LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Rory McIlroy stood over a 10-inch putt in gathering darkness to win the PGA Championship as flashes from thousands of camera lit up Valhalla like a rock concert. Everyone wanted to capture a moment from golfs latest coronation. In his biggest test, McIlroy played his best golf Sunday to win his second straight major and establish himself as golfs next star. And what a stage. The final major was pure theatre with an All-Star cast -- Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson all with a share of the lead on the back nine. The final two hours were filled with eagles and birdies, with tension and chaos. McIlroy never had to sweat so much to win one of golfs biggest events. And thats what made this major so much sweeter. "It is the most satisfying," McIlroy said. "To win it in this fashion and this style, it means a lot. It means that I know that I can do it. I know that I can come from behind. I know that I can mix it up with the best players in the world down the stretch in a major and come out on top." The final par -- the easiest shot he faced all day -- gave McIlroy a 3-under 68 to outlast Mickelson by a stroke and beat the darkness that threatened to spoil this show. He became only the fourth player in the last century to win four majors at 25 or younger. The others were Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones, three of the games greatest players. Boy Wonder appears on his way to belonging in that group. "I didnt think in my wildest dreams Id have a summer like this," said McIlroy, only the seventh player to win the last two majors of the year. "I played the best golf of my life. I really gutted it out today." But one of the greatest shows on soggy turf came with a most peculiar ending. Three shots behind as he stood in the 10th fairway, McIlroy got back in the game with a 3-wood from 281 yards into 7 feet for eagle. He took the outright lead when all three of his challengers eventually made bogey, and finally gave himself some breathing room. With a 9-iron from a fairway bunker to 10 feet for birdie on the 17th, he took a two-shot lead going to the par-5 closing hole. Because of a two-hour rain delay earlier, darkness was falling quickly and it wasnt certain McIlroy would be able to finish. McIlroy was allowed to hit his tee shot before Mickelson and Fowler had reached their drives. Both were only two shots behind, still in the game. McIlroy came within a yard of hitting in a hazard right of the fairway. Then, the PGA of America allowed McIlroy to hit his second shot. Mickelson and Fowler had to stand to the side of the green. "We were cool with hitting the tee shot," Fowler said. "We werent expecting the approach shots." Fowler had a 50-foot eagle attempt to tie for the lead. He was well off the mark, and missed the short birdie putt attempt that cost him his third straight runner-up finish in a major. Mickelson was short of the green, and his chip came within inches of dropping for an eagle that would have tied him for the lead. Mickelson appeared upset that they had to wait to finish the hole -- not standard procedure in a PGA Tour event -- and he made two references in a TV interview that this is the only championship the PGA of America runs all year. "It didnt affect the outcome of the championship at all, I dont think," Mickelson said. "Its not what we normally do. Its not a big deal either way." Mickelson closed with a 66 and was runner-up for the ninth time in a major. Fowler became the first player in history to finish in the top five at all four majors without winning one. He closed with a 68 and tied for third with Stenson, who fell out of a share of the lead by missing a 3-foot par putt on the 14th hole. Stenson shot a 66. McIlroy hit his second shot into a bunker, and he had to two-putt from 35 feet for the win. He lagged the first one to tap-in range, and the major was his. McIlroy repeatedly pumped his fist before letting out a scream above the gallery that had been treated to a Sunday it wont soon forget. McIlroy won his first two majors by eight shots at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 PGA Championship. Only a month ago, McIlroy took a six-shot lead into the final round of the British Open and completed a wire-to-wire win with only a brief scare. This was different. "I think I showed a lot of guts out there to get the job done," he said. It might not have been possible without a 3-wood on the par-5 10th hole. McIlroy watched Fowler make a 30-foot birdie putt ahead of him for the outright lead and knew it was time to get going. He hit his 3-wood lower than he wanted, and further to the left than he wanted, but it turned out perfect. Once he joined the leaders with a birdie on the 13th, none of the contenders made another birdie the rest of the way until it was too late. All that was left after an exhausting day of raw emotions was for McIlroy to summon enough energy to hoist the 27-pound Wanamaker Trophy. He crouched before the presentation, trying to collect his thoughts at the last month. Not since Woods in 2008 has anyone won three straight tournaments, and they were big ones -- the British Open, a World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship. He played them in a combined 48-under par. "Hes better than everyone else right now," Mickelson said. . The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City. . -- Canadian womens amateur golf champion Brooke Henderson is a little less starstruck as she prepares for her second career appearance at an LPGA Tour major event.
https://www.cheaptimberwolves.com/410j- ... olves.html. Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit. . Rodgers was ruled out on Friday by Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Matt Flynn will make his second consecutive start for the Packers. . The match, billed as a "next-gen" encounter between two of the sports rising stars, lasted two and a half hours. The loss kept Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., from reaching a third fourth-round spot in Melbourne over the past four years. ARLINGTON, Texas -- Eric Sogard and the Oakland Athletics finished off their answer to a three-game sweep by Texas on the West Coast last week. Emphatically. Jesse Chavez allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings, Sogard matched his season total with three RBIs on Wednesday night and the Oakland Athletics completed a sweep in Texas with a 12-1 rout of the sloppy Rangers. Yoenis Cespedes had two doubles, scored twice and drove in two runs for the As, who scored 10 runs combined in the third and fourth innings to complete the sweep in a series that started with the teams tied atop the AL West. "We didnt enjoy them coming in sweeping us and then losing the last two in Houston," Sogard said. "It kind of really made us wake up a little bit. Our pitching was fantastic and we were able to put some runs on the board." The Rangers matched a season high with four errors, including one of two by shortstop Elvis Andrus on what could have been an inning-ending double play in Oaklands seven-run third. Chavez (2-0) walked one and struck out eight, allowing only Prince Fielders soft line-drive single to right-centre field in the first inning. The As improved to 6-0 in his starts. "Weve seen that game a few times already this year," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "Quality stuff all the time. Mechanics are terrific. Keeps guys off balance." Robbie Ross (1-2) gave up 11 hits and 10 runs in 3 1-3 innings, the shortest outing of the left-handers first season as a starter. Just six runs were earned because of Andrus second error in Texas fourth straight loss. "It snowballed on me quick," Ross said. "This is one of those games where you want to forget about and move on. Thats what everyone tells me." Alberto Callaspo and Derek Norris had three hits each among a season-high 17 for Oakland. Two of Norris hits were infield singles on choppers to Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre and played big roles in Oakland building a quick 10-0 lead. The burly catcher hustled to beat Beltres throw for the fifth straight Oakland hit in thee third.dddddddddddd Two runs scored on the next one an inning later. Craig Gentry came home as Beltres throw skipped past Fielder, and right fielder Alex Rios got the second error on the play when his throw to try to get Cespedes at home went to the backstop. Andrus, who went 0 for 2 before coming out after five innings and has one hit in his past 28 at-bats, had his other error in the first inning when Josh Donaldsons routine grounder jumped up and hit his hand and the throw went several feet over Fielders head. "Theres going to be times either defence or offence are not on the same level," Andrus said. "Today was both." Cespedes had a two-run double for a 3-0 Oakland lead in the third before the first of Norris infield hits. Callaspo followed with an easy grounder to Andrus, but the ball went between his legs into centre field. Sogard later made it 7-0 with a two-run single and added an RBI single in the fourth as Oakland outscored Texas 25-4 in the three games. "It seems like there was carry-over every game," Melvin said. "The quality of our at-bats throughout the whole lineup. Everybody contributed. Thats when were at our best." Coco Crisp hit his third homer of the season, a solo shot to right field in the sixth for a 12-0 lead. It was the only homer of the series in a ballpark thats never had a three-game set without at least one home run. Texas ended the shutout in the eighth when Josh Wilsons double off reliever Luke Gregerson scored Leonys Martin. NOTES: As RHP A.J. Griffin had elbow-ligament replacement surgery in Houston on Wednesday, becoming the second Oakland starter lost to the season-ending procedure this year. Jarrod Parker underwent the same surgery before the season. ... Rangers manager Ron Washington said Shin-Soo Choo would return to LF on Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. Choo was DH for the second straight game after being out of the starting lineup for a week with a sprained left ankle. ... Josh Reddick walked in the third to snap Ross streak of 21 1-3 innings without a walk. ' ' '
