[Posted Sunda PM after US Open.]
Brief Add-on up top, Tuesday AM.
Jalen Brunson Quiz: Brunson became the eighth player to win an NCAA title and be named NBA Finals MVP. Name the other seven. [The NBA Finals MVP award was first handed out in 1969.] Answer below.
U.S. Open
–The start of the event at Shinnecock Golf Club on Long Island was a bit disjointed, as fog Thursday morning delayed tee times for two hours and many golfers didn’t finish their rounds.
The USGA was worried about the weather forecast and high winds, which on this course in particular can do a number on the greens, making them nearly unplayable given the pin placements.
But after they completed play on Friday, the 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was atop the leaderboard through 36.
Clark -7
Matt Fitzpatrick -3
Xander Schauffele -3
Sam Stevens -3
Tom Kim -3
Collin Morikawa -2
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy…E
In the five previous U.S. Opens at Shinnecock, only three golfers had finished under par.
A score of big names didn’t make the weekend, including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka (who won here in 2018), Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay, Cam Smith, Adam Scott (his 100th consecutive major), Shane Lowry and defending champ J.J. Spaun.
Bryson has missed the cut in all three majors this year. As one golf writer put it, “it appears DeChambeau is more interest in growing his YouTube channel than being one of the best golfers in the world.”
But as golf fans know, Wyndham Clark is not a real likeable guy, to say the least. It was just last year at the U.S. Open at Oakmont that he damaged two lockers inside the locker room and was suspended from the club. Clark later called the outburst a “moment of rage” and he apologized to the club.
“I’ve gotten a lot of grief since last year, rightfully so,” Clark told reporters after Friday’s play. “The thing that’s unfortunate is that’s not who I am, what happened last year. I’m hoping I can win back the fans that I had or some new fans because it was a terrible incident.
“I really feel like I can show people that I’m fun and outgoing, I’m fierce, competitive, love the game, respect the game, and I just had a bad moment,” he continued. “Hopefully I can win those people back. I definitely feel like I’m in a better place. Hopefully a great weekend and great rest of the year, maybe I’ll gain all those fans back.”
—17-year-old phenom Miles Russell made the cut at +3. He is the second-youngest male amateur since World War II to make the cut at the U.S. Open. [Beau Hossler was also 17 when he did it in 2012.]
In 2024, Russell became the youngest player to make the cut at an event on the Korn Ferry Tour when he was just 15.
He has committed to play college golf at Florida State and is currently No. 1 in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association Rankings.
Why wouldn’t he just turn pro? Think NIL money.
But then Sunday in the early coverage, Mike Tirico said Russell was turning pro in a few weeks. Now I’m all confused. I think I’m right, not Tirico.
–As for my time at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock in 1995, which I alluded to last week, I was working in Stamford, CT, back then and drove to Long Island after work on Friday where a friend and I had planned to go to the third round and watch about five hours’ worth and then drive home.
I just wanted to get a feel of the course, so most of the time I walked with college classmate Gary Hallberg, who had made the cut. [Hallberg and I didn’t know each other, but he was in my Calc II class for all of one day before he dropped out of it. I should have done the same. It was a disaster.]
At the par-3 7th hole, I went to get some hot dogs at a stand near the green, but the line proved to take longer than I thought it would and that’s when it happened. There was a tremendous roar right next to me. Gary Hallberg had aced the hole…a hole-in-one, and I missed it!
When he walked off the green to head to the 8th hole, he passed by and glanced at me as I was wearing a Wake Forest cap, and I go, “Go Deacs!” as I was holding the two hot dogs, and he smiled. He was probably thinking, ‘You idiot, you missed it!”
That was the only hole-in-one of the tournament.
—On to Round 3….
And while virtually everyone else in the field was falling back as the USGA had vowed to stiffen the test, Wyndham Clark held steady, even-par for the round, 70, and had a six-shot lead heading into today’s final round.
Clark -7
Scheffler -1
Sahith Theegala -1
Tom Kim -1
Sam Stevens -1
Rory McIlroy birdied three straight early on Saturday to get it to -2, but then fell apart on the back nine, five bogeys, and finished the day +3.
[Miles Russell shot 74, +4, to fall to +7.]
The intrigue around Sunday’s round was that Clark and Scheffler would be paired together, Scheffler needing to win to complete the career grand slam, and on his 30th birthday.
Before we start the fourth round, I saw where Wyndham Clark was bemoaning the lack of energy among the crowds over the last few holes Saturday, and it’s true, the crowds looked sparse.
Well, the USGA purposefully limited the crowds to just 25,000, less than 2018, and easily the fewest for an Open, and there are good reasons for this.
Shinnecock is on the tip of Long Island and there is only one road to the course. Unless you are taking the train, the traffic can be a total nightmare, as anyone knows who goes out to the Hamptons from New York on a summer Friday, and then returns Sunday. And that’s without the added Open traffic.
Those who attended Saturday of course left early if they were driving.
The USGA wanted to give fans who did attend a better experience and I’m sure they delivered as much as they could.
It’s not that there isn’t any interest in the event, it’s the logistics.
On to the action…and it started slowly…Clark scrambling per usual, Scheffler doing zero.
Clark with a massive par save on No. 4.
But Sam Burns, who started the day Even, sank a 49-footer for birdie (that would have gone at least 10-feet by), and was suddenly -4, two back.
Clark then butchered the par-5 fifth for a bogey, Scheffler birdies it, lead down to one!
Clark -5…5
Burns -4…8
Scheffler -1…5
JT Poston -1…13
Keith Mitchell -1…8
The crowd is rather distinctly anti-Clark. It has to affect him. He has a fragile ego.
And as the alcohol flows more, it will only get worse on the back nine.
Burns bogey No. 9…-3
Clark clutch 10-footer for par No. 6…-5
And on the 7th, that I described from 1995, Scheffler and Clark ended up in the greenside bunker and Scheffler butchered it, putting his second back in the sand.
Scheffler bogeys it…but it could have been worse.
And then Clark pummels his 4-footer for par past the hole. Bogey.
Clark -4…7
Burns -3…10
Kim -1…8
Poston -1…15
Scheffler E…7
Mitchell E…10
Mitchell birdies 11…-1. Burns pars it.
Kim birdies 8…-1.
NBC said some spectators had been removed due to their anti-Clark behavior. Good.
Scheffler birdies 10…-1.
But Clark birdies it as well…-5…two shots over Burns.
Burns then 3-putts for bogey on 15…-2…huge for Clark.
Clark bogeys 13…crowd roars (unfortunately)…-4.
Burns -2.
Burns great birdie on 16!…-3. Crowd roars its approval.
Burns great tee shot on par-3 17th…and he blows it…par.
Clark pars 14…Scheffler bogeys it…Even.
Clark -4…14
Burns -3…17
Kim -1…14
Burns misses makeable birdie putt on 18 to finish -3.
Clark awful drive on par-5 16th…but hits a great second in the fairway.
Kim birdies 16…-2.
Kim crappy tee shot on 17. [As I take myself out of Pulitzer consideration.]
And Clark ends up with a gigantic birdie putt on 16 for the 2-shot lead…-5. [The second shot will be remembered forever, should he win it.]
But then Clark hits a poor par-putt on 17…back to -4!
And he hits a poor drive on 18….
However, despite the fact he didn’t like it…the approach is on the green and he needs two putts.
The crowd gives Wyndham a warm applause as he walks up 18…as is deserved.
And he hits a terrific putt, secures his second US Open…fifth PGA Tour title overall.
Wow…wire-to-wire.
—The golf ball rollback has been put off for four years, and possibly forever.
In a joint statement released by the USGA, the R&A, PGA Tour and DP World Tour, the organizations announced on Wednesday that there will be no change to the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) testing approach until January 2030. That means that the previously discussed timeline, which would have started changing the way newly submitted golf balls were tested starting in 2028, has effectively been slowed while the game’s most powerful organizations look for a broader agreement.
World Cup
—The U.S. had a solid 2-0 win over Australia Friday in Seattle to win its first two games for the first time since 1930, and advance to the knockout round of 32.
It wasn’t as scintillating a performance as against Paraguay, but it was gritty against the physical Aussies and more than good enough, the U.S. again dominating possession. Us fans are beginning to believe…and the excitement is building across America.
The youngest player on the squad, 21-year-old Alex Freeman, had a sweet header for the second score, after another ‘own goal’ to start things off…the U.S. the first team in World Cup history to get an ‘own goal’ in the first two games of the event.
Freeman is the son of former NFL receiver Antonio Freeman.
And we did it without Christian Pulisic, who sat out with his calf injury and now that our upcoming game against Turkey is kind of meaningless, we can give Pulisic even more rest to get him closer to 100 percent for the big contest(s) to come.
He is said to be progressing nicely. But coach Pochettino might want to get Pulisic some game time against Turkey because otherwise it would be about 3 weeks between the opener and the knockout game.
If we could get to the quarterfinals, that would be amazing, but there are a lot of very strong teams led by transformational superstars.
Like last Tuesday, France defeated Senegal 3-1, Kylian Mbappe scoring twice; Erling Haaland had two goals for Norway in a 4-1 win over Iraq; and Lionel Messi had an historic hat-trick for Argentina, 3- over Algeria.
Messi tied the record for most career World Cup goals with 16 (Germany’s Miroslav Klose also had 16).
Messi, 38, scored his first World Cup goal for Argentina 20 years ago to the day.
Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in French history with his brace.
Wednesday, England’s star Harry Kane then had two goals in a 4-2 win over tough Croatia, a terrific contest.
Saturday, Netherlands whipped Sweden 5-1, as Brian Brobbey and Cody Gapko each scored twice.
And Germany moved to the knockout round, 2-1 over Ivory Coast.
MLB
—The Yankees opened a series at home against the Reds Friday night at the Stadium, and Cam Schlittler put on a show…six scoreless, a career-high 13 strikeouts, as New York shut out Cincy 5-0, Schlittler 8-3, 1.71.
Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder (3-4, 4.82) pitched 5 1/3, giving up four runs in taking the loss.
Saturday, the Reds (36-39) whipped the Yanks (46-29) 10-2.
Sunday, the other former Wake Forest hurler on Cincinnati, Chase Burns, moved to a gaudy 9-1, 2.00, throwing five innings of one-run ball, the Reds winning it 4-1.
–The Mets beat the Phillies in Philadelphia 6-4 on Thursday, Juan Soto with two home runs, and then bizarrely didn’t play Friday.
Saturday night, on national TV, the Mets (34-42) then got annihilated 15-3, giving up eight runs in the third as Kyle Schwarber went deep twice in the inning for Philly (41-35), becoming the second player this season to hit two home runs in an inning (67th in MLB history), joining Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who accomplished the feat June 12.
Schwarber would then hit his third homer of the game, major league-leading 28th of the season, in the seventh inning, six RBIs in all.
And for the first time in his career, Bryce Harper hit for the cycle, which is kind of hard to believe.
For New York, starter Freddie Peralta gave up 10 runs in 2 2/3, and is now 5-6, 4.83. Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sanchez threw six innings of one-run ball to improve to 9-3, 1.80.
The Mets were then the Sunday night NBC game…the scheduling looked good beginning of the season…not so good now!
—Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, who had yielded one run in his last eight outings for a 0.17 ERA, yielded 2 runs in six innings, taking the loss as the Brewers fell to the Braves in Atlanta Friday, 3-2; ‘The Miz’ now 8-3, 1.45.
Saturday, Milwaukee (45-29) suffered another one-run loss, 4-3, as Ozzie Albies’ second homer of the game was a walk-off 2-run shot off reliever Aaron Ashby (10-1, 3.18) for Atlanta (48-27). Yes, Ashby had been 10-0 in relief!
But Sunday, the Brewers staved off a sweep, 9-4.
–Going back to Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani didn’t have his best stuff but still went six innings, 4 runs for the win against the Rays, 5-4, the Dodgers completing a sweep, Ohtani 7-2, though his ERA zoomed up to 1.47.
Tuesday, Ohtani homered for the lone run in a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay.
–The Athletic had a few informal polls on the odds of a lockout next season, and Paul Skenes kind of summed it up:
“There’s a line that we’re not going to cross, and if we have to miss games, we’ll miss games. I’m sure the owners feel the same way.”
Yup. Look for baseball starting July 1st…80+ games. It will suck, but we’ll survive.
President Trump could actually play a very positive role in this looming mess.
–Speaking of Skenes, he pitched in Colorado last night and the Pirates lost 2-1, Skenes yielding the two runs in six innings, taking another hard-luck loss that has him 6-7, 2.86.
College World Series
It was an Oklahoma-North Carolina final and the Sooners took the first in the best-of-three, Saturday, 9-3.
Stuff
—The Knicks-Spurs Game 5 was the most-watched NBA Finals Game 5 since 1998, averaging 24.5 million viewers and peaking at 33 million at 11:15 p.m. ET. It was also the most-watched NBA Finals series in 28 years.
And it was the most-watched NBA postseason in 28 years overall.
Knicks championship gear became the top seller across all sports within the first 24 hours of a title in Fanatics history, the company said, breaking a record previously held by the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles just after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The Knicks are also on pace to become the top championship team for total sales in Fanatics history, surpassing the sales record set when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016.
Sales of Knicks gear has already more than doubled that of Fanatics’ previous best-selling NBA Finals champion: the LeBron James-led Lakers in 2020.
–But my brother learned something cool the other day. Knicks team president Leon Rose went to Dickinson College, where my brother and father went (Dad then going to Pitt for grad school, where he met my mother).
And then Big Bro found out Leon Rose is also a fraternity brother. There was a great pic of the students (and alumni, it being alumni weekend) at Dickinson all watching Game 5 in the student center, cheering on the Knicks.
“We are incredibly proud of Leon and everything he has accomplished,” said President John E. Jones (a Dickinson grad who picked up his law degree there as well and later became a U.S. District Judge before returning to his alma mater to lead it). “His journey from Dickinson’s basketball court to the top of the most storied franchises in professional sports is a testament to both Leon’s own drive and the drive, creativity and principled leadership we work to cultivate in every student who comes to Dickinson.”
So there’s your commercial for Dickinson College, a fine liberal arts school that Forbes also says is in very good financial shape, unlike so many other small colleges in the country these days.
—Serena Williams will be teaming with sister Venus for doubles at Wimbledon later this month. That will be a popular ticket.
And then we learned today that Serena made the singles field as a “wild card.” Huh. This could be fascinating.
–And we note the passing of James Burrows, 85. He was the director of more than a thousand episodes of such classic television comedies as “Cheers,” “Taxi, “Friends” and “Will and Grace.”
Burrows got his start in television relatively late at age 35 in 1974, directing episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” and “Laverne & Shirley.”
He cocreated “Cheers,” directing 243 of the 273 episodes, as well as all 246 episodes of “Will and Grace.” And he helmed multiple episodes of such hits as “Frasier” and “Friends.”
“When I direct a television show, I try to reach that sweet spot where the best script meets the best performance and the best chemistry between performers,” Burrows wrote in his 2022 memoir “Directed by James Burrows.” “Hitting that exact moment, where these factors land in combination, results in the sweetest and most enduring laugh.”
His family said, “Burrows understood that great comedy was never simply about laughter. It was about humanity, connection, and truth. That understanding became the foundation of a career that forever changed television.
“But beyond his remarkable achievements, Burrows will be remembered for something even greater: his kindness, generosity, and unwavering belief in the people around him. He possessed a rare ability to make everyone better and was known for remembering every person he met by name, making colleagues at every level feel seen, valued, and appreciated,” the family statement said.
“Jimmy Burrows was the man behind the curtain. He knew how to make us laugh, what buttons to push and was the absolute master of getting the most out of every joke,” NBC said in a statement.
He was truly beloved by his actors.
Top 3 songs for the week 6/18/77: #1 “Dreams” (Fleetwood Mac) #2 “Got To Give It Up” (Marvin Gaye) #3 #Gonna Fly Now” (Bill Conti)…and…#4 “Feels Like The First Time” (Foreigner…song about a young boy’s first beer…) #5 “Lucille” (Kenny Rogers) #6 “Undercover Angel” (Alan O’Day) #7 “Lonely Boy” (Andrew Gold) #8 “I’m Your Boogie Man” (KC & The Sunshine Band) #9 “Sir Duke” (Stevie Wonder) #10 “Angel In Your Arms” (Hot…C+ week…)
Jalen Brunson Quiz Answer: Brunson won two NCAA titles at Villanova and then was this year’s Finals MVP. The other seven….
John Havlicek…1960 Ohio State; 1974 Celtics
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar…1967-69 UCLA; 1971, 1985 (Bucks, Lakers)
Bill Walton…1972-73 UCLA; 1977 Trail Blazers
Magic Johnson…1979 Michigan State; 1980, ’82, ’87 Lakers
James Worthy…1982 North Carolina; 1988 Lakers
Isiah Thomas…1981 Indiana; 1990 Pistons
Michael Jordan…1982 North Carolina; 1991-93, 1996-98 Bulls
Brief Add-on up top Tues. AM.
