Catching Wynd

June 19, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Welcome Back

We hope everyone enjoyed Father’s Day and got the chance to celebrate with dads everywhere. From coaching little leagues to cheering from the stands, thanks to all the great sports dads out there.

The weekend rewind features a new face atop golf’s latest major, a blockbuster NBA trade, and a red-hot team in baseball. Let’s get caught up.

Letter Rip!

GOLF

Catching Wynd: Clark Conquers the U.S. Open

\"\"/ — *Photo: Andrew Redington / Getty Images*

Wyndham Clark (-10) Takes Down the Stars in Hollywood to Win the 123rd U.S. Open

A win for Wyndham! Golf\’s third major is in the bag, and it\’s a shocking hero standing tall. A star-studded leaderboard dwindled on Sunday at the 123rd U.S. Open, paving the way for 29-year-old Wyndham Clark (-10) and a moment he had been working towards his entire life. After a record-setting opening round at the U.S. Open where Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele shot 8-under 62s, the course at Los Angeles Country Club tightened up and took down some of the game’s best. Rory McIlroy (-9) and Scottie Scheffler (-7) finished even on Sunday while Clark’s playing partner, Rickie Fowler (-5), tumbled. Star players were littered at the top, but none could catch wind of Wyndham.

Clark’s Conquest Complete

The 29-year-old got his first PGA Tour win just over a month ago, and now he’s ascended to the top of sport. Clark clung to a 1-stroke lead on the 18th before hitting a lag-putt to set up a tap-in for the win. He buried his head in his hat as the tears came, along with hugs from friends and family. Clark lost his mother to breast cancer in 2013. His golf career has been full of ups and downs, and considerations of quitting, but he’s the U.S. Open champ. Clark’s victory as the 32nd-ranked golfer in the world makes him the lowest-ranked winner of the U.S. Open since 2010 (Graeme McDowell).

Rory’s Long Wait Continues

Of all the top-name challengers on Sunday, Rory McIlroy was the one with a real shot coming down the stretch of the back-nine. He scrambled to keep the pressure on Clark with a birdie on 16 and par saves on 17 and 18, but his nine-year wait of “close calls” in majors continues. Despite being the No. 3 golfer in the world, McIlroy’s last major victory came in 2014.

Fowler’s Fall on Sunday

Rickie Fowler held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds of the U.S. Open. He began Sunday in the final group with Clark at 10-under, but six bogeys in the final round led to a frantic fall. He finished the day 5-over and tied for fifth.

U.S. Open Final Leaderboard

1. W. Clark (-10)

2. R. McIlroy (-9)

3. S. Scheffler (-7)

4. C. Smith (-6)

T5. R. Fowler (-5)

T5. T. Fleetwood (-5)

T5. M.W. Lee (-5)

Other Notable Scorecards: J. Rahm (-3), X. Schauffele (-3), D. Johnson (-3), C. Morikawa (-2), P. Cantlay (-2), B. Koepka (-1), M. Fitzpatrick (-1), V. Hovland (E), B. DeChambeau (+1) | Full Leaderboard

Watch: Wyndham Clark Captures 2023 U.S. Open

Next Golf Major: Open Championship (July 20-23)

The Ringer: Winners & Losers of the 2023 U.S. Open

Golf.com: Here’s How Much Money Every Player Made at the 2023 U.S. Open

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NBA

The Beal Deal

\"\"/ — *Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images*

Suns Acquire Bradley Beal From Wizards in Blockbuster Trade Involving Chris Paul to Tip-Off NBA Offseason

The NBA offseason is less than a week old, but one of the biggest trades is already in motion. The Suns and Wizards have a deal in principle to swap Bradley Beal for Chris Paul with a varying degree of external factors. It’s another \”all-in\” move by Phoenix to team an electrifying shooter with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Ayton, but it leaves Paul in limbo and little depth on the Suns bench. Let’s break down the trade.

Trade Details

Suns Get: Bradley Beal
Wizards Get: Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, Multiple 2nd-Round Picks & Pick Swaps

Beal Notes: Beal was under a max contract with a no-trade clause in Washington, and that dollar amount (5 years, $251 million) made him difficult to deal. He waived his no-trade clause to go to Phoenix where the Suns were happy to offload Paul\’s hefty contract as the bargaining chip. The 29-year-old is a three-time all-star averaging 23.2 points per game throughout his career, and he’s widely regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA.

CP3 Notes: Chris Paul’s exit from Phoenix at 38 years old presents a challenge for the veteran. His family and primary residence are in Los Angeles. The Wizards are expected to buy out his contract and let him walk as a free agent or find a third team to join the trade before the deal is complete. Many reports indicate a reunion with the Clippers on a reduced salary.

We\’re five days into the offseason and Bradley Beal is a member of the Suns. Phoenix’s title odds in 2024 rose from +850 to +650 (4th-best) in just a few hours.

The Ringer: Bradley Beal Gives Suns a New Big 3

SI: Chris Paul Likely to Join 3rd Team as Suns, Wizards Hash Out Details of Beal Trade

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MLB

Reds On The Rise

\"\"/ — *Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images*

Reds Win 8th Straight to Pull Within Reach of NL Central Lead by All-Star Break

Do you believe it, now? The new Cinderella of the MLB season might be Cincinnati where the Reds are turning heads. Ever since calling up speed demon Elly De La Cruz — Run DLC — on June 6, the Reds are 10-2. Cincy was 19-27 just one month ago in a struggling NL Central. The Pirates had a hot start and the Cubs and Cardinals appeared to be lurking while the Brewers led the division. It all changed in a month. The Reds swept the Cubs and won three of their next four series until about 10 days ago when their latest win streak began. They just swept the Royals and Astros to complete an eight-game win streak — the franchise\’s longest since 2018.

On Sunday night, in their latest triumph, the Reds scored three runs in the 10th inning to sweep the Astros (9-7) and officially stamp this latest win streak as legitimate. This is not a mid-season fluke. The Reds are 37-35 and just a half-game out of 1st in the NL Central. They’ll face the Brewers (currently 1st) in a three-game series just before the all-star break.

Watch: Cincinnati’s Red-Hot Streak Reaches 8 With Extra-Inning Win Over Astros

MLB Quick-Hitters

Ohtani Takes HR Lead: Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout hit back-to-back home runs in the Angels’ 5-2 win over the Royals. It was Ohtani’s league-leading 24th jack, and the Halos are just three games back of the Rangers in the AL West.

Red Sox Sweep Yanks: Boston made moves up the NL East with a three-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway, including a 15-run outing on Friday before taking yesterday’s doubleheader. It was the first doubleheader sweep of New York in 17 years.

Giants Leap Dodgers: San Francisco swept L.A. to flip the script in the NL West. The Giants had a field day against the Dodgers’ pitching, outscoring L.A. on the scoreboard 22-3 over the first two games before last night’s 11-inning rally (7-5). San Fran is now second in the NL West.

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SOCCER

Kings of Concacaf

\"\"/ — *Photo: John Todd / Getty Images*

USMNT Blanks Canada (2-0) to Win 2nd Straight Concacaf Nations League Final

More hardware in June was handed out in Las Vegas! The finals of the Concacaf Nations League were played between the USA and Canada on Sunday night, and the USMNT continued their recent hot streak with a 2-0 win on a pair of first-half goals. Canada dominated possession, but the U.S. found more scoring opportunities. Gio Reyna assisted on both goals, finding Chris Richards (12’) on a header from a corner-kick set piece before an attack through-ball to Folarin Balogun (34’). It was The 21-year-old Arsenal striker’s first goal for the USMNT since declaring to play for the U.S. in April. The USMNT is now back-to-back Concacaf Nations League champs after winning in 2021.

USMNT Hot Streak: Since losing to Serbia to open the year (January 23, 2023), the USMNT has gone 4-2-0 in the last five months with a goal differential of 14-2.

Watch: USMNT Shuts Out Canada for Concacaf Nations League Title

Upcoming International Soccer: The USMNT will gear up for the Gold Cup beginning next week while the U.S. Women’s National Team continues training for the World Cup that’s just 30 days away.

Yahoo! Sports: With Gio Reyna Pulling Strings, USMNT Bests Canada for Concacaf Nations League Title

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HIGHLIGHTS

College World Series

Oral Roberts def. TCU (6-5)

#2 Florida def. #7 Virginia (6-5)

#1 Wake Forest def. #8 Stanford (3-2)

#5 LSU def. Tennessee (6-3)

TCU def. #7 Virginia (4-3)

#2 Florida def. Oral Roberts (5-4)

WNBA

Aces 1st Team to 10 Wins After Blowing Out Lynx by 31