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Why the PGA Championship on Sunday Still Matters

Brooks Koepka could not widen his lead during the third round of the PGA Championship on Saturday at Bethpage Black. However, the defending champion of the PGA Championship didn’t give anything back either.

Koepka managed to hit even-par 70 to give him a 54-hole total of -12 to successfully maintain his phenomenal 7-shot lead ahead of the final round on Sunday, along with his friend Dustin Johnson, Jazz Janewattaanond, Luke List, and Harold Varner III chasing him as the competition’s closest competitors.

Since 1934, in the era of Masters, there has only been a total of 24 times when a golfer managed to take the lead with 5 or more strokes throughout a 54 hole course in a major championship.

There have only been four times when a player failed to hold on to that lead, including Jean Van de Velde during the 1999 Open Championship, Greg Norman during the 1996 Masters, Ed Sneed during the 1979 Masters, and Tom Watson during the 1978 PGA Championship. It’s quite apparent that Koepka will not pull a Van de Velde this time around.

Koepka on the PGA Championship

Koepka recently stated to reporters that he would not give up. He loves the force on the field and will try his best to extend the lead as best he can during the championship. He also stated that it would be nice to make a ten during the final hole. However, he is just going out there to play some good golf and to see how things end up. He will be satisfied if he can have another great game on Sunday before he makes his way home.

Although it’s still too early to place his name on the prestigious Wanamaker Trophy for the 2nd consecutive year, it looks inevitable after the way he played on Saturday. There are loads of reasons to watch the final day of the PGA Championship on Sunday.

Koepka has managed to torch the entire field and has set loads of milestones during the tournament as well. For instance, he will join the list of Best Score to Par on 54 Holes and the list of Players with Multiple U.S Open and PGA Championship Wins.

Who Will Finish Second in the PGA Championship?

There is a total of 15 players on the field that are currently under par on the 54-hole course, and one of them will take second place behind Koepka. However, who will this player be? This is precisely another reason why you should watch the PGA Championship on Sunday. Dustin Johnson believes he has an excellent chance to take second place.

Koepka wasn’t playing at his best on Saturday as he has successive bogeys on both the 9th and 10th hole. However, no other player in the tournament managed to take advantage of this. This makes you think if anyone else will be able to apply the necessary pressure to make Koepka crumble?

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Mercedes is Dominating Formula One in 2019

Lewis Hamilton recently stated that Mercedes could not be blamed for their excellent start in the 2019 Formula 1 season that has primarily been a one-sided affair. Lewis Hamilton assisted Mercedes to claim their fifth successive one-two finish during the Spanish Grand Prix. This inflicted more damage to Ferrari, a team that is losing grip on a two-way fight with Mercedes.

The 2019 Formula One Season for Mercedes

The performance showcased by Ferrari during offseason testing gave the impression that they would be competitive in the 2019 Formula 1 season. However, it hasn’t been the case over the last few months, and it appears that the Italian team have fallen behind Mercedes since the 2019 campaign started. Mercedes continue to win at every race, while Red Bull and Ferrari keep falling behind.

Unless Ferrari can make a remarkable comeback, it looks like Mercedes will claim their sixth consecutive ’constructor’s championship in 2019, a run that stretches back to the introduction of the V6 turbo engines that were introduced in 2014. This achievement will match the incredible record set by the Italian team between 1999 and 2004.

Lewis Hamilton has stated on numerous occasions throughout his career with Mercedes that although he enjoys winning, he wants to a lot more from his rivals in terms of competition. He also stated that staying focused is relatively easy these days. However, it’s far more entertaining for him when he needs to compete against another team. This is what Formula One is all about.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton was recently asked if he can win all 21 races this season with Mercedes. He replied that he doesn’t know. Both he and the Mercedes team didn’t realize that they would enter the season and win five consecutive races which were astonishing for everyone in the organization.

The entire Mercedes team works incredibly hard to ensure everything is perfect for every single race. Nobody in the organization is overconfident, and there are always discussions about the car and the improvements that can be made to make it even more remarkable around the track. The Mercedes team is the most reliable team in Formula 1 and the moment and thanks to all the races, it shows.

The Mercedes team continues to push the needle and push the benchmark to do better every single season. Therefore, it’s easy to understand why fans are so happy with the overall performance by Mercedes.

It’s just a shame that no other team currently provides any competition for Mercedes at the moment. We would hate to see Mercedes run away with the season so early on without anyone giving fans a genuinely nail-biting season to look forward to. Let’s hope this changes quickly.

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Max Homa’s Journey to Win $1.42 Million

They are mostly just numbers, often separated by a couple of zeros and commas. In this case, these zeros and commas signify a prize pool in golf. These are numbers that have grown so much it makes you numb.

Even though it’s no longer utilized as a benchmark to regulate PGA Tour standings, money is still significant at the end. FedEx points aren’t spent, but cash on the other hand does. If you consider yourself a professional golfer who pays to go around the country from your pocket, the massive numbers will look like a dream.

Max Homa’s Victory

So, on Sunday afternoon at Quail Hollow, you could find Max Homa. He was cruising comfortably to his very first PGA Tour win with a remarkable 4-under-par at the renowned Wells Fargo Championship. However, it’s the numbers that impressed him as he managed to walk away with a jaw-dropping $1.42 million. A prize pool that he could only dream of taking home before he started playing in the championship.

Most of you will shrug at the news of Max Homa, and why not? Most professional golfers make several million during their careers. Justin Rose has managed to make over $2.5 million in 2019 and doesn’t even feature in the top 10. Matt Kuchar, currently leading the FedEx Cup points won $1.2 million and has made a total of $49 million in his golfing career.

To give you an idea of Max Homa and his winning streak we have to go back two years. In 2017, he participated in a full schedule of championship and tournaments and only managed to take home a total of $18,000.

So, the prize money he received on Sunday evening seemed a bit obscene. There’s no denying that the prize money will be eaten by travel expenses, lodging, caddie fees, and taxes, but it signifies something authentic to a golf player that was missing cuts two years ago at an alarming rate.

Max Homa’s Career

Max Homa managed to win the NCAA Individual title in 2013 at California. Within the same year, he found himself on the U.S Walker Cup team alongside Justin Thomas. Both golfers decided to turn pro after that, making their debuts in the PGA Tour at the Safeway Open. This is where Max Homa managed to tie for 9th. Both players also managed to make it to the 2015 PGA Tour.

However, while Justin Thomas managed to develop into one of the most elite players in the world, Max Homa had a difficult time to find his feet. In 2015, he lost his tour card after the season ended and had to make a return to the web.com Tour. He eventually got his card back but only made two cuts from 17 tournaments in 2017. Therefore, it’s quite phenomenal to see how Max Homa made it from the bottom right to the top in 2019.

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Valtteri Bottas Might Be The Only Driver to Stop the Dominance of Lewis Hamilton

A short time ago, it looked like dominant F1 races and Mercedes were a thing of the past. However, the team’s 1-2 finish in Baku was its 4th consecutive win in the 2019 season. Ferrari was quite confident when they entered the weekend. However, things started to unravel during qualifying. Due to the unpredictable nature of the circuit and the quick racing trim, we uncovered why everything unfolded as it did.

Racing Against Bottas

This wasn’t a classic F1 race. At first, Lewis Hamilton looked like he got a phenomenal start that would place him in the lead. However, Bottas held pole position after Turn 1 and also kept Hamilton behind him during Turn 2. A horrible start cost the driver in China, and he refused to let history repeat itself.

The start of the race was mostly the critical moment for Bottas as Hamilton would get this close again for the entire Baku race. Mercedes was also never under real pressure from Ferrari in the race other than the activity that occurred during the pit-stop window. Even though the challenge from Ferrari faded, Bottas was required to keep his composure because Hamilton kept pushing until the end of the race.

Although most spectators are still sceptical about Bottas 2.0, we believe he was fantastic in Baku and Australia. However, on both occasions, Hamilton seemed to settle for the second position once he lost the first fight. One factor that shouldn’t bring any doubt to spectators is that Bottas has the innate talent to create a genuinely exceptional battle for the title. Every pole position will give Bottas a boost in confidence. This is something that was genuinely lacking during the 2018 season.

Where Exactly Was Ferrari?

Ferrari didn’t have the pace when it mattered most. It’s unusual as this weekend looked like Ferrari’s weekend until Charles Leclerc managed to misjudge his breaking point when he attempted to take Turn 8 during Saturday’s qualifying. That incident managed to shit the momentum and assisted Mercedes to take the first and second position on the grid which allowed them to dominate the race on Sunday.

For a moment, it looked like Leclerc might have raced worth mentioning as he started on medium tyres as opposed to soft tyres that all drivers at the front opted in for. If the safety car was deployed when Bottas was still over 9 second behind, Leclerc might have had a free pit-stop that would have allowed him to take the lead with a brand-new set of hard compound tyres to make it until the end. However, while each lap passed without the safety car, it assisted Bottas to get closer to the long first stint of Leclerc which eventually allowed him to retake the lead.

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Magic Johnson Resigns as President of Basketball Operations

Magic Johnson managed to get the title he always dreamed of having. He had the power to successfully guide one of the most recognizable and popular franchises in the world of sports.

As the President of Basketball Operations, he could do anything he wanted when it came to the Los Angeles Lakers. He could effortlessly trade any player he wanted or fire a head coach at any time. Jeanie Buss, the owner of the Lakers, informed him about this on several occasions.

However, the only thing that Magic Johnson truly wanted is to be Magic Johnson again where he will be remembered as a Basketball ambassador, Lakers legend, international celebrity, and beloved civic leader. It’s fantastic being such a guy and there’s no denying that he was great at it.

Resigning as President of Basketball Operations

Being the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers is undeniably hard, no one can argue that fact. And Magic Johnson could never truly figure out how to be himself in that significant role. It’s for that very reason that he decided to resign on Tuesday evening.

As astonishing as the decision was for most of the people within the national Basketball League, Magic Johnson was incredibly clear when he started to explain himself. “I was far more happier as a player as oppose to being the president,” Magic Johnson stated. “Once it comes to making trades, you are definitely not happy.”

Magic Johnson starting listing all kinds of unsavoury things regarding his position during a media session that lasted more than an hour, spilling out into the corridors and hallways of Staples Center prior to the final game of the Lakers season. Johnson didn’t appreciate the whispering and backstabbing that came with the job title. To be honest, he didn’t like anything that came with the role.

Comments from Magic Johnson

The tampering and the fines and this and that, I couldn’t assist young players who wanted me to assist them, and I couldn’t tweet about it either. Take Russel Westbrook for instance, that was a marvelous feature the other day. However, I wasn’t allowed to even tweet to congratulate him. If I decided to do that, everyone would have thought that it was tampering. I honestly don’t like that as I need to be free to do exactly what I want for myself.”

Magic Johnson also didn’t like the fact that he had to make decisions on retaining coach Luke Walton. Johnson was diagnosed with HIV during 1991 where he literally starred at death in the face. He decided to beat the illness and he eventually did. Thereafter, he decided to spend his remaining time on earth exactly the way he wanted. “I have a fantastic life. Damn, even outside this place I have a fantastic life, so what exactly am I doing here? I will be going back to my fantastic life and I’m really looking forward to it.”

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South Africa Needs To Place More Trust in the Back-Three

The Super Rugby sides in South Africa can produce better results, allowing the South African national team to provide a stronger challenge in Japan during the Rugby World Cup. All they have to do is place a little bit of trust in the back-three players according to Naas Botha.

The excellent teams in the nation are well-known for their prowess and strength when it comes to their forwards. However, Botha recently told reporters that the fullbacks and wingers could also offer match-winning abilities when they are given a chance.

South African Rugby Players

Curwin Bosch, who made his first start of the Rugby season as a fullback, was awarded man of the match when the Sharks grandly destroyed the Lions on Friday at Emirates Airline Park. Bosch managed to combine phenomenally with his wingers Lwazi Movovo, Makazole Mpimpi, and Aphelele Fassi as the replacement for a living embodiment of the point made by Botha that we haven’t seen for a very long time from a South African team.

Elsewhere this season in Super Rugby, Cornell Hendricks, Rosko Specman, and Warrick Gelant have impressed incredibly while playing for the Bulls once they received a limited opportunity to prove their worth on the field. It’s necessarily only the Stormers that have struggled to produce a back-three worth mentioning.

Factor in that Aphiwe Dyantyi and S’busiso Nkosi, who were likely the first pick wingers for the Boks before the Super Rugby season kicked off, have both suffered injuries during the season. Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux is undoubtedly going to be on the plane towards Japan, subject to fitness and form, then coach Rassie Erasmus of the Springboks has a wealth of players at his disposal to consider for the number 15, 14, and 11 jumpers.

Comments from Naas Botha

“I am well aware that South Africans love direct rugby. However, when it comes to the back-three South African rugby players, consisting of a fullback and two wings. I will always believe that when you provide space for them in a one-on-one situation, that they will be able to surprise you,” stated Botha who is a Hall of Famer who played for both South Africa and Northern Transvaal, winning a total of 28 caps with South Africa.


“Most of the time, South Africans believe that placing pressure on the opposition with a kick is the right choice. However, if the ball doesn’t fall where you want it to fall, the opposing team usually scores against us after that. This is exactly the reason why we need to be extra careful in the upcoming Rugby World Cup.”


With all this in mind, Naas Botha is still pleased with the current Rugby situation in South Africa as well as the team that has been selected for the squad that will go to Japan in September. He only wants the team to focus on their weaknesses and what their opponents tend to do in each game to succeed.

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Messi Will Stay at Camp Nou Forever According to Barcelona President

Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Barcelona, has recently told reporters that he wants the football superstar, Lionel Messi, to stay linked to the football club forever and that he is planning to sit down with the Barcelona. He is looking to extend his contract with the team.

Messi managed to sign a deal less than two years ago that will run until the end of 2021, taking him through to his 34th birthday. Messi, the Argentina international, is showcasing absolutely no signs of slowing down when it comes to playing for the club. He already managed to score 42 goals this season in all competitions and the Barcelona president is already considering what would be his 10th, and perhaps the last, football deal at the club for Lionel Messi.

Josep Maria Bartomeu Comments on Lionel Messi

“We truly want Lionel Messi to have a long football career so everyone can continue enjoying his skills and abilities on the pitch,” Bartomeu stated. “Messi has broken down several borders. Everyone truly admires the talent he has, and he gets applauded around the world by rival fans.

Bartomeu added, “We want to renew Messi’s contract as soon as possible. He is still a young player at heart, and everyone can see that. He still has two years to go on his current contract at Barcelona and is always innovating and improving with every game he plays. I think he still has loads of years ahead of him on the pitch for Barcelona and in the next few months, I will sit down with Lionel Messi to ensure he has many more years at Camp Nou.

Bartomeu continued stating that “Messi is undoubtedly a one-club man; there’s no denying it. However, it goes far beyond what he does on the pitch against other opponents as his relationship with his current club will last forever. We want Lionel Messi always to be part of Barcelona, whether he continues playing for the team or simply linked to the club in another way after he retires.”

Lionel Messi’s Career

Lionel Messi is also considered the top goalscorer for Barcelona with a total of 594 goals. This allowed him to surpass Andres Iniesta when it comes to appearances for the club. He is currently second in the history of the club as Xavi Hernandez is the only player ahead of him with 767 appearances. Lionel Messi has appeared a total of 676 times for Barcelona.

Since Lionel Messi made his incredible debut during 2004, Barcelona has managed to enjoy more success than any other span in the history of the club. The club has claimed 8 of the last 11 La Liga titles, 4 out of 5 Champions League titles, and won 4 Copa del Reys.

However, there’s no denying that a time will come when Messi decided to hang up his boots and the president of Barcelona states that it’s vital for the club to prepare for when that happens.

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Jusuf Nurkic Suffers Severe Compound Fractures in Leg

Jusuf Nurkic, the centre for the Portland Trail Blazers, suffered several compound fractures to the fibula and tibia in his lower left leg during a double-overtime victory against the Brooklyn Nets that took place on Monday evening and will, unfortunately, be out for the rest of the season.

Jusuf Nurkic’s Injury

Nurkic jumped for a rebound where he came down in a very awkward position in a tangle of bodies that occurred under the net. Once he hit the floor, the players from the Brooklyn Nets that were around him witnessed the severity of his injury and started sprinting away. The basketball arena immediately went into silence as the medical personnel of the Blazers rushed to attend to Nurkic’s injury. A stretcher was instantly called, and with the assistance of a handful of Blazers, including Al-Farouq Aminu, Rodney Hood, and Damian Lillard, the 7-foot Nurkic was quickly loaded onto the stretcher.

Damian Lillard’s Comments

“It made me feel incredibly sick,” Lillard stated. “I believe he attempted to tip it in before he crashed the glass and I witnessed him hitting the ground and quickly roll over, and I was under the impression someone might have hit his face again. While I was walking over to see what was going on, I noticed that everyone was turning around and walking away quite quickly, and then I noticed his leg. I truly hate to see it happen to someone like him.”

Lillard stated that it reminded him of the Team USA exhibition in 2014 that took place in Las Vegas when Paul George had his injury, a match Lillard was also playing in. “Nurkic’s injury looked exactly like that to me,” Lillard stated. It also brought back memories of the gruesome ankle injury of Gordon Hayward that occurred during the 2017/18 opening night game.

Terry Stotts stated that Nurkic was rushed to a local hospital and didn’t have much else to add as the head coach for the Blazers. “It’s horrible,” Stotts stated. Stotts also added that the locker room for the Blazers was tranquil after the injury occurred and Zach Collins felt like the team lost after the injury occurred. Enes Kanter stated that the entire team held a silent moment for Jusuf Nurkic after the match.

“Nobody had anything to say,” Kanter stated. This is a crushing and unexpected blow for the Blazers, who have managed to surge in recent games even though CJ McCollum has been sidelined after a knee injury. They managed to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in a 148-144 double-overtime match and clinched a playoff berth in the process.

Nurkic’s injury occurred with only 2 minutes left on the clock, while the Blazers were leading the game with 2 points. They managed to close the Brooklyn Nets with a phenomenal 3-pointer by Rodney Hood along with clutch free throws by Curry to finally seal the game for the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Denver Nuggets Are Heading to the Playoffs After Six-Year Drought

The Denver Nuggets are finally going to the postseason after a drought that lasted a total of 6 years. Nikola Jokic had 13 rebounds and 21 points, and the Denver Nuggets managed to rally during the 4th quarter to defeat the Boston Celtics in a great 114-105 victory on Monday evening. This allowed them to clinch their very first playoff berth since the 2012/13 season.

Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics

Will Barton managed to add 20 points for the Denver Nuggets who have now won a total of 4 consecutive games. The Denver Nuggets, with a 47-22 record, are currently tied with the Golden State Warriors for the best record within the Western Conference.

The Denver Nuggets managed to win a total of 46 matches in the previous season. However, they, unfortunately, missed the playoffs after they lost against Minnesota during overtime on the final day of the NBA regular season. Thankfully, this season, their 47th win worked like a charm.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” Michael Malone stated in a recent interview who is the head coach for the Denver Nuggets. “This has taken us four years to achieve. Two consecutive years are coming up just short. We will be using that as tonight’s motivation moment.”

There were loads of smiles in the locker room of the Denver Nuggets after the game.
“We are just going to enjoy this,” Jamal Murray stated. “We are going to take a moment and realise how far we’ve come this season. It’s fantastic to look ahead at the moment while enjoying it at the same time.”

Boston Celtics

Kyrie Irving was leading the Boston Celtics with a total of 30 points, while Al Horford managed to finish with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. This was the Celtics second loss in 7 matches.

“You need to play exceptionally well for 48 minutes against the Nuggets,” Irving stated. “They managed to come back from 18 down and kept firing.”

The Boston Celtics are currently 5th in the Eastern Conference, one and a half games behind Indiana in 4th place and two and a half games behind the 76ers who they will face on Wednesday. This match essentially felt like a game between 2 postseason teams. The game remained tight during the second half, with no team having more than a two-possession lead during the third quarter.

However, the Denver Nuggets managed to get some breathing room during the final period and to an impressive 106-94 lead with only 3:47 remaining on the clock. The Boston Celtics managed to score seven successive times to get within 5 points. However, Barton managed to stop the run thanks to a layup. After Horford missed a 3-pointer, Paul Millsap managed to seal the deal with a 4-point play that allowed the Denver Nuggets to stretch their lead to 112-101 with only 31.3 seconds left on the clock — well deserved to the Nuggets. Now let’s see how they do in the playoffs.

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Golden State Warriors Further Improve Their Top-Seed Chances

When the Golden State Warriors play the way they should and focus, no other NBA team can beat them. The Golden State Warriors at their best is far better than any other team in the league. This was especially true when they claimed a 122-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets on Friday evening at the Oracle Arena.

However, after four consecutive journeys to the NBA Finals. Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, has recently acknowledged that it’s not humanly possible for his star players to provide the same level of skills and capabilities through the season. This means that in some matches they have it, and some events they don’t.

Emotions of the Golden State Warriors

After losing by 33 points to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday evening at the Oracle Arena, the worst loss at home for Kerr, the Golden State Warriors understood the embarrassment they inflict on their opponents. In a regular season that has witnessed loads of emotional swings, the Golden State Warriors have played at times with frustration, anger, and joy during several rough patches throughout the season. All these emotions have assisted the Warriors in providing a reminder to both the Denver Nuggets and the rest of the NBA league that they are truly dangerous when everything clicks.

“Once we are challenged, with our backs against the wall, we play the best basketball in the league,” Klay Thompson stated before the match. “Being aware of what is at stake in the next eighteen matches, we have to play our best as we don’t want to lose our number 1 seed. Therefore, tonight is a major game for the Golden State Warriors.”

Golden State Warriors Receives Wake Up Call

After they lost 5 of the eight matches before Friday evening’s showdown. The Golden State Warriors and Kerr were very open about the fact that the team has recently enjoyed a few solid days of group discussions and practice. Kerr stated that he felt like the team owed fans of East Bay a much better performance in the final year at Oracle. More importantly, Kerr’s players were well aware that they expected better performance themselves.

Kerr’s team too often appears that they are merely going through the motions of the NBA regular season. They are patiently waiting for the glimmering lights of the playoffs to wake them up. The horrible defeat against the Boston Celtics seemed to offer a significant wake-up call for the Warriors which is something they truly needed.

Although the Celtics are enjoying a thrilling season, the Warriors provided a potent reminder to showcase how dominant they can be. They continue to play phenomenally in every game they participate in, whether its an elite team or an inferior opposition. If the Golden State Warriors continue to rake in wins, there will be no one to stop them from claiming another sensational season in 2019.