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Archives for May 21, 2021

Connors Leads PGA at Kiawah Island

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THIS WEEK: The 2021 PGA Championship 

COURSE: The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (South Carolina)

YARDS/PAR: 7,876 yards/Par 72

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @PGAChampionship

OFFICIAL SITE: (PGA Tour on the PGA Championship) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: Friday, May 21: 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT) on ESPN. On Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 – ESPN’s coverage runs from 10:00am to 1:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over from 1:00pm to 7:00pm (EDT).

STREAMING: ESPN will streamcoverage online and ESPN+ ($) will provide Featured Groups and Featured Holes. See: (link)

ONLINE and RADIO COVERAGE:  Radio coverage begins at 1pm (EDT) today and continuing through the completion of each day’s play, hear live hole-by-hole coverage co-produced by SiriusXM and Westwood One. PGA Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com. For additional information, see: Sirius XM Blog

How to Watch: (PGATourCom)

PGA Tour Brunch – PGA Championship Notebook

Corey Conners holds the third 18-hole lead/co-lead of his PGA Tour career and second of the season but he is 0-for-2, to date, converting. This is Conners’ best position after any round in a major championship entering the week. His previous best was solo-sixth after the third round of the 2021 Masters Tournament.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa stands T-8; seven different players have won back-to-back at the PGA Championship.

Brooks Koepka opened his PGA Championship with a score in the 60s for the sixth consecutive year, the longest such streak at any major championship in the modern era (since 1934). The previous record of five was held by Jack Nicklaus, who recorded five consecutive first-round scores in the 60s at the Masters Tournament from 1972-1976.

Entering the week with top-10s in each of his last four starts on the PGA Tour, Jordan Spieth (T-41) carded a 1-over (73). Spieth can become the sixth player to complete the Career Grand Slam with a win this week (major championship titles: 2015 Masters Tournament, 2015 U.S. Open, 2017 The Open Championship).

PGA Championship Leaderboard After 18 Holes

Corey Conners 67 (-5)

Keegan Bradley 69 (-3)

Viktor Hovland 69 (-3)

Brooks Koepka 69 (-3)

Aaron Wise 69 (-3)

Sam Horsfield 69 (-3)

Cam Davis 69 (-3)

J.D. Martinez Goes Long Ball for Win

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DUNEDIN – Boston’s designated hitter J.D. Martinez hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning, lifting the Red Sox to an 8-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at the Jays’ spring training and temporary home field in Florida.

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It was the 33-year-old Martinez’s 250th career homer and 12th this season. Bobby Dalbec hit a three-run homer for Boston, and Alex Verdugo had an RBI groundout in the ninth off Rafael Dolis (1-1) before Martinez’s long ball.

Phillips Valdez (2-0) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, and Matt Barnes struck out three in the ninth for his 10th save.

Bo Bichette had three hits for Toronto. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 2-for-5 with two runs, and Randal Grichuk had two hits and two RBIs.

The Jays continue to play in Florida but will soon move north to play in Buffalo, NY as COVID-19 restrictions do not allow for regular travel from the USA to Canada.