MASTERS GOLF
Jon Rahm has become the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters. Rahm trailed Brooks Koepka by four shots to start the marathon day of 30 holes, which was necessary to complete the rain-delayed third round. He wound up with a runaway victory when Koepka collapsed in the final round. Phil Mickelson turned in a 65 for a remarkable charge by the 52-year-old three-time Masters champion. But that was never going to be enough. Rahm won his second major championship and moves back to N. 1 in the world. The Masters is his fourth victory of the year. Mickelson and Koepka carry the flag for LIV Golf by tying for second four shots back of Rahm.
Brooks Koepka struggled on a long day at the Masters, beginning with the conclusion of a third-round postponed by weather and ending with a final-round collapse. The four-time major champion shot 75 while Jon Rahm cruised to a closing 69, giving the Spaniard a four-shot victory. Rahm finished at 12 under while Koepka made a late bogey and ended at 8 under, tied with fellow LIV Golf member Phil Mickelson in second place. Koepka had carried a four-shot lead into Sunday, when players headed out early to finish their third rounds. He still led at the start of the final round before Rahm rolled past him.
Phil Mickelson will never again receive the sort of adulation that once shadowed his every step. Too many missteps along the way. But give Lefty credit. He sure LIVened things up on Sunday afternoon at the Masters. Already the oldest major champion in golf history, the 52-year-old Mickelson made an impressive run at a fourth green jacket. The fans were a bit timid in their response, even after he drained a 15-foot birdie putt at the final hole for a 7-under 65. Yet there were definite signs of warming toward the guy who led golf into an ugly civil war.
Tiger Woods withdrew from the Masters before the resumption of the third round Sunday, ending his streak of completing all 72 holes of every tournament he has played at Augusta National as a professional. The tournament announced about 90 minutes before play was to begin that Woods had withdrawn with an injury. The five-time champion said on Twitter he had reaggravated his plantar fasciitis. Woods finished his second round in cold, driving rain on Saturday to make the cut on the number at 3 over, extending his Masters streak to 23 straight and tying Fred Couples and Gary Player for the longest in history.
NHL
The Boston Bruins have broken the NHL record for wins in a season after beating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 behind David Pastrnak’s hat trick that got him to 60 goals for the first time in his career. Bruins picked up their 63rd win to break a tie with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning. Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha also scored and Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves for Boston. The Presidents' Trophy winners were without several key contributors including top two centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci and No. 1 defenseman Charlie McAvoy. They nevertheless won their sixth in a row.
Elsewhere, Colorado beat Anaheim 5-4.
NBA
Bennedict Mathurin scored 26 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 141-136 win over the New York Knicks in the regular season finale for both teams. Mathurin was one of seven Pacers on Sunday to finish in double-figure scoring. Jordan Nwora and Andrew Nembhard each had 19 points. George Hill had 17 points and Buddy Hield had 15 points off the bench. Indiana completed its regular season with three wins in its final 10 games to finish the season 35-47. Obi Toppin scored a game-high 34 for New York, which finished the regular season with a 47-35 record, and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Shake Milton scored 20 points and chased Cam Thomas all over the floor in the fourth quarter to keep him at 46 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Brooklyn Nets 134-105 before the teams face each other next weekend in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Mikal Bridges was the only starter for either team to play — for just four seconds. It was his 83rd start of the season to extend his streak to 392 straight.
Payton Pritchard finished with his first career triple-double with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists and the Boston Celtics beat the Atlanta Hawks 120-114 in a matchup of mostly reserves in the regular-season finale for both teams. Derrick White was the only regular starter to play for Boston. In his 82nd game and starting for the 70th time, he played five minutes, going 1 of 2 on 3-point attempts. De’Andre Hunter was the only starter to play for Atlanta, scoring 14 points. Pritchard completed his triple-double with an assist on JD Davidson’s basket with just under eight minutes left. The crowd gave him a big hand when they showed Pritchard’s stat line on the video board.
Philadelphia had the league's leader in points per game this season in Joel Embiid and assists per game in James Harden. And the 76ers were also the league's most accurate team from 3-point range and the foul line. Domantas Sabonis of Sacramento was the league's rebounding leader. Toronto's O.G. Anunoby led the league in steals. Jaren Jackson Jr. of Memphis repeated as the league's blocked-shot champion. And nobody made more 3-pointers than Golden State's Klay Thompson.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout in the second quarter against New Orleans. Anderson and Gobert had a heated discussion before Gobert raised his arm toward Anderson and appeared to hit him in the chest with his hand. Coaches and players separated the two. Gobert was sent home. That came after ace defender Jaden McDaniels hit his hand against a wall in a tunnel leading to the locker room out of frustration. He didn't return to the game. His availability for the postseason is in doubt.
Golden State is in the playoffs. LeBron James is heading to the play-in tournament. And the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Rudy Gobert to a fight with a teammate, then won a fight to improve their playoff hopes. The final day of the NBA season was predictably wild, with tons of unpredictable elements as well. It took until the 1,230th and last game of the year went final, but the Western Conference playoff and play-in bracket are finally set, highlighted by the Los Angeles Clippers and defending champion Golden State Warriors getting a few days off knowing that they’re officially in the postseason.
NFL
The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a one-year contract with receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Ravens announced the move Sunday. The 30-year-old Beckham did not play last season following ACL surgery. He joins a Baltimore team that used the franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has asked to be traded. Even with Jackson, the Ravens’ passing game was limited by a lack of production from their wide receivers. Rashod Bateman played only six games last season. Aside from tight end Mark Andrews, no Baltimore player managed even 500 yards receiving.
MLB
Giancarlo Stanton homered to cap New York’s three-run fifth inning, and the Yankees went on to a 4-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Anthony Volpe tripled for his first big league extra-base hit and Aaron Hicks delivered a crucial RBI single for the Yankees. But it was Stanton’s 436-foot homer that was the lasting image of this game. It cleared the deepest part of Baltimore’s big wall in left field. Cole Irvin walked four batters in 4 2/3 innings in his first home start since the Orioles acquired him in an offseason trade with Oakland.
Bryan De La Cruz homered and drove in four runs, and the Miami Marlins stole five bases in a 7-2 win over a struggling Carlos Carrasco and the New York Mets. De La Cruz hit a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch from Carrasco in the first inning and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Garrett Cooper had a two-run shot for the Marlins, who avoided a three-game sweep. Miami entered with just two stolen bases this season but went 5 for 5 against Mets rookie catcher Francisco Álvarez in his second major league start behind the plate. Jazz Chisholm Jr. had two hits, two runs, two steals and an RBI before being ejected in the seventh for arguing with plate umpire Jeff Nelson.
Triston Casas homered and hit an RBI double as the Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1 for a three-game sweep. Boston starter Kutter Crawford allowed one run and five hits in five innings. He struck out six without walking a batter. Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall, hitting .455 with four homers and 14 RBIs, left in the ninth after getting injured while diving for Spencer Torkelson’s bloop single. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his second save. Detroit loaded the bases with one out, but Zach McKinstry flied out and Akil Baddoo struck out. Matthew Boyd yielded two runs on five hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings as Detroit fell to 2-7.
Jake Fraley hit a bases-clearing double in the ninth inning to lift the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-4 comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. Jason Vosler doubled and drove in two runs for the Reds, who avoided a three-game sweep. Alec Bohm hit a two-run homer for the Phillies. Kevin Herget tossed two innings of scoreless relief for the Reds. The Phillies' Seranthony Domínguez loaded the bases with one out in the ninth on a pair of walks and TJ Friedl’s infield single. He had Fraley in a 1-2 hole before the Reds’ designated hitter golfed a double to short right to put Cincinnati ahead.
Johan Oviedo outdueled Michael Kopech to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates past the Chicago White Sox 1-0. Oviedo (1-0) allowed five hits — all singles — and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings as the Pirates won for the fifth time in six games. David Bednar retired the side in the ninth for his fourth save. The Pirates lost shortstop Oneil Cruz to a fractured left leg. Cruz's leg bent awkwardly underneath him while attempting a late slide at home. Kopech scattered two hits in six innings for Chicago.
The Tampa Bay Rays matched the best start to a major league season in 20 years, routing the Oakland Athletics 11-0 for a 9-0 record as Drew Rasmussen combined on a one-hitter and Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam. Tampa Bay has outscored opponents 75-18, scoring the most runs in the big leagues and allowing the fewest. The 2003 Kansas City Royals had been the previous team to start 9-0. The Rays have won every game by four or more runs.
NASCAR
Dirt-racing star Christopher Bell held on through a restart eight laps from the end and outran Tyler Reddick to win the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Bell was a whiz-kid dirt sensation growing up and that experience helped the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to his fifth victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. Reddick was second for the second straight year followed by Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Chase Briscoe.
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