Viktory

August 28, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Welcome Back

What a time for sports! Two weeks of U.S. Open action gets started today with Round 1 at Flushing Meadows. It’s the final major of the year for tennis fans. But first, we have business from the weekend. One man rose to the pinnacle of golf in a matter of weeks, and a Little League World Series hero gets a moment he’ll never forget.

Letter Rip!

GOLF

Viktory!

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Viktor Hovland (-27) Runs Away With Tour Championship, Wins 1st FedEx Cup Playoffs Title at 25 Years Old

There’s a new champion of the golf world! The Tour Championship at East Lake played host to the finale of the PGA Tour season over the weekend, and a first-time champ has risen to the top of the sport. Viktor Hovland — who started Thursday No. 2 in starting strokes (-8) following last week\’s victory —ran away from the field on Saturday and Sunday en route to his first FedEx Cup title at just 25 years. The Norwegian golfer played perfect through three rounds to enter Round 4 with a six-stroke advantage. And even though Xander Schauffele (-22) gave him a valiant push with a final-round 62 (-8), Hovland’s Sunday 63 (-7) kept everyone at arm’s length. Schauffele pulled within three strokes on the back-nine, but Hovland birdied the final three holes to walk off East Lake as the king of golf, and by a wide margin.

The PGA Payout: The FedEx Cup bonus pool was increased to $75 million total in 2023, meaning Hovland’s take-home from Sunday is a ridiculous $18 million. Finishers 2nd-7th will still walk away with anywhere from $2 million to $6.5 million.

Fun Fact: Hovland and Schauffele both tied with 19-under on the scorecards this weekend, but it was Hovland’s advantage in starting strokes — coming off his win at the BMW Championship — that gave him the edge. Any chance the PGA will change the playoff format? Or do you think the best golfer won?

Final Leaderboard (Tour Championship)

V. Hovland (-27)

X. Schauffele (-22)

W. Clark (-16)

R. McIlroy (-14)

P. Cantlay (-13)

C. Morikawa (-11)

T. Fleetwood (-11)

S. Scheffler (-11)

Other Notable Scorecards: S. Burns (-10), K. Bradley (-10), M. Fitzpatrick (-10), M. Homa (-10), R. Fowler (-8), L. Glover (-7), J. Rahm (-7), T. Finau (-6) | Full Leaderboard

Watch: Hovland Dominates East Lake for 1st FedExCup Title

Next Up: Ryder Cup (Sept. 29-Oct. 1)

AP News: Viktor Hovland Wins FedEx Cup With the Best 2 Weeks of His Career

SBNation: Hovland & Schauffele Make Tour Championship History With Blistering Play

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LLWS

Lappe\’s Legendary LLWS Walk-Off

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California Beats Curacao (6-5) to Win 2023 Little League World Series on Louis Lappe’s Walk-Off Home Run

A legend is born! California captured the 2023 Little League World Series title on Sunday, in the wildest of ways, and off the bat of their best player. Tied against Curacao (5-5) in the bottom of the 6th after surrendering a four-run lead, Cali\’s tournament superstar stepped to the plate for a moment of glory — Louis Lappe smashed a no-doubt, walk-off winner! Lappe celebrated with a bat flip and a trot around the bases, soaking in a moment most kids can only dream about. The 12-year-old finished the tournament with five homers, and his El Segundo club delivered California’s eighth LLWS crown (the most by any state).

El Segundo’s Second Chance: Oddly enough, the team representing California hailed from El Segundo, a Los Angeles neighborhood near Inglewood. El Segundo means “second” in Spanish, and it was a second chance that saved the team\’s LLWS story. Since the LLWS isn’t a single-elimination tourney, losing teams head to the elimination bracket, and both California and Curacao found themselves there. Texas and Chinese Taipei were the two teams who ran the table in the winner’s bracket, but both fell to Cali and Curacao in a semifinals of second chances. Redemption for California, and a chance for Lappe\’s legacy to grow even bigger.

The Final: California led for most of the finale, including 5-1 in the 5th inning, but a Curacao grand slam from Nasir El-Ossais tied things up. A scoreless sixth set the stage for Lappe’s highlight of a lifetime — little leaguer, big bat.

LLWS Championship Highlights

California def. Curacao (6-5) to Win 2023 LLWS

3rd-Place Game Highlights

Chinese Taipei def. Texas (10-0) on 10-Run Rule in 4 Innings

Sporting News: Who Is Louis Lappe? Meet the 6-Foot-1 Little Leaguer Who Just Won the LLWS

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NFL

11th-Hour NFL Moves

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Cowboys Acquire QB Trey Lance From 49ers, Raiders RB Josh Jacobs Ends Holdout & More Final Roster Moves Before Tuesday\’s Deadline

The NFL season-opener is just 10 days away, and we’ve officially wrapped up three weeks of preseason action. That means all 32 teams are deep in the decision-making process of trimming down their rosters. It also means there’s a big wave of movement with available players, trades, cuts and guys left out in the cold. It’s the 11th hour of the offseason. Teams have until Tuesday at 4:00 pm ET to cut their roster down to 53. Here are the biggest notes from the final week(end) of the preseason.

Cowboys Add QB Trey Lance From 49ers

It was just two years ago when the 49ers traded three first-round picks to move up from No. 12 and select QB Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick. On Friday, San Francisco shipped off Lance to the Cowboys for one 4th-round pick in what appears to be one of the worst draft-day moves ever for the Niners. Brock Purdy (QB1) and Sam Darnold (QB2) clearly outplayed Lance. He’ll now join Cooper Rush as Dak Prescott’s backups in Dallas. Will Grier — expected to be traded by Dallas — turned around and threw for 350 yards and 4 TDs in his final preseason game for the Cowboys. We’ll see what Jerry Jones decides to do.

Raiders RB Josh Jacobs to End Holdout

The league’s last-remaining holdout running back has reportedly signed a new deal. Similar to Saquon Barkley’s concession, Josh Jacobs has agreed to a 1-year, $12 million contract with the Raiders after he refused to sign the $10.1 million franchise tag. Jacobs led the NFL in scrimmage yards last season, and he’s been adamant about wanting a long-term deal. It appears all the disgruntled running backs have settled in for 2023, but Jonathan Taylor (Colts) is still pursuing a trade.

NFL Preseason Week 3 News & Highlights

NFL Roster Moves (Deals, Injuries, Cuts & More)

Full NFL Roster Cuts Tracker

ESPN: Everything We Learned From the 2023 NFL Preseason

FOX Sports: NFL Trade Candidates: Players Who Could Be Dealt Before 2023 Season

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HIGHLIGHTS

College Football

#13 Notre Dame Thrash Navy (42-3) Behind QB Sam Hartman’s 4 TDs

Heisman Favorite QB Caleb Williams Throws 4 TDs in #6 USC’s Blowout Win (56-28)

MLB

Benches Clear Twice in 1 Inning of Rays-Yankees Series