BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. Ron Santo Jersey . --?Curtis Luck was walking along the course, doing the math on how hed turned a close U.S. Amateur final into a rout by winning eight holes in a row. It was hard for the 20-year-old Australian to process.I think I started laughing, walking down the fairway, he said. I havent heard of that, and I havent seen it before. What an amazing thing to do while youre out in the final of the U.S. Amateur Championship.Luck built a commanding lead with that eight-hole run shortly after the midway point of Sundays final match, and he went on to beat Brad Dalke 6 and 4 to become the U.S. Amateurs third international champion in four years.The 36-hole final on the South Course at Oakland Hills was all square after 18, and Dalke won the first hole after the break.Luck answered with an eagle on the 20th to square it again, and that was the start of a decisive streak that eventually left him 7 up with nine holes remaining.Its so rare to be able to do that, especially in match play, which is, as you know, one hole at a time --you win one and things can change so quickly, Luck said.?I didnt expect it at all.Although Dalke finally snapped Lucks streak by winning a couple holes of his own, the University of Oklahoma sophomore couldnt close the gap any more. He conceded after missing a putt for par on the 32nd hole.I never really felt comfortable that second round. I dont know if it was the break or what, Dalke said. Now it seems like it was a blur. It went by pretty quick.Luck joins Matthew Fitzpatrick of England (2013) and Gunn Yang of South Korea (2014) among recent international winners of this event. Hes also only the third Australian-born champion.Nick Flanagan won in 2003 and Walter Travis won it in 1900, 1901 and 1903.There was no indication that this final match would become so lopsided. Neither player could gain much of an upper hand in the morning, and even after Lucks eagle on the 20th hole, the match was all square.Then Dalkes round began to unravel with bogeys on 21 and 22. Luck was 3 up after a birdie on 23.The next hole was a short par 4, but Dalkes tee shot went way to the right, settling in some tall grass. His shot from there caromed off a utility box that was a few feet in front of him, and Luck needed only a par to win that hole.Luck made a birdie on the 25th hole, and Dalke made bogeys on the following two, giving the Australian an almost insurmountable lead.Hes just solid. He makes a lot of good swings at it, doesnt get really wayward with the driver, great short game, Dalke said. Hes never out of a hole. He could be in a trash can 20 yards from the green and still get up-and-down.The eight-hole stretch Sunday that decided the championship was equal parts Lucks excellence (an eagle and two birdies) and Dalkes struggles (five bogeys).The final turned into a breeze for Luck, in contrast to his 21-hole semifinal win over Nick Carlson. Luck got up and down from about 135 yards in a bunker on the second extra hole to keep that match going Saturday.I know hes a fighter, and I know those pressure situations are really what switches him on, said Lucks father Stuart, who caddied for him.If you know him -- and I think you only have to look at Twitter comments tonight from all the people back home in Australia --youll know that hes seriously dangerous in that situation.Luck was seventh in the world amateur ranking coming into this event, and he said hed previously been thinking about turning pro after the Asian Amateur in October. Now, he has some extra incentives to preserve his amateur status -- exemptions to next years U.S. Open and British Open and a likely invite to the Masters.Im super happy to say that Im going to be an amateur for another however long -- ?eight or nine months, Luck said. Get to play some unbelievable golf tournaments within those months, and I guess get even more experience for when I do turn pro. Willson Contreras Cubs Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Justin Grimm Jersey . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. http://www.cubsauthorityshop.com/Billy-Williams-Jersey/ . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. NEW YORK -- Mike Trout has an MVP problem: He needs more help.Widely considered baseballs best all-around player, with modern metrics consistently supporting that assertion, the Los Angeles Angels center fielder has been runner-up in the American League three of the past four years.The only time he took home the prize was 2014, when the Angels won 98 games and the AL West. They came in third place the other three seasons, leaving Trout to finish second despite his outstanding numbers.Its a similar scenario this year. Trout led the league in runs (123), on-base percentage (.441) and wins above replacement (10.6), as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com. But he did all that for a fourth-place team that went 74-88 and was never in the playoff hunt.With other top contenders on clubs that reached the postseason, Trout could be denied yet again -- perhaps in favor of dynamic outfielder Mookie Betts or retiring bopper David Ortiz from AL East champion Boston.Its not really defined a certain way, so people are going to have opinions different ways. For me, I think it should go to someone that is on a winning team and has a chance to go to the playoffs, Cleveland slugger Mike Napoli said. But then again, you cant take away from people that really cant control other people having down years and you having a really great year. So I think you can go either way.Over in the National League, it shapes up much the same.Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs, who led the majors with 103 wins, are joined in the MVP discussion by Daniel Murphy from NL East champion Washington and rookie shortstop Corey Seager of the NL West champion Dodgers. Some of their stiffest competition comes from players on losing clubs: Colorados Nolan Arenado, Atlantas Freddie Freeman and Cincinnatis Joey Votto.Both Cy Young Award races are close, too, with Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Jon Lester and Max Scherzer among those in the mix.Poor teams have produced MVPs before -- Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson (1987) and Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez (2003) even won for clubs that came in last place.But until Washington slugger Bryce Harper was a unanimous winner in the NL last season, nobody in either league had been elected MVP from a team that missed the playoffs since Albert Pujols with St. Louis in 2008.Is it the best player in the particular league? When you look at the numbers, Trout obviously is the best player and thats hard to argue, said Dave Roberts, a strong candidate for NL Manager of the Year in his first season running the Dodgers.But for a winning team, theres got to be some weight put on that and what that particular person means to that particular winning team. I kind of fluctuate season to season, he added.Voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America is conducted before the postseason begins Tuesday, and results will be announced in November.Here are our choices for all the big awards:AMERICAN LEAGUE MVPThe nod goes to Trout (29 HRs, 100 RBI, 30 for 37 in steals, .991 OPS) despite his teams flaws. He scored 17 percent of the Angels runs this season, the highest percentage for an AL player since Rickey Heenderson with the 1985 New York Yankees. Andre Dawson Jersey. Taking nothing away from his achievements, Betts (31 HRs, 113 RBI, 26 for 30 on steals, .897 OPS) benefited from hitting in a loaded Boston batting order, while Trout had little protection outside of Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun. Its not fair to look past Trout simply because the Angels pitched poorly and fielded a thin lineup.But if Betts wins, no complaints.NATIONAL LEAGUE MVPSome of the stats for Bryant and Rizzo are incredibly identical. They both batted .292 with a .385 on-base percentage, while Bryant had 39 homers and 102 RBI to Rizzos 32 homers and 109 RBI. Bryant also led the league in runs (121) and WAR while providing versatility on defense. He wins MVP honors one season after he was the NL Rookie of the Year. Arenado and Murphy warrant a close look, too, though.AL CY YOUNGTigers ace Justin Verlander (16-9, 3.04 ERA) nips Boston right-hander Rick Porcello (22-4, 3.15) and 2014 winner Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14). Verlander led the league with 254 strikeouts and a 1.00 WHIP while throwing a few more innings than either of the other two. Porcello was fantastic but relied more on his defense, fanning 189.NL CY YOUNGClayton Kershaws back injury might be the only reason this is a race -- but its a close one. Some wonder whether Lester (19-5, 2.44) and Cubs teammate Kyle Hendricks (16-8, 2.13) could split first-place votes and knock each other out after running 1-2 in ERA. Freeman said he favors Hendricks, while Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard went another way and picked Scherzer.We think Howards got it right.Washingtons ace went 20-7 with a 2.96 ERA while leading the league in strikeouts (284), innings (228 1/3) and WHIP (0.97). He even matched a major league record with 20 Ks in one game. Neither Lester nor Hendricks reached 200 strikeouts or 205 innings.AL ROOKIE OF THE YEARTwo months in the majors are not enough for Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, even with 20 home runs and a 1.032 OPS in 201 at-bats. Detroit right-hander Michael Fulmer (11-7, 3.06 ERA, 159 innings) is the pick -- but check out overlooked Houston reliever Chris Devenski (2.16 ERA and 104 Ks in 108 1/3 innings).NL ROOKIE OF THE YEARAt one point it appeared this could be quite a race between a trio of talented young shortstops. Seager, however, ran away with it when Trevor Story and Aledmys Diaz got hurt.AL MANAGER OF THE YEARTerry Francona wins with Cleveland for the second time in four years. His team overcame several significant injuries in winning the AL Central over World Series champion Kansas City and a Detroit squad that outspent the Indians by $107 million on player payroll.NL MANAGER OF THE YEARRoberts edges Terry Collins of the New York Mets. Both clubs were severely depleted by health problems and still made the playoffs, but the Dodgers were four wins better and won their division.---AP Baseball Writers Noah Trister in Detroit and Janie McCauley in San Francisco, and AP freelancer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta contributed to this report. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
