Sports
Aaron Rai emerges to win first major; 1st Englishman to win PGA since 1919
May 17, 2026; Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, USA; Aaron Rai reacts on the first green during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Aaron Rai drained a series of increasingly long putts to write himself into the history books and win his first major title Sunday at the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Rai made a 40-foot eagle putt at the par-5 ninth hole to cap an uneven first nine, then pulled away with four birdies on the back and converted a remarkable 68 1/2-foot birdie at the par-3 17th to remove any doubt.
Rai, 31, is the first Englishman to win the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes in 1919. Americans had claimed this major each of the last 10 years.
Rai’s 5-under-par 65 put him 9-under 271 and three strokes ahead of Jon Rahm of Spain (68) and Alex Smalley. He had started the day in a five-way tie for second behind Smalley.
The first English major winner since Matt Fitzpatrick took the 2022 U.S. Open title, Rai was one of several less familiar names on the 54-hole leaderboard. But he was ranked No. 44 in the world entering the week, with one win on the PGA Tour and three more on the DP World Tour for his career.
He previously had not finished better than T19 at a major.
Rai’s putter was far from the only club working for him. He gave himself 4-foot birdies with tight approaches at Nos. 1 and 11, though he overshot the greens at Nos. 3 and 6 to lead to two of his three front-nine bogeys.
Everything turned when Rai lined up his eagle putt at No. 9. He left in the pin for the downhill, left-to-right putt and it tracked perfectly into the hole.
The birdie at No. 11 drew Rai even with Germany’s Matti Schmid, and he became the first player to touch 7 under all week at the short par-4 13th. Rai’s tee shot went in the front-right bunker, but he got his 39-yard sand shot to stop inside 7 feet to set up birdie.
Justin Thomas went into the clubhouse at 5-under 275 at about 3:05 p.m. local time, and that held up for most of the afternoon as players battled Aronimink’s more demanding back nine.
Smalley, Rahm, Rai and Schmid each held at least a share of the lead at 6 under at some point. Smalley — seeking his first professional win of any kind — irreparably harmed his chances with a messy double bogey at the par-4 sixth and a bogey at No. 8.
Schmid, playing in the final pairing with Smalley and also winless on the PGA Tour, took the lead from him at No. 6 when he got a 19 1/2-foot birdie to fall. But his bogey on No. 10 opened the door for Rai.
Rai was one of the only players who managed to tame the back nine. Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy could not muster a late rally, posting 69 and landing at 4 under.
Reigning champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a ho-hum 69 and finished seven behind Rai at 2 under.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
Sports
Kody Clemens helps Twins avoid sweep at hands of Brewers
May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins first baseman Kody Clemens (2) celebrates after hitting an RBI double against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Kody Clemens went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs as the Minnesota Twins escaped with a 5-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Ryan Jeffers hit a solo homer for Minnesota, which salvaged a win in the three-game series. Victor Caratini added an RBI.
Garrett Mitchell and Christian Yelich each hit a solo home run for Milwaukee, which lost for only the second time in its past 10 games. Sal Frelick and Jake Bauers drove in one run apiece for the Brewers
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober (5-2) allowed three runs on six hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Brewers right-hander Grant Anderson (1-2) allowed one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief. He followed starter Robert Gasser, who allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in four innings of his season debut.
Twins reliever Luis Garcia allowed a run in the ninth but notched his second save.
The Twins opened the scoring during the bottom of the first. Austin Martin drew a leadoff walk and scored from first on Clemens’ two-out double to right.
Milwaukee evened the score 1-1 during the top of the second. Frelick doubled to right to drive in Bauers from first base.
Minnesota grabbed a 3-1 lead in the third when Jeffers led off with a single to center, and Clemens followed with a double off the wall in left.
Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio tried to make the catch against the wall, but he could not get there in time. The ball bounced off the wall, ricocheted off his leg and rolled toward the corner.
Chourio chased down the ball and threw toward the infield, but cutoff man Joey Ortiz fired a wild throw past the plate as Jeffers came home. The ball skipped out of play, and umpires awarded Clemens home plate for the equivalent of a little league home run.
The Brewers pulled within 3-2 in the fourth on Mitchell’s solo homer.
Yelich tied the score 3-3 with a solo homer in the fifth.
The power surge continued as Jeffers led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to put the Twins on top 4-3. Caratini added a sacrifice fly in the left to make it 5-3 in the eighth.
The Brewers tried to rally in the ninth but fell short. Bauers hit an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-4, but Frelick popped up to end the game.
-Field Level Media
Sports
Edgar Quero's game-winning homer lifts White Sox over Cubs
May 17, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Edgar Quero (26) hits a one run single against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Edgar Quero smacked a game-ending two-run home run in the 10th inning and joined Andrew Benintendi with a three-hit game to lift the host Chicago White Sox to a 9-8 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
The White Sox finished 7-2 on a nine-game homestand while earning their fifth series victory in the past six. They prevailed after a wild finish in which they outscored the Cubs 5-4 from the eighth inning onward.
Quero and Tristan Peters, who delivered a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth, both went deep for the first time this season. Quero connected against Cubs reliever Ryan Rolison (3-1).
Closer Seranthony Dominguez couldn’t hold the lead for the South Siders after the Peters homer, yielding a tying three-run blast to Michael Conforto after a walk and third baseman Miguel Vargas’ one-out error.
Alex Bregman had two hits and two RBIs for the Cubs. He drove in a run on a groundout in the top of the 10th. Conforto also had two hits.
The Cubs took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Michael Busch opened the scoring two batters into the game, reaching White Sox starter Erick Fedde for a two-run home run to right field on a full count.
Fedde has yielded a home run in four consecutive starts and seven of nine appearances overall. He later uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Bregman to score.
Quero delivered an RBI single in the second to put the White Sox on the board. After Bregman’s run-scoring single in the fourth restored a three-run advantage for the Cubs, the White Sox responded with Benintendi’s RBI double in the bottom half.
Vargas tied the game with a two-run double with two out in the fifth, sending a ball the opposite way to the gap in right center.
Both starters took no-decisions. Fedde, who pitched with a blister issue on his right throwing hand for much of the afternoon, spaced four runs and six hits with four walks and two strikeouts over three innings.
Rea scattered four runs and six hits over 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Tyler Davis (2-1) was the winner, allowing an unearned run in the 10th while working around three walks.
A crowd of 38,608 attended the game, the third sellout in as many contests in the crosstown series.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Top Mariners prospect Colt Emerson recalled from Tacoma
Feb 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Seattle Mariners recalled top prospect infielder Colt Emerson prior to Sunday’s game against the San Diego Padres.
Seattle placed infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan (groin) on the 10-day injured list to open up a roster spot. The IL move is retroactive to May 16.
Emerson, 20, is set to make his major league debut. He is in the lineup at third base and batting ninth against the Padres.
Emerson is rated as Seattle’s No. 1 prospect and the sixth overall in the majors by MLB Pipeline.
According to the Mariners, Emerson (20 years, 301 days) will be the youngest player to make his Seattle debut since right-hander Felix Hernandez (19 years, 118 days) on Aug. 4, 2005.
Emerson is the second-youngest player to debut in the majors this season behind Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (age 19).
The left-handed-hitting Emerson is batting .255 with seven homers and 26 RBIs in 38 games at Triple-A Tacoma this season. He was a first-round pick (22nd overall) in the 2023 draft.
On March 31, Emerson signed an eight-year, $95 million deal with the Mariners through the 2033 season with a club option for 2034.
Donovan, 29, is batting .274 with three homers and eight RBIs in 25 games this season. He was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason.
–Field Level Media
Kody Clemens helps Twins avoid sweep at hands of Brewers
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