Scottie hurtles toward history while Caitlin Clark's season goes sideways
Live Right Now: Scheffler closing in on history
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:
Scheffler sits at 14 under par, four strokes ahead of the field thanks to a bogey-free round yesterday. The art of Scottie Scheffler is on full display.
Haotong Li is closest to Scheffler, with Matt Fitzpatrick one stroke behind at 9 under. The numbers don't lend much oxygen to the hopes of a comeback winner.
Oddsmakers have crowd favorite Rory McIlroy at 8 under as the most likely challenger to Scheffler's throne (+2000, via BetMGM). McIlroy shot a brilliant 66 yesterday, headlined by a 56-foot eagle putt and one of the most bizarre golf shots you will ever see. Playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th, McIlroy somehow unearthed another ball hidden below:
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.
All-Star: Clark's season takes nightmarish turn
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:
Clark has not looked right when she's played, and her shooting numbers have dipped badly from her rookie season.
In particular, she hasn't been able to buy a bucket on the road, where she's made just two of her 35 3-point attempts.
The Fever are a middling 12-11 at the All-Star break.
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.'
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.
News to Know
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.
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.
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.
Watch Guide
📺 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.
📺 : 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.
Pulse Picks
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.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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