MAMARONECK, New York: After fending off a slew of big names to win last month’s PGA Championship, American Collin Morikawa is hungry for more success as this week’s U.S. Open.

The 23-year-old showed great maturity when he triumphed at TPC Harding Park by two strokes, a remarkable achievement for someone who turned pro just last year.

“Yes, I’ve only done it once, but I’ve done it. You just want more,” he said at Mamaroneck, which is hosting the rejigged season’s second major from Thursday.

“You get that little taste of what it’s like, and you know why guys mark in their calendars the major championships for the year.”

Morikawa conceded while he is still trying to acquaint himself around the Winged Foot Gold Club, the experienced golfers will have the advantage of being more familiar with the course.

“Part of what I’ve been doing, playing only a year and a half in, is figuring out these courses Monday through Wednesday and that’s kind of all you get,” Morikawa, who believes Winged Foot is probably the toughest course he’s ever played, told reporters.

“You can’t let up on any part of your game out here,” the world number five told reporters. “You’re going to see every shot. You’re going to see some really good shots, really bad shots from every part of in golf course. It’s just the way it’s set up.”

Morikawa returned from the Tour’s coronavirus-induced hiatus in June to place second at the Charles Schwab Challenge, where he came up just short in a playoff. He won the Workday Charity Open the next month, following that up with his unexpected PGA Championship win in August.

To pull off back-to-back major title wins, he will have to overcome the sport’s big players such as world number one Dustin Johnson, defending champion Gary Woodland and 15-time major winner Tiger Woods.

Morikawa said he has not changed his approach too dramatically despite his recent success.

“I’m not waking up every day realising, yeah, I’m a major champion,” he said. “I’m realising we’re at the U.S. Open, let’s go win another tournament.”

The Rs 50-lakh insurance cover to frontline health workers fighting COVID-19 has been extended for six months and till date, 61 claims have been processed and payments made, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. As many as 156 claims are under examination by the New India Assurance (NIA) Company Limited, and in 67 cases claims forms are yet to be submitted by the states, it said.

The 'Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19' was announced on March 30 for 90 days. It was extended further for a period of 90 days i.e. up to September 25. The scheme has now been extended for another 180 days i.e. six months," the health ministry said in a statement. This central scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh to healthcare providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients and therefore at risk of being infected.

It also includes accidental loss of life on account of contracting COVID-19, the ministry said. The scheme also provides cover to private hospital staff, retired, volunteer, local urban bodies, contract, daily wage, ad hoc, outsourced staff requisitioned by states, central hospitals, autonomous hospitals of centre, states, Inion Territories, AIIMS and INIs, hospitals of central ministries drafted for coronavirus-related responsibilities.

"The insurance provided under this scheme is over and above any other insurance cover being availed of by the beneficiary. There is no age limit for this scheme and individual enrolment is not required," the ministry said. The entire amount of premium for this scheme is being borne by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The benefit and claim under this policy is in addition to the amount payable under any other policies.

The Health Ministry has collaborated with the New India Assurance (NIA) Company Limited for providing the insurance amount based on the guidelines prepared for the scheme, the statement said.

KANSAS CITY, Mo.: Tyrann Mathieu knew perhaps better than just about anybody what the Kansas City Chiefs were getting when they selected running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of LSU in the first round of the April draft.

You see, Mathieu bleeds purple and gold. He was born and raised in New Orleans, starred at St. Augustine High School and nearly won the Heisman Trophy while starring for the Tigers.

And even though Mathieu was dismissed from the program for a violation of team rules, he remains a steadfast fan of everything going on down on the bayou.

So while most of the college football world was focused on quarterback Joe Burrow as he led LSU to the national title last season, the Honey Badger was focused on the diminutive running back that caused fits for defenders like him.

It’s why Mathieu wasn’t surprised to see Edwards-Helaire shred the Houston defense in the Chiefs’ season-opening win.

I’m so impressed with the young man, he said. Obviously, I’m a huge LSU guy. I’ve seen him stick his foot in the ground and make guys miss plenty of times. I’ve seen him bounce off plenty of Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State guys.

This is the NFL, though. This isn’t college football even the rough-and-tumble world of the SEC.

Yet the 31st overall pick in the draft showed the NFL that his skill set translates quite nicely to the sped-up world of pro football. He ran 25 times for 138 yards, highlighted by a 27-yard touchdown scamper in which he stuck that foot in the ground and made a Texans defender look downright foolish. And while he failed to catch a pass, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeted him twice in a sign of just how comfortable he is in the passing game.

In short, it was the kind of debut that could only make Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid smile. They were the ones who decided to add one more playmaker to their offense rather than fill some holes on their spotty defense.

We feel like he had a good camp, and he’s a heck of a player, so we wanted to give him the ball, Reid said. We didn’t come in saying he would get X-number of carries. We like the mix we were able to get going.

Yet after Week 1 wrapped up, it was Edwards-Helaire who found himself leading the league in rushing. All-Pro running back Derrick Henry of the Titans was second with 116 yards in their Monday night win over the Broncos, and Benny Snell Jr. was the only other one to eclipse the century mark with 113 yards rushing in the Steelers’ win over the Giants.

When we first ran out, just nerves at an all-time high, Edwards-Helaire said, but then you know, as time went on, we were just kind of on the field, my brothers, and they made me feel at home. Ultimately the first carry, yeah, I felt a lot of emotions but after I got tackled the first time, and got rolled up, I just knew: It’s football. Time to roll.

Kansas City wound up feeding him all game, too. Part of that is because presumptive starter Damien Williams opted out of the season, making Edwards-Helaire the clear-cut No. 1. But part of it was because the Texans were so focused on defending the Chiefs’ wide receivers that it created soft defensive fronts and big running lanes.

Edwards-Helaire wound up playing 67% of offensive snaps, and he was crucial in the Chiefs putting the game away in the fourth quarter by chewing up clock while they nursed a big lead.

We started to game plan and we started to understand what we were going to do during the game, Edwards-Helaire said, and what was going to be our identity. And once you go through that for a week and a half, you start to see where you fit in and after that, just game time. You can hope things you did in practice work but other than that, it’s flipping the switch.

The challenge for Edwards-Helaire is to show that he can flip it on a week-to-week basis. The Chargers will no doubt focus more heavily on him than the Texans when the Chiefs hit the road on Sunday, and Reid acknowledged his blossoming young star will have to learn to adjust to the rigors of a 16-game regular season.

It’s all part of learning about life in the NFL.

How are you going to recover next week? There’s a way of doing that in the National Football League, Reid said. How do you get yourself right for a Wednesday practice? How do you manage yourself up to that point and then get ready for the game? All of these he has to learn to manage here.

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