Joe Sakic has been promoted to president of hockey operations by the Colorado Avalanche just over two weeks after he helped build the team that captured its first Stanley Cup since 2001.
The move was officially announced on Monday, along with assistant general manager Chris MacFarland moving into Sakic's former position as Avalanche GM.
Sakic had recently been awarded the 2021-22 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award and became the first person in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup as a GM and a captain for the same organisation after leading the Avs to titles in 1996 and 2001.
The 53-year-old Sakic retired from playing in 2009, and had served as Colorado's executive vice president and GM for the past nine seasons.
Under his direction, Colorado vaulted from a last-place finish in the 2016-17 season to Stanley Cup champions in just five years, becoming the fifth team in the expansion era (1967-68) to accomplish such a turnaround.
With 56 victories in the regular season – 34 more than five seasons ago – the Avs established a franchise record for wins.
After recording 16 more playoff victories en route to raising the Cup, Colorado's 72 combined wins matched the NHL record set by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens and equalled by the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers and 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings.
The 52-year-old MacFarland spent the last seven seasons as assistant GM for the Avs, and his name had been recently linked to other GM jobs with other franchises.
Sakic and MacFarland will turn their attention to constructing a roster this offseason in a bid to repeat as champions.
Wales wing Alex Cuthbert has been ruled out of this weekend's series decider against South Africa with a shoulder injury.
The 32-year-old was forced off the field 17 minutes into the visitors' 13-12 victory in Bloemfontein on Saturday, which levelled the three-match series at 1-1.
Wales confirmed on Monday that Cuthbert will play no part in the third and final Test, with no replacement being called up.
Josh Adams, who replaced Cuthbert and scored Wales' late try, is now expected to start the crunch clash in Cape Town.
Captain Dan Biggar and prop Dillon Lewis suffered shoulder and arm injuries respectively in the second Test, but they have not yet been ruled out.
South Africa confirmed earlier on Monday that centre Andre Esterhuizen, who started for the much-changed hosts last time out, will play no part after breaking his hand.
Jamaica’s Women’s basketball team received a welcome cash boost on Saturday as they continue preparations for the Caribbean Basketball Championship set to tip off in Cuba on July 13.
Three St Lucia boxers preparing for the Commonwealth Games left the island recently for England for a training camp that is expected to get them in top shape for the Games.
Light middleweight Kyghan Mortley, middleweight Arthur Langellier and super heavyweight Leran Regis were accompanied by National Head Boxing Coach, Conrad Fredericks.
The trio, from the Vigie Boxing Gym, are the most senior and experienced boxers and are set to compete at the Games to be held in Birmingham, England, from July 28 – August 8.
Prior to their departure, the boxers and coach received a courtesy call at the gym by Minister for Youth Development and Sport, the Honourable Kenson Casimir, Resident British Commissioner Lesley M. Saunderson, Joyce Huxley, Chef de Mission for the 2022 Birmingham Games and Irwin Jean, Vice-President of the St. Lucia Boxing Association (SLBA).
Minister Casimir commended the boxers for their determination as they were able to continue their training through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also congratulated them for making the team to the Commonwealth Games, imploring them to make the most of the opportunity.
“I’m very proud of their level of preparation and where they are right now and, of course, Saint Lucia will be proud that they will give a good account of themselves,” the minister said.
“It really speaks volumes of their character and their love for country, so I just want to encourage them to do their best.”
The minister also praised the efforts of the St. Lucia Boxing Association in preparing the boxers for the Games, noting that not enough credit is given to administrators.
“We must really remedy it as a nation, not just as a Ministry. I think we need to continue to commend and encourage those who volunteer their time and energies. So hats off to the St. Lucia Boxing Association for getting them prepared,” he said.
Meanwhile, President of the St Lucia Boxing Association David Christopher said the boxers have been making good progress with their training in England.
“I think this is the best preparation any boxing team in the history of Saint Lucia has ever gotten,” Christopher said.
“They’re presently training at two gyms in England, including the Repton Gym, where they’re getting their required amount of sparring and strength and conditioning with a special coach. They’re getting pad work, working on their shape and balance, and nutrition.”
The boxers will leave their training camp on July 23 for Birmingham prior to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
Christopher thanked the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, National Lotteries Authority, and St. Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) Inc. for supporting the boxers’ training camp.
Suriname kept their slim hopes of claiming the gold medal in the 2021 Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association Junior Men (Under-21) Championship alive with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) victory against host Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.
With the straight-sets win, Suriname, seeking a first title at this level, improved their win-loss record to 2-1 and 11 points, the same as Jamaica (2-1) and two points behind unbeaten leaders Haiti (3-0) as the trio will enter the final day of the five-team round-robin series all in contention for their first title.
Hosts Trinidad and Tobago, who needed a win to keep alive their medal hopes dropped to a 1-2 record and three points, just ahead of winless US Virgin Islands, who completed their four-match campaign with two points.
Despite the loss, Trinidad and Tobago still has a slim chance at a medal but will need to pull off a shock win over title-favourites Haiti.
On, Monday, July 11, in the final round of matches, Jamaica meets Suriname at 10 am, and Haiti meets Trinidad and Tobago at 4 pm, at the end of which, the top team will be declared champions.
South Africa centre Andre Esterhuizen has been ruled out of Saturday's series decider against Wales with a broken hand.
The 28-year-old sustained the injury during the Springboks' 13-12 loss in Bloemfontein over the weekend.
Boks assistant coach Deon Davids confirmed on Monday that Esterhuizen is facing around a month on the sidelines.
However, South Africa were always expected to revert back to the XV that started the first Test, which ended in a dramatic 32-29 victory.
That would see Lukhanyo Am and Damian De Allende recalled as the hosts' starting midfield combination for the Cape Town showdown.
Esterhuizen is now in a race against time to be fit for South Africa's opening Rugby Championship match against New Zealand on August 6.
Tennis great Roger Federer is no longer ranked by the ATP Tour after his remaining ranking points expired, meaning he has dropped out of the top 100 for the first time this century.
The 40-year-old has not played since undergoing knee surgery after a straight-sets defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2021, having also missed much of the 2020 season with a similar injury.
But Federer, a 20-time grand slam champion, has repeatedly ruled out retiring and recently said he intends to make an ATP Tour comeback in 2023.
His remaining ranking points have now expired, meaning he has not only dropped out of the top 100 for the first time in almost 23 years, but he is no longer ranked at all by the ATP.
According to Opta, the last time the Swiss superstar was not ranked among the 100 best players in the world was October 4, 1999, a remarkable 8,316 days ago.
Daniil Medvedev remains as world number one, while Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic slipped to seventh in the rankings despite his win over Nick Kyrgios at SW19 on Sunday, as ranking points were stripped in this year's tournament.
England flanker Sam Underhill will not feature in the Test series decider against Australia due to concussion, joining Maro Itoje on Eddie Jones' list of absentees.
Jones confirmed Itoje would be unavailable for the winner-takes-all clash in Sydney on Saturday, after England levelled the series with a 25-17 victory in Brisbane last weekend.
England have won four of their past five games in Oceania, having done so just once in their previous 12 away matches against teams from that continent, but the most recent victory came at a cost.
While Jones had already acknowledged Itoje would miss the third Test, England remained hopeful Underhill may be fit to feature after the pair both suffered concussions in the same game.
However, England announced on Monday that the pair had been withdrawn from the squad and no replacements have been called up.
Flanker Tom Curry has already returned home after being concussed in the first Test, with Australia's Jordan Petaia and Allan Alaalatoa making up the five players ruled out of the series due to concussion.
Jones will likely call upon Billy Vunipola and Courtney Lawes again, with Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam and Jack Willis the alternate options for the final spot in the back row.
Novak Djokovic has slipped to seventh in the ATP Tour rankings despite winning Wimbledon, where ranking points were stripped in this year's tournament.
Players from Russia and Belarus were banned from competing at the third major of the year due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The ATP and WTA retaliated by stripping ranking points from the event at the All England Club, where the likes of world number one Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev did not feature.
Moscow-born Elena Rybakina, who switched to represent Kazakhstan four years ago, lifted the women's title in the singles competition, while Djokovic triumphed for a fourth straight time in the men's event.
Yet, Djokovic has lost 2,000 rankings points – the standard total awarded to a grand slam singles champion – after winning in SW19 last year, with no such rewards available on this occasion.
That meant the Serbian has dropped from third place to seventh, his lowest position since August 2018 when he fell to 10th.
Djokovic moved within just one major title of Rafael Nadal's record of 22 grand slams, and the Spaniard has jumped up one spot to third.
Medvedev and Alexander Zverev are unmoved as the respective top two after losing just 180 rankings points in the latest edition. Both missed Wimbledon, with the Russian banned and the German still injured.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz make up the top six after climbing a place each, while Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner are the trio behind Djokovic.
Nick Kyrgios appeared in his maiden major final against Djokovic at Wimbledon as world number 40, the lowest-ranked grand slam male finalist since Marcos Baghdatis (54) at the Australian Open in 2006.
Just a day later Kyrgios has dropped five places to 45th in the rankings, losing 90 points from his third-round berth last year. If the ban was not imposed, the Australian would have broken into the top 20.
Cameron Norrie is another loser from the ranking points fallout. His run to the semi-finals at the London major would have seen him climb to eighth, but instead he has to settle for 11th.
Keith Earls will captain Ireland for the first time when Andy Farrell's side face the Maori All Blacks in Wellington on Tuesday.
The Maoris eased to a 32-17 victory in the first warm-up meeting before Ireland responded to a comprehensive Test defeat against New Zealand by defeating the All Blacks away from home for the first time.
That teed up a winner-takes-all decider at the Sky Stadium on Saturday but Ireland clash with the Maoris once more before the Test series decider against New Zealand.
Farrell previously hinted at rotation to offer his second-string side valuable minutes on the tour, and he has made just three changes to his last team that lost to the Maoris in Hamilton.
Stuart McCloskey comes into midfield to partner Earls, who is Ireland's second-highest try scorer of all time, while Michael Lowry is another introduction at full-back.
The start for Lowry means Jimmy O'Brien will move to the left wing, while forward Niall Scannell replaces the concussed Dave Heffernan.
Jeremy Loughman has also been named in the starting side despite suffering concussion in the first meeting just two weeks ago, with Ed Byrne expected to make his first appearance off the bench.
Farrell hopes Ireland can find form in their warm-up against the Maoris and believes there is no player more deserving of captaining Ireland than Earls.
"For the likes of him, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, well everyone really, their attitudes have been top class and there has only been one thing on their mind and that is, 'how can we help the team-mates, how can we make the fellas who are starting in advance of them better?'," he told reporters.
"There is no more deserving man to captain Ireland against the Maoris than Keith.
"He was not as shocked as Bundee [Aki, to be named captain] but he has always been a leader, Keith, especially over the last five or six years that I have known him.
"He has always been curious about how he can learn more, such as edge defence as an example, or what more he can learn about back three play in general. He is able to get across at 13 no problem.
"He has always been one who has been able to take people with him, always one who wants to share and help. That has been at the forefront of his attitude for the last five or six years that I have known him and he will bring all that to the forefront on Tuesday night."
Ireland team: Michael Lowry; Jordan Larmour, Keith Earls, Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O’Brien, Ciaran Frawley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Tom O’Toole, Joe McCarthy, Kieran Treadwell, Cian Prendergast, Nick Timoney, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Ed Byrne, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Mack Hansen.
Finding players of a similar profile to Robert Lewandowski is a difficult enough task, let alone trying to actually replace him.
That is the dilemma Bayern Munich find themselves in with the wantaway striker, however.
But the reigning Bundesliga champions might have identified the player who is closest in skill-set to Lewandowski, should he get his wish and leave for pastures new.
TOP STORY – KANE BAYERN'S TOP TARGET
Bayern have identified Harry Kane as the successor to Lewandowski, according to Kicker.
Kane's contract with Tottenham expires in 2024 and the 28-year-old would command a significant transfer fee, but one that would be reportedly attainable for Bayern in the event Lewandowski leaves.
According to the report, Lewandowski hopes Bayern will accept Barcelona's offer for him by Tuesday.
He is set to return for the commencement of pre-season training this week, but the German club seem to be preparing for the 33-year-old's departure. They have already brought in Sadio Mane from Liverpool.
ROUND-UP
– Barcelona believe they will be able to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City, Mundo Deportivo claim.
– Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reluctant to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge this off-season, the Daily Mail reports.
– Juventus are looking to use the funds from Matthijs de Ligt's sale to pay for Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, per Tuttosport
– Arsenal are in talks to sign Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo after submitting an initial bid, The Express reports.
– Wayne Rooney is set to return to D.C. United to take over as the team's head coach, according to The Athletic.
For only the fifth time in history, a pair of brothers will suit up on the same All-Star team when designated hitter William Contreras of the Atlanta Braves joins Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras on the National League squad.
They will become the fifth brothers on the same All-Star team and the first since Sandy Jr. and Roberto Alomar for the AL in 1992.
"You almost can't even dream about something like that," William said when Atlanta came to town to play the Cubs in June. "But to have both brothers be All-Stars like that, I mean, it would just be unreal."
Willson, when asked about the possibility during the last Cubs home stand, said he was "speechless."
"If we can make it together, we’re both going to enjoy it a lot," Willson said. "My family would be really proud, and we would enjoy it. I’m speechless."
William Contreras, a first-time All-Star, is batting .273 with 11 homers and 22 RBIs. He was voted in on Sunday as a reserve by fellow players and was selected to start after Bryce Harper, who was elected by fans, broke his thumb for the Philadelphia Phillies in June.
Willson earned his third All-Star trip, all as an elected starter. He is batting .266 with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs.
The Boston Red Sox moved to third place in the American League after they rallied to defeat the New York Yankees 11-6 on Sunday.
The Red Sox reeled off four runs in the seventh inning to split their four-game series at Fenway Park and claim first place in the AL's wildcard race.
Nick Pivetta was pulled early after the Yankees shot out to a 6-2 lead at the top of the third inning, before Christian Vazquez's solo home run off Jameson Taillon kept them in touching distance.
It was the first of nine consecutive runs for the Red Sox, only a day after they managed three runs in the 10th inning to set up the series split.
Giancarlo Stanton and Matt Carpenter homered for the Yankees early, but the pitchers who followed Pivetta gave up only three hits over the rest of the game.
Marlins win after nine scoreless innings
An epic pitchers' duel between Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara and New York Mets former All-Star Taijuan Walker saw the two sides reach the end of regulation without a run scored, before the Marlins won 2-0 in extra innings.
The National League's Cy Young Award favourite Alcantara pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up six hits and no walks while striking out four. Walker was just as good, allowing three hits and one walk in his seven shut-out frames.
In the top of the 10th inning, the Marlins finally broke the deadlock through a fielding error by Mets catcher Tomas Nido, before Luke Williams collected the game's only RBI with a base hit to give his side some breathing room.
Grossman drops game and record for Tigers
The Chicago White Sox took advantage of a costly error from Robbie Grossman in the eighth inning to defeat the Detroit Tigers 4-2 at home.
With the scores tied at 2-2 in the eighth, with two outs, Grossman dropped a routine pop-up in left-field, keeping the inning alive and allowing the White Sox to capitalise with two runs after RBI base hits from A.J. Pollock and Eloy Jimenez.
It was Grossman's first error in 440 games – dating back to June 13, 2018 – setting a new major league record for games between errors by a position player. He was a perfect 821-for-821 in fielding opportunities over that period.
Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman made an encouraging return to competitive action on Sunday as his side defeated the San Antonio Spurs 86-85 at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Warriors fans did not have to wait long to see the number two overall pick from the 2020 NBA Draft make an impact, scoring the first points of the game when he got on the receiving end of a big alley-oop from Jonathan Kuminga 15 seconds into the contest.
Wiseman then blocked the Spurs' first shot attempt, gathered the rebound, and hit his first three-point attempt less than a minute later.
He had five points and two blocks in his first five-minute stint, and that would end up being his best stretch of play, with turnovers and fouls plaguing the rest of his game as he re-adjusted to the speed of NBA action.
Wiseman finished with 11 points on five-of-seven shooting, hitting the only three-pointer he attempted, but he also had seven personal fouls, three turnovers and only two rebounds in his 20 minutes, showing flaws that will hurt his chances of getting on the floor with the Warriors' real team if he can not clean it up.
Second-year Warrior Jonathan Kuminga was impressive, albeit inefficient, in a vastly expanded role.
As his side's top offensive option, he scored a team-high 28 points with seven rebounds and four assists, but he shot 10-of-22 from the field, and had even worse showings from long range (one-of-seven) and the free throw line (seven-of-18). He also committed five turnovers and five fouls in 26 minutes.
The Spurs almost ended up pulling out the win after two clutch three-pointers from Blake Wesley – the 25th pick from this year's draft – that turned a 81-79 deficit with 1:30 to play into a 85-81 lead less than 30 seconds later. Wesley finished with a team-high 22 points on seven-of-20 shooting, hitting four-of-seven from three-point range.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani's two-way selection for the second year in a row was the highlight of Sunday's All-Star Game roster reveal, while Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez was the only first-year player to earn the honour.
Ohtani, who learned Friday that he beat out the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez in a fan vote for starter at DH, was also named to the AL roster as a pitcher.
The reigning league MVP has posted a 0.27 ERA in winning his last five starts, and he threw a 1-2-3 first inning in starting last year’s All-Star Game, becoming the first two-way All-Star in baseball history.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane McClanahan, however, figures to start the game on the hill for the AL, as he leads the league in strikeouts (141) and ERA (1.73).
Two New York Yankees starting pitchers were named All-Stars in Nester Cortes and Gerrit Cole, as well as Clay Holmes out of the bullpen. Catcher Jose Trevino was named an All-Star reserve giving New York an MLB-high six All-Stars – the first time the Bronx Bombers had that many since 2011 – with outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton already named starters.
The two teams that squared off in last year’s World Series – the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros – were close behind with five All-Stars apiece, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays each have four.
For the defending World Series champion Braves, starting outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. will be joined by pitcher Max Fried, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, shortstop Dansby Swanson and DH William Contreras.
Contreras will not only be the starter with the fan-voted Bryce Harper on the injured list, but he also will be in the starting lineup with his brother after Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was voted in by the fans.
They are the first brothers in the same All-Star Game since Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003, and the first brothers to start a Midsummer Classic since 1992, when Roberto and Sandy Alomar Jr. did it.
The host of this year’s All-Star Game already had two starters in outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Trea Turner, and those Dodgers will be joined by Tony Gonsolin and Clayton Kershaw, who is on an All-Star Game roster for the ninth time.
Gonsolin has an excellent chance to start the game on the mound in front of the fans in Los Angeles having gone 11-0 with an NL-best 1.62 ERA.
The Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara, however, also could make a case to take the ball first after he lowered his ERA to 1.73 with seven shutout innings on Sunday against the Mets.
Mariners outfielder Rodriguez is the only rookie named to a roster and is one of 30 first-time All-Stars.
Below are the full All-Star Game rosters:
AL Starters, as voted on by fans
Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros
Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees
Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Yankees
Reserves
Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
Miguel Cabrera, DH, Tigers (Special Selection)
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox
José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians
Jose Trevino, C, Yankees
Luis Arraez, 1B, Twins
Andrés Giménez, 2B, Guardians
George Springer, OF, Blue Jays
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Royals
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners
Starting Pitchers
Shane McClanahan, LHP, Rays
Nestor Cortes, LHP, Yankees
Alek Manoah, RHP, Blue Jays
Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros
Martín Pérez, LHP, Rangers
Paul Blackburn, RHP, A's
Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels
Relief Pitchers
Clay Holmes, RHP, Yankees
Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Guardians
Gregory Soto, LHP, Tigers
Jorge López, RHP, Orioles
NL Starters, as voted on by fans
Willson Contreras, C, Cubs
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Marlins
Manny Machado, 3B, Padres
Trea Turner, SS, Dodgers
Bryce Harper, DH, Phillies
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Joc Pederson, OF, Giants
Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers
Reserves
William Contreras, C, Braves
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Cardinals
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
Albert Pujols, DH/1B, Cardinals (Special Selection)
Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets
Travis d'Arnaud, C, Braves
C.J. Cron, 1B, Rockies
Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves
Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies
Juan Soto, OF, Nationals
Starling Marte, OF, Mets
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs
Starting Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers
Luis Castillo, RHP, Reds
Max Fried, LHP, Braves
Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Padres
Relief Pitchers
Edwin Díaz, RHP, Mets
Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers
Ryan Helsley, RHP, Cardinals
David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
Joe Mantiply, LHP, Diamondbacks
The AL West-leading Houston Astros will be without MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez for a while as he deals with a right hand injury that has landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Alvarez has been bothered by soreness and inflammation in his right hand since originally injuring it on June 18 against the Chicago White Sox. He is expected to miss the next two series and the team hope he can return after the All-Star break.
"Yordan has been suffering with the injury for a couple weeks and it's gotten worse," Houston manager Dusty Baker said.
"We decided the only way to get this well is to try to use these [series] before the break [to] coincide with the 10 [days] that he has to be on the IL."
Alvarez has been among the best players in the AL this season, batting .306 with 26 home runs and 60 RBIs for an Astros team who have the second-best record in the league with a comfortable lead in the West.
The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year leads the majors with a .653 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.058.
Trey Mullinax sunk a clutch birdie putt on the final hole to secure his first PGA Tour victory, winning the Barbasol Championship by one stroke.
Mullinax, who only has one top-20 finish this season back in October at the Sanderson Farms Championship, was in fine form all week, shooting rounds of 65, 65, 67 and finishing with a six-under 66 to post a score of 25 under for the tournament.
In his last final trip around the Keene Trace Golf Club's Champions course, the American shot five birdies and two bogeys on an action-packed front-nine, and then went bogey-free down the back.
In one of the final groupings of the day, Mullinax and playing partner Kevin Streelman were tied for the lead, two strokes clear of the chasing field, heading onto the final hole.
Both played strong approach shots, but while Streelman's putt narrowly missed, Mullinax's attempt from the edge of the green found the hole for the win.
Speaking to The Golf Channel after the win Mullinax talked about the nerves on the final hole, calling the opportunity "what we dream about".
"Me and Jules, my caddy, all week were trying to commit to everything we were doing in the process," he said.
"No matter what Kevin did with his tee-shot, it didn't change what I was going to do, we just really tried to stay focused. I stayed focused for 72 holes.
"I missed a couple of opportunities with my putter, but I just told myself 'keep putting, you've been putting great' – and I've been hitting my irons beautifully all week.
"That was definitely the strongest point of my game this week – we had a pretty comfortable number (from the 18th fairway), we worked on it at the range and we knew we would have that shot a few times, and I hit a great shot at the right time.
"I said when we were walking up the 18th fairway 'this is what we dream about' – an opportunity to hole a putt for the win."
Streelman was the only other player to finish with four rounds of 67 or better, finishing outright second at 24 under.
Mark Hubbard was alone in third at 22 under, who shot a 65 for Sunday's round of the day, with Germany's Hurly Long the top international performer in outright fourth with a score of 21 under.
Vince Whaley rounded out the top-five at 20 under, Canada's Adam Svensson was one further back alone in sixth, and Michael Kim was outright seventh with 18 under, with a number of players finishing tied for eighth at 17 under.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
