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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2017)
SPORTS Saturday, June 17, 2017 East Oregonian US Open Page 3B College Football Top three miss cut, four tied for lead Recruits By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press ERIN, Wis. — An 11-year-old golf course shaped from Wisconsin pastureland was sure to bring some- thing different to the U.S. Open. This might have been more than anyone was expecting. The four players tied for the lead — Paul Casey, Brooks Koepka, Brian Harman and Tommy Fleet- wood — created the largest 36-hole logjam in 43 years at the U.S. Open. None has ever won a major, and neither have the next 14 players behind them. On the longest course ever for a major, the cut was the lowest at the U.S. Open since 1990. And for all the birdies and blunders at Erin Hills, the most compelling image Friday came from the parking lot, where one star after another left town after missing the cut. Dustin Johnson. Rory McIlroy. Jason Day. It was the first time since the world ranking began in 1986 that the top three players missed the cut in any major. Henrik Stenson. Alex Noren. Jon Rahm. Justin Rose. Adam Scott. Eight of the top 12 players in the world won’t be around for the weekend at Erin Hills, leaving a tournament as open as the land on which it was built. Casey chopped his way to a triple bogey, only to respond with five straight birdies that carried him to a 1-under 71 and make him the first to post at 7-under 137. He set the target early under warm sunshine, and even as the wind tapered in the afternoon, no one could catch him. Koepka had the lead until he turned a birdie chance into a bogey on the par-5 first hole after making the turn. He didn’t make a birdie the rest of the way and had to settle for a 70. They were joined by Harman and Fleetwood, who each had a 70. Right behind was a trio of players that included Rickie Fowler, who went 28 holes before making his first bogey and then went three Leaderboard AP Photo/Charlie Riedel Paul Casey, of England, reacts after missing a putt on the fifth hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tourna- ment Friday, June 16, 2017, at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis. holes without making a par. Fowler shot a 73 and was still very much in the hunt at a second straight major. The four-way tie was the most after two rounds in a U.S. Open since Winged Foot in 1974, back when the names were more familiar for a major — Raymond Floyd, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Hale Irwin, who went on to win his first major. The last six majors have been won by first-timers, and that cycle has a good chance to continue. The top 18 players on the leaderboard going into the weekend have combined for zero majors. Only a half-dozen of them have even experienced Sunday contention in golf’s biggest events. “Tomorrow will be a very cool experience,” Fleetwood said. “It’s still Saturday — 36 holes is a very long time in a U.S. Open. Anything can happen.” Just about everything already has at Erin Hills. A commercial blimp crashed to the ground and caught fire just outside the course Thursday, about the time the county health depart- ment was analyzing samples that confirmed evidence of the E. coli bacteria in water at a hydration station near the 12th hole. The USGA is providing complimentary bottled water the rest of the week. There have been no reports yet of anyone getting sick. And then Friday, a 94-year-old man at the tournament for the first time stopped breathing while in a grandstand on the sixth hole and died of what Washington County officials said appeared to be natural causes. Next up is a weekend without most of the biggest names in golf. The cut for the top 60 and ties was at 1-over 145, tying a U.S. Open record set in 1990 at Medinah. Johnson was hitting it so well that he appeared to be safe even when he was on the cut line. But then he three-putted from long range on the 13th and the 14th, and lost all hope when he missed the green on the 17th while going after the flag. He shot 73 and missed the cut by three. “I couldn’t have shot any higher,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t possibly shoot any higher than I did. I just struggled on the greens. It’s simple.” Day never had a chance, following his career-worst 79 in a U.S. Open with a 75. McIlroy came to life when it was far too late. He made four birdies over the last six holes to U.S. OPEN Friday At Erin Hills; Erin, Wisconsin Purse: $12 million; Yardage: 7,741; Par 72 Second Round (a-amateur) Paul Casey 66-71-137 Brian Harman 67-70-137 Tommy Fleetwood 67-70-137 Brooks Koepka 67-70-137 Jamie Lovemark 69-69-138 Rickie Fowler 65-73-138 J.B. Holmes 69-69-138 Si Woo Kim 69-70-139 Xander Schauffele 66-73-139 a-Cameron Champ 70-69-139 Brandt Snedeker 70-69-139 Hideki Matsuyama 74-65-139 Brendan Steele 71-69-140 Marc Leishman 68-72-140 Harris English 71-69-140 Bill Haas 72-68-140 Charley Hoffman 70-70-140 Chez Reavie 75-65-140 William McGirt 70-71-141 Russell Henley 71-70-141 Sergio Garcia 70-71-141 Bernd Wiesberger 69-72-141 Martin Kaymer 72-69-141 Satoshi Kodaira 73-69-142 Andrew Johnston 69-73-142 Adam Hadwin 68-74-142 Justin Thomas 73-69-142 Jonathan Randolph 71-71-142 Yusaku Miyazato 72-70-142 -7 -7 -7 -7 -6 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -4 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 salvage a 71, but he still missed the cut for the second straight year. Fowler has the best chance, even though he lost so much ground over the final two hours. He went from pouring putts into the center of the cup to burning the edges, and his 39 on the back nine cost him the lead, though not his chances of breaking through for that first major. “We’re in a good spot,” Fowler said. “Looking forward to the next two days.” Casey discovered how little it takes to make a big number in the U.S. Open — and at this U.S. Open, how a recovery is never too far away. Casey laid up in the rough, took two chops to get out of more rough behind the 14th green, and stag- gered away with a triple-bogey 8 that might have ruined his day at Erin Hills. Moments later, he began a run of five straight birdies that put him right where he wanted to be going into the weekend. “Not every day you enjoy a round of golf with an 8 on the card, but I’m a pretty happy man,” Casey said. “Yeah, it was a bit of a roller coaster. I guess it’s rare you get through a U.S. Open or any major without some kind of a hiccup.” MLB Gomez, Ross return and lead Rangers over Mariners By SEAN SHAPIRO Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas — Tyson Ross allowed just a pair of runs in his first start in 14 months and Carlos Gomez homered to help the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 10-4 on Friday night. Ross (1-0) made his Rangers debut and started for the first time since opening day last year when he pitched for the Padres. He had been sidelined with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and picked up his first win since Aug. 31, 2015. He struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. Gomez had four RBIs after being sidelined four weeks with a strained right hamstring. Ross walked the first batter he faced and allowed a run on an RBI groundout in the first, but settled down and didn’t allow a hit until Mike Zunino’s bloop single in the fifth. Seattle starter James Paxton (5-2) allowed seven hits and seven runs in 3 2/3 innings. He ran into trouble in the third and threw 40 pitches as Texas scored five runs in the inning. Elvis Andrus had an RBI double in the inning and then scored along with Shin-Soo Choo on a two-run single by Adrian Beltre. Beltre Texas Rangers’ Adrian Beltre con- nects for a two-run single off a pitch from Seattle Mariners’ James Paxton in the third inning of a baseball game, Fri- day, June 16, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. The hit scored Shin-Soo Choo and Elvis An- drus. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez and Rougned Odor then scored on a single by Jonathan Lucroy as Texas took a 5-1 lead. Robinson Chirinos homered and Gomez had an RBI double in the fourth to push the lead to 7-1. Gomez later homered to center on the first pitch he saw in the sixth inning, scoring Choo and Beltre. Ben Gamel scored in the first, sixth, and eighth innings for Seattle and Jarrod Dyson homered against Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc in the seventh. TRAINERS ROOM Mariners: RHP Felix Seattle Texas 4 10 Hernandez (strained oblique) is scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma and throw 80 to 85 pitches. RHP Hishashi Iwakuma (shoulder inflamma- tion) is scheduled to make poten- tially his final rehab start Monday. RHP Zac Curtis was recalled from Double-A Arkansas Friday. Rangers: Reliever Tony Barnette was put on the 10-day DL with a sprained finger. RHP Dillon Gee was designated for assignment to make room for Ross on the 40-man roster. LHP Cole Hamels (oblique strain) made his first rehab start with Double-A Frisco allowing one hit and striking out three in three innings. UP NEXT Mariners: RHP Yovani Gallardo is making his 14th starts after picking up his third win in a 14-3 victory against Minnesota on June 12. Rangers: LHP Martin Perez will be making his 14th start on five days extended rest and is looking for his first career win against Seattle. BRIEFLY Lete steps down from Umatilla basketball UMATILLA — After four years of guiding the Umatilla Vikings boys basketball program, Derrek Lete is moving on. Lete announced this week that he has resigned from his positions as head boys basketball coach and special education teacher to take a job as the head girl’s basketball coach and teacher at Southridge High School in Kennewick. Lete leaves the Vikings with a .538 overall winning percentage with a 56-48 overall record, and a 23-13 mark in Eastern Oregon League play. He led Umatilla to three playoff appearances in his four years, topped off by capturing the EOL regular season and district titles in 2016-17. Line to play in Les Schwab Bowl HERMISTON — John-Henry Line’s senior season has been full of highs, from winning district Defensive Player of the Year and grabbing first team all-state honors to signing to play football at Eastern Oregon University. He adds another accolade to his resume next week when he’ll play in the 2017 Les Schwab Tires Bowl on June 24 at Hillsboro Stadium. The game serves as an All-Star Game for the top 6A and 5A players in Oregon, and has been played every year since 1948. Line will play on the South roster, which is 32-33 all-time against the North. For the players, it’s a week-long affair with team meetings and practices from Monday-Friday, followed by a banquet on Friday night and then kickoff on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Morris to play in All- Star baseball game PENDLETON — Before Pendleton baseball standout Wyatt Morris leaves to join his new team at Walla Walla Community College, he’ll get one more chance to represent the Pendleton green-and-gold. Morris was chosen to play in the 6A/5A Oregon All-Star Series, a two-day, two-game event to be played Oregon State’s Goss Stadium in Corvallis. Morris is one of 21 players competing on the North roster along with league foe Isaiah Enriquez from Hood River Valley. The game’s will take place on June 24-25 in Corvallis, with a 2:30 p.m. start on Saturday and a 10 a.m. start on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for reserved seating and $6 for general admission. Pro wrestling returns to EOTEC HERMISTON — After a successful first event in April, Prestige Championship Wrestling is retuning for a second event at the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center on June 23. The event is titled ‘Proving Ground’ and will feature former WWE stars Val Venis and Shannon Moore, TNA Impact star Davey Richards, and a return of UFC star ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor. Tickets can be purchased in advance at PCProWrestling. com with prices ranging from $15 for general admission to $50 for VIP package. The event starts at 7 p.m. and will run till approximately 11 p.m. Hermiston offering youth basketball camp HERMISTON — The Hermiston basketball program is hosting a youth basketball camp for boys and girls starting June 26 at The Dawghouse at Hermiston High School. The camps will run for three days from June 26-28 with the boys going first from 9 a.m. until Noon while the girls camp will follow from 12:30-3 p.m. The cost per-camper is $65, which includes a camp T-shirt and instruction from Hermiston and costs $65 per camper, which includes a camp T-shirt. Interested parties can register online or can register at the door on the day of the camp. — East Oregonian warming to Ducks By RYAN THORBURN The Register-Guard EUGENE — Getting high-profile recruits to verbally commit to Oregon was like pulling teeth a year ago. In mid-June 2016, coach Mark Helfrich had only five nonbinding commitments. The Ducks’ class was ranked No. 55 nationally entering the summer. Helfrich and his reshuffled staff, which included first-year coordinators Matt Lubick and Brady Hoke, didn’t have the opportunity to complete the cycle after being fired in November following a 4-8 season. Willie Taggart’s aggressive assis- tants are walking the recruiting trail wearing bright smiles this June. “I always say recruiting is like brushing your teeth and combing your hair,” Oregon’s first-year coach said after signing his first class in February, which was ranked 19th nationally and third in the Pac-12 by 247Sports. “As soon as you stop, you start to look bad.” Taggart’s stockpile of future talent is looking good during the current recruiting cycle. After receiving a verbal commitment from four-star Tigard athlete Braden Lenzy, who had been committed to Notre Dame since February, Oregon’s 2018 class is ranked 10th nationally and first in the Pac-12 by 247Sports. “I would like to flip my commitment and am completely shutting down my recruitment,” Lenzy tweeted on Wednesday, along with a photo of himself standing between Taggart and track coach Robert Johnson. “I am very proud to represent my home state and be committed to the University of Oregon for both football and track.” Lenzy is Oregon’s 11th known verbal commitment. “We just got faster,” Taggart tweeted after Lenzy’s announcement. Despite the last-place finish in the North Division and the subsequent regime change, the program’s recent success — Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 and led Oregon to a Pac-12 title, a College Football Playoff win over Florida State and an appearance in the national championship game — still resonates with recruits. “I don’t really remember a year, but growing up I always just watched Oregon play,” three-star defensive lineman Jonathan King of Tampa, Fla., who committed to the Ducks last week, told 247Sports. “I liked everything about them. I liked their style. I liked their offense and how fast they were. I really wanted to play running back there because I just liked everything about Oregon and how they operated. “They were winning games man, a lot of games. They were good.” The Ducks have now landed two high-profile prospects from Oregon and Florida. Dawson Jaramillo, a four-star offen- sive lineman from Lake Oswego, was one of the six players who committed during the recruiting whirlwind that followed the spring game. King also held an offer from Florida, joined Taggart’s movement. Four-star cornerback Isaiah Bolden of Zephy- rillis, Fla., was previously committed to Florida State before deciding to take his talents to Eugene. Oregon signed seven players from Florida in the 2017 class, including spring standouts Jordan Scott (defensive line) and Thomas Graham Jr. (cornerback). Taggart and defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt were both head coaches at South Florida. Co-offensive line coach Mario Cristobal played at Miami and was the head coach at Florida Inter- national. Special teams coordinator Raymond Woodie and running backs coach Donte Pimpleton followed Taggart from Tampa. “We have relationships there. We’re always going to go there; that’s the right thing to do,” Taggart said of recruiting Floridians to Oregon. “A lot of those commits (in 2017), we already had those relationships with those young men. I think it will be very wise for us to continue to recruit where we have relationships and we know folks.” The Ducks’ 2018 class also includes players from Arizona, California, Colo- rado and North Carolina. Other Pac-12 teams currently ranked in the recruiting top 25 are No. 18 Wash- ington (eight commitments) and No. 23 UCLA (10). No. 27 USC (six) has the conference’s only two nonbinding commitments from five-star prospects and always closes strong. Oregon’s 2016 class was ranked 27th nationally and fifth in the Pac-12 by 247Sports. Helfrich’s three previous classes were ranked 16th (third in Pac-12 in 2015), 21st (fourth in Pac-12 in 2014) and 19th (fourth in Pac-12 in 2013). Chip Kelly’s classes were ranked 13th (third in Pac-12 in 2012), 12th (second in Pac- 12 2011), 13th (third in Pac-12 2010) and 28th (fourth in Pac-12 2009).
