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PGA Tour: PHIL Was PHEELIN’ IT

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THIS WEEK on the PGA TOUR: Wells Fargo Championship

COURSE: Quail Hollow Country Club (Charlotte, NC)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @WellsFargoGolf

OFFICIAL SITE: (Wells Fargo Championship) – (Official Tournament Site)

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TV COVERAGE: Today: 2:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. On Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9 – Golf Channel’s TV coverage will air from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over coverage from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

STREAMING: PGA Tour Live will offer streaming coverage of Featured Groups today from 7:00am to 6:00pm (EDT). On Saturday and Sunday, PGA Live Featured Groups runs from 8:00am to 3:00pm (EDT) with Featured Holes streaming from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: Streaming Radio coverage today from 12:00pm Noon to 6:00pm (EDT); then Saturday and Sunday, 1:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com.

How to Watch: (PGATourCom)

Wells Fargo Championship Notes:

Sooner or later, the players, fans, volunteers, administrators and media that together make up the PGA Tour knew the future Golf Hall-of-Famer Phil Mickelson would post a score. That day came Thursday!

Phil Mickelson today holds the opening-round lead at a PGA Tour event for the first time since the 2019 American Express, a span of 840 days. Mickelson’s 7-under (64) marks his lowest score on Tour since the second round of the 2020 Travelers Championship (63).

Mickelson has not finished inside the Top 20 in his 13 starts this season and his T-21 at the Masters Tournament marked Mickelson’s best finish of 2021.

Phil@50: The 44-time PGA Tour winner has yet to win on the Tour since turning 50 on June 16, 2020.

Keegan Bradley (66), and Peter Malnati (67) recorded bogey-free rounds.

On the Other End of the Spectrum: World No. 3 Jon Rahm posted a 5-over (76), ending his streak of eight consecutive par-or-better rounds dating back to his final-round (73) at THE PLAYERS Championship. Rahm currently leads the Tour for consecutive cuts made (22) and has only one missed cut since June 1, 2019 (2020 Charles Schwab Challenge).

Defending champion Max Homa recorded a 6-over (77), his highest score in 10 rounds at the Wells Fargo Championship and his highest score on Tour since a (78) in the first round of the 2020 U.S. Open.

Quail Hollow resident Webb Simpson was forced to withdraw with a neck strain.

Wells Fargo Championship Leaderboard After First Round

Phil Mickelson 64 (-7)

K.H. Lee 66 (-5)

Keegan Bradley 66 (-5)

Six players at 4-under 67

Tigers Upset Sox in 10 Innings

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BOSTON – Boston starter Martin Perez tossed a season high 5.2 innings for the second time, allowed six hits, three runs, (only two earned, walked two and struck-out six but it was not enough to get the Red Sox a victory as the Detroit Tigers upset the Sox 6-5 at Fenway Park Wednesday night. The series with Detroit is now tied 1-1.

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The Tigers snapped their season-long seven-game losing streak and are now 2-0 in extra-inning games this season and 3-1 in extras since the start of 2020. Detroit 3B Jeimer Candelario went 3-foro-5, including his three-run home run in the 10th off Boston’s highly-touted reliever Garrett Whitlock.

Detroit’s pitcher Casey Mize  threw 6.0 innings, allowed a season-low three hits, but a career-high three walks over a career-high-tying 95 pitches. He held the Red Sox hitless through three frames. Mize allowed his only run to score in the 2nd inning, after starting the inning with two walks. His game-changing efforts came when he worked around a bases-loaded jam in the 6th.

Sox DH J.D. Martinez hit his 10th homer of the season. He is tied with Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. for the major league lead in home runs and leads the majors in RBI (29) and total bases (78), while leading the American League in extra-base hits with 20.

After Boston allowed three runs in the top of the 10th, they rallied for two runs in the home half of the inning but fell short.

Whitlock (0-1) took the loss for Boston.

PGA Tour: Wells Fargo Preview

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THIS WEEK on the PGA TOUR: Wells Fargo Championship

COURSE: Quail Hollow Country Club (Charlotte, NC)

ARCHITECT: George Cobb

YARDS/PAR: 7,521 yards/Par 71

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,100,000/$1,458,000

DEFENDING Champion (March 2019) – Max Homa – (2019 Leaderboard)

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points Available/Winner: 2,989/500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @WellsFargoGolf

OFFICIAL SITE: (Wells Fargo Championship) – (Official Tournament Site)

TV COVERAGE: Today and Friday, May 7: 2:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Golf Channel. On Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9 – Golf Channel’s TV coverage will air from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (EDT), then CBS takes over coverage from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

STREAMING: PGA Tour Live will offer streaming coverage of Featured Groups today and on Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm (EDT). On Saturday and Sunday, PGA Live Featured Groups runs from 8:00am to 3:00pm (EDT) with Featured Holes streaming from 3:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: Streaming Radio coverage today and Friday from 12:00pm Noon to 6:00pm (EDT); then Saturday and Sunday, 1:00pm to 6:00pm (EDT) on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92) or online on PGATour.com.

PGA Tour Brunch Coverage – Wells Fargo Championship

The Wells Fargo Championship was last contested in 2019 as last year’s tournament was cancelled for obvious reasons. Back in ‘19, Max Homa became the fifth player to claim his first PGA Tour victory at the Wells Fargo Championship joining Anthony Kim (2008), Rory McIlroy (2010), Rickie Fowler (2012) and Derek Ernst (2013).

There’s a strong field ready to compete as 10 players in the Top 15 in the World Golf Ranking are playing Quail Hollow and they include, Justin Thomas (2), Jon Rahm (3), Xander Schauffele (4), and Bryson DeChambeau (5) of the Top 5. Patrick Reed (7), Webb Simpson (9), Viktor Hovland (11), Patrick Cantlay (12), Tony Finau (13), and former Wells Fargo champion Rory McIlroy (15) round-out the impressive competitors.

World Golf Hall of Fame member Phil Mickelson will make his 17th consecutive start today. He holds a tournament-record Ten Top-10 finishes, eight of which were inside the Top 5. Mickelson first missed the cut here in 2019.

World No. 12 Patrick Cantlay is making his first start at the Wells Fargo Championship. Cantlay is in search of his fourth career Tour title and second of the season (2020 ZOZO Champ).

Much of Tuesday and Wednesday was spent with the Super League for Golf ruminating in the gallery of Quail Hollow. Please see the news clips below for additional information and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan’s strict edict on current PGA Tour card holders who might choose to stray to the Saudi-backed, Jupiter, Florida-based Super League.

Tournament Tee Times begin today at 6:50am (EDT) through 2:22pm (EDT).

Weather: Today’s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and 62-degrees with 9 mph winds with only a 10% chance of rain. Friday and Saturday should be mostly sunny, 58-64-degrees, with a 10% chance of rain Friday and 0% on Saturday. Long-term forecast for Sunday is for partly cloudy skies, 74-degrees and 14 mph winds.

PGATourBrunch will be posting before 6:50am (EDT) early tee times Friday.

Next Week: AT&T Byron Nelson (McKinney, Texas)

Field Updates:

Charles Howell III (out) / Grayson Murray (in)

Davis Love III (out) / D.J. Trahan (in)

Jim Herman (out) / Sebastian Cappelen (in)

Camilo Villegas (out) / Justin Suh (in)

Brendon Todd (out) / J.J. Spaun (in)

PGA Tour: Wells Fargo Champ; 1st Look

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Welcome to PGA Tour Brunch Coverage of the Wells Fargo Championship

CHARLOTTE – The Wells Fargo Championship and its substantial prize purse always draws a strong field. This year the field includes four of Top-5 players in Official World Golf Ranking: Justin Thomas (2), Jon Rahm (3), Xander Schauffele(4), and Bryson DeChambeau (5).

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Defending champion Max Homa is coming off his T-6 at last week’s Valspar Championship. Homa must note, no player has successfully defended his title at Wells Fargo.

The tournament’s 2010 and 2015 winner, Rory McIlroy, will make his first start since the Masters when he missed the cut.

A native of nearby Gastonia, North Carolina, Harold Varner III will make his sixth Wells Fargo Championship appearance. Varner III claimed his career-best T-2 at last month’s RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday that 12-1 shot Brandon Todd withdrew from the tournament after a COVID+ test. He was replaced by J.J. Spaun.

The Wells Fargo Championship is the 32nd of 50 events in the 2020-21 PGA Tour season. Due to COVID-19, the Wells Fargo Championship was not contested in 2020.

Tournament Tee Times begin Thursday at 6:50am (EDT) through 2:22pm (EDT).

Weather: Thursday’s forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and 62-degrees with 9 mph winds and only a 10% chance of rain. Friday and Saturday should be mostly sunny, 58-64-degrees, with a 10% chance of rain Friday and 0% on Saturday. Long-term forecast for Sunday is for partly cloudy skies, 74-degrees and 14 mph winds.

PGATourBrunch will be posting before 6:50am (EDT) early tee times Thursday and Friday.

Next Week: AT&T Byron Nelson (McKinney, Texas)

Field Updates:

Charles Howell III (out) / Grayson Murray (in)

Davis Love III (out) / D.J. Trahan (in)

Jim Herman (out) / Sebastian Cappelen (in)

Camilo Villegas (out) / Justin Suh (in)

Brendon Todd (out) / J.J. Spaun (in)

TO SUBSCRIBE: You can get the FULL PGA Tour Brunch e-News delivered to your Inbox by signing-up HERE

Red Sox Drub Tigers, 11-7

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BOSTON – Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta went 5.0 innings, allowing six hits, and only three runs, as he tossed at least 5.0 innings for the fifth time in six starts this season, to lead Boston to an 11-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Pivetta struck-out eight and walked only two batters and is 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA (11 ER/30.2 IP) on the young season. Pivetta leads the Sox starters in ERA, opponent AVG (.200), and strikeouts (33).

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The Boston offense returned in a big way and are 9-3 when scoring first and 15-1 when scoring four or more runs. Red Sox hitters clocked 10 homers over their last four games, after hitting only one HR in their previous five games. The outburts tonight vs. Detroit was the third time this season Boston hit four or more HRs in a game (also 4/11 at Baltimore (6) and 4/30 at Texas (4).

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-5, with two runs scored and a pair of RBI as he hit a two-run homer in the 2nd inning. It was his third HR in his last four games and sixth in his last 13 games.

Outfielder Hunter Renfroe went 3-for-4, with a pair of runs scored and RBI. He hit an RBI single in the 1st inning and a solo HR in the 5th inning which was his 100th career HR, and his second in his last three games. Renfroe as 12 RBI in his last 17 games…Is 6-for-12 (.500 AVG) with 2 HR and 5 RBI in his last three games.

The Sox are 9-5 in their last 14 games at Fenway Park.

Boston’s Matt Barnes converted his first career five-out save, and just his second of at least four outs (1.1 IP on 5/7/19 at BAL) as he entered in the 8th inning. Barnes is seven-for-seven in saves vs opportunities this season as he earned Manager Alex Cora’s confidence as the team’s full-time closer.

IVY League to Return to Fall Sports

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PRINCETON – IVY League football will be back in action this Fall, barring any unforeseen and major setbacks from the variants of the COVID-19 virus which halted IVY League sports in March, 2020.

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The IVY League school Presidents issued a joint statement today, addressing likely “in-person” learning and the resumption of all Fall sports.

“At each of our campuses, we are busily planning for the fall semester. As is prudent given all the uncertainty around the course of this pandemic, we are each planning for a range of possible scenarios. But given the current steady decline of Covid-19 infections in this country, and the broad availability and uptake of vaccinations, we are optimistic that our campuses will be back to something close to normal by this fall, including in-person learning with students in residence. And this includes our expectation for the resumption of regular competitive schedules for Ivy League athletics across all sports beginning in fall 2021.

“We know that this has been a challenging year for Ivy League student-athletes – as it has for our entire campuses, our country and the world at large – and we very much look forward to a return to spirited athletics competition and to the Ivy League rivalries that make our conference so special. Barring unanticipated circumstances, such as a dramatic increase in infection rates from a variant in the virus, we look forward to welcoming our teams back to intercollegiate competition this fall,” read the statement (which did not have typos).

 

Bruins Are In for Lord Stanley’s Cup

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NEWARK – The Boston Bruins clinched the final slot to compete in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and battled throughout the competitive East Division of the NHL to post a decisive 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. The Bruins (31-14-6) moved into third place, a point (68-67) ahead of the New York Islanders and three behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals with five games remaining.

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“You play for an opportunity to play for the cup, so we’ve accomplished the first part of that — getting into the playoffs,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We had our share of adversity as much with COVID rescheduling and injuries, and using different people, but the flip-side of that — the positive side of that — is you learn a little bit about guys. They get thrown into situations where they have to step up. We came out of it OK.”

Boston team Captain Patrice Bergeron scored his 20th goal of the season and Boston clinched its fifth consecutive playoff berth with the road victory. Bruins’ No. 1 goalkeeper, Tuukka Rask, stopped 20 shots for his second shutout of the season, supported by Nick Ritchie goal which broke a scoreless tie in the second period.

The Bruins won their fourth straight game and ended the Devils’ three-game winning streak.

Boston had five games remaining, including another match-up against the Devils at Newark tonight.

Red Sox Drop Three-of-Four to Texas

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ARLINGTON – Former Red Sox utility man Brock Holt had a key RBI single to help the Texas Rangers produce a three-run 8th inning to defeat the Boston Red Sox 5-3 on Sunday. The Rangers took 3-of-4 games against the Sox for their first winning series of the season.

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Rangers SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa homered to help Texas win a series against Boston for the first time since 2016. Rangers reliever Josh Sborz (3-1) got three outs for the win, and Ian Kennedy worked the ninth for his seventh of seven save opportunities.

Boston’s star SS Xander Bogaerts cracked three hits for Sox, including his fifth homer, as the Red Sox built a 3-1 lead with runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings. The loss marked the AL East-leading Sox’ first lost a series since being swept by Baltimore at Fenway Park to open the season.

“Like I told you guys after we started 0-3, we thought we had a good team,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “And after we won all those games, we still have a good team. We reset tomorrow.”

Bogaerts scored the game’s first run after he reached on a towering popup that second baseman Nick Solak lost in the sun. He advanced to third on Marwin Gonzalez’s double and scampered home on Hunter Renfroe’s grounder to Solak.

Boston starter Garrett Richards struck out seven while pitching five innings of one-run ball. He allowed four hits and walked one.

The Red Sox have a day off for travel today and then ace SP Nick Pivetta (3-0, 2.81 ERA), who held the Mets to one hit through five scoreless innings in his previous start, will open a three-game home stand against Detroit at Fenway on Tuesday.

 

Celtics Suffer Costly Loss to Blazers

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BOSTON – Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum scored 10 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and the Blazers continued their winning ways on the road with a 129-119 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Sunday night. The Trail Blazers extended their winning streak to four, all on the road, and will play two more games on this trip.

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The Blazers entered the game in the seventh slot of the Western Conference playoff standings and are trying to work their way out of the NBA’s new play-in round.

Damian Lillard had 26 points and 13 assists for Portland. Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony added 13 points for Portland — including a 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining to help seal it after Boston pulled within two points.

For the Celtics, All-Star forwards Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum collided at the end of the game and Brown needed assistance as both players left the game and went right to the locker room. Brown has been suffering from right ankle pain and the collision seemed to stem from that fact. Tatum “seemed okay,” according to Boston Coach Brad Stevens.

Tatum scored 33 to lead Boston, as they play to avoid falling into the play-in round in the playoff stretch run of the NBA season.

 

PGA Tour: Valspar Wrap-Up

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Wrap-Up of the Valspar Championship

Sam Burns became the fifth player to pick-up his first PGA Tour win at the Valspar Championship, taking honors in his 76th pro start. Burns’ previous-best career finish came at 2021 The Genesis Invitational where he placed No. 3.

Burns joined Jason Kokrak, Carlos Ortiz and Joel Dahmen as first-time winners this season.

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Second-place finisher Keegan Bradley fell to 0-for-3 when holding a 54-hole lead/co-lead (P2/2012 The Genesis Invitational, 2nd/2013 AT&T Byron Nelson, 2nd/2021 Valspar Championship). Bradley was in search of his first Tour win since the 2018 BMW Championship.

PGATourBrunch will be posting at 12:00 Noon (EDT) Wednesday with a look at the Wells Fargo.

This Week: Wells Fargo Championship (Charlotte, NC) – (First Look)

2021 Valspar Championship – Final Leaderboard

Sam Burns 67-63-69-68—267 (-17)

Keegan Bradley 64-66-69-71—270 (-14)

Viktor Hovland 69-69-68-65—271 (-13)

Cameron Tringale 69-67-67-68—271 (-13)

Abraham Ancer 67-70-66-69—272 (-12)

Final Leaderboard: (link)