Natalie Spooner leads Toronto to 5-2 win over Ottawa in regular-season finale

TORONTO (AP) — Natalie Spooner scored twice in Toronto’s 5-2 win over Ottawa in the league's regular-season finale on Sunday night.

Ottawa’s playoff hopes in the PWHL’s inaugural season were crushed by the loss as the club needed a regulation win to reach the postseason.

Spooner scored a go-ahead goal for Toronto with 5:43 left in the third period.

She finished the regular season atop the PWHL leaderboard in points (27) and goals (20).

Sarah Nurse also scored for Toronto and Victoria Bach and Samantha Cogan added empty-net goals. Goalie Kristen Campbell made 41 saves in the win.

Toronto had already secured first place and has a choice of semifinal opponent between third-place Boston and fourth-place Minnesota.

Toronto opens its first-round series Wednesday at Coca-Cola Coliseum.

Montreal finished second and starts playoffs Thursday at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec.

Gabbie Hughes and Daryl Watts scored for Ottawa. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 27 shots.

The visitors needed a regulation win to secure third place ahead of Boston, and bump Minnesota out of the playoff picture.

Ottawa was the only team to win its season series against Toronto, going 3-0-0-2 this season.

Spooner opened the scoring just 1:05 into the contest.

Maschmeyer made a diving save on Hannah Miller who picked up the rebound behind the net and sent a pass in front to Spooner who buried it home.

Hughes knotted the contest at 9:38 of the first period. Hayley Scamurra dished a centering pass to a streaking Hughes who made good on the play tapping it past Campbell.

Nurse restored Toronto’s edge at 10:48 of the frame. With Natalie Snodgrass trailing her every move, Nurse skated up the boards, spun around and drove the net to roof the puck on Maschmeyer.

Toronto was forced to kill a five-minute penalty at 12:36 after Jesse Compher was assessed a major for a check from behind and a game misconduct, served by Cogan.

Compher nailed Katerina Mrazova, causing the Ottawa forward to go head first into the end boards. Mrazova remained in the game.

Watts evened the score on a sweet play in which she capitalized on a defensive mishap from the hosts at 6:26 of the second period.

Brianne Jenner made a drop-off pass to Watts causing Cogan and Jocelyne Larocque to collide trying to switch sides.

Watts took the pass and cut across the face of Campbell whose outstretched leg couldn’t reach far enough to stop the backhand shot.

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

Toronto's Natalie Spooner, 24, battles Ottawa's Ashton Bell and Jincy Reese, 71, at the side of goalie Emerance Maschmeyer's net during the second period of a PWHL hockey game in Toronto, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto players take part in a huddle for their last home game before the PWHL hockey playoffs start as they play Ottawa in Toronto, Sunday May 5, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, right, and Toronto's Victoria Bach (51) lose sight of the puck during second-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, right, and Toronto's Natalie Spooner (24) look on as Ottawa's Savannah Harmon, front left, clears the puck during second-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ottawa goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, right, stops Toronto's Natalie Spooner (24) during second-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto's Natalie Spooner celebrates after her second goal against Ottawa with teammates on the bench during third-period PWHL hockey game action in Toronto, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto's Natalie Spooner (24) scores her second goal of the game against Ottawa goalie Emerance Maschmeyer, center, as Ottawa's Hayley Scamurra (14) defends during third-period PWHL hockey action in Toronto, Sunday May 5, 2024. It was Spooner's 20th goal of the season. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler arrived at the golf course in plenty of time. Once he got there, nothing felt quite right.

A day after he powered through his odyssey to the jailhouse, then back to the course just in time to get to the opening tee box, Scheffler enjoyed a more regular schedule but struggled to keep things together at the PGA Championship.

He shot 2-over 73 in Saturday's third round to close at 7 under for the tournament and drop from fourth to a tie for 24th with the leaders still on the course. It snapped a string of 42 straight rounds of par or better for the world's top player, dating to Saturday at the Tour Championship last year.

Though he said his arrest and trip to a holding cell the day before left his heart thumping and his head spinning, it didn't show on the course or the scoreboard; he shot 66 in Round 2. A day later, he was still adjusting to the stunning events of the previous 36 hours.

“I definitely did not feel like myself today,” he said. “Yesterday happened, I did my best to recover from it and come out and compete. This morning was not my usual routine for a round. At the end of the day, I came out hoping to have a good round but I wasn't able to get it done, which was frustrating.”

He started losing ground even before he stepped onto the course.

Justin Rose and Shane Lowry led the way, shooting 64 and 62 in a group more than an hour ahead of Scheffler's.

But this was no day for going low for the reigning Masters champion.

He made two bogeys and a double over his first four holes, finished the front nine in 38 and shot his worst round of the season. Even though he struggled, he still felt the love. Chants of “Scottie, Scottie, Scottie,” were scattered across the course, never louder than when he made a short birdie putt on 18 to close the day.

Before that, it was an ugly mix of missed tee shots, bad lies in the rough and a few struggles with the putter that had more or less gone away during a season in which he has won four times.

“I was battling as hard as I could all day but every time I'd make a birdie, I’d bogey the next hole,” he said. “Way too many mistakes today. Obviously I'm pretty frustrated with the result.”

His struggles started on the par-4 second, where his approach shot landed deep in the rough to the left of the green. It took him two shots to get to the putting surface and he made double bogey.

On No. 4, his tee shot landed left of a fence in a penalty area to the left of the green. After taking a drop, Scheffler chunked the next chip. He made a 10-foot putt to save bogey.

He made two birdies after that, but three-putted from 30 feet on the par-3 eighth, the second putt a push from 3 feet that took a 270-degree spin and stayed out.

Scheffler's 73 was better than only five players in the 78-man field.

One possible boost for Sunday will be the return of his caddie, Ted Scott. Scott left town to attend his daughter's high school reunion, leaving the bag duties to Scheffler's friend, the tour chaplain Brad Payne.

Scott is scheduled to return for the final round, which will start much earlier than Scheffler might have expected on a week where very little has gone to plan.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the seventh hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Scottie Scheffler watches his tee shot on the third hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Scottie Scheffler waits to play on the second hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Valhalla Golf Club, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)