Pro Bruin Rundown: Patrick Cantlay secures PGA victory, Jayon Brown aids Titans with interceptions

As college sports continue to be pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, professional leagues have restarted. Each Monday, Daily Bruin Sports will highlight a few standout alumni performances from the past week in ongoing leagues as we await the return of university athletics.

Patrick Cantlay, PGA Tour

Patrick Cantlay, who earned First-Team All-Pac-12 honors in two seasons at UCLA from 2010-12, celebrated his first PGA Tour victory of the season.

At the Zozo Championship in Sherwood, California, Cantlay birdied four of his last nine holes, holding onto a one-shot victory. Cantlay shot a 23-under 265 over the weekend.

Ranked No. 9 on the PGA Tour, Cantlay’s final round comeback allowed him to capture his first victory in his home state of California.

Sam Mewis, Manchester City, FA Women’s Super League

Continuing her strong play, former UCLA women’s soccer and current US Women’s National Team midfielder Sam Mewis scored her third goal for Manchester City in five games in a 1-1 tie against Reading FC.

Mewis, a Bruin from 2011-2014 and the 2014 Pac-12 player of the year, notched the equalizer in the 56th minute, cutting onto her right foot from the left edge of the penalty box and finishing with a strike into the bottom right corner.

With the tie, Manchester City held steady in the table, sitting in fifth place behind Chelsea with eight points.

Trevor Bauer, Cincinnati Reds, MLB

Despite a first-round playoff elimination for his Cincinnati Reds, starting pitcher Trevor Bauer received recognition from his fellow players.

Bauer, the third overall pick in 2011’s MLB Draft after three seasons at UCLA, won the NL’s Most Outstanding Pitcher award in this year’s Player Choice Awards after a dominant season in which he led the NL with a 1.73 ERA.

Entering free agency for the first time in his career this offseason, Bauer also led the NL in opponents’ batting average and WHIP, or walks plus hits per inning pitched, while pitching two complete-game shutouts.

Jayon Brown, Tennessee Titans and Krys Barnes, Green Bay Packers, NFL

A former First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference selection for the Bruins in 2016 helped the Tennessee Titans’ defense control the second half, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The previously-undefeated Titans lost 27-24 after trailing by 13 with 3:48 left in the third quarter when Jayon Brown came up with an interception at the Steelers’ 30-yard line. Brown also set up another of the Titans’ picks, breaking up an end-zone pass and deflecting it to a Titan teammate in the fourth quarter.

Brown also chipped in with eight tackles, seven of which were solo, as Tennessee held Pittsburgh to just three second half points after allowing 24 in the first half. The linebacker, who had three interceptions in his final season donning the blue and gold, now has 43 total tackles this season.

Undrafted rookie linebacker Krys Barnes continued to shine before exiting the Green Bay Packers’ win over the Houston Texans, 35-20.

Barnes had eight tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack before getting hurt on the first play of the second half. He finished the game co-leading the Packers in tackles despite leaving early.

Frankie Amaya, FC Cincinnati, MLS

Frankie Amaya, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLS Superdraft, continues to play valuable minutes for a struggling FC Cincinnati.

Amaya, who played his freshman season at UCLA, has started 18 of Cincinnati’s 20 games this season, playing the full 90 minutes 12 times.

The midfielder is ranked No. 15 on MLS’s rankings of the top 22 players under 22 and scored his first-ever MLS goal against Atlanta this July.

Cincinnati currently sits last in the MLS Eastern Conference with only 16 points.