Sepp Straka of Austria outlasted Ireland's Shane Lowry in a Sunday duel at the Philadelphia Cricket Club to win the Truist Championship and add a signature event to his growing resume.
Straka and Lowry shared the lead after three rounds, and they stood tied at 16 under through 15 holes before Lowry lipped out a par putt at the par-3 16th at the club's Wissahickon Course.
Straka held steady the rest of the way in, carding a 2-under-par 68 to finish 16-under 264 for the tournament. He landed in the sand off the 18th tee but hit a great recovery shot onto the green and saved par.
Lowry missed birdie at No. 17 and three-putted for bogey at No. 18 for a round of 70. He and Justin Thomas (67) tied for second at 14 under.
Straka, 32, won The American Express in January and is now the second player with multiple wins on the PGA Tour this season. He'll rise to second place in the FedEx Cup race and take momentum into next week's PGA Championship.
Lowry still has not won an individual event on the PGA Tour since his 2019 Open Championship victory.
Lowry birdied two of the first five holes, and Straka matched him at 16 under with a 20-foot eagle putt at No. 5. He bogeyed the next hole, but the pair flipped places at the par-3 eighth when Straka birdied while Lowry missed the green and failed to save par.
At No. 9, Straka nailed a 28-foot birdie putt for a two-shot advantage but squandered it with back-to-back bogeys. He was short and in the bunker on No. 11 and watched his par putt slip left of the hole.
They were neck and neck down the stretch, both birdieing the par-5 15th to set up the close finish.
Patrick Cantlay, Jacob Bridgeman and England's Tommy Fleetwood all shot 65 to tie for fourth at 12 under. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy posted a bogey-free 68 and tied for seventh at 10 under with Cameron Young (66), Germany's Stephan Jaeger (66) and Keith Mitchell (71).
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On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers extended their winning streak to 11 games, and a key part of the team's momentum is a player who is in the National League MVP race. The red-hot Brewers entered Tuesday night facing one of the biggest threats to their winning streak, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Milwaukee torched Skenes for two home runs and four earned runs in 4.0 innings pitched. Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn added extra damage in the sixth inning with a three-run home run that increased Milwaukee's lead to 12-0. Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Vaughn is in the NL MVP race after his home run on Tuesday night. "Andrew Vaughn suddenly in top 10 NL MVP discussion with another 3-run HR, giving him 32 RBI since joining the Brewers," Nightengale posted on X. "He is the gift that keeps on giving from the White Sox. They are about to go 24-4 since his arrival." Vaughn has helped the Brewers overrun and then take a commanding lead on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Following their 14-0 win Tuesday night, the Brewers extended their lead to 7.5 games over the Cubs for first place. Vaughn is turning out to be a steal for the Brewers, as Milwaukee only gave up veteran pitcher Aaron Civale and cash considerations for the first baseman on June 13. While Vaughn might have a case to be in the top 10, he has much work before he becomes a legitimate contender for the NL MVP. Per FanDuel, Los Angeles Dodgers star slugger Shohei Ohtani leads the race with -20000 odds. Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber is second with +1800 odds. Those two players have been more consistent this season, whereas Vaughn has come on strong since leaving Chicago.
Few know how to spend money like an NFL front office. This offseason, teams handed out over $4 billion in extensions alone, not to mention the several other billions spent in free agency. But which were the shrewdest investments? Below, we examine the best value signings at five positions on offense: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and offensive line. Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith Contract: Two years, $75 million ($65.5M guaranteed) Shortly after acquiring Smith in a trade from the Seattle Seahawks, the Raiders extended the 2022 Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year to a contract that raises the Raiders' floor while maintaining flexibility. Smith has a manageable $26.5M cap hit in 2026, when Over The Cap projects Las Vegas to have the third-most cap space ($78.7M) based on an estimated 5.8 percent cap increase. Since 2022, Smith has the third-highest completion percentage (68.5 percent) among 32 quarterbacks with at least 20 starts during that span. He's also tied with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the second-most fourth-quarter comebacks (10) and trails only Mahomes in game-winning drives. Buffalo Bills running back James Cook Contract: Four years, $48M ($30M guaranteed) Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams pierced Cook's bubble when he signed a three-year, $33M extension on Aug. 5. The Bills running back sought $15M per year, making his $12M in annual average value (AAV) a huge win for Buffalo. Over Cook's first three seasons, he's averaged 4.9 yards per carry. In 2024, he led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns. With just 533 career tackles, Cook doesn't have the wear-and-tear of other backs who've made splashes early in their careers, raising hopes that he can withstand the workload that comes with being Buffalo's featured back. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins Contract: Four years, $115M ($40.9M guaranteed) The Bengals retained Higgins at a remarkable price, keeping him in Cincinnati at less than $30M per year, the going rate for the league's top wideouts. Per Spotrac, while Higgins is No. 10 in AAV among wide receivers, he ranks just outside the top 20 in guaranteed money. Last season, Higgins averaged 75.9 receiving yards per game, his most since 2021, and scored a career-high 10 touchdowns despite missing five games due to injury. Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride Contract: Four years, $76M ($43M guaranteed) The 2024 first-team All-Pro ranks No. 1 among tight ends in guaranteed salary. However, if he continues producing numbers more akin to WR1s — last season, he had 111 receptions, 1,146 receiving yards and two touchdowns — his contract will be one of the league's better bargains. Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley Contract: Three years, $60M ($44M guaranteed) Stanley's journey back from a devastating 2020 lower leg injury culminated in the 2019 first-team All-Pro being named a Pro Bowler for the second time in his first nine seasons last year. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft was rewarded with a contract that will keep him in Baltimore through his age-33 season. In terms of average annual value, his extension ranks below other left tackles who signed contracts this offseason, and not just younger players such as Rashawn Slater (Los Angeles Chargers), who was recently lost for the season, and Bernhard Raimann (Indianapolis Colts). Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews, 33, is averaging $22.5M on his current deal, while Las Vegas Raiders tackle Kolton Miller, 29, is set to earn $22M per year through 2028.
Pittsburgh Steelers training camp has seen all of the focus be on Aaron Rodgers, and rightly so, but there are others who are catching the eye with their performances. However, there is one undrafted free agent rookie who is making a name for himself, quite literally and it is running back Max Hurleman. The former Notre Dame star has been putting together good days of practice for Mike Tomlin's offense, but he has also developed quite the nickname among his teammates, and it is a nod to an A-list actor. Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly detailed the nickname in a long-winded X post. “Maybe it’s because of his chiseled jaw, or possibly because he can do his own stunts like a backflip in full pads after scoring a touchdown,” Kaboly posted. “Whatever the reason is, Steelers rookie Max Hurleman has been saddled with quite a unique and interesting nickname. His teammates call him … Tom Cruise.” That is quite the name, and it isn't just that which is making people begin to notice Hurleman...it's his feats on the field. In the 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first preseason game, Hurleman hauled in a 26-yard reception and followed that up with a nice touchdown grab, which he celebrated by performing a backflip in the endzone. Whether or not Hurleman makes the final 53-man roster is unknown, but it is clear he is leaving no stone unturned in his attempts to, and who knows, with a nickname like Tom Cruise, he might just do something thought "impossible" and survive roster cuts.
Trade proposals are a fun way to pass the summer lull in NHL news. But, not all trade pitches are great ideas. A recent hypothetical linking the Calgary Flames and Nazem Kadri to the Montreal Canadiens does not quite pass the smell test. The pitch was presented by Kuljit Parmar of the FanSided blog “A Winning Habit,”. In it, he suggests the Canadiens send Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook, and a draft pick to Calgary for Kadri, removing a high-ceiling winger for a second-line center fix. The trade pitch is not just bold — it’s a massive overpayment. Why This Trade Makes Little Sense for the Canadiens As productive as Kadri was last season, he’s also 13 years older than the key piece going back to the Flames in Slafkovsky. At just 21, Slafkovsky has untapped NHL potential, whereas it won’t be long before Kadri shows the natural decline that comes with age. Yes, Kadri posted 75 points in 2023-24 and 67 in 2024-25, but it won’t be long before he shows signs of an inevitable downswing. History tells us that forwards in their mid-30s rarely maintain elite production for long, and with four years left at a $7 million cap hit, Kadri is a risky investment. Slafkovsky, on the other hand, is entering the stage of his career where true breakout seasons happen. He’s coming off back-to-back 50-plus point campaigns and has barely scratched the surface of his potential. His combination of size, skill, and growing confidence under Martin St. Louis gives the Canadiens something hard to come by — a cost-controlled, high-upside top-six winger for years to come. Trading him now for a player on the back nine of his career would be selling low on a future star while buying high on a veteran whose best days may already be behind him. Even if Kadri brought short-term grit and playoff experience, Montreal is not yet in a “win-now” window. Sacrificing a foundational piece for a two- or three-year push is short-sighted team building. The Money Is Also a Massive Consideration in This Trade Even more head-scratching is the financial side of this proposal. The Canadiens would be sending out $10.5 million in the deal, and including a draft pick. If the idea is to dump Newhook onto the Flames, that seems odd considering he offers decent production. If the idea is to sweeten the deal with Newhook and the pick, it’s wild to imagine the Flames wouldn’t see Slafkovsky as payment enough. Kadri’s leadership and tenacity are valuable, but they’re not worth mortgaging the future for. The Canadiens should be focused on developing their young core, not dismantling it. Trading Slafkovsky now would be the kind of move that haunts a franchise for a decade. Simply put, this isn’t just a bad trade idea. It’s one that could derail Montreal’s long-term vision entirely.
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