The Cardinals stunned the red-hot Cubs, scoring a season-high nine runs in the eighth inning to post an 11-4 come-from-behind victory on Friday afternoon to snap Chicago’s winning streak at six.
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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving has listed the San Antonio Spurs as one of four teams he would prefer to join in an NBA trade that would grant him his wish to get away from LeBron James. That can’t be good news for the Dallas Mavericks, a longtime Spurs rival, and the rest of the teams in
HOW THEY QUALIFIED Winner – PGA/U.S. Open Championship Dustin Johnson Winner – The Players Championship Matt Kuchar Winner – The Masters Bubba Watson Winner – British Open Ernie Els Winner – World Golf Championship Event Shane Lowry Winners of the Arnold Palmer Inv. & the Memorial (Last 3 Years) Matt Every David Lingmerth William McGirt Winner – FedEx Cup – Last Five Seasons Brandt Snedeker Tournament Winner in Past Two Seasons Keegan Bradley Alex Cejka Greg Chalmers Kevin Chappell Tony Finau Jim Furyk Cody Gribble Adam Hadwin James Hahn J.J. Henry Jim Herman Charley Hoffman J.B. Holmes Mackenzie Hughes Billy Hurley III Smylie Kaufman Chris Kirk Danny Lee Hunter Mahan Peter Malnati Ben Martin Graeme McDowell Troy Merritt Scott Piercy D.A. Points Cameron Smith Brian Stuard Hudson Swafford Vaughn Taylor Nick Taylor Jhonattan Vegas Career Money Exemption Stewart Cink  Geoff Ogilvy Carl Pettersson Sponsors Exemptions – Members not otherwise exempt Mike Weir Steve Wheatcroft Sponsors Exemptions – Unrestricted Hugo Bernard Wyndham Clark Jared du Toit Matt Hill Sam Horsfield Austin James Curtis Luck Bryn Parry Garrett Rank Andres Romero Ryan Ruffels Camilo Villegas Life Member Vijay Singh Top 125 on Prior Season’s FedEx Cup Points List Gary Woodland Roberto Castro Sean O’Hair Jason Kokrak Ryan Palmer Harris English David Hearn Kyle Reifers Daniel Summerhays Ricky Barnes Chad Campbell Patrick Rodgers Harold Varner III Johnson Wagner Scott Brown Chez Reavie Bryce Molder K.J. Choi Spencer Levin John Huh Sung Kang Jason Bohn Tyrone Van Aswegen Derek Fathauer Blayne Barber Brett Stegmaier Robert Garrigus Zac Blair Cameron Tringale Andrew Loupe Boo Weekley Mark Hubbard Ben Crane Michael Kim Anirban Lahiri Graham DeLaet Luke List Shawn Stefani Seung-Yul Noh Top 125 on Prior Season’s Official Money List thru Wyndham Ken Duke Retief Goosen Chad Collins Morgan Hoffmann Major Medical Extension Nick Watney Ian Poulter Brian Gay Patrick Cantlay Bob Estes Ryo Ishikawa Charlie Beljan Leading Money Winner from Web.com Tour & Web.com Tour Finals Grayson Murray Top Finishers from Web.com Tour Prior Season (reordered) Kelly Kraft Kevin Tway Ollie Schniederjans Whee Kim Cheng Tsung Pan J.J. Spaun Dominic Bozzelli Ryan Blaum Scott Stallings Trey Mullinax J.T. Poston Brandon Hagy Cameron Percy Seamus Power Sebastian Munoz Jonathan Randolph Rick Lamb Martin Flores Rory Sabbatini Richy Werenski Julian Etulain Tim Wilkinson Ryan Brehm Andres Gonzales Brian Campbell Joel Dahmen Will MacKenzie Tag Ridings Gonzalo Fdez-Castano Mark Anderson Nicholas Lindheim Steven Alker Ryan Armour Brett Drewitt Miguel Angel Carballo Brad Fritsch Bobby Wyatt
SOUTHPORT, England – Umbrella futures were on the rise Friday, and there’s no doubt that the quarterly earnings of raingear companies received a bump. Royal Birkdale was hit with proper Open Championship weather in the second round, leaving caddies with sore backs from the heavier luggage they had to lug around the links. The rain required them to not only carry extra clothing, but simultaneously balance a towel, umbrella, yardage book and whatever else their boss needed to keep dry. The weather was reminiscent of what we saw in the past two Open Championships here along England’s Lancashire Coast, as weather from the Irish Sea tormented the world’s best. No one has finished under-par in either of the past two Opens held at Royal Birkdale, and that was thanks in large part to high winds and rain. The field had to deal with both Friday, and often at the same time, sending the scoring average up more than two strokes. The field averaged 71.9 on Thursday, but that rose to 74.0 in Friday’s inclement weather. Rain is always a nuisance, while wind can at least occasionally be an aid. Not on this day, though. The winds came from the southeast, blowing across many fairways and often into the players. “The way it is out there now, it’s not much fun,â€� said Charl Schwartzel, whose 78 was 12 strokes higher than his first round. He teed off at 9:47 a.m., and was likely one of the players Jordan Spieth was watching as he awaited his tee time five hours later. Kevin Na, who fired 75 after a first-round 68, called it, “a good day to sit at home and watch a movie.â€� Most players opted for to watch the golf instead. One of the advantages players have at The Open Championship is that they can procure plenty of intelligence from tuning into the television broadcast before their afternoon tee time. Since all players tee off from No. 1, there’s nearly 10 hours between the first and last “games,â€� as they’re called at The Open. Spieth, known for a golf intelligence that matches his passion for the game, was among those players who tuned in. “I would have gladly stayed on the couch,â€� he said. “It was tough watching. It wasn’t a great feeling knowing we were coming into something harder than what we were watching.â€� Adam Scott, who teed off at 8:25 Friday morning, also watched the telecast, though for a different reason. With his day done by the early afternoon, he didn’t need to do any studying. He just wanted to commiserate with colleagues who struggled with the conditions. “I don’t normally tune in, but hopefully watching will make myself feel a little better,â€� he said after shooting 74 on Friday. He sits at 3-over 143 (69-74). The morning half of the draw had to deal with high winds. How windy was it? Rory McIlroy and Matt Kuchar both used 5-irons on the 162-yard 12th hole. McIlroy came up short. Kuchar watched the wind blow his shot 30 yards, from a mound left of the green toward the middle of the putting surface. The rain came later, falling hardest at about 4 p.m. A rain delay is about as rare as a tree at an Open Championship, because of how quickly a links course can drain, but play was stopped for a half-hour due to water pooling on the greens. The afternoon half of the field actually had an average score that was 0.8 strokes lower than the morning starters (73.6 to 74.4), but rain can be more of a hassle because of the extra work it requires to stay dry.Precipitation also produces dramatic visuals as players scurry for cover, wipe off their grips and turn hats backwards to keep water from dripping on their golf ball. The reality is, though, that the wind settled down at times as the rains arrived. Spieth said that taking advantage of the (relatively) calm periods was key to Friday’s 69, which puts him at 6-under 134 (65-69) and in the lead. Friday’s weather undoubtedly pleased those fans who wake up early to watch players struggle through “Open weather.â€� The funny thing is that the weather didn’t deter the gallery members on the grounds, either. Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up a few minutes from Royal Birkdale, was surprised by the number of fans who followed him through the worst of the weather. He shot 69 on Friday just to make the cut. “There’s no way people should be out on that golf course right now supporting anyone,â€� he said. Even the beloved local son. The scoring at Open Championships is heavily dependent on Mother Nature, as centuries-old links courses often lack defenses against modern technology. The conditions didn’t just make it difficult for the players. Rich Beem, winner of the 2001 PGA Championship, was known for a carefree attitude during his playing days. He now serves as an on-course commentator for Sky Sports, and when gallery member asked if he was enjoying following the leader, he couldn’t fake it. “The fun factor left long ago,â€� he said sarcastically. The constant crackle of rain drops hitting waterproof material was a quiet undertone as Spieth finished Friday’s 69, which was one of just eight under-par scores shot Friday. He will take a two-shot lead over Kuchar into the weekend. Spieth is pleased, of course, to be in the lead as he pursues the third leg of the career Grand Slam. That wasn’t what made him happiest as he sat in the interview room Friday afternoon. “Right now, I’m happy to be inside, first and foremost,â€� he said. He wasn’t the only one.
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