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Brooks Koepka has gotten off to a nice start at the PGA Championship, and each made cut has resulted in a top-20 finish this season.

The five-time major winner returned to the PGA Tour this season after spending four years with LIV Golf and was one of 33 players to break 70 in the first round on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club outside of Philadelphia.

Last year was a struggle for Koepka on the course, as he missed the cut in three of the four majors and finished 31st in the individual LIV standings.

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But it was a struggle off the course as well, especially with his wife, Jena Sims, suffering a miscarriage at 16 weeks pregnant.

Speaking after his first round Thursday, Koepka admitted that "a lot of family issues" last year "took a toll" on him and affected his play.

"That was kind of tough to deal with," Koepka said, via the New York Post.

But home is "in a much better place," which coincides with his impressive scores in the early going.

"It’s easier to come out to work when everything at home lines up. Everything’s a lot better. Last year was just difficult personally with what was going on off the golf course, nothing to do on it. It was just off," Koepka continued.

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"So, yeah, just being in a better place. It’s exciting. It’s a little bit of a fresh start as well. I think that’s a big piece of it. Yeah, when all that kind of lines up, it makes it enjoyable to be out here."

"It’s been a long time since I’ve had fun playing golf. I was very frustrated last year. Just wasn’t in a good place, but I think a lot of times when you — it’s like anybody, right? If they’re happy off the golf course, they’re going to play well on the golf course. I think that’s a huge, huge piece of it, and I’ve found that," Koepka told Golf.com last week.

"Refound my happiness, my love for the game. All the pieces are connected. It’s just now I’ve got to go out and go play."

Koepka is currently aiming for his fourth PGA Championship victory, having also won in 2018, 2019 and 2023. He would join Walter Hagen, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only four-time winners of the event.

Koepka struggled in his early return to the PGA Tour, finishing T55 at the Farmers Insurance Open and missing the cut at the Waste Management Open. But since then, despite two other missed cuts, his finishes have ranged from T9 to T18.

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Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra faced criticism over a tense television interview with Annie Rose Ramos that began with the California gubernatorial candidate questioning whether the segment would be a "gotcha piece."

"By the way, this is a profile piece, this is not a gotcha piece, right?" Becerra asked Ramos before the interview formally began.

The exchange immediately turned awkward when Ramos responded that the questions were intended to help voters learn more about him as a candidate.

"The way I describe profile is you talk about all the things that I’ve done, things I want to do, and along with some tough questions," Becerra said. "But not only tough questions."

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The interview quickly generated backlash from conservative commentators and Republican activists online, many of whom accused Becerra of appearing defensive and combative during the exchange with Ramos.

Jennifer Van Laar, managing editor of RedState, praised KTLA for airing the full exchange and argued that Becerra briefly showed anger during the interview.

"Wow.... the STATION posted this. And good for them," Van Laar said on X. "There’s a microexpression on his face a few seconds before the end of this clip where you can see his anger briefly, which he quickly replaces with a smile."

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Van Laar also criticized the former HHS secretary’s demeanor during the interview.

"Trying to come across as jovial, kind Becerra... but that ain’t who he is," she said.

Michael Trujillo, a Democratic strategist, criticized Becerra’s opening exchange with Ramos and framed it as dismissive toward a younger female reporter.

"I’ve seen this a lot in my community," Trujillo said on X. "A man telling a younger woman how to do her job."

Dana Loesch, a conservative radio host and former NRA spokesperson, also weighed in on the exchange and referenced prior reporting involving migrant children.

"It’s insane that the NYT story alone first didn’t end his political career," Loesch said on X. "This is all just so, so bad."

Kevin Dalton, a conservative political commentator, said, "KTLA just ended Xavier Becerra."

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The sharpest exchange came during a discussion of Becerra’s tenure at HHS, when Ramos referenced a New York Times investigation involving migrant children released to sponsors by federal authorities.

"That’s not accurate," Becerra said after Ramos cited findings that the department could not account for tens of thousands of children. "What you just read is not accurate."

Becerra then accused Ramos of echoing Republican messaging.

"You’re essentially, I don’t know if you got those talking points from Donald Trump," Becerra said.

Ramos pushed back, noting she was referencing reporting published by The New York Times.

"That’s not what the New York Times article said," Becerra responded. "The New York Times said that individuals, the children and their sponsors, did not respond to calls. They didn’t say we couldn’t find kids."

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Ramos later said she was surprised by the tone of the interaction because it differed from her interviews with other gubernatorial candidates.

"Honestly, I was caught off guard because it was so dramatically different from any of the other candidates that we had approached and sat down with," Ramos said.

"This was one of our final interviews," Ramos said. "As you saw, we’ve interviewed Sheriff Chad Bianco, Tom Steyer, and really, the only question I’ve gotten from anyone consistently is, ‘Is it Annie or Annie Rose?’"

When reached for comment, the Becerra campaign referred Fox News Digital to a previous statement from spokesman Jonathan Underland, who said that "unlike some candidates in the race, Becerra doesn’t walk away when the questions get difficult."

"Over decades in public service, he’s consistently shown up, answered tough questions and respected the role journalists play in holding public officials accountable," Underland added.

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The second-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild was always destined to be a bit of a slugfest, and it's delivering the goods.

However, after Game 4 — which the Avs won 5-2 to take a 3-1 series lead — the intensity has boiled over off the ice, and it's all thanks to a butt-ending incident that earned Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson a four-minute minor.

In the first period, Wild forward Michael McCarron checked Manson hard and wound up falling on top of him. The two wrestled for a little before Manson could be seen striking McCarron in the side of the head with the butt-end of his stick.

McCarron went down in pain, and upon review, Manson was dealt a double-minor for butt-ending.

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The Wild scored on the ensuing power play, and McCarron laid into Manson during an intermission interview with ESPN.

After the game, McCarron continued to criticize Manson's brand of play.

"I blew him up, and he grabbed me and pulled me on top of him," he said. "He took his butt end and clearly butt-ended me in the face. I don’t know how it’s not a five-minute. I think the rulebook says it’s a five-minute if you butt-end someone in the face."

According to Sportsnet, Manson claimed that he simply lost awareness of where his hand was on his stick when he took a swing at McCarron, whom he said he was angry at for falling on him.

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"My intention wasn't to butt-end him. Did I want to punch him in the head? I did want to punch him in the head," Manson said.

The series shifts back to Denver for Game 5, and something tells me we probably haven't seen the last of this one.

However, Minnesota is in quite a hole, so keeping their postseason alive should be at the front of their mind, not getting back at Josh Manson.

But, no matter how you want to look at it, the heat is certainly getting turned up in this one.

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I've had a tough run in the second round of the NBA playoffs. The first round went really well, but this round has been a struggle. Lost in all of that has been a string of solid baseball looks that have kept the bankroll from plummeting. I'm going back to the diamond tonight as the Diamondbacks take on the Rangers in a night game.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a team I've covered a few times recently, and I mentioned that the expectation of this season is probably what they are showing us at the moment. The team is 20-20 for the year, slightly better at home than on the road. I'd be really surprised if they ended up better than what we are seeing if they make no moves. Offensively, the team is doing well, but they still need some pitching to improve their club. Perhaps if Corbin Burnes comes back around the All-Star break, they could make a push for a Wild Card spot at the end of the year.

Burnes' return would be helpful, but Zac Gallen's improvement would probably be the biggest boost to the club. Gallen is 1-3 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. He has been worse on the road than at home as well. He has made four starts, spanning 17.2 innings, and allowed 14 earned runs. While that line looks bad, two of his starts were okay on the road. In two starts against the Mets and Phillies, he allowed four earned runs over 10 innings compared to 10 earned runs in 7.2 innings against the Cubs and Dodgers. Rangers hitters have been successful against Gallen in the past, hitting .267 with about a third of their hits going for extra bases.

The Texas Rangers are another team that has playoff expectations, but isn't off to a great start to the year. They enter tonight's game with a 19-22 record and a 9-10 mark at home. The Rangers are actually about the same in terms of hitting statistics. Their pitching staff has carried them a bit at the moment, with them collectively throwing to a 3.59 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. If they make a move or two for some bats, they might have a chance to make a push for a postseason berth.

They did make a move in the offseason, but it was to bolster their already deep starting rotation. That move came in the form of acquiring MacKenzie Gore, who is making a start tonight. Gore was one of the more sought-after arms at the trade deadline last year. So far, Gore hasn't really paid off, throwing to a 2-3 record with a 5.18 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has been better at home this season, but hasn't made a ton of starts. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any of his three home outings. Diamondbacks hitters have been solid against him in limited at-bats (12-for-38).

There are a few angles I like for this game. I love sharing ideas for player props in case you play daily fantasy or anything. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 5-for-9 against Gore in his career. Evan Carter is also 5-for-9 with four doubles against Gallen. I'll play him at +389 tonight for 2+ hits. 2+ total bases are +181 and +112 for 2+ hits, runs, and RBIs if you want a different option.

As far as a side, I think Gallen's road struggles make the Rangers the right side in this game. Texas at -131 is the right way to go in this one. I also think the offenses are going to feast on the starters tonight. I'll back the over 8 for this game.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 

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