GOLF

Rickie Fowler labored under the image of being an underachiever. So he achieved, and on one of golf’s biggest stages.

Fowler rallied from a five-shot deficit on the back nine on Sunday in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, by playing the final six holes in 6-under par. He made birdie from inside six feet three times Sunday on the famed island-green 17^th and the final one made him a sudden-death playoff winner over Kevin Kisner on the fourth extra hole.

The TPC is known as the fifth major golf tournament. It carries that sort of status among the players. Fowler had won only once previously on the PGA Tour and a recent poll of players by Sports Illustrated deemed him and Ian Poulter the most overrated players.

“It was a big afternoon,” Fowler said. “This will be one I look back on for sure.”

When the tournament began, the excitement centered on the pairing of the  world’s top two players – Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. That didn’t last long. McIlroy finished in a tie for eighth and Spieth did not make the cut.

NHL

The New York Rangers forced a seventh game in their series with the Washington Capitals by winning 4-3 on the road on Sunday. Game 7 is at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. History doesn’t favor the Caps, who are 4-9 all-time in seventh games. The Rangers beat the Caps in a seventh game in 2013 and last year bested the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. The Anaheim Ducks won 3-2 in overtime and eliminated the Calgary Flames in five games.

NBA

LeBron James joined the crowd of players making buzzer-beaters for wins over the weekend. The shot that gave the Cleveland Cavaliers an 86-84 win over the Chicago Bulls almost never was. Cavs coach David Blatt drew up a play on the sideline and James countermanded him, demanding the ball. His jump shot from the corner evened the series at 2-2. Chicago’s Derrick Rose hit a buzzer-beater for a win against the Cavs on Friday night and Paul Pierce made one for the Washington Wizards against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

BASEBALL

Michael Pineda struck out 16 batters as the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-2. … The Washington Nationals swept a three-game series from the Atlanta Braves. They came from behind each time, and won Sunday 5-4. … Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez got his 2,000 career strikeout and ran his record to 6-0 in a 4-3 win over the Oakland A’s.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .