J.J. Spaun rallies to win the 125th U.S. Open

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6 hours ago

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🚨 Headlines
⚾️ Sho-time's return: Shohei Ohtani will make his Dodgers pitching debut tonight against the Padres (10pm ET, MLB). The two-way sensation last took the mound in an MLB game on Aug. 23, 2023, when he was still with the Angels.
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🏀 Magic land Bane: The Grizzlies are trading Desmond Bane to the Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four unprotected first-round picks. Orlando is clearly in win-now mode, while Memphis could be headed for a rebuild.
⚽️ USA wins opener: The USMNT beat Trinidad & Tobago, 5-0, in their Gold Cup opener to snap a four-match losing streak and distract from the soap opera happening behind the scenes.
🏀 KD's preferred destinations: The Heat, Spurs and Rockets have emerged as Kevin Durant's preferred destinations should the Suns elect to trade him. A deal could happen in the next few days, according to the latest reports.
🏈 DC wins UFL title: QB Jordan Ta'amu (21/28, 390 yards, 4 TD) and the DC Defenders demolished the Michigan Panthers, 58-34, to win the UFL championship. That's the most points scored by any team in two seasons of UFL action.
⛳️ Spaun rallies, hits monster putt to win first major
The thrill of victory. ()
J.J. Spaun began his Father's Day with an early-morning trip to CVS to get medication for his daughter, who'd been up all night with an upset stomach. He ended his Father's Day by winning the U.S. Open in unforgettable fashion. Way to go, dad.
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How it happened: Spaun was the leader after Round 1 and entered Sunday's final round in a three-way tie for second, one stroke off the lead. But after bogeying five of his first six holes, the 34-year-old appeared to have played himself out of contention before he could even make the turn.
Then the skies opened up above Oakmont Country Club, leading to a 96-minute weather delay that proved to be exactly what Spaun needed. "I changed my outfit. I'm like, I'm done wearing those clothes. I just needed to reset everything," he said.
Reset he did. While the rest of the field struggled once play resumed, Spaun thrived in the wet conditions and began mounting a comeback, one hole at a time. After an incredible drive led to a birdie on No. 17, he walked up to the 18th tee box needing a par to win.
The putt of a lifetime: Spaun did one better than par, sinking an unforgettable 65-foot birdie putt to win his first major and finish 1-under for the tournament, officially beating the unbeatable Oakmont. Every other golfer finished over-par.
This was the right stroke, in the right tournament, at the right time, for the right player. This was one of those why-we-watch moments, a triumph in the evening fog, a victory for the little guy in a sport increasingly tilted against the little guys. This wasn't a storybook finish — storybooks only wish they could be this good.
— Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports
Spaun walks off the 18th green with his wife and two daughters. ()
Rise to glory: Spaun grew up playing at a local par-3 track in Southern California, walked on at San Diego State and spent years toiling in the minors before finally reaching the PGA Tour, where he had a grand total of one win in 235 starts entering the weekend. It's hard to imagine a more fitting champion for golf's most meritocratic major, which has a way of celebrating the underdogs and rewarding the grinders.
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The last word: "I wasn't really groomed to be a professional golfer. I didn't get put through academies. I didn't play [Juniors]. I played local stuff," said Spaun, who still practices at munis alongside everyday golfers to keep himself grounded. "I just kept going, one foot in front of the other … and now here I am with the U.S. Open trophy."
⚾️ Red Sox deal Devers to Giants
(Maddie Malhotra/Boston)
The Red Sox shocked the baseball world on Sunday when they shipped slugger Rafael Devers to the Giants in a blockbuster trade that ends a months-long position change saga in Boston.
The trade: The Giants are sending two pitchers (Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison) and two minor leaguers (James Tibbs and Jose Bello) to the Red Sox in exchange for Devers. San Francisco has reportedly agreed to take on all of his contract, which will pay him $254.5 million through the 2033 season.
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How we got here: From Yahoo Sports' Russell Dorsey:
The timeline of Devers' tenure with the Red Sox organization goes back more than a decade to when Boston signed him as an international free agent at the age of 16. He then made his debut in 2017 at age 20, and it wasn't long before his impact was being felt.
After the trade of Mookie Betts in 2020 and the departure of Xander Bogaerts in free agency in 2022, the organization looked to Devers to be the new face of the franchise, inking him to a 10-year, $313.5 million extension in January 2023 and committing to him for the long term.
But all those warm and fuzzy feelings quickly evaporated this season after Boston acquired third baseman Alex Bregman in free agency and the team told Devers he would be their permanent designated hitter going forward. Devers, who isn't the best defensive third baseman by any metric, was not shy about voicing his displeasure.
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And it didn't end there. After first baseman Triston Casas was lost for the season, the Red Sox asked Devers if he'd be willing to play first base. Having already moved once, he was less than happy about that request and ultimately told the Red Sox no. That's how we get to Sunday.
How does Devers fit on the Giants? Offensively, the fit is obvious: Devers has been one of baseball's best hitters for years and is enjoying a career year, ranking sixth in OBP (.401) and 12th in OPS (.905). But where will he play on defense? The dynamic in San Francisco is not much clearer than it was in Boston, writes Yahoo Sports' Jake Mintz.
🏆 Road warriors: Panthers inch closer to repeat
Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers traveled to enemy territory on Saturday, and earned a crucial Game 5 win. ()
The Panthers have had to start on the road in every series this postseason. That hasn't been a problem for the defending champs, whose dominance away from home has them one win away from their second straight title.
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Road warriors: Florida's 5-2 victory over Edmonton in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was the team's 10th road win this postseason, tied for the most ever in a single playoffs. They're now 10-3 away from home, compared to 5-4 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Round 1 (vs. TB): 3-0 on the road, 1-1 at home
Round 2 (vs. TOR): 2-2 on the road, 2-1 at home
East Final (vs. CAR): 3-0 on the road, 1-1 at home
Cup Final (vs. EDM): 2-1 on the road, 1-1 at home
What they're saying: The Panthers went 8-4 on the road in 2023 and 7-4 during last year's title run, so this is becoming a bit of a theme. "Our game travels," defenseman Seth Jones told The Athletic ($) after Game 2. "We feel comfortable on the road," added star winger Matthew Tkachuk. "We've said it a bunch: it's that us-against-the-world mindset."
Brad Marchand celebrates one of his two goals during Saturday's 5-2 win. ()
Marchand matches Lemieux: Brad Marchand, 37, scored his fifth and sixth goals of the series on Saturday, the most in a Cup Final since 1988. This is also the second time he's scored 5+ goals in a Cup Final (2011 with the Bruins). The only other player to do that over the past 50 years? Mario Lemieux (1991-92 with the Penguins).
🌎 The world in photos
(A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)
🇺🇸 Indianapolis, Indiana — Caitlin Clark returned with a bang on Saturday, scoring 32 points in her first game in almost three weeks (quad injury) to lift the Fever past the Liberty, 102-88, and hand the defending champions their first loss of the season.
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Must-see highlight: Three straight triples in 33 seconds
(Jared C. Tilton/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
🇨🇦 Montreal, Canada — George Russell (Mercedes) held off defending champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) at Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix to earn his first victory of the Formula 1 season and the fourth of his career.
McLaren vs. McLaren: Lando Norris inexplicably tried to pass McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri for fourth place with less than five laps left, which resulted in him crashing out of the race and McLaren missing the podium for the first time this year.
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🇫🇷 Le Mans, France — Former F1 driver Robert Kubica won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a privately entered Ferrari, securing a third straight win for the Italian automaker in the 93rd edition of the storied race.
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The long road back: Sunday's victory was an emotional triumph for Kubica, who once rivaled the likes of Lewis Hamilton before a near-fatal crash in 2011 left him with a partially amputated arm and all but ended his burgeoning F1 career.
(for Ironman)
🇦🇺 Cairns, Australia — Competitors enter the water for the swimming portion of Sunday's Ironman Cairns, affectionately known as the "Race in Paradise."
Quite the destination: Cairns is home to both the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, making it the only place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage sites meet.
📺 Watchlist: Monday, June 16
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🏀 NBA Finals, Game 5 | 8:30pm ET, ABC
Will OKC beat Indiana for the second straight game and take a 3-2 lead? Or will the Pacers, who haven't lost back-to-back games since March, win on the road to seize control?
⚾️ Padres at Dodgers | 10pm, MLB
Shohei Ohtani takes the mound in a big league game for the first time in 663 days.
⚾️ College World Series | ESPN
Can Murray State keep its Cinderella run alive in Omaha? The Racers face elimination against No. 3 Arkansas (2pm) in the loser's bracket. Then it's No. 15 UCLA vs. No. 6 LSU (7pm) in the winner's bracket.
⚽️ Chelsea vs. LAFC | 3pm, TBS
Inter Miami (draw) and the Seattle Sounders (loss) failed to win their Club World Cup openers. Can MLS' third and final representative do what they couldn't? Victory won't come easy in Atlanta, where a 120-year-old English juggernaut awaits.
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Today's full slate →
⚾️ CWS trivia
The Chanticleer faithful cheer on their team in Omaha. (Coastal Carolina Athletics)
Coastal Carolina has won 25 straight games after going 2-0 in Omaha over the weekend to move within a win of the College World Series Finals.
Question: What conference does Coastal Carolina play in?
Answer at the bottom.
🍿 Baker's Dozen: Top plays of the weekend
(Yahoo Sports)
Watch all 13 →
Trivia answer: Sun Belt
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