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LONG POND, Pa. -- Jeff Gordon weaved his way through a mob of fans outside the media center, all screaming for an autograph from a driver they thought would never again wear a firesuit.He stepped over the tripod legs of three TV cameras lined against a side wall, patted a reporter on the back and took a seat on the dais where he was peppered with questions about how long his comeback tour might last.Ill be here as long as they need me, Gordon said. I say that very loosely.At Pocono Raceway, Gordon made it seem for hundreds of fans on Friday like he never left racing.Gordon 2.0 will last only as long as Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains sidelined with concussion-like symptoms. Earnhardt will miss his third straight race Sunday and Gordon will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for the second straight weekend. There is no timetable on Earnhardts return.What should have been a leisurely first summer of retirement for a driver once sponsored by AARP has instead turned into a hectic world tour for Gordon. He was vacationing in France when team owner Rick Hendrick asked him to come out of retirement. He returned to racing at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. Then it was off to a sponsorship commitment in Mexico. This weekend, he looks to extend his track record for wins with his seventh.His busiest task?Doing some laundry, Gordon said, smiling.Gordon can handle the busy load, though hes unsure how many more weeks he will be needed as NASCARs most popular substitute. Earnhardt warned Monday that his return to NASCAR could take longer than planned. No decision has been made by Hendrick Motorsports about next weeks race at Watkins Glen.With an off week following that, the smart move could involve benching Earnhardt at least one more race. Gordon, a four-time NASCAR champion who turns 45 on Thursday, would make his 800th career start at the Glen.Its pretty cool that he has the opportunity to come out of retirement, Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch said. Its neat to have him here, of course.Busch led the most laps last week at the Brickyard en route to his second straight Indy win. Gordon was 13th in his sentimental return to Indy.I never saw him on the racetrack, Busch said.Gordon could be more of a factor at Pocono, and maybe beyond. He starts 24th -- his old car number that has since been yielded to Chase Elliott -- in Sundays race.Its even more odd that it went from one race to two races, he said. And then will it be more? I dont know.Gordon and Earnhardt chat via FaceTime and Junior has offered some advice on the 88. Gordon has assured his one-time teammate that his recovery should be his only priority.Just get well at the pace that is the right pace to do it, Gordon said. Nobody is putting any pressure or time frame on that.Gordon battled through his own health woes over the second-half of his career, suffering in stretches from consistent, shooting back pain.I could fight through it longer if I had to. I prefer not to, he said.Gordon should be cashing in on the perks of retirement.Imagine, Gordon at home dealing cards on the blackjack table presented by Las Vegas Motor Speedway while his gambling buddies take turns sipping from the 24 bottles of bourbon presented by Kentucky Speedway, or enjoying a perfect pour from an 18-liter wine bottle from Sonoma Raceway.Outside, the Shetland ponies from Texas Motor Speedway are stabled nearby to the Bandolero car from Atlanta Motor Speedway.OK, not quite.Gordon was feted with dozens of retirement presents from tracks in 2015, and hes too appreciative of the gestures to re-gift them to other friends. Most of the souvenirs are in storage.We havent done any blackjack and havent drank any whisky or wine or any of those things, he said.He paused and laughed, Well, I mean I have; I drank plenty but its just not from the collection I was given as a gift.Gordon would surely make an exception if he could bust open a bottle of bubbly in victory lane on Sunday.Gordon paused before he returned to the garage for a brief chat with track President Brandon Igdalsky (ever been to the south of France?) and opened the door where the crowd of pesky autograph seekers had grown.They waved No. 24 diecasts and No. 24 hats and No. 24 photos in his face.The fans should save their old memorabilia -- he remained adamant that no authorized merchandise of Gordon in the 88 would be produced.I have too much respect for what Dales going through, Gordon said.Yes, Gordons return has created quite the buzz during a lazy summer NASCAR season, but its not forgotten the excitement has come at the expense of the health of NASCARs most popular driver.I like seeing him, Igdalsky said as Gordon left, but I wish I didnt have to see him.Yeezy 350 Clearance . 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Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early.SAN MARTIN, Calif. -- Just when it seemed as if the U.S. Womens Open would come down to the final hole of the three-hole playoff, a rules violation changed everything and helped deliver Brittany Lang her first major title.Lang was the beneficiary of a delayed, two-stroke penalty called on Anna Nordqvist on Sunday, as she won the title she was so close to seizing when she was runner-up 11 years ago as an amateur.You never want to win with a penalty or something like that happen, especially to Anna, who is a friend of mine and a great player and a classy girl, Lang said. But its unfortunate. Its part of the game and it happened that way.Lang made par on all three holes of the aggregate playoff and Nordqvist was given a two-stroke penalty for touching the sand with her club in a fairway bunker on the second playoff hole, helping deliver Lang the title.The players were not told of the penalty until they were in the middle of playing the final hole, after officials reviewed replays in the latest controversy at a USGA event after the delayed penalty called in the final round on eventual mens U.S. Open winner Dustin Johnson last month.Seemed kind of unreal that it happened, but it does, Nordqvist said. It wasnt any reason to question it. But Im certainly disappointed of the timing of it.Lang then sealed the win with a short par putt on the final playoff hole, while Nordqvist made bogey to lose by three shots.Lang shot a 1-under 71 to finish with a 6-under 282 for the tournament at CordeValle for her second win in 287 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. She survived a bogey on the 17th hole that led to the playoff before recovering in the playoff for a breakthrough win at age 30.I think this is absolutely huge, a huge momentum builder to say you won the U.S. Open, Lang said. I think this is a huge, a huge step in the right direction for my career.Both players made pars on the first hole of the playoff, which was played on the final three holes of the course. Then things got interesting on the next hole after Nordqvist hit her tee shot into a fairway bunker.While preparing to hit the shot, Nordqvists club barely touched the sand. She did not realize it and both players made par on the hole, heading to the final playoff hole seemingly tied.But after seeing a replay, broadcaster Fox asked the USGA if there was a violation.dddddddddddd That led USGA official John Bodenhamer to go to the television truck to see a replay, which showed the violation that was not evident on the live broadcast or to the official watching the hole in person.Bodenhamer then said he decided to immediately tell the players, but the news got to Nordqvist after she hit her third shot at 18 and before Lang did. Nordqvist said she would have been more aggressive going for the pin if she knew she needed birdie. Lang changed clubs for a safer approach shot, knowing a par would win the tournament.It certainly changed her game plan, Nordqvist said. But, you know, hopefully we can all learn from it and hopefully we can all get better.Lang hit her shot onto the green and then two-putted for the win, getting hearty congratulations from many of her fellow Americans on tour after she joined Michelle Wie (2014) as the only U.S. golfers to win the Open in the past six years.Lang came on the scene as an amateur back in 2005 when she finished tied for second at the U.S. Womens Open at Cherry Hills. But in more than a decade as a pro, Lang had won just one tournament, the 2012 Manulife Financial LPGA.Lang capitalized on a surprising final-round collapse by world No. 1 and 54-hole leader Lydia Ko, who made a double-bogey 7 on the ninth hole and shot 3-over 75 on the day, finishing two shots off the lead in a four-way tie for third with Amy Yang, Sung Hyun Park and 2009 winner Eun Hee Ji.Ko had a two-shot lead heading to the eighth hole and seemed on her way to becoming the youngest man or woman to win three majors. But then she bogeyed the eighth hole before her collapse on nine.Kos tee shot went left into the rough. Instead of just chipping out, Ko decided to try to clear the hazard and get back into position to make a possible birdie. But her shot from the rough landed in the hazard and she ended up with a 7 instead.I should have judged the lie a little better and maybe played a little smarter and laid up short of the hazard, she said. Then just lay up again and try and make up-and-down for par. ' ' '