The five most important things to watch on what could be a wild weekend at the U.S. Open

Patrick Reed, thanks to his breakthrough major win at the Masters, is a Best of April finalist for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow. The awards recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Reed is one of four PGA TOUR golfers who represented Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Fans can vote for their favorite athletes and teams through midnight Monday, May 7. Click here to vote. A total of 10 sports – including curling, equestrian, fencing, golf, gymnastics, Para swimming, Para track and field, shooting, tennis, and track and field – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. Reed won his first major at Augusta National, collecting the sixth victory of his TOUR career. He’s currently ranked fifth in the FedExCup standings and 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking. At the 2016 Olympics, Reed finished T-11. Matt Kuchar was the top American performer, collecting the bronze medal behind England’s Justin Rose (gold) and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson (silver). Golf will again be part of the Olympics at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. Here’s a complete list of the April finalists: Male Athlete of the Month Patrick Reed (Spring, Texas), Golf  — Secured his first major golf title at the Masters, finishing 15-under at 273 after firing a final-round 71 to edge fellow Team USA Olympian Rickie Fowler by one stroke. Jeremy Campbell (Perryton, Texas), Para Track and Field — Opened the season by defeating the reigning Paralympic champion with a world-record mark of 65.47 meters to win the men’s F64 discus at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational. Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Massachusetts), Fencing — Improved to a career-high No. 3 world ranking after earning the bronze medal in saber at the grand prix in Seoul, South Korea. Robert Griswold (Freehold, New Jersey), Para Swimming — Won two gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle and 100 backstroke and set American and Pan American records in the 100 butterfly at the World Para Swimming World Series. Vincent Hancock (Eatonton, Georgia), Shooting — Captured his second consecutive gold medal by tying his own world record in the skeet final, topping the reigning Olympic champion at the world cup in Changwon, South Korea. Female Athlete of the Month Desiree Linden (San Diego, California), Track and Field — Became the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, overcoming brutal weather conditions to clock 2:39:54 – more than five minutes ahead of the field. Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, New York), Equestrian — At age 54, became the oldest world cup jumping champion, and only the second American to win the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final twice and only the sixth U.S. woman to accomplish the feat. Tatyana McFadden (Clarksville, Maryland), Para Track and Field — Won her fifth Boston Marathon and finished second in the London Marathon six days later, improving her record to 22 world major marathon series victories. Kim Rhode (El Monte, California), Shooting — Bested her own world cord, hitting 58-60 targets en route to her second consecutive gold medal in women’s skeet at the world cup in Changwon, South Korea.   Leanne Smith (Beverly, Massachusetts), Para Swimming — Set four American records and three Pan American records in the 50-, 100- and 200-meter freestyle and 50 butterfly at the World Para Swimming World Series. Team of the Month Jamie Sinclair Rink, Curling — Made U.S. history by becoming the first American team to win a Grand Slam of Curling event at the Players’ Championship in Ontario, defeating the reigning world champion and improving to a No. 6 world ranking. U.S. Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team — Clinched its tenth consecutive Pacific Rim Championship title with a 15-point margin of victory, with Grace McCallum and Morgan Hurd finishing 1-2 in the all-around competition. U.S. Davis Cup Team, Tennis — The team of John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, Steve Johnson and Ryan Harrison advanced to the Davis Cup semifinal for the first time since 2012 after defeating Belgium, 3-0.

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Phil Mickelson would neither confirm nor deny that he has been suspended or banned by the PGA Tour for joining the rival LIV Golf tour and again offered his apology for controversial comments that led to his decision to take time away from golf.

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HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Matt Kuchar was planning to trade his golf clubs for a couch and a remote control on Friday afternoon. Ian Poulter had a similarly “chillâ€� agenda now that he was safely past the midway point of the RBC Heritage. The two were among the lucky souls who completed 18 holes before the horn sounded to suspend play as a band of strong thunderstorms was converged on Harbour Town Golf Links. That is, if you consider playing in swirling, gusting, blow-your-visor-off 30 mph winds lucky. “Certainly, glad that I came in with a decent number,â€� said Kuchar, who shot his second-straight 69. “… It’s one of those struggling days where you have gone through your own struggles and (it’s) fun to watch your friends go through it, as well.â€� RELATED: Leaderboard | Tee times Play was suspended at 12:48 p.m. ET. Eight groups in the morning wave were stranded on the course and 10 in the afternoon segment had yet to even tee off. Play didn’t resume again until 4:30 p.m. Shane Lowry, the overnight leader, birdied his first two holes before the suspension and was 9 under with two holes left when play was called for the night. He was one ahead of Trey Mulllinax and two up on Dustin Johnson and Emiliano Grillo, who both battled to 67s in the challenging morning wave. Poulter also shot 67 and was in what turned out to be a big tie at 5 under at the end of the stop-and-start day. “I’ve done my bit and now I can relax,â€� Poulter said. Grillo had the shot of the day – and likely the week – when he made an albatross on the fifth hole. He used a hybrid from 254-yards for the rarest of shots, making the second one of his career. “It was perfect,â€� Grillo said. “It was perfect distance. Perfect wind. It went in, I think, perfectly. It was one of those that I’ll keep in my memory for a long time.â€� The albatross fueled a 31 on the front, his second nine of the day, that more than compensated for consecutive bogeys to start the day and moved him to 7 under. The 26-year-old finished with a flourish, too, holing a 22-footer from off the green for his third birdie of the difficult day. “It was very tough,â€� Grillo said. “It’s very tricky, because there’s so many holes you’re playing through the trees that you feel like the wind is into you or it’s downwind. The wind feels coming from different places and sometimes it’s not as strong through the trees. It’s very difficult judging it. â€�Poulter, who made six birdies and two bogeys on Friday, agreed. “These are the smallest green complexes we have all year, and when you have a wind that’s 25 mile an hour, and if it drops, it’s easy to miss these greens,â€� he said. “Easy to get in a lot of trouble. So, you’ve just got to be patient, take your time, know you’re not going to hit a lot of greens in regulation.â€� Poulter hit 10 and wielded a steady putter, needing just 26 strokes on the green. He came to Harbour Town, where he shared seventh last year, off a solid Masters performance with a tie for 12th. “I’ve had some decent rounds around this place,â€� Poulter says. “I haven’t really finished the week off properly yet. I feel this is a good golf course. It’s nice to get here after Augusta, to get a little relaxation in. Last week was very tiring. This golf course is one I’ve played many times and I enjoy it.â€�

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