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
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-6
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-6
-5
-5
-5
-5
-5
-4
-4
-4
-4
-4
-4
-3
-3
-3
-3
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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).