The $1.3m 20-year-old soccer player, plus more Open coverage

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18-07-2025

Good morning! Listen to the radio today.
Top of the Morning: Turn on the TV already
Let's begin quickly this morning once again, as golfers across the ocean are on the course as we speak. You can catch the latest on our Open Championship Round 2 live blog.
But yesterday's opener had plenty of interesting tidbits:
Five men left the first round tied for the lead at 4 under par: Jacob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Harris English. It's an eclectic mix of familiar names and first-timers. Justin Ray has handy notes on them here.
Fitzpatrick is notable because of his journey, as the major winner hit 'rock bottom' last year and now finds himself tied for the lead here. He is obsessive, as Gabby Herzig wrote yesterday, and knows exactly when he reached his nadir before yesterday's performance: 122 days prior.
The definite winner this weekend in Ireland? Open Radio, which has listeners from everywhere from on-course fans to Hawaii. Tune in!
Hi, My Name Is: A fresh record-breaking number in women's soccer
It is ironic how big of a deal Olivia Smith has been this week. The 20-year-old Canadian national player officially signed with Arsenal yesterday after the Women's Super League club forked over a $1.34 million transfer fee to Liverpool. It's the largest women's transfer fee in history.
But if you know Smith, as Megan Feringa (who owned coverage of the story this week) detailed Wednesday with Art de Roché, privacy is desperately important to Smith and her circle. Now she has a global record to her name.
Smith is a marvel. Three touchpoints:
I was struck by Megan's story from November on Smith's upbringing, which was far from normal. Soccer became a focus well before Smith hit high school. It came at the expense of a normal childhood, but she's clearly thriving. The story is worth a read today.
Her rise, at least on the major club level, has been startlingly quick. Smith was playing for a semi-pro club in Ontario just three years ago. She moved to Sporting CP in Portugal shortly after that, then to Liverpool and now to Arsenal. Three years! Oh, and she was also the youngest member of Canada's 2023 World Cup squad at 18.
It goes without saying that she is a uniquely talented striker. Smith scored 13 goals and tallied nine assists in just 18 appearances at Sporting CP. She netted 'just' seven last season for Liverpool, but Arsenal has clearly seen enough to pay seven figures for her.
There are plenty more interesting nuggets in Megan and Art's inside story of how Smith got to Arsenal, which was quite a clandestine operation.
Let's keep moving:
News to Know
Dame Time returns to PTDamian Lillard is heading back to Portland on a three-year, $45 million deal, a source confirmed to The Athletic. It's a heartwarming yet strange homecoming for Lillard, who left in a trade to Milwaukee two years ago at the height of his career. He returns to the team he led for 11 years, older and injured after two disastrous seasons with the Bucks. It could still be a storybook ending to Lillard's career.
Clark to miss ASGIndiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will not play in tomorrow's WNBA All-Star Game, she announced yesterday, a blow for the much-hyped event happening in Indianapolis. Clark suffered a groin injury in the final seconds of Indiana's win over Connecticut on Tuesday. Her absence will cast a shadow over the festivities, as Ben Pickman wrote.
T.J. Watt is very richThe Steelers and star rusher T.J. Watt agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension yesterday, our Dianna Russini reports, making Watt the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback. The contract has been an issue all offseason, as Watt skipped voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp due to the situation. He's worth the money.
More news
After a tumultuous month, NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell resigned his position late last night. More info here.
Earlier in the day yesterday, the NFL confirmed it won a separate grievance against the NFLPA over fake injuries, but denied to The Athletic that it hid the results, contrary to other reports.
The WNBA and its players association had a 'spirited' discussion over the league's next CBA. It's the most important one in the W's history.
President Trump is preparing an executive order to 'preserve college sports' by regulating NIL rules. The Athletic obtained a draft.
Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is likely facing a suspension after pleading guilty to two third-degree felony charges stemming from a 2024 car crash.
Snoop Dogg is now a co-owner of Swansea City, currently in England's second-tier Championship. Of course he is.
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What to Watch
📺 Golf: The Open ChampionshipRight now on Peacock/USAThe major once again got underway as you were still sleeping, and this morning all eyes will be on the cut line. No morning plans? Now you have some.
📺 Soccer: Spain vs. Switzerland3 p.m. ET on FoxAnother day, another Women's Euros quarterfinal. The Spanish are heavy favorites in this one, but that hasn't stopped underdogs from winning already in this round.
📺 WNBA: 3-point contest and Skills Challenge8 p.m. ET on ESPNClark might not be here, but it will still be fun. It's a good time to remember there's plenty of star power in this league.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Ken Rosenthal's notebooks are always a must-read, but particularly so around MLB trade deadline time. He emptied the latest intel here on everyone from the Dodgers to the Orioles. It's almost time.
An alarming development from our collectibles desk: As Fanatics aided in an FBI investigation into a potential sports memorabilia counterfeiter, the man took his own life this week. Read that here.
Should MLB's automated ball-strike system have a buffer zone? I'd support it. It's an interesting conversation about the emerging technology.
Richard Deitsch glimpsed into the future and wondered when, not if, the World Series lands on a streaming platform.
I thought this was helpful: Stewart Mandel wrote about the ongoing fight to stamp out pay-for-play in college athletics and detailed why lawsuits will fly as it happens.
Vic Tafur made predictions for all 32 NFL teams based on their projected win totals and even handed out some best bets for us. See the full set.
I missed this gem from earlier in the week, when Penguins star Sidney Crosby helped the Blue Jackets land their new equipment manager. What a reference.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Shaq threatening to punch Robert Griffin III. Juicy.
Most-read on the website yesterday: For the third straight day, Rustin Dodd's story on Amanda Anisimova and her masterclass in handling failure at Wimbledon.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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