Golf Notes: Maria Fassi ends college career with NCAA title; Spieth gets a boost at Bethpage Black

Column: Brooks Koepka finally looked upon as the star he already was and why it took 4 majors to get there

Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesMEDINAH, IL – SEPTEMBER 27: Phil Mickelson kisses a wad of money as Keegan Bradley looks on during a practice round before the 2012 Ryder Cup.The amount of outlandish bets being made on golf have garnered a ton of publicity lately. Of course, the man who netted a $1.19 million payday on Tiger Woods winning the Masters made the headlines, as did his $100,000 wager on Tiger winning the Grand Slam, which officially became a losing bet last weekend with the 15-time major champion missing the cut at Bethpage Black.
It turns out, there was another huge payday on the line at Bethpage Black on Friday of the PGA Championship, just not one that would've been on anyone's radars.
The Vegas Sports Information Network reported on the very bold “make-the-cut” parlay for the PGA Championship placed by Icelandic gambler Spencer McIlmoyle. For the casual reader, a parlay is a wager with multiple bets included, and it only pays out if every bet wins. McIlmoyle's bet ..

Lost amid all the (rightful) fuss over Brooks Koepka winning a fourth major in eight tries was the fact that Dustin Johnson accomplished a bit of history himself. Not the type of history you dream about as a kid, mind you, but something that's still noteworthy. With his second-place showing at the 2019 PGA Championship, Johnson has now finished runner-up in all four majors.
THE GRIND: Brooks Koepka's tough love & the golfer who had the worst week at the PGA
Again, it's not what Johnson wants his Hall of Fame introductory speaker to focus on, but it's still a pretty rare—and impressive—feat. Of course, it wasn't something he wanted to focus on either after his latest close call at one of golf's biggest events.
It looked like Johnson might track down his gym buddy Brooks at Bethpage Black late on Sunday when he pulled within one shot. But back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17 effectively ended his chances. Despite settling for second (again) and losing his spot a..

Ladies and gentlemen, meet John Slate. Slate is a proud Oklahoman and, by the transitive property, a big Sooners guy. In recent years, he's had plenty to cheer about thanks to back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, while arch rivals Texas have been mired in national obscurity. The seething contempt between the two neighbors runs deep no matter the circumstances, however, so when Slate was approached by a local news reporter while waiting out a snarl on I-40 caused by nearby flooding on Tuesday, he couldn't help but slip a not-so-subtle dig at the Longhorns into his instant-classic interview. Boomer Sooner indeed…
https://twitter.com/ToddOnFranchise/status/1130813053501661185
From start to finish the whole segment is a work of art. “I thought I was gonna be a little slick and take the shoulder all the way in, but it didn't work,” he tells the reporter, before beaming the camera with this little gem.
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The Oklahoma State junior beat Cowboy teammate Matthew Wolff and California's Collin Morikawa for the prize.

Steve DykesOn Monday night, the Golden State Warriors completed the sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, winning on the road in overtime, 119-117. Despite being without Kevin Durant all series, despite being without Andre Iguadola in Game 4 in Portland and despite having to listen to endless rumors about Durant potentially leaving in free agency this summer, this team just keeps getting it done. With Monday's win, they punched their ticket to a fifth straight finals, and will easily win look to win a fourth ring against the winner of the Toronto Raptors-Milwaukee Bucks series.
RELATED: Is this the sunset of the Golden State Warriors?
This Warriors team is quite literally the definition of a dynasty, even if they were to stunningly fall to the Raptors or Bucks. Even before they signed Durant they were already on the dynasty path, having won a title and winning 73 games the following regular season. Durant certainly helped, and if he comes back he'll likely help them three-peat..

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we suggest there being a sign on the first tee at every men’s major.
WARNING: Brooks Koepka is a highly skilled golfer.
That’s it. Seriously, this is getting out of hand. With a win at the 2019 PGA Championship, Koepka became the first golfer to simultaneously be the two-time defending champ in two different majors. He also joins Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Tiger Woods as the only golfers to ever win four times in an eight-major stretch. Quite a foursome. But here’s an overlooked fact from Koepka’s latest triumph: On May 10, 2017, Brooks had zero majors when he witnessed me make a “hole-in-one” on a replica of TPC Sawgrass’ 17th hole:
FacebookPinterestKent HornerAnd on May 19th, 2019, he now has FOUR major titles. Coincidence? Yes. I think. But Brooks has improved his short game a lot since then, so maybe, maybe he was inspired that day. In any event, the guy has developed into a major monster.
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Brooks Koepka: What else ..

David DowJeff Van Gundy—celebrated American peacemaker and Honda Civic enthusiast—is a national treasure. At some point, Nicolas Cage is going to have kidnap to him from the Lincoln Memorial in the family-friendly blockbuster of the summer, but for now we will have to settle for the latest and perhaps greatest Gundy-ism, delivered late in the second quarter in Monday night's Western Conference Finals-deciding Game 4. Headphones in, folks.
https://twitter.com/SomeonesAnIdiot/status/1130659287104139264
Mr. Archer, please do the honors…
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As you may or may not have pieced together through peals of juvenile cackling, Van Gundy was campaigning for Mike Breen's signature catchphrase. When Breen didn't deliver, Van Gundy did instead, saying, “If you're not going to give him a bang now, when are you going to bang him?” The other half of the completely unintentional double entendre needs no explanation…exce..

Blad.1 putter builds on the philosophy of the Directed Force mallet with four weight ports that balance the clubhead so it stays square to the arc