Robert MacIntyre falls short as JJ Spaun clinches US Open win
Robert MacIntyre fell just short in his bid to win the US Open after JJ Spaun broke his heart with a dazzling display at the death.
MacIntyre burst into contention to become Scotland's first major winner since 1999 on Sunday at a rain-soaked Oakmont after producing an excellent two-under-par 68.
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That made him the clubhouse leader at one over and he looked set for at least a play-off against Spaun, who had two holes to play.
But the American first sent a stunning 309-yard drive onto the green at the short par-four 17th and two-putted for a birdie before sinking a mammoth 64-foot putt on the 18th green to seal glory.
MacIntyre was watching open-mouthed in the scorer's office and could do nothing but applaud his opponent.
He became a major champion for the first time and was the only man to finish in the red with a score of one under.
While the 17th hole helped Spaun's dreams come true, it killed Tyrell Hatton's.
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The Englishman was in a five-way tie for the lead at one over when he found himself still in the rough after three shots. He bogeyed that and then the 18th to finish three over.
Spaun may consider the thunderstorm at around 4pm local time (9pm BST) to be divine intervention.
Before the heavens opened at Oakmont and forced a 96-minute delay, the first-round leader was five over for his round after eight holes.
But while leaders Sam Burns and Adam Scott floundered in the soaking conditions after the resumption, Spaun found his best game and birdies at the 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th took him to glory.
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Indeed, Burns and Scott could not cope after the restart as they seemed in competition to see who could find the worst positions in the rough.
Burns was the overnight leader at four under but his round disintegrated after the resumption, with two double bogeys in an ugly round of eight over par to finish tied for seventh on four over.
Scott, hoping to win a major for the first time in 12 years, fared even worse, going round in 79.
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler ended up tied for seventh after impressive rounds, while Rory McIlroy produced his best round of a difficult week to finish on seven over.
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Forbes
42 minutes ago
- Forbes
Former Yankees Pitcher Sam Militello Has Had A ‘Rewarding' 25 Years With The Tampa Spartans
Sam Militello is part of an impressive 'Who's Who' of Tampa baseball that includes two of his Jefferson High School teammates, Tino Martinez and Luis Gonzalez. He and Martinez overlapped one season at the University of Tampa, where Militello returned following a pro career and has spent the last quarter century as a coach. 'Being a Tampa guy, I grew up watching Dwight Gooden, who was something special,' said the 55-year-old, in his office at UT's Bob Martinez Athletics Center four days after the Spartans took a doubleheader from Central Missouri to win yet another Division-II national title. 'I got to play against Gary Sheffield and Carl Everett. All these studs from Tampa, which has been a hotbed for a long time. All of the Tampa major leaguers know each and it is like a little club that we have.' It was quite a club the left-handed pitcher was part of in three seasons (1988-90) at UT. Militello was on the front end of a 35-year string of success that has seen the Spartans win 10 national titles. While the first of those championships was in 1992, two years after he was a sixth-round selection of the Yankees, the wheels along the Hillsborough River began turning big time in the mid-to-late 1980s. Militello had much to with that, though he needed a reassuring phone call when it came to deciding what school to attend. 'I spoke with Tino's father when I was deciding where to go to school,' said Militello, of the late Rene Martinez. 'I asked why Tino went to UT. He could have gone anywhere in the country. After that conversation, I hung up the phone and said, 'I am going to UT.'' It was a good choice. In 1990, his junior and final year at UT, Militello went 15-2 with a 1.75 ERA to earn Division-II player of the year honors. His effort helped the Spartans make it to the national championship series and place third. That same year, Martinez made his MLB debut with the Mariners, who selected him 14th overall in 1988. '(UT's) success started with Tino, before I got here,' said Militello, who as a youth made the three-block walk to Al Lopez Field to see he his beloved Cincinnati Reds train. 'He came here and the landscape of UT baseball changed.' Militello is a big reason why the program continues to excel at an extremely high level 35 years after he last toed the rubber for the Spartans. Militello made his MLB debut with the Yankees as a 22-year-old in August 1992. It was an impressive debut, blanking the visiting Red Sox on one hit in seven innings to earn the win. He went 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA in nine starts. Shoulder injuries began to plague him the following season and he spent much of the next few years attempting to work through the ailments in the hope of returning to the big time. It was not meant to be. Militello's playing career was over at age 26. The Yankees offered Militello a scouting position, though he was far more interested in coaching. As luck would have it, the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as they were then known, were to begin play in 1998 and commence minor league and player development operations in 1997, a year after Militello threw his final pitch. Militello reached out to few people he knew in the Yankees' player development system, a couple of whom left the organization to join the expansion club. He confided in Mitch Lukevics, who remains with the Rays as a senior adviser for player development, and Bill Livesey, Tampa Bay's director of player development before he became an assistant to then-general manager Chuck LaMar. 'I wanted to coach because I was a student of the game and I loved it, so the teaching part came easy,' he said. 'I called Bill and Mitch, met with them and talked about creating a position as a rehab pitching coach. They thought I would be perfect for that.' 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'They wanted me to be the head coach, but I didn't have my degree because I left after my junior year,' said Militello, noting university higher ups required a degree to be a head coach. 'I told Cleveland, 'Hold on, I might be back.'' There was no going back. Not when another former UT teammate, Joe Urso, was handed the keys to the program. 'Joe surfaced late in the (hiring) process and he wanted me to stay, so I ended up staying,' said Militello, who completed his 25th season with Urso as pitching coach and, essentially, a co-head coach. 'Little did I know that 25 years later I would still be in the same spot, which I am totally fine with and have been totally fine with all along.' Opportunities to become a head coach, including at Division-I institutions, arose especially early in his UT tenure. However, Militello has been and remains literally and figuratively right at home. 'When I am asked if I want to be a head coach, my response is, 'I am,'' he said. 'Joe treats me that way. He includes me in all decisions and we are to the point we know what each other is thinking. At the time (I was hired), I thought I might move on to something else, but this is home with my family is here. It has been great.' Militello is a pillar for Urso to lean on. Someone who he not only has known and trusted since they played at UT, but has a like-minded view of how the program should be run in the larger picture as well as the day-to-day grind of a season. 'Every decision we make, we make together,' said Urso, who played at rival Plant High and played all or part of six seasons in the Angels' system before managing a rookie-level club within the organization. 'Nothing is done without both of us putting our stamp on it. We have had two head coaches here for a long time and that is the strength of this program. It's the consistency at the top and I am lucky to have Sam.' The Spartans have won seven national titles under Urso/Militello. The last five have been with another former Spartan and Angels' minor leaguer, Jose Jimenez, serving as an assistant coach and recruiting director. Yet another former UT player and Angels farmhand, Christopher Rosenbaum, has assisted the past three seasons following more than a decade as a scout with the Nationals, Mariners and Astros. Not surprisingly, there is continuity at the JV level with Mark Johnson, a UT teammate of Urso's and Militello's, running the show. He was assisted for a couple of years by former Royals minor leaguer, Daniel Mercado, who now helps the varsity. 'Joe and I have been here 25 years and people know what to expect,' said Militello, who received his degree in exercise science in 2005. 'Our players know what to expect from us every day because we have been doing it here for so long.' Not that maintaining UT's family-like culture has gotten easier, especially when the transfer portal is seemingly humming 24/7. 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Now an alum, Williams is sure to continue to build and maintain a relationship with the program and university. 'It's the relationships that we have created for each of our players that I am most proud of,' said Militello. 'You bring in (new players) and they don't know each other. By the time they leave here, they are best friends, they are in each other's weddings, their kids are hanging out together. There is nothing more rewarding for Joe and I.'


Fox News
44 minutes ago
- Fox News
Malik Tillman finally has his moment with the U.S. men's team: 'He's a baller'
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New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Sam Burns' US Open hopes were crushed by controversial rules decision
Sam Burns saw his U.S. Open hopes drown with one controversial decision. Burns was forced to hit out of a soggy lie on the fairway of the 15th hole of Sunday's final round at Oakmont after asking two rules officials to take a drop. Both decided that Burns was not entitled to one, and he proceeded to pull his second shot into the greenside rough and make a double bogey to all but finish his chances of winning his first major. 'When I walked into it, clearly you could see water coming up,' Burns said. 'Took practice swings and it's just water splashing every single time. Called a rules official over, they disagreed. I looked at it again. I thought maybe I should get a second opinion. That rules official also disagreed. At the end of the day, it's not up to me, it's up to the rules official. That's kind of that.' It was the low point of a disastrous day for Burns, who shot an 8-over 78 after opening the final round with a one-shot lead. The situation on 15 came up after a lengthy delay, in which the course was hit by another round of storms after taking on serious rain on Friday into Saturday. 3 Sam Burns shows the rules official the wet area where he has to hit out of on 15 during the US Open on June 15, 2025. Getty Images The water had settled in a valley on the right side of the fairway, but was not enough to give Burns relief. According to Yahoo Sports, Rule 16.1 states that temporary water is an 'accumulation of water on the surface of the ground (such as puddles from rain or irrigation or an overflow from a body of water) that is not in a penalty area, and can be seen before or after you take a stance (without pressing down excessively with your feet). 3 Sam Burns was the leader heading into the final round of the US Open. Getty Images 'It is not enough for the ground to be merely wet, muddy or soft or for the water to be momentarily visible as you step on the ground; an accumulation of water must remain present either before or after your stance is taken.' Burns angrily swatted at the ground after his strike, sending water spraying. Normal Sports' Kyle Porter investigated the area afterwards to see how wet it was. 3 Sam Burns shot an 8-over par 78 in the final round of the US Open at Oakmont. Getty Images Burns then chunked his chip from the thick greenside rough and went on to make double bogey. He added bogeys on 16 and 18 as well, as he plummeted out of contention. Burns would ultimately finish the tournament at 4-over and five strokes behind champion J.J. Spaun.