{"id":1941319,"date":"2026-05-18T10:12:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1941319"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:12:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:12:43","slug":"oof-detroit-plus-a-surprising-pga-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1941319","title":{"rendered":"Oof, Detroit. Plus, a surprising PGA winner"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><strong><span>The Pulse Newsletter <\/span><\/strong>\ud83d\udce3<span> | This is <em>The Athletic\u2019<\/em>s daily sports newsletter. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/the-pulse\/\"><span>Sign up here<\/span><\/a><span> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><span>Good morning! Wear two gloves today. Coming up:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>\ud83d\udcb0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287284\/2026\/05\/17\/pistons-cavaliers-nba-playoffs-game-7-score-result-takeaways\/\"><span>Game 7 Cavs<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>\u26f3 Aaron Rai, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287013\/2026\/05\/17\/pga-championship-aaron-rai-englishman-win\/\"><span>English hero<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u26be The Mets are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287145\/2026\/05\/17\/mets-yankees-subway-series-tyrone-taylor\/\">back<\/a>?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Bright Lights: Pistons\u2019 dream season withers away<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span>The psychology of a Game 7 will forever fascinate me. A concept simultaneously basic \u2014 win or go home \u2014 and layered \u2014 is this how the story of a 90-plus game season ends? \u2014 that wreaks havoc on the brain. Cleveland\u2019s huge win in Detroit last night lived in that liminal space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>The Cavaliers are moving on to the Eastern Conference finals to play the Knicks after a 125-94 win over the Pistons in a game that was <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287284\/2026\/05\/17\/pistons-cavaliers-nba-playoffs-game-7-score-result-takeaways\/\"><b>never truly close<\/b><\/a><b>.<\/b><span> It was jarring to see the stands mostly empty in the fourth quarter of a Game 7. Both the Pistons and their fans probably didn\u2019t deserve that ending after a magical year that landed Detroit the No. 1 seed in the East.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>And yet here we are. Are the Cavaliers an elite team? Who knows! Cleveland could end up taking Oklahoma City to seven games in the NBA Finals or get wiped off the floor by New York this week. Both are equally plausible.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>As for Detroit? <\/b><span>This humbling end <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7242131\/2026\/05\/18\/detroit-pistsons-nba-playoffs-2026-offseason-future\/\"><span>must not define a startling come-up<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Let\u2019s keep moving:<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b><strong>Faux Pas, Schmaux Pas:<\/strong> Gloves, iron covers and major wins<\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7287744\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7287744 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/18010234\/USATSI_28988738_168395998_lowres-1024x683.jpg\" alt width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">James Lang \/ Imagn Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Consider this a brief mea culpa. Last week, I wrote about the PGA Championship\u2019s place on the majors scale \u2014 fourth of four \u2014 and how Rory McIlroy thought the course, Aronimink, wouldn\u2019t present much of a strategic challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The tournament\u2019s status remains a subjective discussion we don\u2019t have to settle here. But two things were quite clear this weekend: Aronimink was actually really, really hard, and the tournament\u2019s champion, Aaron Rai, is maybe the best story of the golf year so far:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Rai, a 31-year-old Englishman, became the first of his countrymen to win the PGA Championship <\/b><b><i>since 1919<\/i><\/b><span> with a dominant final-round 65 to win at 9 under par. A field that had promised parity and overloaded competition faded as Rai, ranked 44th in the world, sped past. Marathon putts and incredible bunker shots put the tournament out of reach. It was awe-inspiring stuff.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>Rai is awe-inspiring, too. As Brody Miller <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287013\/2026\/05\/17\/pga-championship-aaron-rai-englishman-win\/\"><span>detailed in his recap<\/span><\/a><span>, Rai entered the tournament with his career on edge, his putting dreadful. He leaves the weekend a major winner \u2014 and in a tournament where we thought only a superstar would win. Or Alex Smalley or Matti Schmid, the two Cinderellas <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287375\/2026\/05\/18\/pga-championship-alex-smalley-matti-schmid-what-next\/\"><span>who didn\u2019t earn slippers yesterday<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>He\u2019s likable to boot. Most golf fans poke fun at him for wearing two gloves or using iron covers, both seen as amateurish faux pas. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287367\/2026\/05\/18\/aaron-rai-pga-championship-winner-iron-covers-rain-gloves\/\"><span>backstory on his quirks<\/span><\/a><span> goes deeper than you think, though. Count me as a Rai fan.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>Justin Ray has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287347\/2026\/05\/17\/pga-championship-aaron-rai-win-aronimink\/\"><span>a full breakdown<\/span><\/a><span> of what made the tournament so compelling. It was Rai\u2019s time, and to be more literal, he was punctual for every tee time this weekend, unlike our friend Garrick Higgo. Final thoughts on Friday\u2019s poll:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Of the nearly 25,000 people who voted, 59 percent of you said that Higgo, who was late for his first-round tee time by about 30 seconds, should\u2019ve known better.<\/b><span> I think I agree. Is this a guy who shows up at the airport 25 minutes before his flight boards? I know these people exist, but I don\u2019t want to travel with them.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>Most of your emails agreed with the majority winner, too. Thank you to everyone for voting.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>News to Know<\/b><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mallard Creek boys track and field was disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct after winning the 4\u00d7400 relay in the final event of the day. Had the result stayed, the Mavericks would have won the team state championship. Instead, they remained in second place.<\/p>\n<p>You can read the\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fdWIAW1UXT\">pic.twitter.com\/fdWIAW1UXT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 HighSchoolOT (@HighSchoolOT) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HighSchoolOT\/status\/2055795033974943828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong><b>A \u2018targeted\u2019 penalty <\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>See the clip above? That single hand motion cost a high school in North Carolina a state championship Saturday after an official penalized Mallard Creek anchor Nyan Brown for unsportsmanlike conduct. With the win, Mallard Creek would\u2019ve clinched the championship; a disqualification left the four-time state champs in second place. Mallard Creek coach Samuel Willoughby told <\/span><i><span>The Athletic<\/span><\/i><span>\u2019s David Ubben he was upset and dumbfounded, adding that multiple other teams celebrated as they crossed the finish line in the meet\u2019s other races. \u201cIt was like we were targeted, almost,\u201d Willoughby said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7286697\/2026\/05\/17\/state-title-disqualification-controversy-mallard-creek-high\/\"><span>Read our full story here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><b>SGA wins MVP, Amazon hates spoilers<\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second straight MVP yesterday, beating out Nikola Joki\u0107 and Victor Wembanyama for the honor. He is the first back-to-back winner since Joki\u0107 won it in 2021 and 2022, and becomes the 16th player in NBA history to win multiple MVPs. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7284972\/2026\/05\/17\/sga-mvp-shai-gilgeous-alexander-thunder-nba-awards\/\"><span>It was well-deserved<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The only actual drama about the selection happened live on Prime Video, when hosts Taylor Rooks and Blake Griffin poked fun at ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania, who reported the award news hours before Prime was supposed to announce it exclusively. Griffin said Charania should\u2019ve been getting brunch instead of working. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287318\/2026\/05\/17\/shams-charania-nba-mvp-espn-prime-amazon-taylor-rooks\/\"><span>See the whole saga here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>More news:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>The <\/span><b>Nationals<\/b><span> banned a fan who unfurled a white nationalist sign at <\/span><b>Nationals Park <\/b><span>during yesterday\u2019s game. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287471\/2026\/05\/17\/nationals-white-nationalist-sign-ban\/\"><span>Read our full story<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>The <\/span><b>Mets<\/b><span> \u2014 yes, these Mets \u2014 look competent again, especially in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287145\/2026\/05\/17\/mets-yankees-subway-series-tyrone-taylor\/\"><span>yesterday\u2019s comeback win<\/span><\/a><span> in the Subway Series.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Seattle<\/b><span> called up top prospect <\/span><b>Colt Emerson<\/b><span> as injuries mount on the major-league roster. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7286969\/2026\/05\/17\/mariners-colt-emerson-call-up-report\/\"><span>Read about Emerson here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Indiana Fever stalwart Aliyah Boston<\/b><span> missed a game for the first time in eight years due to a leg injury. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7286756\/2026\/05\/17\/aliyah-boston-fever-injury-games-played-streak\/\"><span>RIP streak<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>USMNT players Brenden Aaronson<\/b><span> and <\/span><b>Chris Richards<\/b><span> both suffered injury scares over the weekend, less than a month before the <\/span><b>World Cup<\/b><span>. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7286316\/2026\/05\/17\/brenden-aaronson-chris-richards-injury-news-world-cup\/\"><span>More here<\/span><\/a><span>. <\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>The<b> Columbus Crew<\/b> fired coach Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m just 14 games into his tenure. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7286955\/2026\/05\/17\/columbus-crew-head-coach-rydstrom-mls-fired\/\">It was probably the right decision<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: 400\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/news\/\">Find more news here 24\/7<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Watch Guide<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa EPL: Burnley at Arsenal<br \/>\n<\/b><b>3 p.m. ET on USA Network<br \/>\n<\/b><span>Arsenal can\u2019t technically win the Premier League crown today, but it can go a long way toward it. Burnley will be relegated next season, and thus, it would be an astronomical shock if the Gunners do not win this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa NHL: Canadiens at Sabres<br \/>\n<\/b><b>7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN<\/b><span><br \/>\n<\/span><span>A special evening awaits us. We start here with Game 7 of this second-round series, which has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7285487\/2026\/05\/17\/sabres-canadiens-nhl-playoff-road-warriors\/\"><span>been brilliant<\/span><\/a><span>. The juggernaut Hurricanes await one of these two excellent stories \u2014 a slump-busting Buffalo team or the resurrected blueblood Montreal \u2014 in the Eastern Conference final. Expect a seismic atmosphere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa NBA: Spurs at Thunder<br \/>\n<\/b><b>8:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock<br \/>\n<\/b><span>This is what many pundits will argue is the real NBA Finals, unfair to the Eastern Conference champ or not. I strongly believe San Antonio is the team best positioned to beat Oklahoma City in these playoffs, thanks to both the existence of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs\u2019 4-1 record against OKC this year. Tune in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa WNBA: Mystics at Wings<br \/>\n<\/b><b>8 p.m. ET on Peacock<br \/>\n<\/b><span>I\u2019m still bullish on Dallas this season, but a 1-2 start \u2014 including 0-2 at home \u2014 is a bit troubling. It\u2019s still worth a watch to see Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd play together more. On the other side, Sonia Citron (24.3 points a game) has been electric so far this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>Pulse Picks<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/05\/16221636\/0412_NBA_PLAYER-MOVEMENT-ANONYMOUS-POLL-3.png?width=1920&amp;quality=70&amp;format=auto\" width=\"1920\" height=\"960\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Sure, all the NBA playoff stuff is important. But a massive question looms over the league: <\/span><b>Where will Giannis Antetokounmpo play next season?<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7270363\/2026\/05\/16\/giannis-anonymous-player-poll-2026\/\"><span>See what 151 NBA players predicted<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>I loved this from over the weekend on <\/span><b>Jason Collins\u2019 <\/b><span>groundbreaking essay in <\/span><b>Sports Illustrated<\/b><span>, which changed the NBA forever. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7282237\/2026\/05\/16\/jason-collins-lgbt-sports-illustrated-coming-out\/\"><span>Rebecca Tauber got the backstory on how it happened<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby<\/b><span> could be forced to enter the <\/span><b>NFL\u2019s supplemental draft<\/b><span>. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7287288\/2026\/05\/18\/brendan-sorsby-supplemental-draft-nfl-scouts\/\"><span>He\u2019d be the most interesting entry in years<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A year ago, <\/span><b>Wilmer Flores<\/b><span> hit three home runs in an <\/span><b>MLB<\/b><span> game. So why is he in <\/span><b>Mexico<\/b><span>, still playing baseball, away from the league that thinks his skill set is obsolete? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7282419\/2026\/05\/16\/wilmer-flores-mexican-league-mets-giants\/\"><span>Dennis Lin and Sam Blum went to Tijuana to find out<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>These days, coming back from a <\/span><b>Tommy John surgery<\/b><span> is standard rehab for an MLB pitcher. Two is tough, but doable. Three, though? Nearly impossible \u2026 except for <\/span><b>Reds reliever Tejay Antone.<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7286000\/2026\/05\/18\/tejay-antone-cincinnati-reds-three-tommy-john-surgeries\/\"><span>His comeback was almost unbelievable<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday<\/b><span>: The wild story of a pit crew member saving a Fox Sports reporter at a NASCAR race over the weekend. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7284720\/2026\/05\/16\/nascar-dover-pit-crew-fox-sports-reporter-cart\/\"><span>Catch up here<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Most-read on the website yesterday<\/b><span>: Shohei Ohtani\u2019s little-league home run from Saturday night. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7285455\/2026\/05\/17\/shohei-ohtani-inside-the-park-home-run-dodgers-angels\/\"><span>So good<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at <a href=\"mailto:thepulse@theathletic.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5803046\/2025\/12\/31\/the-athletic-newsletters-sign-up\/\">our other newsletters<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/realchrisbranch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">connect with me on Instagram<\/a> for more.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Wear two gloves today. Coming up:\u00a0 \ud83d\udcb0 Game 7 Cavs \u26f3 Aaron Rai, English hero \u26be The Mets are back? Bright Lights: Pistons\u2019 dream season withers away The psychology of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1941319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1941319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1941319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1941319\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1941319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1941319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1941319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}