The Washington Capitals have reportedly decided to go with the 7-3-1 option for their protected list ahead of the Vegas expansion draft.
That is according to Washington Post hockey writer Isabelle Khurshudyan, who expected the Capitals to protect Alex
This is the first Father’s Day where Eric Young Jr. can celebrate in honor of his son, who tragically died shortly after birth earlier this year.
This is the first Father’s Day where Eric Young Jr. can celebrate in honor of his son, who tragically died shortly after birth earlier this year.
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We’re already seeing some of the lowest scores ever in the tournament, which has all the makings for a dramatic final round.
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ERIN, Wis. — Justin Thomas landed a 3-wood on the 18th green where some players couldn’t land a wedge, leaving him an 8-foot eagle putt that he calmly made for a 9-under 63 that matched one U.S. Open record and broke another. It also put him squarely in the mix to capture his first major. On an Erin Hills course that again lacked enough wind to be the stern test the U.S. Open wants, Brian Harman weaved his way through traffic at the top of the leaderboard Saturday for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot lead over Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood. Thomas became the fifth player to shoot 63 in the U.S. Open, and the first with a score of 9 under. This is the first time in 25 years that the U.S. Open has played as a par 72. By the end of the day, that wasn’t even the most shocking number. Harman was at 12-under 204 and still only had a one-shot lead, with Rickie Fowler two shots behind. “Yeah, 12 under, I’d have about a 10-shot lead in most Opens,” he said. Just not this one. There were 18 rounds in the 60s, starting with one for the record book. If his hot pink pants were not enough, Thomas finished in style. He had 310 yards to the hole when he hit 3-wood that could have led to big trouble if he went too far long or left. “Oh gosh, Jimmy, be good,” he said to caddie Jimmy Johnson when the ball was in the air, and it was close to perfect. The ball landed on the front of the green just soft enough that it rolled out 8 feet by the hole. Thomas poured that in to become the 29th player with a 63 in a major championship. “The finish was awesome. I’d love to have another one of those,” Thomas said. But not long after he signed for his record score and an 11-under 205, he began to appreciate the significance of a 63 on this day. “That means I’m a part of history,” he said. “It means I have a lot better chance to win the tournament than I did when the day started. “I felt like I’ve been playing pretty well all week, and didn’t have quite the numbers to show for it. Obviously, today I definitely had something to show for it.” And he still has a long way to go. In the previous 116 U.S. Opens, only six players had ever reached 10-under par or lower, never in the same tournament. There were five players in double digits Saturday at Erin Hills. Koepka also reached the green in two on the 667-yard closing hole for a two-putt birdie and a 68. Fleetwood was poised to take the lead until his pitch to the 18th wasn’t strong enough and his next shot went beyond the flag and down the slope some 70 feet away. He got that up-and-down for a bogey and a 68. Fowler, sharing a house with Thomas this week, was being left behind until he ran off three straight birdies and shot 68. He was 10 under. “It’s going to be a really cool day for someone tomorrow,” Fowler said. “I’m looking forward to my shot at it. I’ve been there a handful of times and had some good finishes. But I’m looking forward to getting the job done.” Not to be overlooked was Si Woo Kim, who captured THE PLAYERS Championship last month. He shot 68 and was only three back. Even with the course drying out, there simply was not enough wind to frighten anyone on their game. Thomas, the 24-year-old from Kentucky who is a major away from joining the young elite in golf, only added to a year of low numbers. He made an eagle on his final hole at the Sony Open in January to shoot 59, and he went on to break the PGA TOUR’s 72-hole scoring record. The U.S. Open didn’t seem to faze him, and he delivered a variety of big shots that led to his sensational finish. He rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 5 from the edge of the green that broke so severely that he stood with his toes facing the hole and rapped the ball toward his left foot. It took a hard turn to the right and rolled in. In the hay left of the 12th fairway, he gouged it out with a 9-iron and watched it roll to 10 feet. And with the tees moved up on the 15th hole to make it reachable, Thomas hit a 3-wood that rolled off the back slope of the green to 6 feet. He two-putted for birdie, and he rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt on the 17th. “It doesn’t matter how long, how whatever the course is,” Thomas said about the longest course in major championship history. “When you give us soft greens, good greens and not much wind, you know there are going to be some good scores. I was just happy that I was the one that was able to take advantage of it today.” But the work is not done. Of the five other players who shot a 63 in the third round at a major, none went on to win. Most of them had to come from far back going into the weekend, and it was difficult to put together two good rounds. Then again, none of the top 16 on the leaderboard has ever won a major. “Someone has a very good chance of ending up with their first major tomorrow,” Fowler said.
Watch an NBA game these days and, especially in crunch time, you will see more teams than ever leaving their traditional 7-foot centers on the bench, favoring a small lineup instead. The league is trending toward a pace-and-space, perimeter-oriented game with as many shooters and creators as possible
ERIN, Wis. – Erin Hills may have been formed thousands of years ago by glaciers that plowed through the Wisconsin heartland, but the course was deconstructed Saturday by a kinetic wunderkind yielding space-age technology. Justin Thomas, all 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds of him, didn’t even need the longest club in his bag to bludgeon the closing holes of this 7,818-yard course. His 9-under 63, which set the record for lowest score in relation to par at a U.S. Open, will be remembered for three 3-wood shots he hit on the back nine Saturday. He drove the 288-yard, par-4 15th with that fairway wood (but missed the 6-foot eagle putt), then hit that same club twice to carry his ball onto the green of the 667-yard, par-5 18th. He stood in the final fairway, debating between hooking a 2-iron into the green or hitting a high, cut 3-wood. He settled on the 3-wood because a mishit would leave him an easier recovery shot. The fans cheered when he cast aside the iron in favor of the lumber. His ball carried more than 290 yards in the air before landing softly on the putting surface and rolling 8 feet past the hole. He made the putt to cap his record round. “I was hitting a 3-wood to lay-up, and he wasn’t that far ahead of me,� said his playing partner, Jonathan Randolph. “I knew he could get it there. I didn’t know he could hit it that high and that soft.� Thomas made nine birdies, an eagle and two bogeys Saturday, and finished the round with four consecutive 3s. A par at No. 16 and 26-foot birdie putt on the 17th were sandwiched between his impressive showings on 15 and 18. “I was in a great zone out there,� Thomas said. “I was hitting it well, I was putting it well, I had some great up-and-downs. Everything has been flowing. I’m sure once I sit down and relax tonight it will maybe set in a little bit more.� We’ve already seen several scoring records broken at a soft Erin Hills, but Thomas’ brought the most excitement to the tournament as it allowed him to break free from a crowded leaderboard. There were sometimes a half-dozen players tied for the lead Saturday before Thomas pulled away. He was two strokes ahead when he walked off the golf course, but will start Sunday’s final round one shot behind leader Brian Harman. “The finish was awesome,� Thomas said. “I’d love to have another one of those.� If he does, he could walk away with his first major title. There will be lighter traffic on the leaderboard Sunday, as only six players will be within three strokes of Brian Harman’s lead. Erin Hills, with wide fairways that are unprecedented for a U.S. Open, has allowed players to mash drivers like Mike Trout. It’s a perfect fit for Thomas, one of the most violent swingers on the PGA TOUR. His ability to generate so much distance from his small frame has been the topic of several magazine instructional articles, as if an average player could hope to make solid contact by replicating an impact position that sends Thomas onto his tippy-toes. He’d only managed to shoot 2 under par in the first two rounds at Erin Hills, though. His first-round 73 included a triple-bogey on the par-4 eighth hole and left him on the cut line. He shot 69 in the second round, but still started Saturday six shots off the lead. He’s No. 2 in the FedExCup thanks to three victories this season, including a record-setting performance at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He eagled the final hole of his first-round 59 at Waialae Country Club, then set or tied the PGA TOUR’s 36-hole and 54-hole scoring records before breaking the 72-hole record. The U.S. Open would be the 24-year-old’s biggest, of course, and not only because of the significance of winning one of golf’s Grand Slam events. The final round of the U.S. Open traditionally falls on Father’s Day, and Thomas’ dad, Mike, has been integral part of his golf career. He’s the head pro at Harmony Landing in Goshen, Kentucky, and his son’s longtime instructor. Mike’s dedication to his work meant that his Father’s Days weren’t spent watching his national championship from the couch, though. “My Father’s Day tradition was working 10-12 hours at the club, for our big Parent-Child tournament,� Mike said. “This one was going to be good as soon as he made the cut. I get to spend the day with my son. That’s good enough for me.� The Thomases are a family with a long golf lineage. Justin’s grandfather, Paul, also was a club professional. He competed in one of the most memorable U.S. Opens in history, the 1962 affair at Oakmont. Paul missed the cut, bowing out before young Jack Nicklaus defeated Arnold Palmer in a playoff. Now Paul’s grandson has cemented his name in the championship’s record book. The golf ball from Saturday’s round will need to find a home alongside the other memorabilia in Harmony Landing’s pro shop that commemorates Justin’s success The front counter’s display case holds flags and gloves and other memorabilia that highlight the many accomplishments of Thomas’ decorated career. There are also more than 10 dozen golf balls, one from each of Thomas’ victories dating to his earliest days. A major trophy would undoubtedly make a nice addition.
