Records & Red Cards

June 16, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Happy Friday 

From record lows at the U.S. Open to red-card highs in the USMNT-Mexico game, Thursday was anything but slow. The Nuggets victory parade (video) was rowdy, and one slumping MLB team might’ve exorcised some demons.

You made it! It\’s the weekend.

Letter Rip!

GOLF

U.S. Open Record-Wreckers

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Photo: Keyur Khamar / Getty Images

Rickie Fowler (-8) & Xander Schauffele (-8) Set U.S. Open Record With 8-Under 62s in Round 1

How ‘bout that for an opening day at the U.S. Open? Rickie Fowler (-8) and Xander Schauffele (-8) won the first round at Los Angeles Country Club with record-setting performances just 30 minutes apart. Fowler birdied the 18th to officially card the new U.S. Open record for the lowest-scoring round (62). One group later, Schauffele birdied the 18th to complete a bogey-free round. They weren’t the only ones to go low after LACC’s initial appearance on the major circuit paved the way for some low numbers. Wyndham Clark (-6) and Dustin Johnson (-6) played spectacularly and Rory McIlroy (-5) is also in the hunt.

Record-Breaking Perspective

From 1895-2022: Zero 62s Shot in U.S. Open

1st Round of 2023: Two 62s Shot in U.S. Open

Aces Wild: To top things off, both Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns hit hole-in-ones on the 15th.

Low at LACC: Thursday’s 71.34 scoring average is the lowest ever in a first round of the U.S. Open (123 years), breaking the previous record by almost a full stroke (72.29).

Round 1 Leaderboard

R. Fowler (-8)

X. Schauffele (-8)

W. Clark (-6)

D. Johnson (-6)

R. McIlroy (-5)

B. Harman (-5)

Other Notable Scorecards: B. DeChambeau (-3), S. Scheffler (-3), M. Hughes (-3), H. English (-3), S.W. Kim (-3), T. Finau (-2), J. Rahm (-1), P. Mickelson (-1), C. Smith (-1), C. Conners (E), G. Woodland (E), C. Morikawa (+1), B. Koepka (+1), P. Cantlay (+1), J. Spieth (+2), J. Thomas (+3) | Full Leaderboard

Round 1 Highlights | Today’s Tee Times

Read More

Yahoo! Sports: Pavon & Burns Card U.S. Open Hole-in-Ones

Golf.com: 5 Things You Missed From Thursday’s Opening Round at U.S. Open

SI: Xander Schauffele Asks Rickie Fowler Funny Question After U.S. Open History

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SOCCER

U.S. Tops Mexico in Concacaf Chaos

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Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Amid Red Cards & Trash, Pulisic (2 Goals) Leads USMNT Over El Tri in Concacaf Semifinal (3-0)

Las Vegas has been the site of sports’ latest stories — from the Golden Knights winning the Stanley Cup to the Athletics move from Oakland — and that continued on Thursday with a desert showdown between bitter rivals in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal. The U.S. Men’s National Team got two goals to bookend halftime from Christian Pulisic (37’ & 46’). Things got chippy late after some ugly tackling and retaliations. Four red cards were issued in about 15 minutes — two each — and both teams finished the game with nine men. And after trash had been thrown on the pitch and Mexico fans continued chants containing a gay slur (a common chant that’s been a staple of El Tri fans for years), the referee called the match.

 Red Cards (4)

USMNT: W. McKennie (71’) / Sergino Dest (85’)

Mexico: C. Montes (69’) / G. Arteaga (85’)

Wild stuff in Vegas, but a 3-0 win for the Stars and Stripes sends them to the Concacaf Nations League finale on  Sunday. Both Mckennie and Dest will miss the finals due to their red cards. The USMNT has now beaten Mexico in six straight matches.

Watch: USMNT Shuts Out Mexico in Testy Concacaf Semifinals (3-0)

Concacaf Nations League Finals

USMNT vs. Canada (Sun. 8:30 pm ET)

Read More

CBS Sports: U.S. Rout Mexico in Chaotic Nations League Semifinal

B/R: Gregg Berhalter Reportedly to Return as USMNT Manager

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MLB

Freeing the Dodger Demons

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Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Freddie Freeman’s 11th-Inning Walk-Off Gives Dodgers 1st Series Win in June

Don’t overlook the Dodgers just yet. Los Angeles flirted with losing their fourth straight series in June after trailing the White Sox 4-0 before a grand slam from Chris Taylor knotted the game in the 6th. Deep into the night (11 innings), Freddie Freeman lifted a deep fly ball with zero outs, and the bases loaded for a walk-off with major implications. The win gave L.A. its first series victory this month after losing to the Yankees, Reds, and Phillies. The Dodgers were starting to slip with poor pitching and a summer slump, but there’s life in Los Angeles.

The win comes at a good time with the division-leading Diamondbacks losing their third straight. Despite an ugly June, L.A. is just two games back

Watch: Doders Beat White Sox in 11 Innings (5-4) on Freddie Freeman’s Walk-Off

MLB Quick-Hitters

Ohtani’s Tie HR Lead: Double duty for Shohei Ohtani on Thursday saw the Angels’ two-way star throw six strong innings and launch his 22nd homer — 4th HR in 4 days — to tie Pete Alonso for the MLB lead. The Angels beat the Rangers (5-3).

Machado Into Slam Diego Lore: Manny Machado hit his 65th home run at Petco Park on Thursday to tie Adrian Gonzales for the most in the stadium’s history (opened in 2004).

Bellinger Back, Cubs Sweep: The Cubs completed a sweep of the Pirates on Thursday after Pittsburgh was hot entering the three-game NL series. More good news? Cody Bellinger is warming up in the Triple-A this week. The Cubs (31-37) are just 3.5 games back of the division lead in a weak NL Central.

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STORYLINES

 The Future Is Now for USWNT

As the U.S. Women’s National Team chases an unprecedented third straight World Cup title, a new generation of stars will lead the way. (Sports Illustrated)

 NBA Mock Draft

As front offices and scouting staffs put together their final analysis of the incoming class, experts are doing the same one week before the draft. (Bleacher Report)

 NFL Minicamp Tracker

The roster-building portion of the NFL offseason is mostly over. Free agency is behind us. Here\’s your one-stop shop for the second week of mandatory minicamps. (CBS Sports)

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NEWS

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WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

U.S. Open

Rounds 2-4 (Today-Sunday)

Soccer

UEFA Nations League Finals

Croatia vs. Spain (Sun. 2:45 pm)

Concacaf Nations League Finals

USMNT vs. Canada (Sun. 8:30 pm)

MLB

Yankees-Red Sox Series

Rays-Padres Series

Giants-Dodgers Series

Full MLB Schedule

WNBA

Mercury at Liberty (Sun. Noon)

Sun at Sparks (Sun. 7:30 pm)

Full WNBA Schedule

College World Series

Oral Roberts vs. TCU (Fri. 2:00 pm)

#2 Florida vs. #7 Virginia (Fri. 7:00 pm)

#1 Wake Forest vs. #8 Stanford (Sat. 2:00 pm)

#5 LSU vs. Tennessee (Sat. 7:00 pm)

*All Times ET

Download The Sportsletter\’s Must-Watch Calendar

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VIDEO

The Best Moments from the Denver Nuggets 1st NBA Championship Parade