The Sportsletter - Open for Business ⛳️

BY JEFF YODER

JULY 15, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

The Open Championship is officially open for business. Round 2 is underway from St. Andrews, but we've got Round 1 highlights first. A busy few days ahead leads us into next week's MLB All-Star festivities in Los Angeles. It's another summer sports weekend edition...

Letter Rip!

PGA

Round 1 at The Open ⛳️

Photo: Stuart Franklin / Getty Images

Cameron Young (-8) & Rory McIlroy (-6) Lead After Round 1 at St. Andrews

Golf’s final major is underway from St. Andrews, and a few household names are at the top. Cameron Young (-8), Rory McIlroy (-6) and Cameron Smith (-5) lead the field at the Open Championship prior to today’s Round 2 start. Not among the red numbers is Tiger Woods (+6), who sits nearly dead last in the massive field of more than 150 golfers. Expect Tiger to miss the cut. Here’s a look at the leaderboard with today’s golf already underway.

Open Championship Leaderboard

C. Young (-8)

R. McIlroy (-6)

C. Smith (-5)

R. Dinwiddie (-5)

S. Scheffler (-4)

D. Johnson (-4)

Other Notable Scorecards: V. Hovland (-4), L. Westwood (-4), B. DeChambeau (-3), X. Schauffele (-3), J. Niemann (-3), P. Cantlay (-2), W. Simpson (-1), C. Conners (-1), H. Matsuyama (-1), J. Spieth (-1), P. Mickelson (E), C. Morikawa (E), J. Thomas (E)

Watch: Open Championship Round 1 Highlights

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: 2022 British Open Leaderboard Breakdown

Yahoo! Sports: Rory McIlroy Thrives Early at ‘Fiddly’ St. Andrews

MLB

The HR Derby Bracket

Image via MLB.com

MLB Announces Final Bracket for 2022 Home Run Derby

The final list is set! Some of the biggest sluggers in the game will compete next Monday in the 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium (8:00 pm ET). Not among the final list of participants is Aaron Judge — the league’s leading home-run hitter. Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) comes in as the No. 1 seed while two-time defending champion Pete Alonso (Mets) looks for the three-peat. Veteran Albert Pujols (Cardinals) fills out the bracket in what should be a heartfelt sendoff. Here’s a look at the final list of participants:

MLB Home Run Derby Participants

1. Kyle Schwarber (PHI): 28 HRs

2. Pete Alonson (NYM): 24 HRs

3. Corey Seager (TEX): 21 HRs

4. Juan Soto (WSH): 19 HRs

5. Jose Ramirez (CLE): 17 HRs

6. Julio Rodriguez (SEA): 15 HRs

7. Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL): 8 HRs

8. Albert Pujols (STL): 6 HRs

Additional Storylines

MLB: Full Derby Bracket Boasts Rookie Moxie, Veteran Poise

ESPN: MLB Home Run Derby: Full Bracket Breakdown — Can Anyone Take Down Pete Alonso?

NBA

Pacers Sign Ayton

Photo: Alex Goodlett / Getty Images

Suns Center Deandre Ayton Signs 4-Year, $133 Million Offer Sheet With Pacers

The NBA free-agent market is heating up, and one of the biggest dominoes of the offseason just fell. Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton signed a max offer sheet to join the Indiana Pacers on a 4-year, $133 million deal. The Suns still have 24 hours to match the offer and keep him. Meanwhile, blockbuster trade discussions and other free-agent signings are ramping up as the month rolls on. Here’s our NBA offseason moves tracker:

NBA Offseason Tracker

C Deandre Ayton → Pacers

Deal: 4 Years, $133 Million

G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope → Nuggets

Deal: 2 Years, $30 Million

Austin Rivers → Timberwolves

Deal: 1 Year, TBD

Knicks & Jazz Discussing Donovan Mitchell Trade

Additional Storylines

NBA: Every Reported Free Agency Deal for All 30 Teams

ESPN+: 5 Donovan Mitchell Blockbuster Trades We Want to See

🎥 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

🚴‍♂️ TDF: Pidcock Takes Stage 12 on Alpe d’Huez

Another climb in the Tour de France saw Tom Pidcock capture Stage 12 Thursday on Alpe d’Huez. The 4,630-meter climb concluded with Pidcock racing down the descent for the win. Jonas Vingegaard holds the yellow leader jersey.

🏀 WNBA: Ogunbowale Catches Fire

Arike Ogunbowale had the hot hand Thursday night in the WNBA as the Wings beat the Lynx (92-87) behind her 32 points on 12-for-24 shooting. She also had 6 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Wings (11-13) jump from 9th to 6th in the standings.

⚽️ SOC: USWNT Advances to CONCACAF W Finals

The U.S. Women’s National took down Costa Rica (3-0) on Thursday to advance to the finals in the CONCACAF W Championship. Emily Sonnett and Mallory Pugh tallied first-half goals before Ashley Sanchez struck the dagger in stoppage time. The finale will be held Monday night.

📰 THE HEADLINES

• 2023 No. 1 Basketball Recruit GG Jackson Expected to Decommit from UNC (247 Sports)
• Oregon TE Spencer Webb Dies at Age 22 From Head Injury (B/R)
• Former Mississippi Governor Allegedly Ordered Payments to Brett Favre (Sports Illustrated)
• Former Panthers 1st-Round Pick Rashard Anderson Dies at Age 45 (Yahoo! Sports)
• 5-Time Olympic Track Star Allyson Felix to Retire at Track & Field World Championships (USA Today)

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

150th Open Championship

Rounds 2-4 (Today-Sunday)

Tour de France

Stages 13-15 (Today-Sunday)

MLB

Yankees-Red Sox Series

Twins-White Sox Series

Dodgers-Angels Series

Brewers-Giants Series

Full MLB Schedule

WNBA

Sky at Wings (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Aces at Sun (Sun. 1:00 pm)

Full WNBA Schedule

MLS

NY Red Bulls vs. NYCFC (Sun. 5:00 pm)

Full MLS Schedule

*All Times ET

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Content Intern: Marissa Kasch

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