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Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Thursday, August 24, 2017 Golf McIlroy able to play, wanting to win as FedEx Cup starts By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press Ten days ago, Rory McIlroy wasn’t sure if he was going to play the rest of the year. A week off made him feel good enough that a nagging rib injury can be managed well enough for him to compete in the FedEx Cup playoffs. And with just over a month before he shuts it down for the year, McIlroy wants to do more than just play. “I think the real thing for me was I want to win,” McIlroy said Wednesday. “I want to win at least once before the end of the year. I haven’t not won a tournament since the 2008 season, which was my real rookie season on the European Tour.” Even in 2013, when he struggled with an equipment change, McIlroy won the Australian Open by one shot over Adam Scott and headed into the offseason feeling better about his game. He wound up winning two majors the following year. “I’d like to have that feeling again before taking that time off at the end of this year and getting myself right for 2018,” he said. McIlroy The majors are over, though McIlroy faces a field that in some respects is tougher than the PGA Championship. The Northern Trust, which starts Thursday at Glen Oaks on Long Island, features the top 120 players available based on their perfor- mance this season on the toughest circuit in golf. There are no aging champions, amateur qualifiers or club professionals. There is no Masters champion, either, as Sergio Garcia again is taking off the first playoff event. Hideki Matsuyama enters the FedEx Cup playoffs as the fifth player in the last five years to be the No. 1 seed. The points count four times as much for the next three playoff events until the reset for the Tour Championship at East Lake. The objective is to be among the top five seeds going into the finale, where those players only have to win the Tour Championship to capture the $10 million bonus. There remains plenty on the line beyond the cash for players who haven’t won majors this year — Matsuyama and Dustin Johnson — and even those who have. PGA champion Justin Thomas and British Open winner Jordan Spieth are regarded the front-run- ners to be voted PGA Tour player of the year. Thomas has one more victory and some impressive rounds (his 59 at the Sony Open), while Spieth has been more consistent. “You’re the MVP of the league,” Spieth said, who won the award in 2015 when he won five times, including two majors and the FedEx Cup. “When you put it that way, it’s something that you want really badly and you want to be considered the best player. ... So it’s a fight, and it’s something that is keeping me going and grinding at the end of a really good season.” Spieth looked to be a shoo-in for the award in 2015 when he came as close as anyone to the calendar Grand Slam. Jason Day began to emerge late in the year and looked like a viable candidate until Spieth won the Tour Championship. Thomas is still coming to grasp with his victory in the PGA Champi- onship for his first major. He hasn’t much time to celebrate, mainly because he had The Northern Trust after one week off. Thomas said he went to practice on Thursday in steamy conditions and wasn’t into it, so he headed to the gym. He headed for Long Island on Friday and played Shinnecock Hills (U.S. Open site next year) and Liberty National (Presidents Cup next month) to get back into it. The FedEx Cup is important because it’s the next big trophy he can claim, and that would lead to player of the year. “If you ask someone, ‘Would you rather win a major or a FedEx Cup,’ they are both life-changers,” he said. “They are both something that a lot of people won’t do in their career — a lot of great players won’t do. Now that I’ve done one, I hope to do the other at least once in my career.” Three of the top six players in the world — Spieth, McIlroy and Henrik Stenson — have won the FedEx Cup. Stenson had a chance to be the first to go back-to-back until he ran into Spieth and his propensity to hole putts across the green. McIlroy now has that oppor- tunity, even though he starts the playoffs at No. 44 because of the stop-and-start nature of his season. Then again, he is one of only two players in the 10-year history of the FedEx Cup to win after starting the playoffs out of the top 20. He was No. 36 last year. “I think we’ve seen what can happen in these playoffs, and how quickly you can shoot up the rank- ings with a good week or a win,” he said. “I’m here, and I know I’ve done it before, and hopefully I can give myself a chance to do it again.” FALK: May have been Ivy League-bound if not for Leach’s hiring in Pullman Continued from 1B Mannion (13,600 yards passing) and USC’s Matt Barkley (116 TD passes). While the cast around him has improved throughout his career, Falk is a major reason No. 24 Washington State has morphed into a contender. Not bad for a former walk-on. “To be perfectly honest, I think he kind of assumed he was going to be the starter a little before I did,” Leach said. “I’d figured it was a battle, and we had a kid that we recruited ahead of him. But I was definitely going to allow it to be and make it a battle. Then he ends up beating the guy out, and off we go, you know?” Falk has brought Wash- ington State to a place of relevance that’s been elusive for the program. The Cougars have gone to two straight bowl games and getting to a third in Falk’s senior season would be just the second time Washington State has gone to three straight bowl games. A year ago, they played in a de facto Pac-12 North championship game, the result of eight straight wins, before losing to rival Washington. He’s the next in a long line of great quarterbacks to make their way through Pullman, a list that includes the names of Thompson, Rypien, Bledsoe, Leaf and Gesser. Yet none of them were asked to run a system as intricate as Leach’s, which is why the coach regularly lauds his quarterback for his smarts and comprehension. “I think he watches more film than anybody else I’ve ever dealt with,” Leach said. “He watches a ton of film. Sometimes, I think, too much. He’s about the only quarterback I’ve considered AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File This Dec. 27, 2016, file photo shows Washington State quarterback Luke Falk (4) passing during the first half of the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. shutting off the film.” Leach raves about how steady Falk is on the field, believing teammates respond to that. Yet, the quarterback has his quirks. He revamped his diet about a year ago, even if it means eating foods he despises like kale. During the early stages of his college career, it was Falk’s musical sisters — Alexa and Natalee — who were more well-known than their pass-slinging younger brother. “They’ve got the most talent in the family,” Falk said. And there is his odd timing for jokes, which also speaks to his personality. Last year, the Cougars trailed 24-6 at Oregon State before rallying for a 35-31 win. Down by more than two scores, Falk was cracking jokes on the sideline, trying to keep his teammates from feeling stressed. “He was kind of relaxed and poised and I wouldn’t call that weird, but it’s one of those things you’re in a high pressure situation against a Pac-12 team that we’re losing to and he’s out there making jokes and having fun,” teammate Cody O’Connell said. “It was kind of interesting.” Now remember that Falk has accomplished all this because he was willing to take a risk. There was no guarantee of a scholarship or even an opportunity when he arrived at Washington State. At one point in his high school career, Falk seemed destined for Florida State, only to have that opportunity dissolve. In the end, his choices appeared to be Cornell, maybe Idaho and maybe Wyoming. If not for Leach’s arrival in Pullman, Falk likely would have headed for the Ivy League and received limited football exposure. As it stands, Falk is consid- ered one of the top NFL quarterback prospects for the 2018 draft after passing on a chance to leave after his junior season. “It felt right to come back. Felt like I had some things, growing up to do in life, not football,” Falk said. “I felt football-wise, I could. But there’s still a lot to learn this year and I really want to finish off with the guys I came in with.” BEAVERS: Collins, Kell, Unutoa-Whitson all ruled out for season opener Continued from 1B positions and they use them the right way and they’re a very solid team elsewhere. “ Andersen said the Rams want to push around their opponents and get the ground game going. The teams had three common opponents last year with the Rams losing to Colorado 44-7, Minnesota 31-24 and Boise State 28-23. The Beavers lost 47-6 to Colorado, 38-24 to Boise State and 30-23 to Minne- sota. “And if you matched us up last year team to team, who they played, we played common opponents, we’re in for a big-boy football game,” Andersen said. “They want to be a physical team that has the power to make big time plays on the offensive side of the ball.” That the Rams will be opening a new stadium with a sellout crowd could make it tougher for OSU, but Andersen said the Beavers are excited about the oppor- tunity. Andersen knows the Colorado State fan base well, having coached and played in Fort Collins. “It’s a hard place to play and they have good fans,” he said. WINNING ON THE ROAD: A win at Colorado MARINERS: Road trip continues Friday in New York against Yankees Continued from 1B approached second base following his second double in the third inning. He walked off the field, accompa- nied by a trainer. There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury. Losing Cano for a significant period of time could be a blow to the postseason hopes for Seattle, which began the day two games out of an AL wild card. Cano is hitting .277 with 19 homers and 78 RBIs. The Mariners had at least one extra-base hit in each of the first five innings as R.A. Dickey gave up four runs and 11 hits in six innings. Even Seattle right-hander Erasmo Ramirez, who had no hits in his first eight career at-bats, had success against Dickey. Ramirez had a run-scoring single in the second for his first career hit. He added another single to right field in the fifth to become only the fourth Seattle pitcher with two hits in a game. No Seattle pitcher has had three hits. Ramirez gave up three runs in six innings. Ender Inciarte had four hits for Atlanta. Freddie Freeman drove in two runs with two hits, including a run-scoring single off Nick Vincent in the eighth. TRAINER’S ROOM Mariners: CF Guillermo Heredia left the game in the eighth after being hit on his right arm by a pitch from Jason Motte in the seventh. ROSTER MOVES Seattle OF Leonys Martin was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Phelps (right elbow impingement). UP NEXT Mariners: Following an off day on Thursday, the team’s 12-game road trip continues Friday when LHP Ariel Miranda (8-6, 4.78) makes his second start against the New York Yankees. State would mean a good start to the season for the Beavers. It would also be OSU’s first road win since the Beavers defeated Colorado in 2014. “That’s a big one and it’s been a long time,” Andersen said. Andersen said he doesn’t think winning at home is much easier than on the road because the noise factor is just coming at different times. The big difference, he said, is the offense has to be able to execute with a loud crowd cheering for the defense. “There’s comfort zone of having your own fans there, there’s no doubt,” he said. “And there’s an intimidating factor that we have here at Reser at home games that I think is substantial. “So the key is when you go on the road is you under- stand is you have to be on the other side of that and you have to focus in on the little things. So the fine details in critical moments are key if you’re going to win close games on the road because the fans are going to be a factor.” HEADING TO HIGH GROUND: The elevation of Fort Collins is 5,003 feet, quite a bit higher than Corvallis, which stands just 235 feet above sea level. The elevation can be rough for teams not used to playing in the thin air. The Beavers did spend a week of camp in Bend, which is at 3,623 feet. “I don’t know how much Bend will help now since we’ve been out of Bend for so long,” Andersen said. “But it’s something that’s there, it’s something you have to deal with and if you’re in (the Pac-12) you have to play at Colorado, so that’s the way it goes. You have to play at Utah. You’re going to be in those situations and settings and we’re going to walk into it one more time. “Is it a factor? I’ve lived here going on three years and I go home and jog in Utah, it’s a little different but does it stop me from making my normal run? No, it doesn’t. So we’ll be prepared, the docs (and) the trainers will put the kids in the position, we’ll be prepared to sub them and get them where they need to be.” INJURY REPORT: Receiver Seth Collins, safety Drew Kell and linebacker Shemiah Unutoa-Whitson have all been ruled out for the game. Receiver Timmy Hernandez, offensive lineman Nous Keobounnam and tight end Quinn Smith are all probable. SCOREBOARD Local slate VOLLEYBALL Today Condon/Wheeler at Echo, 10 a.m. Heppner vs. Condon/Wheeler (at Echo), 11:30 a.m. Heppner at Echo, 2 p.m. Umatilla at Helix, 2:30 p.m. Ione at Helix, 4 p.m. Imbler at Weston-McEwen, 4 p.m. Ione vs. Umatilla (at Ione), 5:30 p.m. Waitsburg (WA) at Riverside, 6 p.m. Dufur at Weston-McEwen, 7 p.m. Friday Ione at Country Christian (1A Preview), 8 a.m. Ione vs. Trinity Lutheran (1A Preview), 11 a.m. Umatilla at Irrigon, 1 p.m. Ione vs. North Douglas (1A Preview), 2 p.m. Condon/Wheeler vs. Umatilla (at Irrigon), 2:30 p.m. Condon/Wheeler at Irrigon, 4 p.m. Saturday Hermiston at La Grande, 8 a.m. Pendleton at Lewiston (ID) Tournament, 8 a.m. Weston-McEwen at Grant Union Tourna- ment, 8 a.m. Irrigon at Stanfield, 10 a.m. Echo vs. Enterprise (at Stanfield), 10 a.m. Ione vs. Hosanna Christian (1A Preview), 10 a.m. Ione vs. Willamette Valley Christian (1A Preview), 5 p.m. BOYS SOCCER Today Umatilla at Hermiston, 6 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Today Umatilla at Hermiston, 4 p.m. Baseball MLB AMERICAN LEAGUE East Division W L Boston 73 53 New York 68 57 Baltimore 62 65 Tampa Bay 62 66 Toronto 60 66 Central Division W L Cleveland 69 56 Minnesota 65 61 Kansas City 64 61 Detroit 54 71 Chicago 49 76 West Division W L Houston 77 49 Los Angeles 65 61 Seattle 65 63 Pct GB .579 — .544 4½ .488 11½ .484 12 .476 13 Pct GB .552 — .516 4½ .512 5½ .432 15 .392 20 Pct GB .611 — .516 12 .508 13 Texas 62 63 .496 14½ Oakland 55 72 .433 22½ ——— Wednesday’s Games Baltimore 8, Oakland 7, 12 innings Boston 6, Cleveland 1 N.Y. Yankees 10, Detroit 2 Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 6 Seattle 9, Atlanta 6 Chicago White Sox 4, Minnesota 3 Houston 6, Washington 1 Kansas City 6, Colorado 4 Texas at L.A. Angels, late finish Thursday’s Games N.Y. Yankees (Garcia 5-8) at Detroit (Fulmer 10-11), 10:10 a.m. Toronto (Happ 6-9) at Tampa Bay (Cobb 9-8), 10:10 a.m. Colorado (Marquez 10-5) at Kansas City (Junis 5-2), 11:15 a.m. Boston (Sale 14-5) at Cleveland (Bauer 12-8), 4:10 p.m. Minnesota (Berrios 11-5) at Chicago White Sox (Holland 6-13), 5:10 p.m. Washington (Strasburg 10-4) at Houston (Keuchel 11-2), 5:10 p.m. Texas (Perez 8-10) at L.A. Angels (Scribner 2-0), 7:07 p.m. NATIONAL LEAGUE East Division W L Pct GB Washington 75 49 .605 — Miami 62 63 .496 13½ Atlanta 56 69 .448 19½ New York 55 70 .440 20½ Philadelphia 46 79 .368 29½ Central Division W L Pct GB Chicago 68 57 .544 — Milwaukee 66 62 .516 3½ St. Louis 64 62 .508 4½ Pittsburgh 61 66 .480 8 Cincinnati 53 74 .417 16 West Division W L Pct GB Los Angeles 89 36 .712 — Arizona 69 58 .543 21 Colorado 68 58 .540 21½ San Diego 56 70 .444 33½ San Francisco 52 77 .403 39 ——— Wednesday’s Games San Francisco 4, Milwaukee 2 Philadelphia 8, Miami 0 Pittsburgh 1, L.A. Dodgers 0, 10 innings Chicago Cubs 9, Cincinnati 3 N.Y. Mets 4, Arizona 2 Seattle 9, Atlanta 6 Houston 6, Washington 1 St. Louis 6, San Diego 2 Kansas City 6, Colorado 4 Thursday’s Games Arizona (Ray 9-5) at N.Y. Mets (Montero 2-8), 9:10 a.m. Miami (Worley 2-3) at Philadelphia (Thomp- son 1-1), 10:05 a.m. Colorado (Marquez 10-5) at Kansas City (Junis 5-2), 11:15 a.m. L.A. Dodgers (Ryu 4-6) at Pittsburgh (Kuhl 6-8), 1:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs (Arrieta 13-8) at Cincinnati (Romano 3-5), 4:10 p.m. San Diego (Perdomo 6-8) at St. Louis (Martinez 10-9), 4:15 p.m. Washington (Strasburg 10-4) at Houston (Keuchel 11-2), 5:10 p.m. Wild Card Standings American League W New York 68 Minnesota 65 Los Angeles 65 Kansas City 64 Seattle 65 Texas 62 Baltimore 62 Tampa Bay 62 Toronto 60 L 57 61 61 61 63 63 65 66 66 Pct GB .544 +3 .516 — .516 — .512 ½ .508 1 .496 2½ .488 3½ .484 4 .476 5 L 58 58 62 62 63 Pct GB .543 +½ .540 — .516 3 .508 4 .496 5½ National League Arizona Colorado Milwaukee St. Louis Miami W 69 68 66 64 62 MiLB NORTHWEST LEAGUE North Division W L Pct GB Tri-City 16 12 .571 — x-Vancouver 16 12 .571 — Spokane 15 13 .536 1 Everett 14 14 .500 2 South Division W L Pct GB x-Hillsboro 14 14 .500 — Boise 13 15 .464 1 Salem-Keizer 13 15 .464 1 Eugene 11 17 .393 3 x-first-half champions ———— Wednesday’s Games Spokane 8, Tri-City 7 Boise 5, Hillsboro 1 Salem-Keizer 4, Eugene 3 Everett 3, Vancouver 1 Thursday’s Games Tri-City at Spokane, 6:30 p.m. Boise at Hillsboro, 7:05 p.m. Salem-Keizer at Eugene, 7:05 p.m. Vancouver at Everett, 7:05 p.m. LITTLE LEAGUE World Series At South Williamsport, Pa. All Games Broadcast on ESPN Wednesday’s Games Tokyo 10, White Rock (B.C.) 0, 5 innings Fairfield (Conn.) 12, Jackson (N.J.) 2, 5 innings, Jackson eliminated Greenville (N.C.) 2, Lufkin (Texas) 1 Thursday’s Games Game 25: Tamaulipas (Mexico) vs. White Rock (British Columbia), Noon Game 26: Fairfield (Conn.) vs. Lufkin (Texas), 4:30 p.m. Soccer MLS EASTERN CONFERENCE W L T Toronto FC 15 3 8 New York City FC 14 7 4 Chicago 12 8 5 Columbus 12 12 3 New York 12 10 2 Montreal 10 8 6 Atlanta United FC 10 8 5 Orlando City 8 10 7 Philadelphia 8 12 6 New England 8 11 5 D.C. United 7 15 4 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L T Seattle 11 7 8 Sporting K.C. 10 5 10 Portland 11 9 7 Houston 10 8 8 FC Dallas 9 6 9 Vancouver 10 9 5 San Jose 9 11 6 Real Salt Lake 9 13 5 Los Angeles 6 13 5 Minnesota United 6 14 4 Colorado 6 14 4 Pts 53 46 41 39 38 36 35 31 30 29 25 GF 52 47 46 40 37 41 42 26 34 39 21 GA 25 34 34 41 32 38 30 37 36 40 44 Pts 41 40 40 38 36 35 33 32 23 22 22 GF 40 31 47 46 36 35 28 36 32 30 23 GA 33 19 44 37 31 34 44 47 44 51 34 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. ——— Wednesday’s Games Columbus 2, Los Angeles 0 D.C. United 1, Atlanta United FC 0 Houston 3, FC Dallas 3, tie Toronto FC 3, Philadelphia 0 Real Salt Lake 4, San Jose 0 Seattle 1, Vancouver 1, tie Portland 2, Colorado 1 Basketball WNBA EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB x-Connecticut 20 10 .667 — x-New York 18 12 .600 2 x-Washington 17 12 .586 2½ Chicago 11 18 .379 8½ Atlanta 11 20 .355 9½ Indiana 9 22 .290 11½ WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB x-Minnesota 23 6 .793 — x-Los Angeles 22 8 .733 1½ Phoenix 15 15 .500 8½ Dallas 14 17 .452 10 Seattle 14 17 .452 10 San Antonio 7 24 .226 17 x-clinched playoff spot ——— Wednesday’s Games New York 71, Indiana 50 Connecticut 93, Dallas 87 Atlanta 89, Seattle 83 Thursday’s Games Los Angeles at Phoenix, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)