The Sportsletter - Major Comeback ⛳️

BY JEFF YODER & MATTHEW CAHILL

MAY 23, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back

From a Sunday comeback at the PGA Championship to major moments in the NBA, NHL and European soccer, we’ve got a busy weekend to recap. It’s a trophy-packed Monday, but we turn the page to the French Open and Indy 500 in the week ahead…

Letter Rip!

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP ⛳️

Major Comeback: JT Wins 2nd Major

Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

Justin Thomas (-5) Rallies From 7 Strokes Back on Sunday to Win PGA Championship

JT has done it again! Justin Thomas (-5) shot a 3-under 67 on Sunday to complete a wild comeback and defeat Will Zalatoris (-5) in a playoff for the Wanamaker Trophy. Thomas’ low Sunday scorecard helped him leap the 54-hole leader, Mito Pereira (-4), whose double-bogey on 18 cost him the tournament. No one in the field had a better final round than Thomas, who eventually secured his second major title with a birdie on the third playoff against Zalatoris.

PGA History: The seven-stroke Sunday rally by Thomas matched a PGA Championship record for the largest comeback in the 104-year tournament history.

Pereira’s 18th Disaster: Mito Pereira — who began the day at 9-under — saw his lead evaporate with a tee shot into the creek on the 18th before a double-bogey dropped him to 4-under. It was the first time since 2006 at Winged Foot that a player lost a one-shot lead on the final hole of a major (Phil Mickelson, U.S. Open).

JT Climbs the Ranks: It had been 14 months since Thomas claimed a win dating back to The Players Championship (2021). He now owns two major victories and 15 total PGA Tour wins.

Watch: Justin Thomas Wins PGA Championship With Sunday Comeback

Final Leaderboard

J. Thomas (-5)

W. Zalatoris (-5)

C. Young (-4)

M. Pereira (-4)

T. Fleetwood (-3)

C. Kirk (-3)

M. Fitzpatrick (-3)

Other Notable Scorecards: R. McIlroy (-2), X. Schauffele (E), J. Spieth (+4), P. Reed (+4), J. Rahm (+6), T. Woods (Withdraw)

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Justin Thomas Beats Will Zalatoris in 3-Hole Playoff for 2nd PGA Championship

Golf.com: Justin Thomas Hit a Cold Shank, Then Won the PGA Championship

ESPN: PGA Rookie Mito Pereira Blows Shot at First Major With Double-Bogey Collapse on 18

SOCCER

City's Epic Comeback Secures EPL Crown

Photo: Michael Regan / Getty Images

Manchester City Stun Aston Villa With Late Comeback (3-2) to Clinch 4th Premier League Title in 5 Years

Drama on the final day of the English Premier League! Just when it looked like Aston Villa was about to shock Manchester City with a final-day upset — which would’ve given Liverpool the title — City struck back with three goals in five minutes. Rodri (78’) and Ilkay Gundogn (76’, 81’) scored late in the contest to swing the scoreline from an 0-2 deficit to a 3-2 victory. Gundogan came on as a second-half substitute to save the day. The dramatic finish gave City their fourth EPL title in the last five seasons as they edged Liverpool by just one point in the table.

Watch: Manchester City’s Late Comeback Secures EPL Crown

Premier League Table

1. Manchester City (93 points)

2. Liverpool (92 points)

3. Chelsea (74 points)

4. Tottenham (71 points)

5. Arsenal (69 points)

6. Manchester United (58 points)

Full Premier League Table

Additional Storylines

B/R: EPL Praised as Best League in the World After City Win Title on Epic Final Day

SI: Intense Drama Defines Final Day as Manchester City Wins Another Premier League Title

NBA PLAYOFFS

Warriors Nearing West Sweep

Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images

Warriors 1 Win Away From Finals, Heat Take Advantage With Huge Road Win (By Matthew Cahill)

The NBA playoffs continued this weekend, and we are getting closer to finding out who will be squaring off in the Finals on June 2nd. The Warriors took a commanding 3-0 series lead with two huge wins on Friday and Sunday night, while the Heat bounced back to avenge their Game 2 blowout loss and take home court advantage back from the Celtics. It’s looking like the Dubs are going to end up coming out of the West, and your guess is as good as ours when it comes to picking who will win the East.

Gm 3: Heat def. Celtics (109-103)

The Heat somehow survived a bloodbath in Boston on Saturday night that saw three key players from both sides head to the locker room. Marcus Smart sprained his ankle and Jayson Tatum hurt his shoulder, but both returned to finish the game. Jimmy Butler on the other hand missed the entire second half due to knee inflammation. Despite the absence of their superstar, Miami was able to hold on and secure the victory thanks to Bam Adebayo who had his first big game of the series (31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals). The East Finals could come down to the healthier team advancing, as both sides are currency dealing with tons of injuries. MIA Leads Series (2-1)

Gm 4: Warriors def. Mavericks (109-100)

After squandering a 19-point lead in Game 2, the Mavericks dug themselves into a hole no team in NBA history has ever climbed out of by falling down 3-0 against the Warriors. Doncic dropped 40 for the second consecutive game and Curry had an efficient 31, but the main story from Game 3 was Andrew Wiggins, who added 27 points as well as a monster poster dunk over Luka. Golden State is now just one win away from reaching their sixth NBA Finals in eight years. GSW Lead Series (3-0)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 4: Heat at Celtics (8:30 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Why NBA is Frustrated with Mavs' Refusal to Comply with Bench Decorum Rules

Yahoo!: Jimmy Butler “Intends to Play” in Game 4; Celtics List two Starters as Questionable

NHL PLAYOFFS

Hat-Trick Hero: Kane Sparks Oilers

Photo: Codie McLachlan / Getty Images

Evander Kane Scores Hat Trick in 6-Minute Span to Highlight Weekend of Stanley Cup Playoffs

Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is shaking out, and we’re getting a clearer picture of the potential conference final matchups. Among the weekend highlights were a six-minute scoring spree by Evander Kane to lift the Oilers in Game 3 (4-1) and another Lightning win to push the Panthers to the brink. The Avalanche and Hurricanes also hold 2-1 series leads heading into the week. Here’s the rundown:

Stanley Cup Playoffs

Gm 3: Lightning def. Panthers (5-1) | TBL Leads (3-0)

Gm 3: Rangers def. Hurricanes (3-1) | CAR Leads (2-1)

Gm 3: Oilers def. Flames (4-1) | EDM Leads (2-1)

Gm 3: Avalanche def. Blues (5-2) | COL Leads (2-1)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 4: Panthers at Lightning (7:00 pm ET)

Gm 4: Avalanche at Blues (9:30 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

NHL: Blues Turn to Ville Husso in Net After Jordan Binnington Injury in Game 3

ESPN: On Verge of Being Swept, 1-Seed Panthers Try to ‘Find Some Energy and Passion’

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ MLB: Cards Hang 18 Runs on Bucs

Among the weekend highlights in MLB was an 18-run blitz by the Cardinals. St. Louis rocked the Pirates (18-4) with 20 hits, including a pair of home runs from 42-year-old Albert Pujols.

⚾️ MLB: Cordero Belts Walk-Off Grand Slam

A few walk-off moments hit the diamond over the weekend, but none compared to Franchy Cordero’s grand slam moment to lift the Red Sox over the Mariners in 10 innings (8-4).

🏇 HORSE: Early Voting Wins Preakness

The 147th Preakness Stakes marked Leg 2 of the spring triple crown, and Early Voting crossed the finish line ahead of the favorite Epicenter by a length and a half.

⚽️ ITA: AC Milan Clinch Serie A Crown

After an 11-year wait, AC Milan (86 points) are once again champions of Italy. They defeated Sassuolo (3-0) thanks to a brace from Olivier Giroud to win the title over Inter (84 points) on the final day of the season.

🏀 WNBA: Aces Heating Up Early in ‘W’

The Las Vegas Aces won their fourth straight game over the weekend with a takedown of the Mercury (100-80). Vegas is now 6-1 with an early advantage atop the WNBA standings.

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Browns Re-Sign DE Jadeveon Clowney to 1-Year, $11 Million Deal (USA Today)
• Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard Declines Lakers Head Coaching Job (Bleacher Report)
• Mavericks Fined for 3rd Time in Playoffs for ‘Bench Decorum’ (SI)
• NFL Owners ‘Counting Votes’ on Commanders Owner Dan Snyder Investigation (CBS Sports)
• Yankees Josh Donaldson Called Racist Over ‘Jackie’ Comment to Tim Anderson (ESPN)

• Holly Holm Thinks She Was Hosed in UFC Decision Loss to Ketlen Vieira (Yahoo! Sports)

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