Hunter Mahan Withdraws from RBC Canadian Open with Lead as Wife Goes into Labor -

Hunter Mahan Withdraws from RBC Canadian Open with Lead as Wife Goes into Labor - 



There are times when sports—no matter how big the game or tournament—must take a backseat to family.

Saturday was one of those times for golf star Hunter Mahan. According to National Post columnist Scott Stinson via Twitter on Saturday, Mahan withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open shortly after his wife went into labor:

What makes this story even more unbelievable is the fact that the 31-year-old was leading the tournament by two strokes through two rounds of play, having shot 13-under through the first 36 holes. 

There's no doubt Mahan made the right decision to ditch his golf clubs for a set of scrubs. After all, there will be plenty of tournaments for him to contend for in the future. Unlike competing at the RBC Canadian Open or even a major, the birth of a child is a one-time deal. 

Surely golf fans and tournament officials will understand.

Mahan has five career victories on the PGA Tour, recording his last win at the Shell Houston Open in April 2012. He recently earned his best-ever finish at a major in June 2013, finishing tied for fourth at the U.S. Open at Merion.

There's no way of knowing whether Mahan would have went on to win, but he had done everything to put himself in position to do so, that's for sure. He followed up a five-under 67 on Thursday with an impressive eight-under 64 on Friday to take sole possession of the tournament lead heading into the weekend.

American Dustin Johnson who shot a nine-under 63 in Saturday's third round, currently leads after getting into the clubhouse at 11-under for the tournament.

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STUDY: Coffee Drinkers Less Likely to Kill Themselves... -

STUDY: Coffee Drinkers Less Likely to Kill Themselves... - 



Regular commenter Michael Reynolds passes on word that people who drink more coffee are less likely to kill themselves.

Drinking several cups of coffee daily appears to reduce the risk of suicide in men and women by about 50 percent, according to a new study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The study was published online July 2 in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry.
“Unlike previous investigations, we were able to assess association of consumption of caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages, and we identify caffeine as the most likely candidate of any putative protective effect of coffee,” said lead researcher Michel Lucas, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH.
The authors reviewed data from three large U.S. studies and found that the risk of suicide for adults who drank two to four cups of caffeinated coffee per day was about half that of those who drank decaffeinated coffee or very little or no coffee.
Caffeine not only stimulates the central nervous system but may act as a mild antidepressant by boosting production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline. This could explain the lower risk of depression among coffee drinkers that had been found in past epidemiological studies, the researchers reported.
In the new study, researchers examined data on 43,599 men enrolled in theHealth Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS) (1988-2008), 73,820 women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) (1992-2008), and 91,005 women in the Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) (1993-2007). Caffeine, coffee, and decaffeinated coffee intake was assessed every four years by questionnaires. Caffeine consumption was calculated from coffee and other sources, including tea, caffeinated soft drinks, and chocolate. However, coffee was the major caffeine source — 80 percent for NHS, 71 percent for NHS II, and 79 percent for HPFS. Among the participants in the three studies, there were 277 deaths from suicide.
In spite of the findings, the authors do not recommend that depressed adults increase caffeine consumption, because most individuals adjust their caffeine intake to an optimal level for them and an increase could result in unpleasant side effects. “Overall, our results suggest that there is little further benefit for consumption above two to three cups/day or 400 mg of caffeine/day,” the authors wrote.

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