Weekend In Review – Golf, Bitter Turn For NASCAR Driver, MLB, And More From A Busy Weekend

Catching You Up On Everything You May Have Missed Over The Weekend Justin Thomas went into Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship with a 6-shot lead, thanks to...

(Photo Credit: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Catching You Up On Everything You May Have Missed Over The Weekend

Justin Thomas went into Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship with a 6-shot lead, thanks to a course-record 61 the day before.

He won the tournament by three strokes after some struggles at water-logged Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. He started the final round with a bogey and saw his lead cut to two as Patrick Cantlay birdied three consecutive holes and again as Hideki Matsuyama made birdie on six of seven holes.

But Thomas remained steady after another bogey at the 10th hole and came in with a 4-under 68.

“I played awful for 10 holes. I very rarely hit shots that were exactly what I wanted and so that’s tough when you’re trying to win a golf tournament,” Thomas said.

Because of the way the FedEx Cup championship is scored, he will go into the final event at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia, with a 2-shot lead. Thomas won the FedEx championship in 2017 as well.

NASCAR:
Matt DiBenedetto lost his job earlier last week and a race on Saturday night. Having been informed he would not be returning next season to Leavine Family Racing, DiBenedetto then lost the lead with 11 laps remaining and finished second to Denny Hamlin at the Bristol Night Race in Bristol, Tennessee. Brad Keselowski finished third. Two races remain before the playoff series begins.

Baseball:
The Atlanta Braves benched standout outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. for failing to hustle in Sunday’s 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Zach Greinke became the third active pitcher to reach 200 wins as the Houston Astros defeated the Oakland A’s 4-1. He allowed one run in seven innings as the Astros snapped a five-game losing streak.

Elsewhere:
Two-time world welterweight boxing champion Jose Napoles died Friday at the age of 79. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Tyson Fury and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder are expected to meet again Feb. 22, 2020.

The NHL’s Buffalo Sabres unveiled a golden jersey on Friday that they will wear for 13 games this season to commemorate their 50th season.

Former NFL running back Cedric Benson, 36, died in a motorcycle crash. He played eight seasons for three teams.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman