Day: May 31, 2019

Rose blooms on Friday with 63 at Muirfield VillageRose blooms on Friday with 63 at Muirfield Village

DUBLIN, Ohio – FedExCup champion Justin Rose has the best second round scoring average on the PGA TOUR this season, so his 9-under 63 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide shouldn’t have been a surprise. But given he sat at 4-over for the week through four holes on Friday and well outside the projected cut at Muirfield Village, it was. Related: Leaderboard | Get to know K.H. Lee | Down a rib, Merritt makes his move Rose played the last five holes of the front nine in 6-under par with two eagles and two birdies, then added four more birdies on the back nine to post his career-best score at a venue where he won at in 2010 and has posted seven top-10s. The round of the tournament so far sent the 10-time PGA TOUR winner hurtling up the leaderboard into a tie for 11th at 6-under. Rose is just three shots off the lead held jointly by Martin Kaymer, K.H. Lee and Troy Merritt. The reason for his penchant for firing well on Fridays? “Crap first rounds,â€� Rose said. He ranks 64th on TOUR for opening rounds this season and shot a 3-over 75 on Thursday at Muirfield. “I’ve always been a bit of a fighter, back to the wall, having a lot of pride. I missed a lot of cuts early in my career, and I hate missing cuts. I’ve got a lot of personal pride on a Friday to try to get it done. “The two eagles on the front kind of kick started everything. I kept just pushing myself to keep trying to go as low as I could. Once you’re through the cut line, then you’ve got to build your way into the tournament. It was a great day.â€�

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‘Who wouldn’t be happy about that?’ UM players embrace the arrival of Juwan Howard‘Who wouldn’t be happy about that?’ UM players embrace the arrival of Juwan Howard

Ann Arbor — Some people scratched their heads and others nodded in approval when Juward Howard was named Michigan’s new head basketball coach. Junior forward Isaiah Livers, on the other hand, literally jumped up and down when he heard the news. “I almost hit my head on the top of the living room,

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Xavier University men’s basketball coach Travis Steele signs contract extensionXavier University men’s basketball coach Travis Steele signs contract extension

It was an up and down season for Xavier basketball. Here’s a look back and a look ahead to what’s coming in 2019-2020 Xavier University announced Friday that it has agreed to a contract extension with men’s basketball head coach Travis Steele that will keep him on Victory Parkway through

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Adam Scott comes a long way in a year at the Memorial Tournament presented by NationwideAdam Scott comes a long way in a year at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide

DUBLIN, Ohio – A year ago Adam Scott was humbled in Ohio. His game had slipped and was at a crossroads. Would he find another gear to get back amongst the contenders on the PGA TOUR or would the 13-time winner fade away into some form of obscurity? While Scott has not added to his win tally in the last 12 months – a resume that includes victories at The PLAYERS Championship and the Masters – he has significantly lifted his game. That trend continued Friday when a 6-under 66 moved Scott to 7 under at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide through two rounds, just two back of the clubhouse lead after the morning wave. A year ago the Australian had slipped far enough down the world rankings that his play at Muirfield Village would be the determining factor in whether he would play his 17th consecutive U.S. Open and 68th straight major championship. Going into Sunday he was sitting well placed at T11 but shot 73 in the final round to tumble to T35. It meant he would have to front up to 36-hole sectional qualifying the following day if he was to keep his streak alive. Frustrated and annoyed Scott had contemplated not bothering. He had just one top-10 to that point in 14 starts on the season and was on the end of playing five straight weeks. But after some anger subsided, pride kicked in, and he decided to have a crack at getting to Shinnecock. Related: Tee times | Watch PGA TOUR LIVE | Down a rib, Merritt makes his move “It was definitely pride. I wanted to be at the U.S. Open. Unsatisfied just mailing it in and sitting on the couch when I could have been given a start,â€� Scott said. “It wasn’t like I was just playing horrible, but I just really couldn’t get anything to go my way. If I did something good, the other part of my game was ordinary. And I guess that had gone on for a while. And it takes its toll on the brain.â€� Scott’s performance at the sectional was impressive. He rushed out of the blocks with a 6-under 66 at the tougher Brookside Golf & Country Club and then held on with an even par 72 at the Lakes Golf and Country Club to be one of 14 qualifiers. He missed the cut at Shinnecock but soon after fueled with confidence again, he finished T17 at the Open Championship and then contended with Brooks Koepka down the stretch before settling for third place at the PGA Championship. Scott tacked on a T5 to open the FedExCup Playoffs and although he fell short of the TOUR Championship the uptick in form continued into the 2018-19 season. He was runner up at the Farmers Insurance Open and also contended at the Genesis Open (T7), the PLAYERS (T12), Masters (T18) and PGA Championship (T8) to sit 36th in the FedExCup heading into this week. And Muirfield Village is a place Scott believes he should have conquered. In his 11 previous appearances he has three top-5 finishes. “It really sets up well for me, and I feel like I’ve played a lot of good golf here over the years, just never four days in a row. It’s just never been quite enough,â€� he said. “But I’ve shot some of my really great rounds of my career here. I remember 62 in ’06 that was such a good round of golf on a very, very difficult golf course that day.â€� The question now becomes can Scott still close out over the weekend. His last win came in 2016. The return to form has been promising, but can he take it up a notch? A year ago he was just trying to get a top-10. Now he wants trophies again. “I did a really good job of it at the PGA, just getting out of my own way on the weekend, and I played really well and I hung in there right to the end,â€� Scott claimed. “It’s funny, and so quickly then the expectation changes and it’s now you need to win tournaments. And it just hasn’t happened. “It’s just about kind of doing what I did at that PGA and staying out of my own way and not really thinking about outcomes and all that cliché mental stuff and just play with a bit of confidence and a bit of fun.â€� Oh and that major streak? It will hit 73 at Pebble Beach in June at the U.S. Open. This time he’s already exempt.

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NBA Draft 2019 rumors: Knicks considering trading No. 3 pickNBA Draft 2019 rumors: Knicks considering trading No. 3 pick

The Knicks are considering trading back in June’s NBA Draft by making a deal to send their third overall pick to the Hawks in exchange for Atlanta’s two first-rounders at No. 8 and 10, according to ESPN, which cited unidentified sources. New York is weighing the move in an effort to acquire pieces

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