Brooks Koepka became the first player to win four times as part of the LIV Golf League, shooting a final-round 68 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday to beat Cam Smith and Marc Leishman by two strokes.
His timing wasn’t bad, either.
A few days after offering concern about his game in light of a poor Masters performance, Koepka stepped up and won the LIV Golf Singapore even to give himself a boost heading into the defense of his PGA Championship title in two weeks.
The year’s second major begins on May 16.
“It’s all starting to come around,” said Koepka, who last year won his fifth major title when he captured the PGA at Oak Hill, becoming the first active LIV golfer to win a major. “I like the way things are trending.’’
They didn’t seem to be trending well just a few days ago when Koepka made clear he was not happy with his tie for 45th at the Masters. “I felt like I wasted all that time from January up until then,’’ he said.
He tied for 10th at the LIV Golf event in Adelaide the week prior and heading into the Singapore tournament that he simply needed to get putts to drop.
“I’ve put in a lot of work,’’ he said. “I feel like on the golf course, off the golf course, it’s been a good two weeks, to say the least. Take a week off and then grinding pretty hard with (instructor) Claude (Harmon) over the last few days, I thought that was very important. Kind of started to see it turn maybe Wednesday, Thursday of Adelaide, so to see it pay off here is huge.”
Koepka won his third PGA Championship Wanamaker Trophy last year. In each of his first four major victories, he won back-to-back at the 2017 and ’18 U.S. Opens and the 2018 and ’19 PGAs.
After a second-round 64, Koepka started the final round with a three-shot lead over Abraham Ancer, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Pieters and Mathew Wolff. He never relinquished his lead, although several challengers closed the gap at times.
“I felt the heat, but it was mainly because of how hot it was,” Koepka said. “Just played very consistent, missed it in the right spots. When you're playing with a lead, you do that. You don't have to force anything.”
Smith and Leishman were part of the winning Ripper GC team, capturing the team title for the second straight week.
Before he made the TD Garden crowd jump out of their seats on Saturday night, David Pastrnak's own seat was rather hot.
The 10-year NHL veteran—and two-time All-Star—was called out by Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery following his second straight scoreless effort in Game 6, also Boston's second straight loss in the series.
"Your best players need to be your best players this time of year," Montgomery said. "I think the effort is tremendous and they need to come through with some big-time plays in big-time moments. I think Marchand has done that in the series. Pasta needs to step up."
Step up, Pastrnak did, as he was there when the Bruins, who defeated the Maple Leafs 2—1 to advance to the second round, needed him most.
Locked in a tight battle with the Maple Leafs that saw the teams go two full periods without a goal scored, Pastrnak, with 1:54 remaining in overtime, skated past the Maple Leafs defense and showed off some nifty stick work, scoring on a backhand shot after an assist from Hampus Lindholm to win the game—and the series—for Boston.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Pastrnak had a commendable response when asked about being called out by Montgomery.
"Jimmy, you know, he said the stuff he did after Game 6," Pastrnak said. "And I told him, 'If I'm the coach and you were me, I would say the same things,' so I had no problem with him saying that."
"He's trying to bring the best out of every single player and he expects more. I just took it as a man and tried to be better. I admitted I need to be better and I still have ways to be better."
Pastrnak, 27, scored three goals in the series. The Bruins will next take on the Florida Panthers on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.
Over four seasons at USF (2003-2006), Green caught 62 passes for 864 yards with five touchdowns.
After college, Green moved on to a productive career in Canada, where he spent ten seasons with the Montreal Alouettes and three with the Toronto Argonauts. He played 170 total games in the CFL. He finished with 716 receptions, twelfth-most all-time in CFL history. Green also totaled 10,222 receiving yards with 60 touchdowns on the way to earning a CFL All-Star nod three times.
Green finished his professional career with three Grey Cup wins (two with Montreal and one with Toronto).
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame announced their 2024 class of inductees this weekend with a name that fans of Hawaii football will surely recognize.
Honolulu native and former UH wide receiver Chad Owens was named one of seven total inductees that will be enshrined on September 14.
Owens spent 2001 to 2004 with the Rainbow Warriors, where he caught 239 passes for 3,031 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was a FWAA Freshman All-American in 2001 after returning 24 kicks for 807 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior in 2004, he was a second-team All-American after 102 receptions for 1,290 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. He finished his college career as Hawaii's all-time career yardage leader with 5,461 all-purpose yards.
Owen's was Hawaii's leading receiver in both 2003 and 2004, catching passes from Hawaii's now-head coach Timmy Chang.
Ater college, Owens was a sixth-round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005. He made the move to the Canadian Football League in 2009 as a practice squad member of the Montreal Alouettes. His most productive seasons in Canada came with the Toronto Argonauts from 2010 to 2015. in 2012, he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2012 with 3,863 all-purpose yards. Toronto also won the Grey Cup that season. He was a four-time CFL All-Star.
Shohei Ohtani, the $700 million man, bought his manager Dave Roberts a new car before Saturday's game, which saw the two-way star break Roberts's record for the most career home runs by a Japanese-born Dodgers player.
Only, it wasn't a car in the sense that Roberts thought, as Ohtani had actually gifted the Dodgers skipper a toy Porsche in an amusing prank before the game against the Atlanta Braves, which resulted in an 11—2 victory for Los Angeles.
After the game, Roberts made an appearance at Ohtani's press conference, showing off the mini Porsche to reporters as he shared a laugh with the Dodgers star.
Dave Roberts came out during Shohei Ohtani’s presser to show the Porsche Ohtani gave him before the game today. pic.twitter.com/8eApE7A4ZC
"He said he wanted a car and I'm glad that he was happy he got a car." 😆 Shohei Ohtani on the toy Porsche he gifted Dave Roberts. pic.twitter.com/towENHmfXD
"He said he wanted a car and I'm glad that he was happy he got a car," Ohtani said.
The Dodgers star, after breaking Hideki Matsui's record for the most career home runs by a Japanese-born major leaguer in April, joked with Roberts, who was born in Naha, Okinawa, Japan, that he was coming for his record next.
True to his word, Ohtani eclipsed Roberts's mark — seven home runs in 302 games with Los Angeles from 2002 to '04 — with a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.
The homer was part of another productive day for Ohtani, who went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored — and one perfectly executed prank.
Roberts, asked about the toy car before the game, had this to say.
"He did buy me a car," Roberts said. "I guess I didn't specify what type of car. So I can't say he never gave me anything."
Ohtani ranks second in MLB in OPS through 34 games played in 2024.
Nikola Jokic may need to make a trip to the secret laboratory of Felonious Gru, the main protagonist of the Despicable Me movie franchise, before Game 2 of the Western conference semifinals.
Jokic's Nuggets lost Game 1 at the hands of the Timberwolves by a score of 106—99, during which the two-time MVP was coaxed into an inefficient shooting performance, thanks to Minnesota's rotation of three centers in Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid.
During his postgame press conference, Jokic was asked how he can be more effective against the Timberwolves' rotation of fresh big men. The Nuggets center paused for several seconds, then responded with a perfect joke, telling the reporter that he will have to clone himself.
Nikola Jokic on how he can be effective against Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid: “To have a duplicate clone of myself.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/39piWb1eKo
"To have a duplicate clone of myself," Jokic joked. "And then I can—you know—I can be, uh, fresh, when they sub another guy, I don't need to be fresh."
It sounds like something that Gru, whom Jokic dressed up as as part of a promotion for the movie franchise's fourth film during the first round of the playoffs, could help the Nuggets star with.
In all seriousness, this is the challenge that Jokic is facing against Minnesota. The Timberwolves can throw a three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Gobert, another seven-footer in Towns, and the bulky, lengthy Reid, who weighs 264 pounds and has a 7'3" wingspan, at Jokic throughout the game.
Jokic will need to find some answers for the Timberwolves' defensive plan before Game 2 tips off on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET.
For some Manchester United fans, the end of the Premier League season can't come quick enough.
Erik ten Hag's side are not going to be competing in next season's Champions League because of a real lack of consistency, and it feels like a real turnover in personnel is needed to deliver the change the Dutchman has continually called for.
First though, there's the small matter of beating in-form Crystal Palace, who picked up results just when they needed them to pull away from the relegation zone.
In Jean-Philippe Mateta, Palace have one of the Premier League's sharpest shooters of late, and you can rarely take your eyes of the talented duo of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze - both players who have taken the interest of United's scouting department.
What could follow is a fun Monday night encounter in south London.
Where to watch Crystal Palace vs Man Utd
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Palace should be able to call on Eze and center-back Marc Guehi, another United transfer target who has been out injured for the best part of two months.
There's no such luck for Cheick Doucoure. Sam Johnstone, Rob Holding and Matheus Franca though, with the quartet in no condition to take part at Selhurst Park.
The impressive Adam Wharton should continue in central midfield, providing the energy and spark for the talented trio ahead of him to do their thing against a United defence who like to ensure their goalkeeper Andre Onana has plenty to do.
Ten Hag pointed to United's terrible injury record in a recent interview, when asked why he's not been able to deliver the same level of resullst achieved in his first season in charge.
The casualty room is as full as ever heading into the final few games, with the list of unavailable defenders pretty staggering. Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Willy Kambwala are all out, with veteran Jonny Evans also not in great shape.
Further forward there's likely to be no Marcus Rashford, while doubts remain over how just fit midfield duo Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay are.
There's rarely a dull moment watching Manchester United and it should be a pretty even game that's contested on Monday night.
Palace have stepped up their game to move away from danger and are playing far more freely under the management of Oliver Glasner. They will fancy their chances of raining shots down on Onana's goal, putting the Cameroonian further in the spotlight.
United can be sharp at the other end when they want to be, and with a fifth-place finish still possible because of Tottenham's recent poor form, they should have enough in the tank to reply and take home at least a point.
Inter Miami boss Gerardo "Tata" Martino wasn't surprised by Lionel Messi's record-breaking performance against New York Red Bulls, telling reporters post-match that the eight time Ballon d'Or winner "always does something new".
Messi set a new MLS record for most goal contributions and assists in a single game to help Miami come from a goal behind to win 6-2 at Chase Stadium.
First, Messi laid the ball off for Matias Rojas to smash home from long range, before scoring the go-ahead goal himself as Miami stole the ball deep in Red Bulls territory. He then laid on a further four assists, helping long-time buddy Luis Suarez to a superb hat-trick.
"All [goals] were fundamental to the game, but Leo did something historic tonight with five assists and one goal," Martino told the assembled press.
"But I can't forget Suarez's three goals and Rojas' two goals. The first, well both, but the first Rojas goal was amazing. But because of the technical aspect of Leo on the assist I will choose Luis Suárez's scissor goal as my favorite."
"Messi had exceptional games in Barcelona, during my time with him," Martino continued. "But I also remember a semifinal with Paraguay in the Copa America in Chile, where he didn't score a goal and he was still the best player on the field.
"In Barcelona, he had a game against Valencia where we were losing 2-0 and then won 3-2 with three goals from him. And there was another against Sevilla where we were losing 1-0 and then he scored three goals and we won 4-1. I always say this, and it's redundant at this point, but he always does something new. To have involvement in all six goals of a team's 6-2 is something that will be difficult to see again."
The seamless link-up play from Messi and Suarez showed they have lost none of the magic that sparkled during their hugely successful stint at FC Barcelona, despite both players now being in the twilight of their playing careers.
Maintaining momentum will be the key message to Messi, Suarez and the rest of Miami's team, who now sit comfortably at the top of MLS' Eastern Conference standings.
You would think the Boston Bruins' dominance on the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs would be enough.
After all, the Bruins' 2–1 overtime victory Saturday evening in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs' first round polished off their seventh straight postseason series win over the Maple Leafs. Toronto hasn't beaten Boston in a playoff series since 1959—eight years before its most recent Stanley Cup title.
However, the Bruins took matters a step further after right wing David Pastrňák's winner. As Boston celebrated its triumph on the ice, the operators of TD Garden's Jumbotron gleefully showed footage of a defeated Maple Leaf Square.
Maple Leaf Square, as the name implies, sits adjacent to Scotiabank Arena and is a popular rallying point for Toronto sports fans (basketball-savvy readers may know it as Jurassic Park).
Given the imbalance between Boston and Toronto's sports success this century, it seems fair to ask: haven't the latter's citizens suffered enough?
Walking by the Kentucky Derby winner’s circle after the biggest victory of his life, trainer Kenny McPeek held the hand of his daughter, Annie. McPeek looked at her and, with his other hand, held his index finger and thumb about three inches apart. That was his assessment of the margin of victory in one of the most dramatic Derbies in the 150-year history of the race.
A three-horse photo finish, the first in the Derby since 1947, turned the 1 1/4-mile race into a withering battle of inches in the final strides. Nobody knew in real time who won—Mystik Dan on the inside, or the hard-charging duo of Sierra Leone and Forever Young in the middle of the track. When the official order of finish was posted it evoked gasps and roars from the Churchill Downs crowd of 156,710, with Mystik Dan declared the winner by a nose over Sierra Leone in second and Forever Young third.
Mystik Dan’s win was a significant upset at odds of 18-1, but the first career Derby win for McPeek and jockey Brian Hernandez nearly got away from them at the last second. Hernandez had gotten Mystik Dan clear in the stretch and was seemingly home free, driving for the finish line. Hernandez had no idea what was coming for him.
“Three jumps before the wire,” he said, “I didn’t see them at all.”
Then the pursuers loomed alongside. Sierra Leone and Forever Young waged their own battle and evoked memories of the 1933 “Fighting Finish” Derby, in which the jockeys of Brokers Tip and Head Play engaged in literal hand-to-hand combat in the stretch. Sierra Leone jockey Tyler Gafflione reached out with his left hand to seemingly grab the saddle or reins of Forever Young as they dueled. In the end, they both came up agonizingly short.
Past the wire, Hernandez thought he won but wasn’t sure as Mystik Dan galloped out around the turn. The jockey asked an outrider if the result was official yet, but it wasn’t.
“That was the longest two minutes in sports,” Hernandez said. “From the fastest two minutes (as the Derby is known) to the longest two minutes.”
After that brief eternity, the outrider got the news and relayed it to Hernandez: “You just won the Kentucky Derby.”
That moment capped an epic 25 hours for McPeek and Hernandez, who teamed up to win the Kentucky Oaks Friday with monster filly Thorpedo Anna. McPeek became the first trainer since 1952 to win that double, and Hernandez was the first jockey to do so since 2009. Neither man operates at the highest echelon of horse racing, but they stand astride the sport today.
In the days leading up to those races, McPeek radiated an almost outrageous confidence. “It wouldn’t surprise me if I won both,” he said two weeks ago.
The Oaks unfolded largely as expected Friday, with 4-1 Thorpedo Anna (“a grizzly,” McPeek says) dominating. Then came the harder part Saturday.
McPeek arrived at his Churchill barn at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, opened the back of his Mercedes SUV to let out his dog, and greeted reporters with this line: “Let’s do it again tonight.”
And then they did, with Hernandez delivering a ride that was both smart and daring.
The 38-year-old Louisiana native, who rides regularly at Churchill, got Mystik Dan out of the gate cleanly and steered him from the No. 3 post quickly to the rail for a ground-saving trip. Hernandez kept Mystik Dan tucked into a pocket of clear ground, never farther back than eighth place, settling the colt into an easy stride. “He was just cruising along so nicely and so comfortable,” Hernandez said.
From there, Hernandez drafted behind Track Phantom through the far turn. When Track Phantom drifted just a touch off the rail, Hernandez pounced. He urged Mystik Dan into the hole like a running back finding a sliver of daylight.
Joel Rosario appeared to try to swerve Track Phantom back over to cut him off. The two horses bumped hips but Mystik Dan was undeterred—he’s a smaller horse but still powered through along the rail and cut the corner into the stretch, drawing clear.
“Brian gave us a huge opportunity because we saved ground, saved ground, saved ground,” McPeek said. “And when you look at that photo finish, I think we needed all of it to hold off the two second- and third-place horses.”
It takes incredible nerve to urge a horse into a tight spot at high speed. But the Derby was on the line. It was a now-or-never moment and a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Mystik Dan, far, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr won the 150th Kentucky Derby.
Matt Stone//Courier Journal / USA TODAY
“We might have took out a little bit of the inside fence, but that's okay,” Hernandez joked.
Hernandez had spent many years at Churchill learning from the master of the inside move, Calvin Borel, who won Derbies aboard Mine That Bird and Super Saver by hugging the rail. The shortest way around the track is as close to the rail as possible.
“As a young kid out of Louisiana, I got the privilege of sitting in the same corner (in the jockeys room) as Calvin Borel,” Hernandez said. “So I got to watch him ride those Derbies all those years. And today, with Mystik Dan being in the three‑hole, I watched a couple of his rides there between Super Saver and Mine That Bird. I said, ‘You know what? We're going to roll the dice.’”
Hernandez rolled sevens, Meanwhile, favored Fierceness rolled snake eyes—getting a favorable trip and pace but fading badly in the stretch to finish 15th. Second choice Sierra Leone came running late, as expected, but couldn’t collar Mystik Dan.
Sierra Leone was a $2.3 million yearling purchase, regally bred and seemingly destined for this moment. Mystik Dan was a homebred owned by Arkansas businessman Lance Gasaway, a former standout small-college wide receiver for the Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils who had never gotten a horse to the Derby before.
Asked what he was going to do Saturday night to celebrate, Gasaway said, “Probably drink a lot of alcohol.”
Gasaway got into racing through his father, who died a year ago Saturday. His stable isn’t lavish, but the decision—informed by input from McPeek—to breed their mare, Ma’am, to former Derby runner Goldencents proved to be the master stroke that produced Mystik Dan.
“This isn’t some zillion-dollar operation,” McPeek said. “We didn’t throw money at this. We thoughtfully went through it all, and it’s amazing.”
The 61-year-old McPeek has been around the sport for a long time, rising to within reach of winning a Derby in the 1990s. He finished second in 1995 with Tejano Run and had the 2001 favorite, Harlan’s Holiday, who finished seventh. Meanwhile, the Lexington, Ky., product and University of Kentucky graduate dabbled in things like developing an app (Horse Races Now) for videos of races. He’s always been a racing wonk who loves to talk about the inner workings of the sport.
“My grandfather took me to the races at Keeneland when I was boy,” he said. “Learned how to read a pedigree. Used to go to the Keeneland library and read about good horses. Went to [Kentucky] and found the [agriculture] library—in the basement of the agriculture library, I read every thoroughbred and blood horse record ever printed when I was in college.”
He’s won some big races—the 2002 Belmont, the 2020 Preakness, the Kentucky Oaks on Friday—but the Derby had remained elusive. For a Kentuckian, that was tough. Now, he’s reached the pinnacle.
By a matter of inches. The margin between making history and suffering a staggering defeat was that tiny. The three-horse photo finish in the 150th Kentucky Derby will be talked about in the sport for the next 150 years.
