Canadian Wildfire Smoke Prompts Air Quality Alerts Across US
Hazy conditions, caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires, are still threatening the air quality for millions in Midwest and all the way to the Southeast. The dangerous air quality comes as millions in the West are under heat alerts and a severe storm system unleashes tornadoes in Kentucky and Tennessee. NBC's Aaron Gilchrist reports for Sunday TODAY.
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Associated Press
11 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Cameron Young rallies for US Open spot on a long day of qualifying for Oakmont
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — On a long day when it felt everything was going wrong, Cameron Young birdied three of his last four holes Monday to get into a 5-for-1 playoff and then made a 12-foot birdie to earn his spot in the U.S. Open in two weeks at Oakmont. The drama went coast-to-coast, and even north of the border into Canada, with 47 places available at 10 qualifying sites to fill the field for the major regarded the toughest test in golf. Monday was tough enough, especially for Max Homa. He had a chance to get one of the six spots available from the Ohio qualifier at Kinsale, all while carrying his own bag for 36 holes — this after a rugged week at the Memorial — because he has split from his caddie. But he three-putted for par on his final hole, getting into the playoff. Make that 38 holes lugging his bag. Young advanced with his clutch play, while Rickie Fowler was eliminated with a bogey. Homa played the 11th hole to try to get an alternate spot. He missed a par putt on that hole and then faced a long walk to the parking lot. Young, already enduring a tough year that forced him to do a 36-hole qualifier, hit 9-iron to 8 feet for birdie on the 15th, birdied the par-5 16th and then hit wedge to 18 inches on the final hole to earn a spot in the 5-for-1 playoff. 'I feel like I showed myself something today,' he said. 'For so long today I saw nothing go in.' The playoff began on the 10th hole, and Young hit driver into the left rough and judged his wedge perfectly to 12 feet below the hole. 'I started my day here 12 hours ago and made a 3, so I tried to do it again,' he said. Erik van Rooyen opened with a 64 at Kinsale and had no trouble getting to Oakmont for the U.S. Open on June 12-15. He wound up six shots ahead of the field. Other qualifiers were Bud Cauley, Lanto Griffin, Justin Lower and Harrison Ott, at No. 2,651 in the world ranking. Cauley is No. 56 in the world, and is likely to stay in the top 60 after the Canadian Open and get in through that category. If that happens, Chase Johnson would get to his first U.S. Open. He won the playoff for the two alternate spots with Eric Cole. In the other Ohio qualifier in Springfield, Zac Blair won a 4-for-1 playoff for the last spot by outlasting John Peterson, a former PGA Tour player who retired and then asked to be reinstated as an amateur. The four spots from the Florida qualifier did not finish because of a rain delay. Three of the five spots from the Atlanta qualifier went to amateurs, with 17-year-old Mason Howell leading the way. The high school junior played bogey-free for an 18-under 126. Also qualifying was Jackson Koivun of Auburn, who already has locked up a PGA Tour card, and Florida State sophomore Tyler Weaver. Qualifiers in Toronto and North Carolina each offered seven spots — the PGA Tour is in Canada this week and the Korn Ferry Tour is in its Carolinas swing. Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark and Emiliano Grillo of Argentina were among the seven qualifiers in Canada, where Kevin Velo led the field. In North Carolina, Zach Bauchou led the seven players who got into Oakmont. Bauchou was in the Ohio qualifier two years ago when he had his college roommate — Viktor Hovland — caddie for him a day after Hovland won the Memorial. Most of the LIV Golf players who tried to qualify — or thought about it, anyway — were competing for four spots in Maryland. Marc Leishman of Australia, who has not qualified for a major the last two years since joining LIV, beat out fellow LIV player Sebastian Munoz to earn one of the four spots. Fifteen players from LIV originally were in the Maryland field. Five did not turn in cards when it was clear they wouldn't make it — not unusual for tour players — while five withdrew before it began, including Bubba Watson and Lee Westwood. ___ AP golf:
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
The Oilers are not limping into this Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers
EDMONTON, Alberta — Connor McDavid is fine, and coach Kris Knoblauch expects the best hockey player in the world to be good to go for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. That is the most important thing for Edmonton gearing up for another championship series against the Florida Panthers. Also, acknowledging the notable absence of injured forward Zach Hyman , the Oilers are much closer to full strength in the rematch than they were a year ago and are not limping into the final this time around. 'We're very confident in the group that we have and the players that are available,' defenseman Darnell Nurse said Monday after a day off the ice for players. 'There's been guys that have stepped up in huge moments so far over the course of the playoffs, and I'm sure over the course of the series we'll need more of that.' A smoother journey through the playoffs helps. Edmonton won each of its past two series in five games apiece, and that has allowed for some much-needed rest along the way. 'Are we 100% healthy? No, not quite, obviously with Hyman being out, which will be a huge loss,' Knoblauch said Monday. 'But overall I would say we're in a little bit better position physically.' Reinforcements have also arrived just in time. Winger Evander Kane returned for Game 2 of the first round against Los Angeles after missing the entire regular season recovering from multiple surgeries to repair injuries that knocked him out of the Cup final a year ago when he needed injections just to be able to walk. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm got back in the lineup for the clinching game of the Western Conference final against Dallas after thinking several weeks earlier he wouldn't be able to play again until October. 'When doctors tell you something, they're usually right,' Ekholm said. 'Most people didn't think I was going to be in this position, so to be able to be part of this group, to be part of things on the ice and help this team win has been the goal the whole time and now that it's reality is awesome for me.' The Oilers did not win last year when they faced the Panthers, losing three in a row to start the series and clawing back to force a Game 7 only to experiencing a gut-wrenching defeat . They didn't have Kane healthy then to offset Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Florida's hard-nosed pressure. Now they do, with Kane and Corey Perry being counted on to make up for Hyman being out. 'We can play a physical brand of hockey,' Kane said. 'We can play an in-your-face brand of hockey. Whatever game you want, we can give you. We're going to play our game, and we're looking forward to that challenge.' The Panthers are also nearly 100% after some injury scares in the East final against Carolina to clutch scorer Sam Reinhart and vastly improved defenseman Niko Mikkola. Only depth forward A.J. Greer's status is any kind of a question going in. McDavid provided some intrigue over the weekend by leaving practice after five minutes and a chat with trainers. Knoblauch brushed that off, saying the three-time league MVP and reigning playoff MVP was fine and said McDavid would practice Tuesday in the final preparation for the series. Connor Brown is also expected to be back for Game 1 Wednesday night in Edmonton after missing the conclusion of the West final. 'He adds a lot of elements to our team,' Knoblauch said. 'Obviously on the penalty kill we need him a lot, his speed, his checking. He's scored and provided some nice offense throughout the season.' Having gotten at least a goal from 19 different players during this run, the Oilers also seem mentally sharper than last year, when they were new to this stage of the playoffs going up against an opponent that had been there before. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should keep driving the bus, but they don't need to do it all. 'This time around we have a lot more depth throughout the entirety of our lineup,' Kane said. 'If we need scoring, we have scoring. If we need some guys that can be a little bit more physical, we can be more physical. Unfortunately, we're going to have to use that depth and we're going to have to get the job done with it.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oilers Predicted to Finally Break Long Canada Stanley Cup Curse
Oilers Predicted to Finally Break Long Canada Stanley Cup Curse originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Edmonton Oilers got so close last season to breaking the long curse that has plagued Canada-based NHL teams. Edmonton fell to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final, adding another year to the long title drought. Advertisement There hasn't been a Canada-based team to win the Stanley Cup since 1993, when the Montreal Canadiens took down the Los Angeles Kings. Since then, five Canadian-based teams have reached the Stanley Cup Final, but all have fallen short. The Vancouver Canucks reached the final in both 1994 and 2011, the Calgary Flames in 2004, the Oilers themselves in 2006, the Ottawa Senators in 2007, the Canadiens in 2021, and then the Oilers last year. But this time around, things could be different, and the Oilers are being predicted to finally snap the curse. Adam Proteau of The Hockey News is predicting Edmonton to win the championship this year in six games. "We've got to own it – we haven't been high on the Oilers for the bulk of the playoffs, but we've seen enough now, and Edmonton deserves its feels like Edmonton is a team of destiny, and like most all-time greats, McDavid and Draisaitl have learned from past defeats and appear fully ready, willing and able to win the first championship of what could be many. The Panthers are going to be a worthy opponent for them, but the Oilers have the juice and jam to carve out their names on sport's toughest trophy to win." Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane (91) reacts with defenseman Brett Kulak (27) after defeating the Dallas Stars in game five of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Miron-Imagn Images After falling short last year, the Oilers have looked like a team on a mission. Edmonton has home-ice advantage this time around as well, and it could help propel them toward finally winning the title. Advertisement Game 1 between the Oilers and Panthers is set for Wednesday, June 4, at 8 p.m. ET. Related: Panthers' Matthew Tkachuk Predicted Stanley Cup Final Rematch Last Year Related: Panthers Reveal Big Injury Update Ahead of Stanley Cup Final This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
