Winnipeg pounces on Vegas to take Game 1Winnipeg pounces on Vegas to take Game 1
The Jets scored three quick goals in the opening minutes of the Western Conference finals opener, and the Golden Knights were never able to recover.
Day: May 13, 2018
Morton K’s career-high 14, improves to 5-0Morton K’s career-high 14, improves to 5-0
Evan Gattis, Brian McCann and Carlos Correa all homered, but the story was Charlie Morton, who was pitching on an extra days’ rest. He hurled seven strong innings with a career-high 14 strikeouts, lifting the Astros to a 6-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday at Minute Maid Park.
Morton sets career high with 14 K’s vs. RangersMorton sets career high with 14 K’s vs. Rangers
Statistically, one of Charlie Morton’s finest nights in 11 seasons as a Major League pitcher was Saturday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
THE PLAYERS Roundtable: Is this over?THE PLAYERS Roundtable: Is this over?
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Each day at THE PLAYERS Championship, PGATOUR.COM’s staff writers will dive into the big issues and questions everyone is discussing. Spoiler alert — there’s lots more talk about Webb Simpson, but some about Tiger Woods as well. The question is not “if,” but “by how much.â€� What will be Webb Simpson’s margin of victory? Cameron Morfit (Staff Writer) — I’m guessing he’ll win by five. The margin will go down to four or so, close enough to be tight, but he’ll settle down and finish it off. Ben Everill (Staff Writer) — I’ll go with five shots. He starts seven clear. He will play defensively to a 70 and it will be more than enough. Mike McAllister (Managing Editor) — Foot off the pedal for Simpson. Everybody else able to free-wheel it. Somebody will go low. Simpson to win by four shots. Sean Martin (Senior Editor) — Ten. I like round numbers. What thing has impressed you most about Simpson this week? Morfit — That par putt he drained on No. 18 spoke volumes. How can you beat a guy when he’s doing that all day? Everill — The easy answer is putting but I will say even more impressive has been the clutch shots or putts at the clutch times. His eagle hole out from the bunker on No. 11 today never looked like missing. Incredible. McAllister — The easy thing would be his putting – he’s made about 400 feet of putts if you include the ones from off the green. But really, it’s just that he’s not flinching on a course that never lets you relax. Seeing a player crank on all cylinders is a beautiful thing. Martin — The putting has been incredible. It’s very fitting on the one-year anniversary of the grip change that changed his career. He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. Is this the most impressive performance of any PLAYERS champion? Morfit — No, no. I will still take Rickie Fowler going eagle, birdie, birdie to force the playoff in 2015. That was one of the most thrilling finishes I’ve ever seen in any tournament. Everill — Not yet. But it is heading that way. My bias is likely clouding me but Greg Norman went wire-to-wire in 1994 and finished 24-under. Steve Elkington won by seven in 1997. And Jason Day won by four in 2016 in brutally tough conditions. Those are the marks to beat. McAllister — Statistically, of course, it is — at least through 54 holes. His 7-shot lead obliterates the previous record held by Alex Cejka (who, by the way, did not convert his 5-stroke lead into a win). I’m still partial to Rickie Fowler’s finish in 2015, but simply for the ridiculous fireworks at the end. That’s a completely different perspective — and I wasn’t at TPC Sawgrass when Steve Elkington won by 7 in 1997. Martin — From start to finish, I say yes. This thing is a romp. Now for the biggest mystery: Who wins the “B flight?” Morfit — I’m going to take Jimmy Walker. He’s been very much under the radar all week, and he’s playing very well again. Everill — This won’t come as a surprise to many but I’ll say Jason Day. He’s driven to win the FedExCup and return to world No. 1, so he will play like every shot matters. McAllister — I kind of like Jordan Spieth (no surprise for anyone who knows me and my affinity for all things Texas). He’ll use Sunday to continue trying to solve TPC Sawgrass, and I fully expect for him to follow up his 65 with another low number. Martin — Jason Day. A strong season continues. How do you assess Tiger’s 65? What significance does it have? Morfit — Confidence is everything. That 65 won’t have much bearing on THE PLAYERS, but it will certainly be in the front of his mind in his next start. We might look back on that round as the start of a great summer for Tiger. Everill — It was awesome — and disappointing at the same time. He was 8-under through 12 holes but couldn’t find another gear coming in. Old Tiger would have and might have found himself in the final group Sunday … now THAT would have been something. It shows that maybe a win might come around the corner. McAllister — His lowest score since 2015? I think that’s huge. Sure, he’s not really in contention, but it’s got to be a confidence booster and could pay big dividends later this season. Martin — I think it shows that, despite some mediocre performances at Wells Fargo and the Masters, he’s capable of winning this year. It’s just a matter of putting all the pieces together.
Joey Bats redeems error with first Braves HRJoey Bats redeems error with first Braves HR
Jose Bautista enhanced concerns about his defensive capabilities at third base and then showed there might still be some pop left in his bat.
Joey Bats redeems error with first Braves HRJoey Bats redeems error with first Braves HR
Jose Bautista enhanced concerns about his defensive capabilities at third base and then showed there might still be some pop left in his bat.
Stanley Cup Playoffs 2018: Conference finals schedule, results, updated bracketStanley Cup Playoffs 2018: Conference finals schedule, results, updated bracket
The 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to their final four teams. Everything you need to know about the Capitals Eastern Conference Final series and the rest of the playoff schedule is right here.Â
Featured Groups for Sunday at THE PLAYERSFeatured Groups for Sunday at THE PLAYERS
Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth shot Saturday’s low scores to vault from the cut line to the top 10 at THE PLAYERS Championship. Now you can watch on PGA TOUR LIVE as they try to continue their charge. Woods and Spieth are one of the four twosomes that you can watch Sunday from TPC Sawgrass. Here are the Featured Groups for Sunday. The PGA TOUR LIVE broadcast will run from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Note: FedExCup ranking in parentheses):  MORNING FEATURED GROUPS Jon Rahm (8), Ross Fisher (199): Rahm, winner of this season’s CareerBuilder Challenge, struggled on Saturday for the second consecutive year, firing a third-round 77 to fall out of contention. This is a great opportunity to see one of the game’s young stars. Tee time: 9:05 a.m. Eastern off No. 1. Justin Rose (11), Tony Finau (9): How about this group? Two players in the heat of the FedExCup race. Rose already owns one title this season. He won the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Finau has 10 top-25s, including five top-10s, in 15 starts this season. Tee time: 9:55 a.m. Eastern off No. 1. AFTERNOON FEATURED GROUPS Tiger Woods (54), Jordan Spieth (30): Momentum is in their favor. They both shot 65 on Saturday and now will try to jump even higher on the leaderboard? Can they catch Webb Simpson? That may be a tough task, but another 65 would put pressure on him. Tee time: 2:05 p.m. Eastern off No. 1. Jason Day (2), Charl Schwartzel (108): These Presidents Cup teammates and major champions are in the fourth-to-last group. Day is coming off a win at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, his second victory of the season. 2:15 p.m. Eastern off No. 1. Live on Facebook Watch.
Simpson takes commanding lead at TPC SawgrassSimpson takes commanding lead at TPC Sawgrass
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Webb Simpson has already etched his name into THE PLAYERS Championship record book. He’s tied the course record, as well as the 36-hole and 54-hole scoring records, in this week’s impressive performance. Now he has a couple more records within reach. Greg Norman shot the lowest 72-hole score in PLAYERS history in 1994. Simpson needs to shoot 67 on Sunday to tie Norman’s winning score of 24-under 264. Steve Elkington had the largest winning margin in tournament history when he won the 1997 PLAYERS by seven shots. Simpson takes a seven-shot lead into Sunday’s final round after shooting 68 to reach 19-under 197. Danny Lee (70) is in second place. Dustin Johnson, the World No. 1, is the only other player staring at a single-digit deficit. “I feel like I’m playing good, solid golf, but … I’ve holed out a few times from off the green and made some long putts,� Simpson said. “To get that score, you have to do that.� Simpson leads the field in both Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (+5.37) and Strokes Gained: Putting (+9.77). His third hole-out came Saturday at the par-5 11th, where he holed a 33-yard bunker shot for eagle. It was his second eagle of the week. He’s also made 20 birdies. No one has ever lost a seven-shot lead on the PGA TOUR. Seven players have lost six-shot leads. Johnson did it earlier this season at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. If there is a course where such a deficit could be overcome, it may be the penal Stadium Course, especially with its water-lined finishing holes. Alex Cejka holds the record for largest 54-hole lead in PLAYERS history, but he didn’t walk away with the Waterford crystal trophy after shooting a final-round 79. Fortunately for Simpson, some of the hardest hole locations have already been used this week. But the course will play firm and fast and the late tee time means he’ll likely have to deal with afternoon breezes. “On Sunday, you’ve got to give the course a little more respect,� Simpson said. That’s true, but Simpson commands respect for his record-setting performance thus far this week. STARS SHOOT LOW SCORES Tiger Woods teed off at 9 a.m. on Saturday. Jordan Spieth teed off 40 minutes earlier. Both ended the day in the top 10. After making the cut on the number, they took advantage of calmer morning conditions to shoot Saturday’s low scores (65). Both players will start the final round at 8 under par, 11 shots behind Simpson. Woods, who hit 15 greens Saturday and gained 2.3 strokes with his approach play, said better iron play helped him birdie eight of his first 12 holes. Woods didn’t make a birdie on the final six holes, though, and bogeyed the 14th. Still, the 65 was his lowest career round at THE PLAYERS Championship. (Click here to read more about Woods’ round) “I felt I had better control of hitting it right-to-left and left-to-right,� said Woods, who’s playing his first PLAYERS since 2015. “I was able to shape the golf ball both ways and started to control it a little bit better today.� Spieth attributed his success to a strong performance with the putter, the club that has frustrated him most this year. Spieth needed just 24 putts Saturday and made all 18 of his attempts from inside 15 feet. He was 10-for-10 from 3-7 feet and made both his attempts from 7-10 feet. “Sometimes this game can kind of tear you down and make you think some of the best parts of your game are some of the worst of your game, when really it’s so close,� said Spieth, who finished fourth in his PLAYERS debut but had missed the cut at the previous three PLAYERS. NOTABLES Johnson may be the world’s top-ranked player, but his position through 54 holes could be a bit of a surprise. He has never finished in the top 10 at TPC Sawgrass, but he will start the final round in third place after shooting 69 on Saturday. Last year’s T12 was his first top 25 in nine starts at TPC Sawgrass. He shared the first-round lead this year after shooting his career-low round at the Stadium Course, a 6-under 66. He is fifth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee this week and 12th in Strokes Gained: Putting. After winning last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, Jason Day is in fourth place at THE PLAYERS Championship. The 2016 champion shot 71 on Saturday and sits at 9-under 207. FedExCup leader Justin Thomas shot 68 to move up to 33rd place at 5-under 211. QUOTABLES It’s a hard golf course to press on.You just have to keep doing what you are doing. Every par, every birdie, every hole is one step closer to the finish line.If you take Webb out of the equation, the golf course is playing about like it always does. SHOT OF THE DAY CALL OF THE DAY SUPERLATIVES Low round: 7-under 65 by Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth. Longest drive: 359 yards. Dustin Johnson on the Par-5 9th and Ryan Palmer on the Par-4 5th. Longest putt: 72-feet, eight inches. MacKenzie Hughes impressed playing partner Tiger Woods with a birdie bomb on the par-3 8th hole. Toughest hole: Par-4 14th played to 4.488with just one birdie all day. Easiest hole: Par-5 16th averaged 4.500 with an eagle, 43 birdies and just five bogeys. New Records: Webb Simpson tied Greg Norman for best 54-hole score at 19-under 197. He also holds largest 54-hole lead in PLAYERS history.
Price wins 1st start since carpal tunnel diagnosisPrice wins 1st start since carpal tunnel diagnosis
David Price pitched 5 1/3 innings to win his first start since he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run home run, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 on Saturday.