Scottie hurtles toward history while Caitlin Clark's season goes sideways
Good morning! Drink something out of your own Claret Jug today.
Scottie Scheffler is already in rarified air. But a win today would make him just the fourth player in golf history to win the Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship all before age 30. The other three are Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. We're talking about a different stratosphere.
Here's where things stand atop the Open Championship leaderboard with 18 holes to play:
The only weirder thing that could happen at Royal Portrush today? Scheffler conceding a four-stroke lead. It would take a miracle.
The final pairing tees off at 9:30 a.m. ET, but you can follow the action all day with our live blog. Bookmark it.
When we last checked in with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, they were having an odd, halting start to the WNBA season. Clark had been in and out of the lineup, the team had unceremoniously waived a celebrated offseason acquisition and the Fever looked like they were struggling to find their sea legs in the early going.
Things are worse now, even with a Commissioner's Cup:
Most distressing, Clark is hurt again, with her fourth non-contact injury of the season, all to different body parts. The timing of this one stinks; the WNBA brought its All-Star festivities to Indy this weekend, and Clark did not participate beyond her preselected role as a team captain. She missed not just the game but a highly anticipated 3-point contest appearance. Ben Pickman writes that Clark 'was set to be the affair's de facto representative.'
Advertisement
Her return timetable is uncertain, but a bigger concern is how long it will take for her to look fully like herself. To see Clark miss 10 games has been jolting. In four years at Iowa, she did not miss a game and only seemed to get stronger as she took on more volume.
More or less everyone in the WNBA has some reason to be upset about Clark's season. The league office just put on a marquee event — in which one of the teams was called Team Clark — without Clark on the floor. Other WNBA players, especially the stars, may be getting irritated with the apocalyptic terms in which Clark's absence is sometimes discussed. After all, the league has currently superior players who are playing, headlined by Napheesa Collier, MVP of last night's All-Star Game. And then there is Clark herself, not happy about it either.
So, a question for Sabreena Merchant, a women's basketball staff writer for The Athletic: Who in the WNBA is most annoyed with how Clark's year is unfolding?
💬 Clark is easily the most annoyed party at how her season has gone, with Fever fans a close second. There were such high hopes for how she would perform after a full offseason of rest and recovery, considering the giant step forward she took after the month-long Olympic break as a rookie. Instead, she has been plagued by muscle injuries, the latest causing her palpable emotional anguish as she took herself out of the game. For Fever fans who also root for the Pacers, seeing Clark struggle after already losing Tyrese Haliburton to an Achilles injury has to hurt doubly.
I hadn't thought about that last point, but what a brutal few weeks for Indy basketball fans. The Hoosier State turns its lonely eyes to you, new IU men's coach Darian DeVries.
WNBA stars make statement
As Napheesa Collier accepted the WNBA All-Star Game MVP trophy after a record 36 points last night, chants of 'Pay them!' rang out throughout the arena. It was a reference to the increasingly contentious CBA discussions between the WNBA and the WNBPA. The All-Stars took the floor last night wearing shirts that read 'Pay Us What You Owe Us.' Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said yesterday she is confident in a new deal getting done, but the players believe there's a long way to go. Read the full report.
Advertisement
More news:
In Women's Euros action last night, Germany pulled off a miraculous win over France despite being a goal and a player down 15 minutes into the contest. The semifinals are set.
Manny Pacquiao, 46, made his return to professional boxing last night after a four-year absence. It ended in a controversial draw.
The Lakers are set to sign former Defensive Player of the YearMarcus Smart after a contract buyout with the Wizards, sources told The Athletic. A fresh start for the longtime Celtic.
Football season hasn't even started yet, but 14-year-old Brysen Wright made potentially the catch of the year at the NFL Flag Championships yesterday.
📺 Golf: Open Championship, Final Round | NBC until around 2 p.m. ET
The final major day of the year in men's golf, before the Ryder Cup in a little more than two months.
📺 MLB: Tigers at Rangers | 7:10 p.m. ET on ESPN
Likely on his way to a second straight Cy Young, Tarik Skubal takes the mound for Detroit against Nathan Eovaldi, who's got an even better ERA (1.58) than Skubal's (2.23). The Tigers lefty has done it in 30 more innings, though.
After Scottie Scheffler raised questions about happiness and fulfillment, Rustin Dodd connected with a professor to find answers. They talked about a few light topics, like the key to finding meaning in life.
As the Pulse's unofficial Sweden correspondent, I'm obligated to share my favorite Swedish delicacy — not IKEA meatballs, but candy. My personal favorites are Dumle, chocolate-covered toffees with an incredibly creamy filling (don't bite them!), and the cult favorite banana caramel Bubs. — Sam Settleman
'A data center like Meta's … guzzles around 500,000 gallons of water a day.' (🤯) You gotta read this story. — Chris Sprow
This helpful guide to making smart buys at a sports card show.
Old bits. When I was growing up, I used to think my dad was a wizard because he could predict when a traffic light would turn green. Now I do the same thing with my daughter and she shrieks in delight when I'm inevitably correct. Traditions matter. — Chris Branch
Our recap of all things fashion on the orange carpet at WNBA All-Star Weekend.
I'm a sucker for a true one-pot meal, and this is my latest fave — add a jammy egg! — Torrey Hart
Ian O'Connor's strong column on why the NFL Players Association deserves better than Lloyd Howell Jr., the executive director who stepped down last week. We also have a timeline of Howell's tenure.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Ronald Acuña Jr.'s unbelievable outfield assist.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The live blog from Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois 2.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for July 30 #310
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. The purple category for Connections: Sports Edition was extra sneaky today. The theme went right over my head, but made sense once it was revealed. Read on for hints and the answers if you run into problems like I did. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: Your ticket off the field. Green group hint: Links groups. Blue group hint: Georgia on my mind. Purple group hint: Hoops groups. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Types of outs in baseball/softball. Green group: Professional golf tours. Blue group: First names of Atlanta sports stars. Purple group: Starts of NBA team names. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 30, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is types of outs in baseball/softball. The four answers are fly, force, strike and tag. The green words in today's Connections The theme is professional golf tours. The four answers are Korn Ferry, LIV, LPGA and PGA. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is first names of Atlanta sports stars. The four answers are Bijan, Rhyne, Ronald and Trae. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is starts of NBA team names. The four answers are Kin, Pac, Tim and Wiz.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Five key Dodgers trade deadline questions: Can they land a reliever and a bat?
A loaded farm system gives the Los Angeles Dodgers some trade chips, but who on the market is worth giving up a high-upside player? To discuss the deadline and set up a crucial week for the club, Dodgers beat writer Fabian Ardaya hosted a live Q&A with The Athletic subscribers on Tuesday afternoon. Here are five key questions (plus a bonus one) that were asked and answered during the chat. For more deadline coverage, read the full Q&A transcript, visit our Dodgers section for new stories, or check out our live blog for the latest all week long. With the Dodgers looking for a reliever and a bat, who would be the most realistic targets at both positions of need? Especially with all of the news that they don't want to trade their top prospects. — Joseph M. They're obviously going to be in the mix for all the big-name closers with club control, but I just don't see them doing that. Ryan Helsley and Pete Fairbanks are two bigger names that make sense to me with less club control (Helsley is a free agent after the year, Fairbanks has a club option for 2026) that would better fit what I think the Dodgers do. I also could see them — either in addition to one of those guys or instead of one of those guys — going and trying to find someone a little more off the immediate radar who they feel isn't being maximized right now. Michael Kopech last deadline comes to mind, and Chris Martin in 2022. I swear I'm not just going for the former Dodger angle, but Brock Stewart makes some sense for that reason (and he has a surprising amount of club control left). As far as a bat, I reported last week they were interested in guys like Harrison Bader and Brendan Donovan, though I don't know how likely either are. The sense I've gotten is that other clubs are having more active conversations on Bader than the Dodgers are right now (subject to change, obviously). Donovan's asking price would be 'sky high,' as my colleague Katie Woo has said. Same goes for Steven Kwan, who Ken Rosenthal reported the Dodgers are hotly pursuing from Cleveland. Advertisement When it comes to the bat, my sense is the team is looking for at least a carrying trait that they can bank on. They hoped it would be Michael Conforto's bat. Harrison Bader's trait would be his glove. Donovan's is his competence at multiple positions to go with a quality bat. If the Dodgers could maybe pry away, say, Trent Grisham from the Yankees, I think that helps the roster in a few ways. Of course, more names can easily enter the mix over the next couple of days. How likely would a trade for Steven Kwan be, and how much would it cost? — Chase R. When it comes to dealing with the Cleveland Grind Machine, it's hard to ever say a deal is likely. The cost would be high. Kwan is a high-floor, All-Star-caliber outfielder with a premium glove and years of control left. The Guardians have been trying to extend him, but have been unable to get anything done. Still, they aren't a team necessarily looking to bottom out. Their next good team likely would have to have Kwan on it. I have seen the smoke regarding Bader, and I wanted to ask: given Kiké Hernandez's status, would Willi Castro be a possibility as a floor-raising utility man? Also, is Luis Robert Jr. another option to improve outfield defense and potentially offense (given his recent improvement)? That's something that certainly crossed my mind with what Tommy Edman and Hyeseong Kim are dealing with. I'd imagine it's at least a possibility, but still would be lower on the priority list for the team. I even joked it was a shame that Amed Rosario already got traded, because the Dodgers certainly could use him for a 10-game spell like the team did after trading for him last deadline. Also, my read on the situation is the White Sox have been much, much higher on Robert the last couple of years than the industry consensus, so their asking price has remained quite high. Advertisement Between Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero, and Mike Sirota, the Dodgers have four outfielders in or near the top 100. What are the odds we see one of them dealt (probably Quintero or Sirota)? Has Diego Cartaya's fall influenced how Andrew Friedman will operate with 'prospect hugging'? — John G. I think it depends on who they're pursuing. I'd find it a little hard to think the Dodgers get a deal done for, say, Kwan, without having to give up at least one of those guys. I'd put Hope and DePaula a slight tier above the other two — though Quintero's rise this season might give him as high an upside as the other two. The Dodgers people have said they gave Sirota a first-round grade when he was going through the draft process, and he's lived up to it. His health does raise a slight red flag, in my opinion. And yeah, Cartaya's fall was stark. Knowing when and which prospects to hold onto is a skill, but there's also so much of it that's unpredictable. Is Alex Freeland going to play 2B once Max Muncy is back, or will he be sent down? — Michael W. I think it depends in part on who goes on the IL today and what role Freeland winds up playing once active. If Edman or Kim misses a good chunk of time, it's a good opportunity for Freeland to have some runway. It's worth noting that Freeland has barely played any second base this season. That's partially a byproduct of the roster over at Oklahoma City (where Kim was getting reps at second early this season) and some of the needs the team was prepping him for (most of his third-base work has come since Muncy got hurt). I would also argue that even when healthy, the Dodgers' roster fits a bit better with Freeland on it, at least as a bench bat. Maybe it hurts Freeland's development long-term and/or Edman's ankle can't hold up playing more outfield, but it was a thought that crossed my mind last night. Advertisement Do you think the addition of Farhan Zaidi will help the Dodgers transition to finding incredible value from scrap-heap pick-ups? I realize they still do this somewhat, with Anthony Banda being a huge one. I sort of miss the anonymous pickups like Justin Turner or Max Muncy. I don't necessarily trust my observations on this, but have you observed this at all? Also wondering if Farhan is there to do a little of what he used to do. — L.M. The Dodgers have been churning as is. How fondly do you remember CJ Alexander's 24 hours on the 40-man roster? What was your favorite Steward Berroa memory? I did not make those two names up, and those were two guys who have been on the team's 40-man roster this season. Zaidi has been around and helping out, but his role is very general and isn't directly tied to the Dodgers. I don't have a clear idea of how much he's involved on a day-to-day basis. (Top photo of Steven Kwan: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
EuroLeague CEO says NBA's plans of forming new European league 'would create confusion'
Adam Silver just kept bringing it up. Unprompted. Whenever discussion of NBA expansion came up as Silver spoke to the media in Las Vegas during Summer League, Silver spun the conversation toward the NBA having its eyes on Europe and a new league there. He and the owners see an opportunity — they are better at making money off the business of basketball than the current European EuroLeague system. The NBA is exploring the idea of jumping in with both feet across the Atlantic, forming a super league with some existing teams and creating some new ones (likely tied to soccer powerhouses on the continent). 'We'd be an independent league, what we're contemplating operating in Europe, but the fact that we would be creating new basketball teams in Europe is related [to NBA expansion],' Silver said. 'It's separate but related to this notion around building additional organizations in the league.' This would be a direct competition to the existing EuroLeague, and its CEO, Paulius Motiejunas, spoke to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, saying a new league would create more confusion than anything else. "[The NBA has] a really strong image. They can help with TV deals. They can help with sponsorship. We can grow the pie bigger if we go and work together. This is always the same message... But we have a huge fan base. We have 25 years of history. This is what we said to them. Why not sit down and see how we go and make decisions together, rather than just creating a new league and for them to start over?... 'This new league would create confusion. It would create division and on simple terms, you go to the sponsor, and you say, 'I'm now this new, you know, NBA League.' And then we go, 'Well, we are EuroLeague.'' The EuroLeague is set up differently from, for example, soccer's Champions League, where teams have to earn the right to play in it annually. There are 11 'A-license' clubs that are part owners and managers of the EuroLeague and whose teams are automatically in the tournament every year. Those teams include powerhouses Barcelona, CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, and Real Madrid. The NBA is a couple of years out from starting a league on the continent, but its broad strokes idea is to poach a handful of those A-license clubs as well as forming a couple of new ones — in locations such as Manchester, England — plus having the opportunity for some teams to play their way into the competition. The NBA, with reason, believes its marketing arm and brand power can have this league making money that the existing EuroLeague system leaves on the table. The NBA and EuroLeague working together is not totally out of the question, but the NBA is working closely with the international basketball governing body FIBA, which has a history of tension with the existing EuroLeague. Silver and the NBA are not going to slow their European plans down — again, there is a reason Silver kept bringing that up while talking about the current NBA owners pumping the brakes on expansion stateside. There seems to be a real taste for a European league from NBA owners, who have long understood that the biggest growth in the association and their franchise values was going to come from international growth. If that means competing with the EuroLeague, NBA owners are not going to back away from it.
