Rangers’ Kelley has lumps removed from throatRangers’ Kelley has lumps removed from throat
Rangers relief pitcher Shawn Kelley had two lumps surgically removed from his throat this week.
Day: May 18, 2019
Brooks Koepka keeps 7-shot lead at PGA ChampionshipBrooks Koepka keeps 7-shot lead at PGA Championship
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka is turning a public golf course into his private playground in the PGA Championship. Staked to a seven-shot lead, Koepka never let anyone get closer than five shots Saturday as he powered his way to an ideal start and overcame a few sloppy mistakes for an even-par 70. For the first time this week, he didn’t touch any scoring records. That wasn’t the objective. Koepka kept his seven-shot lead going into a final round that feels more like a victory lap as he tries to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win back-to-back in stroke play at the PGA Championship. “I think we’re all playing for second,” Luke List said after bogeys on his last two holes knocked him out of the final group. History would agree with him. No one has ever lost a seven-shot lead in 159 years of the majors. No one has lost more than a six-shot lead in any PGA TOUR event. Dustin Johnson tried to make a run with six birdies, only to stall with five bogeys in his round of 69. No bogey was more damaging than the 18th. A drive into the fairway would have given him a reasonable shot at birdie. Instead, he sent it right into the bunker, came up well short into the native grass, left the next one in the bunker and had to scramble to limit the damage. That kept Johnson from joining his close friend in the final group. Koepka, who was at 12-under 198, will play the final round with Harold Varner III, whose week began with plans to play a practice round with Tiger Woods on the eve of the PGA Championship until Woods called in sick. Varner birdied the 18th to cap off a bogey-free 67 and lead the group at 5-under 205 that includes Jazz Janewattananond (67) and List, who holed two shots from off the green for a 69. Jordan Spieth did not put any pressure on Koepka at all. Playing in the final group on the weekend for the first time since the Open Championship last summer, Spieth didn’t have a realistic birdie chance until the sixth hole, and he missed that one from 8 feet. He shot 72 and was nine shots behind. There was simply no stopping Koepka, who is one round away from a fourth major in his last eight tries. Koepka also would become the first player to hold back-to-back major titles at the same time. He won his second straight U.S. Open last year 60 miles down the road on Long Island at Shinnecock Hills.
Rory McIlroy, friend to bugs everywhere, rescues insect at PGA ChampionshipRory McIlroy, friend to bugs everywhere, rescues insect at PGA Championship
Look, folks, I’m not gonna sugarcoat this one: when the most famous golfer in the world misses the cut at the PGA Championship and the leader is already ahead by seven strokes halfway through the tournament, the bar for stories gets low. Way low. Like, bug’s knees low.
Filly collapses, dies after Miss Preakness StakesFilly collapses, dies after Miss Preakness Stakes
Three-year-old filly Country Gal died on the track at Pimlico Race Course, another tragedy in an already tough stretch for horse racing.
Hinchcliffe’s Indy woes continue with quals crashHinchcliffe’s Indy woes continue with quals crash
James Hinchcliffe, an IndyCar Series regular who missed last year’s Indianapolis 500, crashed during qualifying Saturday for this year’s race and will now look to make the field Sunday.
Roy in running for Senators’ coaching jobRoy in running for Senators’ coaching job
Ottawa is reportedly looking to hire Hall of Famer Patrick Roy as is next head coach.
The Latest: Infield crowd sparse hours before the PreaknessThe Latest: Infield crowd sparse hours before the Preakness
The music is blaring, the beer is flowing and the crowd in the infield at Pimlico Race Course for the Preakness is … smaller than usual. It could be for the first time since 1996 there is no Kentucky Derby winner in the Preakness and thus no chance for a Triple Crown.
Blues handling adversity like championsBlues handling adversity like champions
How many times have we thought the St. Louis Blues were dead in the water? Was it in Round 1 when, after jetting out to a 2-0 lead against the Winnipeg Jets, they lost two straight as it appeared the Jets finally got their act together? Was it after Games 4 and 5 in Round 2 where the Dallas Stars took
Meet the Jazz manMeet the Jazz man
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The biggest surprise on the PGA Championship leaderboard is not how many Brooks Koepka leads by… it is that one of his closest chasers is Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond. At just 23, he is already a three-time Asian Tour winner and also has a win on the Japan Tour. If he keeps up his form at Bethpage Black, we could be seeing a lot more of him – including in the Presidents Cup this December at Royal Melbourne. Should he finish second alone, he could jump to as high as second on the International Team standings for Ernie Els team. He is currently 16th on the list. Here’s what you need to know about the Thai star. His first name is actually Atiwit. His father was a huge fan of jazz music and gave his son the nickname Jazz. His surname is pronounced “JANNA’-watta-NON’-nond. He’s a pocket rocket at just 150 pounds and 5-feet, nine-inches tall. He was a member of PGA TOUR Series-China in 2015 as a 19-year old (finished 22nd at Q-School) and went on to play one event, tying for sixth in Zhengzhou. This is his fourth PGA TOUR start. He missed the cut at the 2017 Charles Schwab Challenge, was T39 at the 2018 CIMB Classic and missed the cut at the 2018 Open Championship. In 2019 he has won the Singapore Open, and has five other top five finishes around the world at the Boonchu Ruangkit Championship (5th), the New Zealand Open (4th), The Maybank Championship Malaysia (3rd), the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open (T5) and the Singa Chiang Mai Open (T4). He is currently ranked 72nd on the Official World Golf Ranking. Became the youngest golfer to make the cut on the Asian Tour. Turned pro at 14 in 2010. Won his first Asian Tour event at the 2017 Bangladesh Open. Spent two weeks as a monk in Thailand one off-season (2016) and claims it was the key to becoming a winner. He is using a local caddie this week at Bethpage – Jack Miller. Miller is 63 and worked at Bethpage Black since 2009, but is a full-time Frozen Food Manager for King Kullen Grocery Company. He had never been to New York before.
Peyton Manning calling signals … as Jets GM?Peyton Manning calling signals … as Jets GM?
New York could make the splashiest hire of this NFL offseason if it is able to land him.