Patrick Cantlay makes PGA Tour history, plus Bucs get Tom Brady back but have another big issue now

Cantlay won his second tournament of the season

By Wajih AlBaroudi

Aug 22, 2022 at 8:47 am ET • 6 min read

Happy Monday, everyone, it's Wajih AlBaroudi. I hope you enjoyed the last weekend before college football.

Now, onto the news you need to get your week started.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Camp — USATSI

THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

He's baaack. Coach Todd Bowles has announced that Tom Brady will return to the Buccaneers this week after he left the team for personal reasons on Aug. 11, meaning the seven-time Super Bowl champion is all but certain to start their season-opener at Dallas on Sept. 11.

While the reason for Brady's absence remains unclear (this bonkers "The Masked Singer" conspiracy hasn't been ruled out), Bowles said it was expected and "something we talked about before training camp started." Regardless of why he left, Brady has plenty of reasons to stay and play this season out. Here are a few from our NFL expert Jeff Kerr:

Brady needs just 2,431 passing yards to become the NFL's first 100,000-yard passer (playoff stats included).
He can become the first player to throw for 40 touchdowns in three straight seasons, and the first to do so in four different seasons.
With another 30-touchdown season, Brady would tie Saints legend Drew Brees for the most all-time with 10.

If his 40-day retirement and gargantuan broadcasting deal from this past offseason were any indication, the 45-year-old Brady knows his playing days are numbered. No ending would be more fitting for Brady than winning a final Super Bowl this season, and he got one step closer by relaying his plans to rejoin the Bucs this week.

And not such a good morning for...

THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Yes, you read that right.

While Brady's return stabilized the Bucs' most important position group, the one responsible for keeping the quarterback upright took yet another hit. Left guard Aaron Stinnie, who was battling for a starting spot, is out for the year after tearing his ACL and MCL in Saturday's preseason loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Luke Goedeke and Nick Leverett are next up at left guard, according to CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr. Stinnie's injury is the latest of many concerning developments regarding Tampa Bay's offensive line:

Left guard Ali Marpet, who made his first Pro Bowl appearance in 2021 and was ascending into the player the Bucs hoped he'd be when they drafted him in the second round in 2015, stunned the football world by retiring at age 28 during the offseason.
Right guard Alex Cappa left Tampa Bay for the defending AFC champion Bengals on a four-year, $40 million deal early in free agency.
Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen suffered a significant knee injury on July 28, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to return this season.
Right tackle Tristan Wirfs, a 23-year-old rising star who made his first All-Pro team a season ago, reportedly strained his oblique during a joint practice with the Titans last Thursday.

All told, the Bucs could potentially be without four of its returning starters up front -- Donovan Smith, who's as dependable as they come with only two missed games over his seven-year career, predictably being the last man standing.

Thankfully for Tampa Bay, it'll presumably get an improvement at right guard in trade acquisition Shaq Mason, who won two Super Bowls with Brady while playing for the Patriots.

Leon Edwards stuns Kamaru Usman to win UFC welterweight championship 👊

After falling victim to a takedown for the first time as a UFC fighter in Round 1, Kamaru Usman outmatched Leon Edwards all the way into the final round of his welterweight title defense -- until the final minute, that is.

Edwards, who our Brent Bookhouse described as looking "fatigued and increasingly dejected" as the fight progressed, delivered a kick to Usman's head with 56 seconds remaining, sending Usman to the mat in one of the most shocking knockouts the sport has ever seen.

The win was Edwards' 11th straight and made him the first Jamaican-born UFC champion.
It was the fourth-latest finish to a championship fight in UFC history.
The result kept Usman from tying Anderson Silva's record of 16 straight UFC wins, and it marked his first loss in nine years.

Usman kept his head high after the fight, tweeting he'll "bounce back and come with a vengeance." And he may get exactly the opportunity he's looking for: UFC president Dana White said during the post-fight press conference he wants a trilogy between Usman and Edwards, listing Wembley Stadium as one of the potential venues.

Given Edwards' post-fight comments, the next match between him and Usman may be even more entertaining than the first. Edwards told reporters he put together one of his "worst performances" against Usman, adding it "was the worst I had to offer and I still knocked him out." If Usman needed any additional motivation to get back at Edwards, he's got it.

Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm punch tickets to WNBA semifinals 🏀

One half of the WNBA semifinals is officially set. With a 97-84 win over the Mystics, the Seattle Storm completed a two-game sweep against Washington to lock themselves into a second-round matchup with the Las Vegas Aces. The top-seeded Aces advanced with a sweep of their own against the Phoenix Mercury, one highlighted by an offensive masterclass they showcased in a 117-80 win in Game 2.

Here are some things to know before the much-anticipated matchup gets started:

The Aces nailed 23 3-pointers in their series-clinching victory over Phoenix, making them the first WNBA team to hit 20 3s in a regular-season or playoff game.
Since 2018, Seattle has yet to lose a playoff series when its Big 3 of Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Lloyd are all healthy, and healthy they are heading into the semifinals.
Though the Storm's Big 3 is intact, starting forward Gabby Williams suffered a concussion in the third quarter, making her availability for the semifinals a question mark.

On the other side of the bracket, the New York Liberty and Chicago Sky will play a win-or-go-home Game 3 on Tuesday, and the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings have another elimination game the following day. The Wings and Sky both dropped the first game of their series but looked dominant the next, as the former led by as much as 31 before winning by 10 while the latter won by 38, the largest margin of victory in WNBA playoff history.

The WNBA semifinals begin Aug. 28.

Patrick Cantlay goes back-to-back with BMW Championship win ⛳

It wasn't the smoothest final round, but Patrick Cantlay will happily take the win -- along with the history it represents -- anyway. The California native won the BMW Championship for a second straight year, making him the first in PGA Tour history to successfully defend a FedEx Cup playoff event.

Cantlay saw his one-stroke lead heading into the final round evaporate after bogeying twice around the turn, but he stormed back with a birdie at the 17th to hold off Scott Stallings for the win.
The win was Cantlay's second of the season, and it catapulted him to No. 2 in the FedEx Cup standings with only one event remaining.
Cantlay earned $2.7 million with the win, over a million more than the runner-up Stallings, who took home $1.62 million.

Here's our golf expert Patrick McDonald on Cantlay's BMW Championship performance and what's at stake for him in next week's TOUR Championship in Atlanta:

McDonald: "Cantlay made history in Delaware on Sunday with his triumph, and now has an opportunity to add to it in Atlanta. No man has won back-to-back FedEx Cup crowns, and while this will surely be on the mind of the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, so will the $18 million check he has a realistic chance to add to his bank account for the second consecutive year."

For a full recap of the BMW Championship, along with McDonald's grades for the top finishers, click here.