Thrilling U.S. Open was exactly what golf needed, plus Avalanche look unbeatable in Stanley Cup Final

Happy Monday, all. Hope you enjoyed a great weekend.

Let's get right to it.

This is the article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM morning newsletter. To sign up and get this in your inbox, fill out the information below.

Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.

Thanks for signing up!

Keep an eye on your inbox.

Sorry!

There was an error processing your subscription.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

MATT FITZPATRICK...

All Matt Fitzpatrick had to do to win his first major was hold off the world's No. 1 player and the guy who just finished runner-up at the PGA Championship. No pressure, right?

Right. Fitzpatrick used outstanding ball-striking and some clutch putting to beat Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris by a stroke at the U.S. Open at The Country Club.

Not only is it Fitzpatrick's first major, but his first professional win in the United States. The Englishman has seven career wins on the DP World Tour.Fitzpatrick also won the U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in 2013. He joins Jack Nicklaus as the only other man to win the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open at the same course.

Fitzpatrick's final round will be remembered for two shots in particular: first, a nearly 50-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole after he had bogeyed 10 and 11. Then, after driving the ball into the treacherous left fairway bunker on 18, he hit an incredible shot to 19 feet and easily two-putted for par.

He was tough as nails all day, hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation and five birdies compared to three bogeys. With some of the world's best -- Scheffler, Zalatoris, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa -- near the top of the leaderboard, Fitzpatrick never flinched, writes our golf expert Patrick McDonald.

McDonald: "Fitzpatrick had his fair share of miscues on Sunday, but he took the punches like a champion. In the process, he shed the moniker he saddled for so long, silencing his doubters and reigning atop the sport with the national championship trophy. 'No words,' Fitzpatrick said after hoisting the trophy. 'It's what you grow up dreaming of.'"

It was also a huge week for golf in general. With the PGA-LIV drama dominating the lead-up, we got four days of an escape from that, with plenty of great golf, a terrific course, big names in the hunt and a tournament that wasn't decided until the second-to-last shot. It was, simply, exactly what golf needed, writes golf guru Kyle Porter.

... AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO THE COLORADO AVALANCHE

Getty Images

It's hard to stop an Avalanche. In Game 2, the Lightning found that out the hard way. Colorado dominated from start to finish Saturday night in a 7-0 rout that puts them up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.

Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar both had two goals while Josh Manson, Andre Burakovsky and Darren Helm each had one.
The seven goals are the most Tampa Bay star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has ever allowed in a game.It's tied for the second-largest shutout win in Stanley Cup Final history.

The road to a potential comeback starts with Tampa Bay's offense finding its footing -- something it is yet to do in the Final -- notes our NHL analyst Austin Nivison.

Nivision: "Through the first two games of this Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning have only been able to muster 40 shots on goal and 1.71 expected goals. The most shocking part of all of this is how ineffective Tampa's best offensive players have been. In Game 2, Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Ondrej Palat combined for 0.0 expected goals."

The Lightning trailed the Rangers 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Final and came back to win. A similar road back has to start tonight in Game 3 at Tampa Bay.