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Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Angels hope to stay hot against Phillies
(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images) Ray Montgomery hopes that as the weather continues to heat up, so will the bats of the Los Angeles Angels. The second half of the season got off to a good start for the Angels on Friday, and they'll look to author another solid effort on Saturday when they continue their road series with the Philadelphia Phillies. After closing the first half of the season by taking two of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Angels hit three home runs in Friday's 6-5 victory in Philadelphia. Taylor Ward hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh, following earlier blasts by Jo Adell and Jorge Soler. 'I was just going to say that (Ward) needs to play in the humidity,' said Montgomery, the Angels' interim manager. 'The guy loves to play when it's warm. Again, three home runs tonight -- Soler, him and Jo keeps on doing it. That's kind of our MO. At any given time, any of our guys can do that.' The Phillies also hit three home runs, including two by Bryce Harper. The two-time MVP had previously managed only one homer in 11 games since returning from the disabled list in late June. 'He looks great,' Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. 'He's using the (whole) field and it looks like he's seeing the ball really well right now.' Kyle Schwarber added a solo homer for Philadelphia, carrying over the momentum from Tuesday's All-Star Game, where the veteran designated hitter took home MVP honors after homering on all three of his swings during the game-deciding home run derby. 'He does amazing things,' Thomson said. 'After that All-Star Game and coming up and first swing he hits the ball out of the ballpark, everybody was like, 'That's Schwarbs!'' Schwarber and Harper will aim for more productive swings against left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (4-6, 3.11 ERA), who was selected to this week's All-Star Game but elected not to pitch in the contest. Kikuchi's most recent outing came last Saturday against the Diamondbacks, when he allowed three runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings to earn the victory. Kikuchi has made one career start against Philadelphia -- in August 2023 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up one run and four hits in six innings but did not get a decision in the 2-1 victory. The Phillies will turn to veteran righty Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.55), who has nine starts and 11 relief appearances this season. He last pitched July 8 against the San Francisco Giants, when he started and yielded one run and two hits over four innings. 'I think it can be very difficult,' Thomson said about Walker going back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. 'I think it depends on the guy. I think it can be very difficult. In Walker's case, I think he's handled it very professionally. He's been a great team guy throughout this whole thing.' All nine of Walker's previous appearances against the Angels have come as a starter. In those outings, he has posted a 5-3 record with a 5.06 ERA.
Canada News.Net
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Rory McIlroy saves Scottish Open round with late birdie barrage
(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images) By the time Rory McIlroy reached the sixth tee box, he could already sense he wasn't far from the danger zone at the Scottish Open on Thursday. After a 332-yard drive, McIlroy reached the green in two and had a putt for birdie on the par-4 first. He took five there after a three-putt for bogey, had another bogey at No. 5 and found a fairway bunker on the par-4 15th for a trio of boxes on the scorecard that tallied to a score of one-over with three holes to play. 'I definitely finished the round better than I started it,' said McIlroy, who closed the first round with three consecutive birdies and is 2-under going to Friday. 'Felt like it was a bit of a slow start. I think when you come back over here, links greens, they're a lot slower than what we're used to.' A three-time winner on the PGA Tour this season, the 2023 Scottish Open champion finished fourth last July when he kicked off the tournament with a first-round 65. He shot 64 in 2023 to finish tied for third after the first round. McIlroy took the past two weeks off from tournament golf since missing the cut at 9-over at the RBC Canadian Open. He said earlier this week it was a great time for reflection and felt energy and reconnection from listening to the way others felt watching him win the Masters in April. But the question of motivation came up Thursday, particularly with the Open Championship at his home course Royal Portrush next week, but McIlroy said he's no longer in vacation mode. 'I'm ready to play. The change of scenery has been nice,' he said. 'It's been nice to get back over here. That renewed my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the season.'
Canada Standard
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada Standard
Links golf tests await, starting at this week's Scottish Open
(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images) Scotland is credited as the birthplace of golf, but PGA Tour stars don't play much Scottish-style golf until they cross the pond for two weeks every July. After spending most of the year barreling balls down tree-lined fairways and avoiding water hazards, the best players in the world are prepping for the Genesis Scottish Open -- the precursor to next week's Open Championship -- where links golf rules the day and a different set of skills is required. A stacked field that includes the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking will tee off Thursday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. 'I learned from a young age how to flight shots and hit all different types of shots,' World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said this week. 'When we come over here, everything opens up for us. I get to use all that stuff I did as a kid. ... It's less about fundamentals and more figuring out how you're going to get the ball closer to the hole, and all that other stuff washes away.' The markers of links golf include bumpy fairway topography, pot bunkers, a lack of trees and normally a seaside location. It's not what American players are used to, and while the PGA Tour now co-sanctions the Scottish Open with the DP World Tour, only one American has won the event in the past nine years (Xander Schauffele, 2022). Last year was special for Robert MacIntyre, who became the first Scotsman to win the tournament since Colin Montgomerie in 1999. He outlasted Australian veteran Adam Scott by one stroke, winning with a 22-foot birdie putt at the final hole. That was MacIntyre's second PGA Tour win, just six weeks after his first at the RBC Canadian Open. And he nearly added the U.S. Open to that resume this June, when a Sunday charge landed him in second place behind J.J. Spaun. At his pre-tournament press conference Wednesday, MacIntyre recalled his 2019 tournament debut, when he was paired with Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler for the first two rounds. 'The nerves were unbelievable,' he said. Now his ranking has risen to No. 14 in the world. 'It is surreal to know the path that I've gone on and the results that I've had,' MacIntyre said. 'As a kid growing up, you hit putts on putting greens to win this, to win that, and I mean to actually be in the tournaments and have chances to really live them moments is all I can ask for.' As for McIlroy, the 2023 Scottish Open champion, this will be an important week of preparation for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland. After a blazing start to his season, McIlroy had a forgettable PGA Championship and missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open while getting accustomed to a different driver. He's back on the upswing, chasing a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open with a T6 at the Travelers Championship. 'Logistically, as golf tournaments go, this couldn't be any easier,' McIlroy said. 'You stay on site. The range is really good. The course is benign enough that you don't feel like you're getting beaten up before the Open Championship. I just think all that together, it makes for a recipe for a very good golf tournament.' --Field Level Media
Canada News.Net
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Links golf tests await, starting at this week's Scottish Open
(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images) Scotland is credited as the birthplace of golf, but PGA Tour stars don't play much Scottish-style golf until they cross the pond for two weeks every July. After spending most of the year barreling balls down tree-lined fairways and avoiding water hazards, the best players in the world are prepping for the Genesis Scottish Open -- the precursor to next week's Open Championship -- where links golf rules the day and a different set of skills is required. A stacked field that includes the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking will tee off Thursday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland. 'I learned from a young age how to flight shots and hit all different types of shots,' World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said this week. 'When we come over here, everything opens up for us. I get to use all that stuff I did as a kid. ... It's less about fundamentals and more figuring out how you're going to get the ball closer to the hole, and all that other stuff washes away.' The markers of links golf include bumpy fairway topography, pot bunkers, a lack of trees and normally a seaside location. It's not what American players are used to, and while the PGA Tour now co-sanctions the Scottish Open with the DP World Tour, only one American has won the event in the past nine years (Xander Schauffele, 2022). Last year was special for Robert MacIntyre, who became the first Scotsman to win the tournament since Colin Montgomerie in 1999. He outlasted Australian veteran Adam Scott by one stroke, winning with a 22-foot birdie putt at the final hole. That was MacIntyre's second PGA Tour win, just six weeks after his first at the RBC Canadian Open. And he nearly added the U.S. Open to that resume this June, when a Sunday charge landed him in second place behind J.J. Spaun. At his pre-tournament press conference Wednesday, MacIntyre recalled his 2019 tournament debut, when he was paired with Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler for the first two rounds. 'The nerves were unbelievable,' he said. Now his ranking has risen to No. 14 in the world. 'It is surreal to know the path that I've gone on and the results that I've had,' MacIntyre said. 'As a kid growing up, you hit putts on putting greens to win this, to win that, and I mean to actually be in the tournaments and have chances to really live them moments is all I can ask for.' As for McIlroy, the 2023 Scottish Open champion, this will be an important week of preparation for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland. After a blazing start to his season, McIlroy had a forgettable PGA Championship and missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open while getting accustomed to a different driver. He's back on the upswing, chasing a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open with a T6 at the Travelers Championship. 'Logistically, as golf tournaments go, this couldn't be any easier,' McIlroy said. 'You stay on site. The range is really good. The course is benign enough that you don't feel like you're getting beaten up before the Open Championship. I just think all that together, it makes for a recipe for a very good golf tournament.'
Canada Standard
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Canada Standard
Kyle Lowry to play 20th NBA season with hometown 76ers
(Photo credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images) Veteran guard Kyle Lowry, who spent parts of the last two seasons playing in his hometown of Philadelphia, signed a one-year deal on Monday to play his 20th NBA campaign with the 76ers. Terms were not disclosed in the deal for the six-time All-Star, who debuted with the Memphis Grizzlies after they made him their first-round pick (No. 24) in the 2006 draft. 'Kyle's championship experience and Hall of Fame resume speaks for itself. He is a proven floor general with tremendous knowledge of the game that is a resource to everyone in the organization,' 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said. 'It's only fitting that his 20th NBA season will be right here in Philadelphia, the city he calls home.' Last season, the 39-year-old Lowry posted 3.9 points, 2.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds over 35 games (12 starts). Over his career, the former Villanova star has averaged 13.9 points, 6.1 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 1,173 games (898 starts) with the Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and 76ers. Among active players, Lowry ranks in the top 10 in assists (fifth, 7,099), 3-pointers (seventh, 2,205), steals (ninth, 1,499) and triple-doubles (10th, 21). Along with winning an NBA title with the Raptors in 2019, Lowry captured an Olympic gold medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. --Field Level Media
