force extras and tie it again in the 13th before finally losing. A gut-punch defeat.
Flip ahead to Sunday. Doolittle goes to the injured list with a knee problem -- he allowed 10 runs and five home runs over his past five outings. So what happens? The Nationals tie a team record with eight home runs in a 16-8 victory. Baseball is wonderful. Juan Soto smashed two of those, bringing his season total up to 28, and has hit 50 home runs before turning 21. Only Mel Ott (61) and Tony Conigliaro (56) had more at that age. Kid can swat.
You know the home run binge this season has created all sorts of crazy stats. Here's one more. There have been five games in MLB history in which both teams combined for at least 12 home runs -- three of them have occurred this season and two this weekend:
6/10/2019: Phillies (5) and D-backs (8)
Sunday: Brewers (4) and Nationals (8)
Friday: Giants (6) and D-backs (6)
7/2/2002: Tigers (6) and White Sox (6)
5/28/1995: Tigers (7) and White Sox (5)
Everyone can swat, it seems.
So can Rafael Devers: The Red Sox trailed the Orioles 6-0 in the third inning, the day after Chris Sale went on the IL with elbow inflammation. It could be worse than that: Sale will meet with Dr. James Andrews on Monday. So the outlook wasn't brilliant for the Boston nine. In the bottom of third, Devers had an RBI ground out. He doubled in a run the sixth as the Red Sox scored six runs to take the lead for good. He belted a two-run homer in the seventh. He ended up going 4-for-5 with two doubles, his 27th home run and four RBIs. His season line: .332/.380/.596, 101 RBIs. Kid can swat.
My favorite Devers stat: He's up to 46 doubles. Through the season's first two months, it was Josh Bell who was hitting doubles at an amazing pace. Now it's Devers. His pace projects to 59 for the year. Only six players have hit 60 doubles in a season, the last in 1936. Getting to the record of 67 is an extreme unlikelihood, but I would love 60 doubles. Unless you were alive 83 years ago, you've never seen it happen.
Win of the day: All this drama and the biggest victory of the day probably goes to the Tampa Bay Rays, who rallied for two runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to beat the Tigers 5-4. (On Saturday, Rays pitchers struck out 24 batters and walked none in a 1-0 victory in 13 innings. No, the Tigers are not a good ballclub.) So back-to-back walk-off wins is pretty sweet. Here's Ji-Man Choi doing the honors on Sunday:
play
0:56
Rays rally, walk off on Choi's single
After trailing the Tigers for the entirety of the game, Ji-man Choi hits a single to center field to score Travis d'Arnaud and give the Rays a walk-off victory.
Finally ... Congrats to Zack Greinke for picking up his 200th career victory, joining CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander as the only active pitchers with 200 wins. ... Congrats to Seattle's Yusei Kikuchi for throwing a "Maddux": a complete-game shutout with fewer than 100 pitches. He blanked the Blue Jays on 96 pitches for his first win since June. ... Congrats to the Indians for splitting their four-game series at Yankee Stadium. Mike Clevinger fanned 10 in five scoreless innings. (Keep an eye out for updates on Corey Kluber, who left his first minor league rehab start after one inning because of abdominal tightness.)
Whew. Let's turn to Monday and see what new home run marks can be set. And what new drama will unfold in the NL East.
Britain's Andy Murray says he is hoping "to get through a few matches" as he plays his second singles tournament since recovering from hip surgery.
The former world number one lost 6-4 6-4 to Richard Gasquet in Cincinnati last week, in his first singles match since January's Australian Open.
He has decided to play no part in this month's US Open.
On Monday he will play the American Tennys Sandgren in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open.
"All matches are difficult at this level, and when you've been out for a long time, and with the severity of the operation I had, it is going to take time," Murray told BBC Sport.
"I'm not setting my expectations too high, but I do want to try and get matches in just now. So I'd like to get through a few matches here, and hopefully have a decent run."
It is very hot, and very humid in North Carolina. Murray will play his first round match at about 19:00 local time, when the temperature will be 30C, but feel more like 37C.
Sandgren, 28, reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 Australian Open, and the fourth round of this year's Wimbledon. But he has lost all three of the hard court matches he has played in North America since.
"He was brought up playing on the American hard courts, he's a very good mover and he's quick: a good athlete," said Murray, who has never played Sandgren before.
"I practised with him a little bit when he was pretty young - him and another player, Ryan Williams, were brought in by Ivan Lendl to do some training with me - so I actually practised with him a bit when he was like 18 or 19 years old."
The winner will play the second seed and world number 38 Denis Shapovalov in the second round.
The tournament is taking place at the Wake Forest Tennis Centre, which is right next to the 31,500-seater stadium where the Wake Forest college football team play their home games.
"The university and the facilities that they have over here are unbelievable," Murray added.
"A few of my friends played college tennis over here and had a brilliant time and the assistant coach here is Chris Eaton, who played Davis Cup for Britain. He seems to love it here. It's nice."
Dan Evans is the only other British player in the singles here, and as the fifth seed has a bye into the second round.
But there is a strong British doubles contingent, including Joe Salisbury, who is seeded two with his American partner Rajeev Ram.
Cincinnati Masters semi-finalists Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski are also in the draw.
This is the final ATP event before the US Open begins on 26 August. Andy Murray has already said he will not play doubles in New York, so he can focus all his energies on singles once again.
Zheng Peifeng is one of four past men’s singles winners on duty this year; notably all present at the recent 2019 ITTF World Tour Asarel Bulgaria Open.
Portugal’s Marcos Freitas won in 2014, whilst being the runner up last year; Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting succeeded in 2015. In Olomouc as last week in Bulgaria, Marcos Freitas must qualify, Wong Chun Ting is the no.11 seed.
In Panagyurishte, the Hong Kong star was beaten in a dramatic second round encounter by Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, not present on Olomouc, his attentions being focused on the Africa Games in Rabat; Marcos Freitas lost to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, the champion elect and the player for whom the ITTF World Tour Czech Open has a special place.
Record breaker
On the afternoon of Sunday 27th August 2017, he won the men’s singles title beating Germany’s Timo Boll in the final; at the time he was 14 years and 61 days old; in so doing he smashed the previous youngest ever record into smithereens. The prior best was that recorded by China’s Yu Ziyang; he was 16 years and 30 days old when he won the men’s singles title at the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour Japan Open.
In Olomouc Tomokazu Harimoto is the top seed and could we experience a repeat of the final two years ago? It is not beyond the bounds of possibility. Timo Boll is the no.3 seed one place ahead of colleague Dimitrij Ovtcharov and one behind Brazil’s Hugo Calderano. Next in line is the Japanese duo of Koki Niwa and Jun Mizutani, followed by Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu and England’s Liam Pitchford.
However, it is the next two names that attract the attention; Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and Germany’s Patrick Franziska complete the top 10 seeded places. Both have been in outstanding form this year and are currently enjoying a rich vein of success. In July, on the ITTF World Tour in Australia, Patrick Franziska beat Fan Zhendong and Sweden’s Mattias Falck, before losing narrowly to Xu Xin. At the T2 Diamond on Johor Bahru, Lin Yun-Ju caused China more food for thought. He accounted for both Ma Long and Fan Zhendong en route to gold.
Likewise four champions
Similarly, in the women’s singles event four previous champions appear on the entry list. Additional to Kasumi Ishikawa, also the runner up in 2017, her nemesis on that occasion, colleague Mima Ito is on duty. Likewise, Romania’s Elizabeta Samara, successful in 2014 and Monaco’s Yang Xiaoxin, gold medallist in 2016, compete.
Elizabeta Samara and Yang Xiaoxin start their adventures in the qualification tournament. Meanwhile, Mima Ito occupies the no.2 seeded position ahead of colleague Miu Hirano and Korea Republic’s Suh Hyowon. Singapore’s Feng Tianwei is the next in line followed by China’s He Zhuojia; Japan’s Saki Shibata and Hitomi Sato complete the top eight names.
However, is the favourite for the title amongst those names? Arguably not! Chen Xingtong, the winner last week in Bulgaria, when beating colleague He Zhuojia in the final, is the player in form. She is the no.11 seed and alongside He Zhuojia has a special mission. No player representing China has ever reached the women’s singles final at an ITTF World Tour Czech Open.
World champions
Somewhat differently in the men’s doubles and women’s doubles events, no prior pair that has secured the title appears on the entry list. The men’s doubles partnership to catch the eye is that of Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chien-An and Chuang Chih-Yuan; the enigma! They won the men’s doubles title at the Liebherr 2013 World Championships in Paris but together have never reach an ITTF World Tour final!
In Olomouc they have a major opportunity, they are the no.3 seeds; just one problem could their colleagues spoil the party? Liao Cheng-Ting and Lin Yun-Ju occupy the top seeded spot ahead of Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit and Lam Siu Hang.
Notably, earlier this year in March Liao Cheng-Ting and Lin Yun-Ju emerged successful at the 2019 ITTF Challenge Oman Open; a situation similar to that of Japan’s Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki, the women’s doubles top seeds. In May they won in both Slovenia and Croatia. Equally, just as with Chen Chien-An and Chuang Chih-Yuan could the biggest threat to title aspirations be from colleagues?
Runners up last week in Bulgaria, Miu Hirano and Saki Shibata occupy the no.3 seeded position behind the combination of Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova and the host nation’s Hana Matelova.
Note Bulgarian winners
A prominent status for Barbora Balazova, it is the same in the mixed doubles; partnering colleague Lubomir Pistej, the duo occupies the no.2 seeded spot ahead of Austria’s Stefan Fegerl and Sofia Polcanova. Winners last year in Australia, Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee head the list; but beware of the pair who just miss out on a top eight seeded spot.
The winners in Bulgaria, Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito are together again.
BRAINERD, Minn. – Minnesota native Jason Line won a race for an NHRA-record 16th straight season on Sunday, racing to the victory at his home track during the 38th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd Int’l Raceway.
In other racing, it was a double-up victory for Don Schumacher Racing for the first time this year as Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel) and Ron Capps (Funny Car) won in their respective categories.
Line, the No. 1 qualifier, used a run of 6.597 seconds at 209.10 mph in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro to beat Erica Enders’ 6.604-second run at 207.59 mph in the final round.
It is Line’s 49th victory and first in 2019. It is his second career Brainerd win, but Sunday marked the first time he could celebrate at his home track, as his 2014 event win was completed in Indy after a rain delay.
Line knocked off Wally Stroupe, Alex Laughlin and Deric Kramer to reach the final round. Enders, the No. 2 qualifier, beat Shane Tucker, Chris McGaha and Seattle winner Matt Hartford to reach her 48th career final round, but Line edged her out to grab the memorable win in front of family and friends.
“This is very cool,” Line said. “As we get older, you realize these moments are going to be few and far between and less chance of them happening, so it’s very special. Right now it feels special, but it’s going be feel more special later on, for sure. It was just a great weekend and a fun day. We had a great car and you want to win here in front of your friends and family. To see them and see how happy they are, it’s super special. This place has been a big part of our lives.”
In Top Fuel, Pritchett picked up her first win of the season and eighth in her career thanks to a 3.732-second pass at 321.04 mph in her MOPAR Dodge dragster, sending her past Mike Salinas in the final round. Pritchett, who earned her second Brainerd win, knocked off Kyle Wurtzel, defending event winner Billy Torrence and Seattle winner Austin Prock to reach the final round.
Salinas got past Luigi Novelli, Clay Millican and Doug Kalitta to reach the final round for the fifth time in his career. Pritchett’s victory is the first Top Fuel win of the season for DSR, and the nitro double-up for the team comes a race after rival John Force Racing did the same in Seattle.
“I was proud to be the one to put on the final win light (today) for DSR, and this is the perfect time to be able to get the momentum for our season,” Pritchett said. “Looking at the time sheets, we made four incredible runs and that’s something that the crew chiefs have been able to do consistently, and it’s coming together at the perfect time. Between the racecar that we have, the team and what we’re asking it to do, (the car) is performing beautifully, and I couldn’t be more happy.”
Funny Car’s Capps won for the sixth time in Brainerd, going 3.946 seconds at 324.28 mph in the final round in his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to beat DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr.’s 3.947-second run at 319.98 mph. It is Capps’ third win in 2019 and 64th of his career.
Capps beat defending world champ J.R. Todd, Jack Beckman and Shawn Langdon en route to the finals, while Johnson drove past Tim Wilkerson, points leader Robert Hight and No. 1 qualifier Matt Hagan to reach his 52nd career final.
Capps fell to longtime rival John Force in an emotional final round in Seattle, a race that gave Force his 150th career win, but Capps rebounded in impressive fashion on Sunday at one of his favorite races on the NHRA circuit.
“I had my hands full today,” Capps said. “This is a race that we circle on the calendar because it’s fun, but you want to race this race and get the finishing touches on your tune-up. This is a crucial and they’ve done such a great job here. Both lanes are equal and you really want to have your act together leaving this race. I’m so happy we’ve had great success here and we had a great running car today.”
MEDINAH, Ill. – Patick Cantlay couldn’t catch Justin Thomas on Sunday, but he did secure his spot on the U.S. Presidents Cup team and guarantee himself an 8-under-par start at next week’s Tour Championship.
Playing with Thomas in the BMW Championship’s final grouping, Cantlay managed to cut Thomas’ six-shot overnight lead down to just two through 10 holes.
But he could pull no closer, ultimately signing for a round of 7-under 65 and settling for second, three back. He cited missed birdie putts at 12 and 14 and a missed eagle try at 15 as the shots that could have really put the pressure on Thomas.
“When you are as far behind as I was, you kind of need everything to go right,” he said.
Sunday didn’t yield his third PGA Tour victory, but it did put him in position to potentially take the FedExCup next week at East Lake. Second in the points standings, Cantlay will start the Tour Championship behind only Thomas. It’ll be Thomas at 10 under, Cantlay at 8 under and 28 other guys trailing along, all fighting for the top prize of $15 million.
Unsure just what to make of the weighted scoreboard, Cantlay said he’ll do what he always does – come up with a plan for the golf course, stick to that, and “let the chips fall where they do.”
As for his automatic berth to the Presidents Cup – his first U.S. team since the 2011 Walker Cup – that got Cantlay excited.
“I really love it,” Cantlay said, referring to team golf. “I’ve heard great things about Royal Melbourne and I’m excited to have a good week with the guys.
“Something I’ve learned is the more time you can spend with the best players in the world, the better your game can get if you draw on the right things. I’m definitely going to have my eyes open that week.”
ENDICOTT, N.Y. - Doug Barron became the 13th Monday qualifier to win a PGA Tour Champions event, holing two 15-foot birdie putts after a rain delay to beat Fred Couples by two strokes Sunday in the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
Making his second senior start after turning 50 last month, Barron closed with a 6-under 66 at En Joie Golf Club to finish the wire-to-wire victory at 17-under 199. With Couples in the clubhouse after a 63, Barron returned from the rain delay to hole the first 15-footer on the par-4 15th to break a tie for the lead, then doubled the advantage with the second one on the par-3 17th.
The 59-year-old Couples was back at En Joie for the first time in 24 years. He won the PGA Tour's 1991 B.C. Open at the course.
Barron is the first Monday qualifier to win since Willie Wood in the 2012 event at En Joie, and the first to win wire-to-wire. After tying for fifth in the Senior British Open in his Champions debut, Barron got into the field Monday with a 66 at The Links at Hiawatha Landing.
Barron was winless on the PGA Tour in 238 starts, playing the defunct B.C. Open seven times at En-Joie. In 2009, three years after losing his PGA Tour card, Barron became the first player to be suspended by the tour for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He was suspended for one year.
Woody Austin was third at 13 under after a 67.
Scott McCarron, the 2017 winner, had a 69 to match Colin Montgomerie (66) at 12 under.
Scottie Scheffler fired a 4-under 67 to capture the opening event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals by two shots Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. The rookie out of Texas also took a huge step toward fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler birdied three of his first six holes and only needed a pair of birdies on the back nine of a difficult Scarlet Course to finish at 10 under, ahead of a three-way tie for second that included Scheffler’s former teammate Beau Hossler, LSU product Ben Taylor and past Tour winner Brendon Todd.
Scheffler’s victory netted the Dallas native 1,000 points, which pushed him past Xinjun Zhang and Robby Shelton in the KFT’s combined points list. Scheffler was among the 25 players to receive their Tour cards after last week’s regular-season finale in Portland, but he and the rest of that group are playing for priority in the three-event Finals.
Also, 25 more cards are available to the leading point-getters in the Finals, which is why Hossler, Taylor and Todd all clinched cards Sunday. Hossler played on Tour last season but failed to make the FedExCup Playoffs. Taylor was bumped from the top 25 after last season’s Portland Open and had to spend another season on the KFT. Todd hasn’t won since the 2014 Byron Nelson and is No. 490 in the OWGR.
Brandon Hagy, the 54-hole co-leader, shot 71 to slip to T-5 with Robert Streb. The other third-round co-leader, Jose de Jesus Rodriguez, carded a 77 and finished T-32.
Curtis Luck and Justin Harding were part of a four-way tie for seventh while Oklahoma State alum Viktor Hovland tied for 11th.
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