⛳️ Y! Sports AM: Aronimink bites back
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🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 The schedule is here: The NFL's annual Schedule Release Day brought each team's full 17-game schedule, which includes loaded slates on Thanksgiving and Christmas among a host of other must-watch matchups. Here are our winners and losers from the day.
Visit likesport.biz for more information.
⚽️ World Cup halftime show: Madonna, Shakira and BTS will co-headline the first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show at the World Cup Final, which will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
🏒 Oilers fire Knoblauch: The Oilers are parting ways with head coach Kris Knoblauch despite having signed him to an extension last fall after he led Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in his first two seasons. Tough business.
⚾️ Schwarbs stays hot: Kyle Schwarber hit his MLB-leading 18th home run on Thursday to lift the Phillies past the Red Sox. He has seven homers in his last seven games and is now on pace for 66 after leading the NL with 56 last season.
See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports.
⛳️ ARONIMINK BITES BACK
Tough day for Rory. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Golf's best thought Aronimink would be easy. Boy, were they wrong. Just 32 of 156 players were under par after Round 1 of the PGA Championship, and many walked away from the scoring tent looking a bit dazed.
Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports:
Aronimink Golf Club heard your jabs, your insults, your disrespect. The course is going to play soft! The pros are going to annihilate this place! Strategy off the tee is pretty much nonexistent!
That last line was Rory McIlroy, and, well, look what Aronimink did to him on Thursday: a ragged +4 round, one he deemed "Sh*t." Aronimink 1, two-time defending Masters champion 0.
McIlroy certainly wasn't the only player Aronimink knocked around. The first round of the PGA Championship ended in unseasonable chill, gusty winds and a more jammed-up leaderboard than most majors ever see. The names ran from the highly familiar (defending champion Scottie Scheffler) to the debut performers (21-year-old Aldrich Potgieter).
In all, seven players held a share of the Day 1 lead at -3: Scheffler, Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, Min Woo Lee, Ryo Hisatsune, Martin Kaymer and Alex Smalley. Another eight players stood just one stroke behind, and in all, nearly 50 players were within three strokes of the lead.
So what happened to the deepest field in golf? Aronimink's tricky greens were every bit as wicked as advertised, but Thursday also included the added card-killing variables of wind, nasty rough and diabolical pin placement.
Add all that together, and you have a recipe for a bruising first round at a tournament that's often happy to keep its players happy with low scores.
Looking ahead: This morning is expected to be chilly, winds will be swirling all weekend, and there's no more rain in the forecast to slow down the greens. Whatever else this weekend will be at the PGA Championship, it won't be anything close to easy.
🏒 NHL: KNIGHTS ADVANCE, HABS WIN
Mitch Marner celebrates his goal with teammates. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)Anaheim, California — Mitch Marner opened the scoring with an unreal move and the Golden Knights cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Ducks to win the series in six games. Seriously, watch this goal.
Next up: The Golden Knights and Avalanche will meet in the Western Conference Finals in a matchup between the two most recent West teams to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Cole Caulfield celebrates with Nick Suzuki after scoring a goal. (Joe Hrycych/Getty Images)Buffalo, New York — The Canadiens roared back to beat the Sabres, 6-3, in Game 5 and push Buffalo to the brink of elimination.
Team of destiny? This was Montreal's 30th comeback win of the season, one shy of the franchise record. The only times they've had more comebacks (1975-76 and 1992-93), they won the Stanley Cup.
💯 BIG NUMBERS
Skenes struck out 10 across eight scoreless innings on Tuesday. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)⚾️ 1.98 ERA
Paul Skenes is inevitable. After allowing five earned runs in 0.2 innings on Opening Day, he's allowed just six more in eight starts, lowering his ERA to a microscopic 1.98. He has 40 strikeouts since his last walk. His WHIP is an MLB-best 0.64. It's absurd.
It's also (potentially) historic: The craziest part about Skenes' 1.98 ERA is that it's the worst mark of his career behind his rookie (1.96 ERA) and sophomore (1.97 ERA) campaigns. If he maintains this pace, he'll be the first pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920) to post a sub-2.00 ERA in three straight seasons (min. 20 starts).
🏀 33% of games
Whatever happened to home NBA teams wearing white? 10 years ago, it was an almost ubiquitous practice, with home teams donning white in 83 of 86 playoff games (97%), notes Yahoo Sports' Kevin O’Connor. So far this postseason? They've done so in just 22 of 66 games (33%).
Why the change? When Nike took over the NBA's on-court uniform business in 2017, the company created a four-uniform system that leaned much more heavily into alternate, colorful jerseys. And now, in part because they sell better, teams often choose to wear those jerseys at home.
Scott plays a shot during Thursday's opening round. (Carl Recine/Getty Images)⛳️ 99th straight start
Adam Scott made his 99th consecutive major start on Thursday at the PGA Championship. Only one golfer has ever had a longer such streak (Jack Nicklaus, 146), and the next-longest active streak is barely halfway to Scott's mark (Jordan Spieth, 52).
How's he performed? Scott — who shot a 2-over 72 on Thursday — has one victory (2013 Masters) and 19 other top-10 finishes during the streak, which began with the 2001 Open Championship. The Australian is currently ranked No. 46 in the world and has made the cut in all 10 starts this season.
📈 58% participation
Youth sports participation has fully rebounded from the post-COVID decline, climbing to 58% in 2024 for its highest rate in nearly a decade, according to the Aspen Institute. The rate had dropped to 48.5% in 2021 before steadily climbing in 2022 (53.8%) and 2023 (55.4%).
5% more to go: The federal government's Healthy People 2030 program has set a goal for 63% of children to participate in organized sports by 2030.
📺 WEEKEND WATCHLIST
Can Harden and the Cavs finish the job at home tonight? (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)🏀 NBA Playoffs
The Final Four could be set as soon as tonight, with the Cavaliers (up 3-2) hosting the Pistons (7pm ET, Prime) and the Timberwolves (down 3-2) hosting the Spurs (9:30pm, Prime). If necessary, both Game 7s would be on Sunday.
🏒 NHL Playoffs
The Sabres (down 3-2) visit the Canadiens on Saturday (8pm, ABC) with their backs against the wall. If they win, Game 7 will be on Monday night in Buffalo.
⛳️ PGA Championship
The action continues at Aronimink, with ESPN covering today's full broadcast (12-8pm), plus each of the next two mornings (10am-1pm). CBS takes over on Saturday and Sunday (1-7pm), with featured groups and holes streaming all weekend on ESPN+.
🐎 Preakness Stakes
The 151st running of the Preakness Stakes is on Saturday (6:50pm, NBC) at Maryland's Laurel Park, stepping in as the temporary host for the second leg of the Triple Crown while nearby Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations.
⚾️ Rivalry Weekend
MLB's second annual Rivalry Weekend is upon us, with 15 traditional or geographically-driven rivalry series scheduled across the league.
More to watch:
- 👊 MMA: Rousey vs. Carano (Sat. 9pm, Netflix) … The Intuit Dome hosts the first MMA card ever streamed on Netflix.
- 🎾 Tennis: Italian Open (Fri-Sun, Tennis) … Jannik Sinner headlines today's men's semifinals; Coco Gauff headlines tomorrow's women's final.
- 🥍 NCAA Lacrosse: Men's Quarterfinals (Sat-Sun, ESPNU) … No. 1 Princeton, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 UNC and No. 6 Syracuse headline the field.
- 🥎 NCAA Softball: Regionals (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/ESPN2/ESPNU) … The 64-team field will be whittled down to 16 by Sunday night.
- ⚽️ FA Cup Final: Chelsea vs. Man City (Sat. 10am, ESPN2) … Chelsea seek its ninth title while City seeks its eighth.
- 🏀 WNBA: Mystics at Fever (Fri. 7:30pm, ION); Aces at Dream (Sun. 1:30pm, NBC); Storm at Fever (Sun. 6pm, NBCSN)
- ⛳️ LPGA: Queen City Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf) … Nelly Korda (-1) is three shots off the lead after Round 1.
- 🏒 PWHL: Ottawa (down 1-0) at Montréal (Sat. 2pm, ION) … Game 2 in the best-of-five Walter Cup Finals.
- 🏁 NASCAR: All-Star Race (Sun. 1pm, FS1) … At Dover International Speedway.
Plus: MLS Week 13 (Sat-Sun, Apple/FS1); NWSL Week 8 (Prime, ION, ESPN2); UFL Week 8 (Fri-Sun, FOX/ABC); Ice Hockey Worlds (Fri-Sun, NHL); PLL Week 2 (Fri-Sat, ESPN+); and more.
Got plans this weekend? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!
🏀 WNBA TRIVIA
Leslie celebrates a win in 1999. (Robert Mora/NBAE via Getty Images)Los Angeles sparks legend Lisa Leslie will be immortalized later this year with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena.
Question: Who is the only other WNBA player to be honored with a statue?
Hint: Seattle Storm.
Answer at the bottom.
📚 GOOD READS
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)🏈 Charles Robinson: The NFL just told us what it thinks of rebuilds
In the clearest expression of disapproval that the NFL annually sends to rebuilding franchises, five teams — the Jets, Raiders, Dolphins, Titans and Cardinals — are not scheduled to see a single minute of prime-time football this season.
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)🏀 Tom Haberstroh: Wemby vs. Wilt: Who's the real NBA block leader?
Victor Wembanyama set the official NBA playoff record with 12 blocks last week. There's just one problem. A new Basketball Reference project has unveiled hidden data that shows Wilt Chamberlain blocked way more. In multiple playoff games.
(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)⚾️ Jordan Shusterman: Mike Trout is back, even if the Angels aren't
With his 35th birthday approaching in August, Trout's story is far from finished. While his team continues to struggle, his pursuit of individual greatness perseveres nevertheless.
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)👊 Petesy Carroll: Can Ronda reignite the Rousey effect?
Much like her first stint with the UFC, this second coming feels as much about protest as it is about performance. The first time around, it was about forcing the door open for women; now, it's about achieving new standards for MMA athletes.
Trivia answer: Sue Bird
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