Angels’ Rendon needs wrist surgery; season overAngels’ Rendon needs wrist surgery; season over
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon needs season-ending surgery on his injured right wrist, the team announced on Friday.
Day: June 17, 2022
Big names set to battle out U.S. Open weekend according to BetMGMBig names set to battle out U.S. Open weekend according to BetMGM
BROOKLINE, Mass. – The U.S. Open is set for an epic showdown amongst star names according to the latest odds from BetMGM Sportsbook heading into the weekend at The Country Club. Open Champion Collin Morikawa (5-under, T1), defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm (4-under, T3), last start winner Rory McIlroy (4-under, T3) and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (3-under, T8) are the hot favorites with just two rounds to go despite 30 players sitting within five shots of the lead. Morikawa and McIlroy sit +450 to win the championship with Rahm close behind at +500 and Scheffler lurking at +750. “Right now my game feels really good. The last few days is a huge confidence booster for me heading into this weekend, and hopefully we can kind of make some separation somehow,” two-time major winner Morikawa said after his 4-under 66 on Friday. “I’ve got to focus on tomorrow. I’ve got to stick to my game plan. I’ve got to make sure I don’t run out of steam, which I kind of have been through that kind of little stretch after nine holes… I’ve just got to figure out a way to focus a little bit deeper and really get dialed in for the next 36.” Prior to the second round McIlroy was holding 9.2% of the handle at BetMGM and 6.9% of tickets, representing one of their biggest liabilities. The 2011 U.S. Open winner and champion last week at the RBC Canadian Open rebounded from an early double bogey on Friday to be just one shot back. “After 36 holes in a major championship, that’s all you want to do is put yourself right in the mix going into the weekend. For a little part of the day there, it seemed like I was going to be a few more behind, but I dug deep and played the last eight holes really, really well,” McIlroy said. “That was the goal. After I bogeyed 10, I just wanted to try to shoot under par. I had some chances coming up. Just played a really clean eight holes, which was pleasing. Hit fairways, hit greens, gave myself chances. Got myself right back in the tournament.” Co-leader Joel Dahmen is +2200 to hold his nerve on the weekend, behind Aaron Wise (4-under, T3, +1600), Sam Burns (2-under, T13, +1800) and Matt Fitzpatrick (2-under, T13, +2000) in the betting lines despite sitting ahead of them on the leaderboard. “I’m excited. My game is obviously pretty good right now. I handled nerves pretty well out there today,” Dahmen said. “It will be a big weekend. 36 holes left in a U.S. Open is a lot longer than 36 holes at any other golf course. We’re just going to keep plugging ahead.” One bettor will be hoping Burns can get a fourth TOUR win this season come Sunday. BetMGM reports a $2,947 wager to win $97,253 at +3300 came pre-tournament for the Louisiana native to win. The Country Club was the venue for the ultimate Cinderella story win in 1913 when amateur and 20-year-old Francis Ouimet won the U.S. Open. Those who fancy a repeat can look to the likes of Hayden Buckley and Beau Hossler who are still +5000 to claim their first major, and in fact first PGA TOUR win, despite being just one shot off the lead. You can also still get long odds on the likes of Nick Hardy (+8000), Matthew NeSmith (+6600) and Patrick Rodgers (+6600) who are two back.
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Morikawa, Rahm, McIlroy bring buzz to Brookline in US OpenMorikawa, Rahm, McIlroy bring buzz to Brookline in US Open
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — The storms dodged Brookline and the stars began to emerge Friday in the U.S. Open. Collin Morikawa showed signs of emerging from pedestrian play at just the right time, matching the low score of the championship with a 4-under 66 for a share of the 36-hole lead with Joel Dahmen and a shot at a third straight year winning a major. He had plenty of company at The Country Club, one player in clear view. Defending champion Jon Rahm played with Morikawa and did his best to keep pace with an eagle and a series of big par putts that felt just as valuable. Rahm had a 67 and was one shot behind in a group that included Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, coming of a win at the Canadian Open, was never more entertaining. He was two holes into his round when an errant approach landed in waist-high fescue. He took a hack. And then another. The third try finally found the green, and he holed a 25-foot putt to salvage a double bogey. McIlroy hit his stride on the back nine with three birdies over his last four holes for a 69. Not to be overlooked was Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who chipped in from thick rough short of the par-5 14th green for an eagle that brought the Texan back into the mix with a 67. He was two shots behind. “It’s the U.S. Open. No one has taken it deep so far and kind of run away,” Morikawa said. “The last few days is a huge confidence booster for me heading into this weekend, and hopefully we can kind of make some separation somehow.” Morikawa, Rahm and Scheffler have combined to win four of the last nine majors. And then there’s McIlroy, who has four majors by himself, but none since 2014. “I think it’s great for the game of golf that the highest ranked players and the best players are up there, especially in the tournament where truly the best player ends up winning,” Rahm said. The idea of the U.S. Open is to identify the best players. Some of them require some introductions to major championship contention on the weekend. Start with Dahmen, the cancer survivor and everyman who will never be accused of taking himself too seriously, even if he takes his game seriously. He thought about withdrawing from the 36-hole qualifier twice last week, before it started and after the first round. But he stuck it out, and with a 68 on Friday, plays in the final group of a major for the first time. He joined Morikawa at 5-under 135. The group one shot behind includes Hayden Buckley, who actually studied while at Missouri because he never thought playing golf for a living was going to work out. He wasn’t in the U.S. Open until making a 20-foot birdie putt in a playoff for the last spot in his qualifier 11 days ago. He was fading, like so many others, with three bogeys during a five-hole stretch around the turn when he got back on track. Birdies on the last two holes gave him another 68. Also at 136 were Aaron Wise, with one PGA Tour victory and nothing better than a tie for 17th in his nine previous majors; and Beau Hossler, who featured on the weekend at Olympic Club as a teenage amateur in 2012 but hasn’t been heard of since then in the majors. They were examples that the U.S. Open being open to all doesn’t just stop with qualifying for the right to play the toughest test in golf. Signs posted warned of the potential for bad weather as the wind started to shake trees late in the morning. The clouds dispersed and the wind died late in the afternoon, allowing for better scores and a few less mistakes. McIlroy never panicked after his double bogey. He took advantage of the birdie chances on the drivable par-4 fifth and the short par-5 eighth. And he finished strong to get right in the mix, his main goal going into the weekend. Adding to the anticipation for McIlroy was seeing so many familiar names at the top. “You want to go up against the best to try to bring the best out of yourself,” McIlroy said. “And to see Collin and Jon and Scottie and Sam (Burns) up there and whoever else, that’s what major championship golf is all about. That’s what competition is all about. “And that’s at the heart of this game. I’m excited to be in that mix going into the weekend.”
MJ Daffue keeps the dream alive at the U.S. OpenMJ Daffue keeps the dream alive at the U.S. Open
BROOKLINE, Mass. – The U.S. Open is the most democratic of championships, leaving plenty of space in its field for the dreamers who try to qualify. It also has a reputation as the most difficult major, known for its long rough and firm greens. MJ Daffue saw both sides of the U.S. Open’s identity Friday. The 33-year-old who’s spent most of his career on the mini-tours spent most of the day atop the U.S. Open leaderboard, ahead of players like Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler. That was before Daffue’s difficult finish, when several trips to the penal sand traps that dot The Country Club’s landscape led to a back-nine 40. Still, Daffue signed for a second-round 72 and sits 1 under par at the halfway point. This year’s U.S. Open – at one of the USGA’s five founding clubs – is proving to be a traditional test, so anyone in red numbers is still in contention, and that includes Daffue, who has battled depression and near-bankruptcy to reach this moment. Daffue is the sort of relatively anonymous player that the U.S. Open prides itself on giving an opportunity to. So, who is he? He’s a 33-year-old South African who once sold wine for the label owned by a two-time U.S. Open winner, Retief Goosen, as he chased Monday qualifiers and mini-tour events before securing guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour for this season. Several times, Daffue nearly depleted his bank account to fund entry fees and travel. He’s battled bouts of depression brought on by bipolar disorder, which he has learned to manage more effectively through better understanding its effects. He has dealt with severe loss, his future mother-in-law suddenly passing away in 2013 after a tragic accident where she tripped on a curb and was struck by a car. After so many nightmares, Friday was a dream for Daffue. He captured the golf world’s imagination as he built a three-stroke lead midway through his second round at The Country Club outside Boston. Even after his difficult finish, he was just two back of clubhouse leaders Scheffler and Nick Hardy after the morning wave. Daffue is ranked 296th in the world, has played just 13 PGA TOUR events and has never won an event that’s recognized in the Official World Golf Ranking, but he isn’t sure he sees himself as an underdog. His strong play on the Korn Ferry Tour this season – he has three top-three finishes – means he’s already clinched his PGA TOUR card for next season, so perhaps Friday was just a sneak preview of the better days to come. He’ll gladly embrace the underdog label, though, and the fan support that comes with it, especially on the course that produced Francis Ouimet’s surprise victory more than a century ago. Daffue says he’ll embrace the narrative, in the same way he strives to embrace the inevitable ups and downs of one’s life, whether good or bad. “Leading the U.S. Open, not a lot of people can say it,” Daffue said. “It was awesome. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but as a kid … I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. “Saying you led the U.S. Open, it’s an unbelievable feeling. … Glad to entertain some people while I was out there.” A dose of that entertainment came on the par-5 14th hole. After pulling his tee shot well left of the fairway, Daffue found his ball on the carpet of a hospitality tent. Rather than taking relief, he deemed it best to play the ball as it lay. From 287 yards, his cleanly struck 4-wood settled in the left rough, 20 yards from the hole. He proceeded to make bogey, but the score will take a backseat to a lighthearted moment from a memorable morning. “I had an option to drop it, but it would’ve been in the thick rough,” explained Daffue. “I don’t think from there I would have been able to get it on the second fairway, and I didn’t want to hit a 7-iron to a blind target. But I had a 4-wood in the bag, and the lie on it is so good on the hospitality. “It’s got a little bit of spring in it, so even if you hit a little bit behind it, the club will bounce, and it will actually bounce into the ball.” Daffue’s connection with Goosen spans beyond wine sales. Daffue’s dad knew Goosen’s brother, which led to an 11-year-old Daffue playing a round of golf with Goosen in January 2001, just five months before Goosen captured his first major title at Southern Hills. “My dad gave me a call. ‘Listen, I’m going to come get you from school, and we’re going to play a round of golf,’” Daffue remembers. “I was like, ‘What in the world?’ I still remember it as if it happened right now, standing behind him on the first tee. He shot 64 that day.” The two remain close to this day; both live in the United States (Daffue in Houston, Goosen in Orlando) and they’ll get together to chat wine, grilling, boating and sometimes golf. “One time I asked him, I said, ‘Hey, how do you do so well under pressure in U.S. Opens?’” Daffue said. “He said, ‘I’ve just done it a few times.’ It makes a lot of sense, actually. The more you do it, the more you get used to it.” As Daffue ascended the leaderboard Friday morning at Brookline, Goosen was following along. “He’s done a lot of Monday qualifiers and has always been under financial stress,” Goosen said via text Friday. “So one thing he can handle is pressure. This week can change it all.” Entering the season, Daffue wasn’t sure he would attempt U.S. Open qualifying. As he was pursuing his first PGA TOUR card, he didn’t want to skip a Korn Ferry Tour event, even for a major, and lose the opportunity to earn valuable points. Daffue clinched his TOUR card in May, however, which gave him the freedom to attempt Final Qualifying. He shot 7 under for 36 holes in Springfield, Ohio, to punch his ticket to Brookline. In recent years, Daffue has worked to transition his preferred shot shape from a low cut to a high draw, modeling the likes of his good friend Andrew Landry, who also spent a few years without Korn Ferry Tour status before making a surprise appearance on a U.S. Open leaderboard. Landry was a PGA TOUR rookie and ranked outside the top 600 in the world when he played in the final group of the 2016 U.S. Open. Landry shot a final-round 78 and finished 15th but has gone on to become a two-time TOUR winner. Daffue’s U.S. Open story is far from its conclusion. “Underdog stories, I don’t know. Am I an underdog?” Daffue laughed at the podium early Friday afternoon. “You know, we’ll see this weekend. “I don’t think my goal is to win this week. My goal is just to be the best I can be, and if the best I can be and the best I can play is good enough for that, then I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve.” He has overcome much to reach this point. What’s another two days at Brookline?
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