Unless you count the Olympics, this is the last big sports weekend until September. We have the U.S. Open in golf, we have the College World Series starting off in Omaha, and we have what may be the last of the NBA Finals. We're going to mainly focus on the golf, with some cut-ins regarding the other events.
NBC's coverage of the U.S. Open doesn't start until noon Central, but here is the current leaderboard at Pinehurst No. 2:
1. P. Cantlay: -5 (18 holes)
T2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -4 (33)
T2. T. Detry (BEL): -4 (29)
T2. L. Aberg (SWE): -4 (18)
T5. B. DeChambeau: -3 (33)
T5. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (18)
T7. T. Pendrith (CAN): -2 (30)
T7. T. Finau: -2 (18)
And then there's a nine-way tie at 1 under.
Scottie Scheffler is out of it, by the way. He's 5 over through 33 holes, and at real risk of missing the cut. It's a very poor performance from Scheffler, who shot an OK 71 yesterday, but who is 4 over through 15 holes today.
Xander Schauffele is 1 under for the day and 1 under for the tournament through 33 holes.
Wyndham Clark is probably out of it. He's 1 over through 32 holes. Jordan Spieth is 1 over through 31 holes, and I don't suppose we'll see much of him on the weekend either.
Thomas Detry, who has never won a PGA event, is now 5 under through 30 holes and tied for the lead.
ReplyDeleteEric will be excited to know that his McCracken County Mustangs are about to play Owensboro Catholic in the semi-final of the KHSAA baseball tournament. The winner will take on Pleasure Ridge Park for the title.
ReplyDeleteT1. T. Detry (BEL): -5 (31 holes)
ReplyDeleteT1. P. Cantlay: -5 (18)
T3. R. McIlroy (NIR): -4 (35)
T3. L. Aberg (SWE): -4 (18)
T5. B. DeChambeau: -3 (35)
T5. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (18)
Scheffler shoots 71+74=145. He's 5 over and mired in a tie for 88th, so he'll spend the rest of the afternoon waiting to see if he makes the cut.
ReplyDeleteMcIlroy shoots 65+72=137 (-3). He will be disappointed in that round.
ReplyDeleteDetry picks up another birdie and moves into the solo lead. He is 6 under through 32 holes.
ReplyDeleteDeChambeau shoots 67+69=136 (-4), and he is right there in a good position for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteT1. T. Detry (BEL): -5 (34 holes)
ReplyDeleteT1. P. Cantlay: -5 (19)
T3. B. DeChambeau: -4 (36)
T3. L. Aberg (SWE): -4 (19)
T5. R. McIlroy (NIR): -3 (36)
T5. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (18)
The University of Evansville's teams are known as the "Purple Aces." Owensboro Catholic's teams, just up the river from UE, are the "Aces." To me, this represents really good evidence that the towns right along the Ohio River constitute a micro-culture that is distinct from, say, Mayfield.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that to me, the term "Ace," sounds more like one of the characters in West Side Story than something that is admirable. But the micro-culture along the Ohio River is not really my culture.
ReplyDeleteDetry bogeys the 8th hole (his 35th hole), and falls back to 4 under for the tournament. But Aberg birdies the 2d hole (his 20th hole) and moves into a tie for the lead at 5 under.
ReplyDeleteAt the Masters, you get to see all these guys trying to figure out how aggressive they want to be, and how they want to play different holes. At the National Open, you get to watch guys miss a lot of 35-foot birdie putts.
ReplyDeleteBut they don't have much choice. At the National Open, you just take what the course gives you. Otherwise you end up where Scheffler is. How many times did Phil Mickelson or Seve Ballesteros win this thing?
ReplyDeleteDetry shoots 69+67=136 (-4), and he's tied for third with DeChambeau. Yesterday morning, I thought that having this tournament come down to Cantlay and Aberg would be very on-brand for the U.S.G.A., and right now they are tied for the lead at 5 under.
ReplyDeleteTiger birdies the fourth hole and moves to 3 over for the tournament.
ReplyDeleteUVA and UNC are tied at 1 after 3 in Omaha.
ReplyDeleteT1. P. Cantlay: -5 (23 holes)
ReplyDeleteT1. L. Aberg (SWE): -5 (22)
T1. M. Pavon (FRA): -5 (21)
T4. B. DeChambeau: -4 (36)
T4. T. Detry (BEL): -4 (36)
Mr. Gordon Sargent (am), of Mountain Brook and Vanderbilt, shot 73+78=151 and will probably be going home for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteKoepka and Morikawa are both 1 over through 23 holes and don't appear to be going anywhere. Spieth shot 72+71=143 and is out of contention.
ReplyDeleteXander Schauffele shot 70+69=139 (-1) and is on the edge of contention.
ReplyDeleteHideki Matsuyama (JPN) shot 72+66=138 (-2) and has played his way into contention.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm picking Aberg to win this thing. He just birdied the fifth hole to move to 6 under through 23, and he has the lead all to himself. I don't think Cantlay, Pavon, DeChambeau, or Detry are good enough to beat him.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe I'm underestimating Cantlay. He just made one of those long birdie putts to move into a tie for the lead. He's 6 under through 24 holes. So I'm going to adjust my pick and say that either Aberg or Cantlay will win this tournament.
ReplyDeleteHere are the current odds:
ReplyDeleteAberg: +275
DeChambeau: +400
McIIroy: +450
Cantlay: +750
I'm not picking McIlroy or DeChambeau. Last year, I watched McIlroy and Scheffler chase Wyndham Clark for 36 holes at the L.A. Country Club, and they never caught him. The way the National Open works, the chasers can't make enough birdies to run down the leaders -- and the leaders can usually win by just hitting fairways and greens.
DeleteAgain, at Augusta the leaders can't play it safe, and are therefore more likely to make mistakes. But that's not the situation here.
DeleteSo we've reached the stage in the proceedings where iron shots land on the green, roll through the green, and then go down into some sort of swale. And that's why no one can play aggressively. You cannot shoot at the flag, because no one can stop the ball near the hole. The best you can do is to aim for the exact middle of the green, because that makes it less likely that the ball will roll off the green. Then the guy who does that the most often -- and makes the most long putts -- is the winner.
ReplyDeleteCantlay is now justifying my instincts. On the 8th hole (a par 4), he drives into the fairway. He then lands the ball on the green, but it rolls through and goes down into a swale. Then he chips onto the green, and the ball runs all the way past the hole and goes off the green into another swale on the other side. His fourth shot lands on the upslope, and then rolls back down into the same swale from which it started. His fifth shot rolls about 15 feet past the hole, but at least it stays on the green. He'll have that putt for a double-bogey.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, playing right behind Cantlay, Aberg misses the 8th fairway with his drive.
ReplyDeleteCantlay does make the putt for double bogey. That's huge, because he only falls back to 4 under. Aberg now leads the tournament by two shots.
ReplyDeleteAfter 5, UNC and UVA are still tied at 1.
ReplyDeleteSo this is the fourth time they've played the National Open at Pinehurst Number 2, and I'm ready to admit that I don't get it. All the holes play the same, and there's not much you can do other than hit the ball down the middle and play for the center of the green. It is to golf what the French Open is to tennis -- it just rewards a completely different skill set than normal golf.
ReplyDeleteUNC scores a run in the bottom of the 9th to beat UVA 3-2. UNC has pulled out late-inning wins against LSU, W. Virginia, and now UVA.
ReplyDeleteMcCracken Co. led 5-1 after 1, trailed 7-5 after 5 1/2, and then score four runs in the bottom of the 5th to go up 9-7. The Mustangs then shut out the Aces the rest of the way to win 9-7. McCracken County goes to the final, where it will face Pleasure Ridge Park tomorrow at 2:30 P.M. Central.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Aberg is cruising along at Pinehurst:
ReplyDelete1. L. Aberg (SWE): -6 (30 holes)
T2. B. DeChambeau: -4 (36)
T2. T. Detry (BEL): -4 (36)
T2. P. Cantlay: -4 (30)
T2. T. Finau: -4 (30)
T2. M. Pavon (FRA): -4 (29)
But once again, I have given up on Cantlay too quickly. He rolls in a long birdie putt on 13, and is now 5-under through 31 holes.
ReplyDeleteThe projected cut line is now at 5 over, so it looks as though Scheffler will get to play two more rounds. Tiger, on the other hand, is 6 over through 31, so I don't think he'll be around for the weekend.
ReplyDeletePavon picks up a birdie, and he is at 5 under through 30 holes.
ReplyDeleteThere's just not a lot to report on. The leaders hit the ball down the middle, hit it to the center of the green, miss a long putt, and move to the next hole. Sometimes they make a long putt. Sometimes they three-putt. That's pretty much it.
ReplyDeleteTiger needs a birdie to make the cut. On 15, he just barely misses a long birdie putt.
ReplyDeleteTiger bogeys the 16th hole, and he will not be around for the weekend.
ReplyDeleteLatest odds:
ReplyDeleteAberg: +250
DeChambeau: +450
McIlroy: +500
Cantlay: +750
Cantlay bogeys the 16th hole, thanks to a bad drive, and falls back to 4 under.
ReplyDeleteT1. L. Aberg (SWE): -5 (34 holes)
ReplyDeleteT1. M. Pavon (FRA): -5 (32)
T3. B. DeChambeau: -4 (36)
T3. T. Detry (BEL): -4 (36)
T3. P. Cantlay: -4 (35)
T3. T. Finau: -4 (34)
Tiger shoots 74+73=147 (+7) and he will miss the cut.
ReplyDeleteCantlay shoots 65+71=136 (-4) and remains in a tie for third.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAberg, the likely winner of the 2024 U.S. Open, shoots 66+69=135 (-5) and is currently tied for first with Matthieu Pavon.
Pavon bogeys the 8th hole (his 35th) to fall back 4 under and leave Aberg (the future winner) all alone in first place.
ReplyDeleteAnd then Pavon bogeys the 9th hole (his 36th). He shoots 67+70=137 (-3) and is in a tie for 5th place.
ReplyDeleteHere's the top 8 after the second round:
ReplyDelete1. L. Aberg (SWE): -5 (66+69=135)
T2. B. DeChambeau: -4 (67+69=136)
T2. T. Detry (BEL): -4 (69+67=136)
T2. P. Cantlay: -4 (65+71=136)
T5. R. McIlroy (NIR): -3 (65+72=137)
T5. T. Finau: -3 (68+69=137)
T5. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (67+70=137)
8. H. Matsuyama (JPN): -2 (72+66=138)
Here are the latest odds:
ReplyDeleteAberg: +320
DeChambeau: +400
McIlroy: +450
Cantlay: +900
Meanwhile, in Omaha, Tennessee leads Florida State 4 to 1 in the top of the third.
ReplyDeleteBut not for long. FSU gets two quick runs. Now UT leads 4-3 in the top of the third, no one is out, and FSU has a runner on second.
ReplyDeleteWell, that got away from the Vols very quickly. The Seminoles score SIX runs in the top of the third, and they now lead Tennessee 7 to 4.
ReplyDeleteAfter four, the Noles lead 9 to 4.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 5th, a two-run homer pulls Tennessee to within 9 to 6. Apparently they have fixed whatever problems prevented college teams from hitting homers at the new stadium in Omaha.
ReplyDeleteWith three minutes left in the first quarter, Dallas leads Boston 25-14. So the NBA playoffs may not finish tonight.
ReplyDeleteThe final for the KHSAA Softball Tournament is set for tomorrow. Henderson Co. will play North Laurel for the title.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 6th, another Tennessee home run makes the score 9 to 7. Tennessee's leadoff man, Christian Moore, has already hit for the cycle.
ReplyDeleteDallas leads Boston 61 to 35 at the half, which is pretty much a staggering result however you consider it.
ReplyDeleteGoing into the 9th, FSU leads Tennessee 11 to 8.
ReplyDeleteWith two outs and the score 11 to 9 in the bottom of the 9th, Christian Young whacks a double into the left field corner. That puts runners on second and third and brings the winning run to the plate. Everyone is standing in Omaha.
ReplyDeleteWith the score 11-9 and two outs, and a 2-2 count, the UT batter clearly appeared to swing at a third strike that would have ended the game. But of course, he claimed to have stopped his swing in time, and of course the umpires agreed with him. He then banged a single through the middle of the infield to tie the score at 11.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, there is absolutely no doubt that the UT batter should have been called out and FSU should have won 11 to 9. It's not really close.
DeleteBut the Vols won't care. "Do you want a car with holes in it or do you want no car?"
DeleteThen the next batter hit another single. The Vols now have runners on 1st and 2d, there are two outs, the score is 11-11, and one more hit will win the game. Under these circumstances, the Noles are changing pitchers.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping that the boring Super Regionals indicated a very competitive CWS, and so far that has been the case.
ReplyDeleteThe next batter walks it off with a long single, and the Vols with 12 to 11 with FOUR RUNS in the bottom of the 9th. Omaha is to FSU as Chinatown is to Jack Nicholson.
ReplyDeleteI set up my work to close out with the golf tournament on television for the last couple of hours yesterday afternoon, and I lasted about 15 minutes with it. Then last night when I saw the NBA score--and then the North Carolina and Tennessee scores--I thought to myself, poor GoHeath! Brutal start to the sports weekend.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I watched When Harry Met Sally again. It was great.
College World Series: UK 5, North Carolina State 4. Yea!
ReplyDelete#khsbb24 final: Louisville Pleasure Ridge Park 4, McCracken County 1. Dang.
U.S. Open:
ReplyDeleteHere's the top 8 after the second round:
1. B. DeChambeau: -6 (58 holes)
2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -5 (58)
T3. P. Cantlay: -3 (58)
T3. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (58)
5. H. Matsuyama (JPN): -2 (59)
Pretty good final round shaping up.
You know how, if you've watched much golf at all over the course of your life, you can pretty much always see about midway through the roll of a putt if it's going to go in? And you know how you effectively always now in the last couple of inches if a putt's going to go in?
ReplyDeleteWell, Rory McIlroy just had about a 30-footer to save par on No. 5 of the final round. He had whacked the ball into the sandy rough to the left of the fairway, and then he had whacked the ball into a sand trap just in front and to the left of the green, and then he whacked the ball out of the trap and well past the hole. About 15 feet through his long putt for 4, I felt pretty confident that McIlroy was in the process of making a terrific shot that would be replayed again and again if he ends up winning this tournament. Down to just an inch or two of the cup, I was certain he had nailed it. In fact, it looked to me that McIlroy shared in this gathering belief.
We were both wrong.
1. B. DeChambeau: -6 (58 holes)
2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -4 (59)
T3. P. Cantlay: -3 (59)
T3. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (58)
5. H. Matsuyama (JPN): -2 (60)
Cross-country-driving Patty Ice rolls in a dodgy 6-footer on No. 7 to even himself with Wee-Mac.
ReplyDelete1. B. DeChambeau: -6 (60 holes)
T2. R. McIlroy (NIR): -4 (61)
T2. P. Cantlay: -4 (61)
4. M. Pavon (FRA): -3 (60)
5. H. Matsuyama (JPN): -2 (61)
I'll be glad when snug pants go back out of style, and I think the golfers will be glad, too.
ReplyDeleteRory McIlroy is smiling a good bit today, and they seem like genuine smiles--not ironic or sardonic ones. That's good to see. He's had a weird few years, and it felt like he had misplaced his joy a little bit. Maybe he's rediscovering it.
ReplyDeleteOn No. 8, 30-year-old Bryson "The Scientist" DeChambeau uncorks one of his famously violent drives and immediately flings his right index finger toward the gallery to the right of the fairway. The rocket is sailing deep into the pine trees, and he's lucky the gallery is there because it can be really, really hard to find your golf ball in a deep bed of "Old North State" pine needles. I know from experience.
ReplyDeleteDespite having golf's most satisfying name for Americans to pronounce, 32-year-old Hideki Matsuyama of Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan, drops a stroke back to minus-1 and a four-way tie for fifth.
ReplyDeletePatty Ice--whose swing looks exactly as smooth as I imagine Perry Como's looked like right before the cover shot for his album, Como Swings, was shot--sends a brilliant drive on the par-3 No. 9 to about eight feet past the cup.
ReplyDeleteWee-Mac also had a wonderful drive on No. 9, and he's away as NBC comes back from the commercial break. His 12-to-15-footer rolls in for birdie!
ReplyDeleteNow Patty Ice ...
ReplyDeleteJust left!
DeleteThe Scientist is left with a 15-to-20-footer or so to save par on No. 8, and he zips in the ball and looses two taught, powerful fist pumps to the grandstands behind the green!
ReplyDeleteRight before DeChambeau's par, 31-year-old Matthieu Pavon of Toulouse, France dropped back to minus-2. So, as the last two pairings make and approach the turn of the final round, we have a tight top three golfers on which to focus our attention.
ReplyDelete1. B. "The Scientist" DeChambeau: -6 (62 holes)
2. R. "Wee-Mac" McIlroy (NIR): -5 (63)
3. P. "Patty Ice" Cantlay: -4 (63)
I've got all of this on mute because that is the best way to watch sports, in spite of the fact that the announcers by and large do an excellent job. Anyway, they're all on screen now, sitting around in their suits around the trophy and laughing amid various highlights from the first half of today's final round. So, this seems like a good time for me sign off, as we are about to host a big Father's Day event at my house, and I need to go take out the dog. I guess I'm rooting for Wee-Mac, then Patty Ice and then The Scientist.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eric. I am taking over and starting a new thread.
ReplyDelete