A Sports Filled Weekend It Was

The Ryder Cup once again belongs to the United States, and what a smashing triumph over the Europeans it was.

The U.S. won for the first time since 2008, and its 17-11 margin was its largest in 35 years. And, for the first time since 1975, every American player won at last one match. Every U.S. player contributed a point.

The event at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn., drew huge crowds to witness the superb putting of Patrick Reed, who played a brilliant match with Rory McIroy, and a clutch birdie putt by Phil Mickelson of 18 foot on the 18th hole.

Baseball

So many postseason berths were available Sunday on the final day of MLB’s season but the old mantra – win and you’re in – held up for the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants. They won and nailed down wild-card slots in the playoffs that begin Tuesday with those American League Rivals, Toronto and Baltimore, meeting at 8 p.m. The National League wild-card game matches the Giants and New York Mets on Wednesday at 8 p.m. Winners advance to the divisional series.

NFL

Interesting day. The Buffalo Bills shut out the New England Patriots 16-0 in Foxborough, Mass, where the Pats hadn’t been held scoreless since 1993. Next time you see them, however, Tom Brady will be back from his suspension…Matt Ryan threw for a club-record 503 yards and four touchdowns and Julio Jones caught 12 of those for a club mark of 300 yards in a 48-33 beating of the Carolina Panthers…Ben Roethlisberger tossed five touchdown passes in Pittsburgh as the Steelers crushed the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14…The New Orleans Saints won for the first time as Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final 4:50 to edge the San Diego Chargers 35-34. The Chargers have blown leads in all three of their defeats.

College Football

Alabama and Ohio State remain 1-2 in the Associated Press poll. Clemson moved up to No. 3 after nipping Louisville, which slipped to seventh. Michigan is fourth and Washington, after a whomping of Stanford, is fifth. Houston is sixth.

Elsewhere
Martin Truex Jr. won Sunday’s race at Dover International Speedway, and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series field was whittled from 16 drivers to 12…Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James endorsed Hillary Clinton in an op-ed for the Akron Beacon Journal…Philadelphia 76ers’ rookie forward Ben Simmons broke his foot Friday and will have surgery that could keep him out for three months.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman