Schauffele wins HSBC for American WGC sweepSchauffele wins HSBC for American WGC sweep
Xander Schauffele gave the Americans a sweep of the World Golf Championships and quickly put a winless sophomore season behind him.
Day: October 28, 2018
Xander Schauffele’s tough-minded approach helps him prevail at HSBC ChampionsXander Schauffele’s tough-minded approach helps him prevail at HSBC Champions
Even the most advanced analytics can’t measure this intangible talent.  It’s the ability to summon one’s best on the biggest stages. Only a select few have it.  Xander Schauffele confirmed he’s one of them with his win at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. He closed with three consecutive birdies – the last in a one-hole playoff with Tony Finau – to win at Shanghai’s Sheshan International Golf Club.  Schauffele, 25, now has three PGA TOUR titles. He may have been overshadowed by classmates Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in his amateur days, but Schauffele has proven in his brief pro career that he performs best when the stakes are highest.  It started in 2017, when, as an anonymous rookie, he finished fifth in the U.S. Open at Erin Hills. That began a run that resulted in the best FedExCup finish for a rookie. He closed the season with a one-shot win over Thomas at the TOUR Championship.  Schauffele didn’t win in his second season, but his best finishes came in two of the game’s biggest events. He was runner-up at both THE PLAYERS Championship and The Open Championship. He finished four behind runaway winner Webb Simpson at TPC Sawgrass, then performed admirably at Carnoustie while playing in the final group of a major for the first time.  Then, needing a high finish to earn a return to East Lake, Schauffele finished third in the BMW Championship. He’s finished in the top 15 of the FedExCup in each of his first two seasons and seems headed for another high finish in the season-long race. He is atop the standings after his win. “We all want that as much as a major,â€� Schauffele said about the FedExCup. “I guess this is a good start.â€� That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough. He doesn’t want it to be sugarcoated.” A good start, indeed, after a remarkable finish. He started the final round three shots behind Finau.  Schauffele’s 68 was the low round of the day. Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari, who combined to win three of this year’s majors, were the only other players to break 70 on Sunday. Schauffele was the only player to shoot in the 60s in both the third and fourth rounds.  “I was definitely in sort of an attack mode, and I was hitting good shots all day, making good putts. I was doing everything that I needed to do,â€� he said.  His ball-striking was superb in windy conditions. He missed just three fairways and three greens.  He’s come from behind in all three of his wins. He was five shots back at the 2017 Greenbrier Classic and two behind entering the final round of the TOUR Championship.  “It was a finish we needed, and it feels good to clutch up when necessary,â€� he said.  On Thursday, Schauffele celebrated his 25th birthday with his parents. They got to see him win Sunday. His mother, Ping Yi, was born in Taiwan and raised in Japan.  Xander’s father, Stefan, was a competitive athlete whose career was derailed by a car accident. He turned to golf after the accident and has been his son’s only swing coach. His advice helped Xander keep calm during Sunday’s final holes.  “A lot of breathing and things he taught me when I was younger were put in play,â€� Xander said. “I was pretty nervous after I birdied 17 on the walk over to 18.â€�  Stefan’s straightforward assessments gave his son the toughness required to thrive in tough conditions.  “(Xander) is pretty thick-skinned. His dad was pretty blunt about things. He would tell him if it was good or bad,â€� said his college coach, Ryan Donovan of San Diego State. “Xander just rolled up his sleeves and did what he had to do. He never made excuses.â€�  Schauffele’s caddie, Austin Kaiser, concurred. “That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough. He doesn’t want it to be sugarcoated,â€� he said. Schauffele showed that again Sunday.
Watch Justin Rose knock Xander Schauffele’s ball into the water on the final hole of the WGC-HSBCWatch Justin Rose knock Xander Schauffele’s ball into the water on the final hole of the WGC-HSBC
An anxious Xander Schauffele, tied for the lead on the final hole of the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai on Sunday, exhaled when his second shot on the par-5 18th hole at Sheshan International stopped just behind the putting green. Trickle a little farther, and it was in danger of rolling down a shaved bank into a water hazard that would have dampened his comeback chances as he was attempting to chase down Tony Finau. Insert your favorite back-stopping joke here, although Rose could only wish that Schauffele’s ball might have kept his out of the hazard.
Dose: A Near Trip-Dub by DeMarDose: A Near Trip-Dub by DeMar
Tommy Beer recaps DeMar DeRozan’s near triple-double, another 40-plus point explosion from Damian Lillard and a season-high 35 for LeBron James.
Bogdanovic, Oladipo lead Pacers past winless Cavs 119-107Bogdanovic, Oladipo lead Pacers past winless Cavs 119-107
CLEVELAND (AP) — Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers didn’t have to worry about LeBron James on this trip to Cleveland. Oladipo scored 24 points, Bojan Bogdanovic led the way with 25 points and Indiana kept the Cavaliers winless on the season with a 119-107 victory on Saturday night. The teams
Sale wasn’t going to let Boston go down like thatSale wasn’t going to let Boston go down like that
Chris Sale was tired of seeing Red Sox batters get overpowered by Rich Hill and his “two [expletive] pitches.” So he let them know it in a fiery, colorful dugout speech.
Schauffele tops Finau in playoff for HSBC titleSchauffele tops Finau in playoff for HSBC title
Xander Schauffele has made it a clean sweep of American winners in the World Golf Championships with his dramatic win in Shanghai.
Xander Schauffele wins WGC-HSBC ChampionsXander Schauffele wins WGC-HSBC Champions
SHANGHAI (AP) — Xander Schauffele has made it a clean sweep of American winners in the World Golf Championships. Schauffele birdied his last two holes Sunday for a 4-under 68 and then two-putted for birdie on the par-5 18th in a playoff to beat Tony Finau and win the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. Schauffele began the week in Shanghai by celebrating his 25th birthday. He ended it with a tight finish at Sheshan International for his first victory since the TOUR Championship last year. Finau, who closed with a 71, hit into a bunker in the playoff, had to lay up and narrowly missed a 20-foot birdie to extend the playoff. Defending champion Justin Rose shot 72 and finished third.
Let’s call this what it is, a Dodgers collapseLet’s call this what it is, a Dodgers collapse
L.A. had every advantage coming into the game and even had a four-run lead to work with, so where did it all go wrong in Game 4?
Let’s call this what it is, a Dodgers collapseLet’s call this what it is, a Dodgers collapse
L.A. had every advantage coming into the game and even had a four-run lead to work with, so where did it all go wrong in Game 4 of the World Series?