Max Verstappen clinched pole position for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix and Fernando Alonso secured an unlikely spot on the front row in Montreal.
Alonso, who set the pace in the final practice session, claimed second place in tricky, wet conditions in Saturday's qualifying session.
That hands the 40-year-old Spaniard his first front-row start in Formula One since he won from pole position at the German Grand Prix just under 10 years ago.
The two-time world champion, racing for Alpine, was the recipient of a huge ovation from the crowd as he celebrated his supreme qualifying performance, clocking up a time of 1:21.944 behind championship leader Verstappen's 1:21.299.
"It feels great. It was an unbelievable weekend for us so far, we’ve been competitive in free practice – which we normally are on Friday but on Saturday we seem to lose a little bit of pace – but in wet conditions today the car was mega, I was so comfortable driving this car and I think the fans gave me a push," a jubilant Alonso said.
When asked what his approach will be on Sunday, Alonso quipped: "Let's see, I think I will attack Max on the first corner."
Verstappen's pole ended the day on a high note for Red Bull, with team-mate and fellow title contender Sergio Perez set to start in 13th place after crashing out in Q2.
In difficult conditions, the reigning world champion – who will be further buoyed by title rival Charles Leclerc having to start at the back on Sunday due to Ferrari changing his entire power unit – was delighted with the composure shown by his team.
"Of course I still expect it not to be a straightforward race, today with tricky conditions, we stayed calm and we made the right calls in Q3 so of course, super happy with that to get pole position here and to be back in Montreal and great to see all the fans," he said.
"You really get that go-karting sensation back on this track with proper curves. We always enjoy driving here and I’m looking forward to tomorrow."
Carlos Sainz looked poised to push Verstappen, but a mistake on the final corner cost the Ferrari driver, who will start third on the grid. An incident involving the Spaniard and Esteban Ocon was investigated, but the stewards decided no further action was required.
Sainz said: "I was feeling quite okay with the car, especially in the full wet. In that lap I knew I had lost a bit too much, I tried to do a very quick last corner but it didn't pay off and it cost me half a second. I ended up with three for that mistake. I think it's going to be a good fight with Max up front and Fernando has been fast all weekend."
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton – who did not hide his frustration with his car after struggling in practice on Friday – was lifted by claiming fourth.
Mercedes team-mate George Russell had to settle for eighth, however, after a decision to go on slicks in Q3 failed to pay off.
Kenny Atkinson is no longer accepting the head coaching job with the Charlotte Hornets, choosing instead to remain an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, ESPN reported on Saturday.
It had been reported earlier in June that Atkinson and the Hornets had agreed in principle to a four-year contract, but the deal was never signed.
After further talks with Charlotte, Atkinson opted to stay with the new NBA champions, becoming Steve Kerr's top assistant after Mike Brown left to become the head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
Atkinson compiled a 118-190 record leading the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-20 before he took assistant jobs in consecutive years with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Warriors.
The Hornets fired James Borrego in April following a 43-win season with two years remaining on his contract. He went 138-163 during his four seasons as head coach, and Charlotte were routed in the play-in tournament in each of the last two.
Atkinson was chosen to replace Borrego after a seven-week search. The other candidates from that process were longtime NBA coach Mike D'Antoni and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts, ESPN reported.
Daniil Medvedev set up a Halle Open final meeting with Hubert Hurkacz, overcoming home favourite Oscar Otte to reach his second grass-court final in as many weeks.
The world number one was forced to save a set point in a tight opener before rallying in a tie-break and sailing through the second set in a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win.
Despite falling to a shock defeat to Tim van Rijthoven in 's-Hertogenbosch last week, Medvedev is now 14-2 on grass since a first-round exit at Halle last year, and was delighted to make up for 2021's performance on one of his favoured surfaces.
"I didn't play well in Halle last year, so I'm happy that this year I managed to raise my level," he said after the win.
"As I've always said, I love playing on grass, so I'm happy to show to myself that I'm capable of being in the final of one of the greatest tournaments, especially on grass, and of course I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Standing between Medvedev and the second grass-court title of his career is Hurkacz, who required two tie-breaks to edge a thrilling contest with Nick Kyrgios, winning 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4).
Elsewhere, last year's Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini remains on course for back-to-back titles at the Queen's Club Championships after a straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp in the final four.
Berrettini overcame a rain stoppage to secure his eighth consecutive victory, securing a 6-4 6-3 win, and delighted after triumphing in challenging conditions.
"It was a really tough match. We stopped for the rain. I had a lot of chances. It was windy again and really tough to play, but I definitely think it was the best match of the week, so I am really happy and looking forward to the final," the Italian said.
Berrettini will face world number 48 Filip Krajinovic in Sunday's final, after the Serb cruised past 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-3 6-3.
Charles Leclerc's Formula One world championship hopes have been dealt a blow after it was confirmed he will start at the back of the grid in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.
The title-chasing driver was already handed a 10-place grid penalty on Friday for changing his electronics control unit, following two power unit failures in the last two races that have dealt a significant blow in his push for the championship.
Leclerc's task in Montreal will now be one of damage limitation and Ferrari have elected to give him an entirely new power unit – a new internal combustion engine, turbo, MGU-H and MGU-K.
Drivers are only allowed to use three of each component over the course of a season but Leclerc will now use his fourth in Canada, while the ECU change leads to his third unit of the campaign when only two are allowed.
Leclerc's bad luck has led to an 80-point swing in the drivers' standings in favour of Red Bull's defending champion Max Verstappen, with his team-mate Sergio Perez also climbing above the Ferrari driver last weekend.
Two engine failures in back-to-back races have both come when Leclerc was leading the race, while he also lost the lead in Monaco after a team error in the pit lane saw him slip to fourth.
Leclerc had won two of the opening three races of the season to hold a 46-point lead over Verstappen, who had to retire in both of the events where the Monaco driver was victorious.
Rafal Majka won stage four of the Tour of Slovenia, but had to come out on top in a game of Rock Paper Scissors against Tadej Pogacar to do so.
It was not quite a case of the fastest rider over the line in stage four of the race on Saturday, with the victory instead settled by a jokey game between the two UAE Team Emirates riders.
Majka, who has helped Pogacar take the lead in the general classification standings, plucked for paper. His team-mate went for rock.
It resulted in a second stage win of the race for the Pole, who is three seconds behind Pogacar in the GC heading into Sunday's final stage.
The pair celebrated as they cruised over the line, with Majka leading the way.
"He [Pogacar] said, 'ok you go for the stage'," Majka laughed. "We did a small bit, but he still tells me: you can win today. I'm still really happy, and this is good before the Tour de France."
Pogacar is in line to compete at the Tour de France, which starts on July 1 in Copenhagen. The Slovenian is aiming for a third successive title.
UAE Team Emirates have dominated the Tour of Slovenia, with Majka's two stage wins added to by Pogacar claiming victory on Friday.
Francesco Bagnaia set a scorching pace to earn pole position for the German Grand Prix, but championship leader Fabio Quartararo served notice he is "ready to fight" for the win.
After setting Sachsenring lap records earlier in the day, a time of one minute and 19.931 seconds by Ducati's Bagnaia clinched first place on the grid for Sunday's race.
Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) was next quickest, with Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) completing the front row.
Bagnaia has won twice in his last four races but failed to finish on the other two occasions. The Italian rider has chalked up an unfortunate three abandonments this season in nine MotoGP outings, one more failure to finish than he suffered in last year's 18-race campaign.
"Today the qualifying wasn't easy. It was very hot and the wind was disturbing us a bit," Bagnaia said. "I'm very happy about this pole position."
Frenchman Quartararo has finished on the podium in four of his last five races, with the 23-year-old taking the win last time out at the Catalan Grand Prix and going 22 points clear of nearest rival Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) in the process.
Espargaro blundered in that race by celebrating a podium a lap too early, having miscounted, and dropped from second place to fifth as a consequence.
This time Espargaro will start fourth on the grid, no doubt counting the laps more carefully.
Quartararo senses threats from his rivals but is up for the challenge.
"They look so competitive. Aprilia and Ducati are looking fast, but I feel ready to fight with them," Quartararo said. "I think we are able to make great pace, not only in one lap, so I'm super happy to qualify in the front row today."
Quartararo experienced the rare mishap of seeing his visor break during free practice early on Saturday, and he swallowed up the responsibility.
"I'm always the first rider to do something strange," he said. "I think I didn't close it well, and when I turned around the visor came up, and then with the speed it came off, but I think it was my mistake."
Alex Rins pulled out of the race early on Saturday after feeling discomfort from the fractured left wrist injury he suffered in Barcelona, while Marc Marquez remains absent.
Six-time MotoGP champion Marquez has won the last eight editions of the German Grand Prix.
PROVISIONAL GRID
1. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) – 1:19.931
2. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) + 0.076
3. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) + 0.099
4. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) + 0.189
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini) + 0.197
6. Jack Miller (Ducati) + 0.219
7. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46) + 0.237
8. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) + 0.288
9. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) + 0.537
10. Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda) + 0.631
Leicester Tigers' match-winner Freddie Burns expressed his disbelief after achieving a life-long ambition by lifting the Premiership title on Saturday.
Hanro Liebenberg and Jasper Wiese scored the only tries of the final at Twickenham, but Owen Farrell kept Saracens in the game with three penalties, while Elliot Daly added another with his boot.
The last of Farrell's penalties came with four minutes remaining to level at 12-12, but late drama settled the contest in Leicester's favour as Burns stepped up with a last-minute drop goal to snatch the Tigers' first Premiership title in nine years.
The 32-year-old was only on the pitch due to a first-half injury to George Ford, who was forced off with a reoccurrence of an ankle issue in his final Leicester game before he joins Sale Sharks.
That injury will be of concern to England coach Eddie Jones ahead of his side's tour of Australia next month, but at least for Leicester, Ford's injury was not in vain.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5Live after the victory, an emotional Burns reflected on a victory that he dedicated to his family.
"I can't tell you much, I'm in disbelief right now," he said. "The fight this team has showed all year. That's my job to kick it but we were up against it and we pulled ourselves up from the depths again.
"I'm in shock. I'm over the moon. It's everything. I said when I was five years old that I had two ambitions and that was to play for my country and to win the Premiership and with a year in Japan I thought it has gone.
"It just means the world. It chokes me up just thinking about it. Not many people know but your family ride the ups and downs with you. It means as much to them as it does to me."
Saracens captain Farrell credited the Tigers for punishing his side's mistakes.
"It was a game of not making too many mistakes. They were not playing anything in their half and I think it frustrated us," he told BT Sport.
"They’ve played well all season and carried that into today. They stuck to the gameplan and when we made mistakes they punished us.
"There weren't too many cracks in that game, when mistakes were made they punished us."
The Colorado Avalanche were betting favourites headed into the Stanley Cup Final against the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning, and a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 only strengthened their position.
Even at home, the Avs are not counting on Wednesday's win carrying over to Saturday's Game 2.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar indicated as much in the build-up to the clash at Ball Arena.
"I would say in this situation, I don't believe a lot in [momentum]," Bednar said. "Like, it's Stanley Cup Finals. We know we're going to see Tampa's best game. They'll be better than they were in Game 1."
The Avalanche got off to a hot start on Wednesday, holding leads of 2-0 and 3-1, but the Lightning weathered the storm and rallied to force overtime - a point not lost on Bednar.
"There are a lot of areas, for me, that we can be a lot better than we were in Game 1," the sixth-year coach said. "We approach it the same way we did in Game 1.
"I expect our guys to be energised and ready to go. It's an extra day's rest, they'll be the same way. It'll be about the detail in our game and how hard we can compete. The last part of that is the execution."
Despite the Lightning holding the advantage in playoff pedigree and experience, Bednar was proud of his young team for responding on hockey's biggest stage.
"Honestly, I feel like our team has kind of been there all along. I never felt that the moment was going to be too big for us, coming into this thing," Bednar said.
"Right from the finish of the Edmonton series, our guys, we told them to enjoy it for a couple of days, get away, but if you talk to any of our individuals, they'll say the same thing: 'Job's not done.'
"We've got a lot of work to do. It's going to be a tough series, and I feel like we've been focused on that. I don't think anyone's patting themselves on the back for being here. It's not the type of mentality we've had from day one of training camp."
The Lightning and coach Jon Cooper, meanwhile, are not panicking after dropping Game 1 and would be content to return to Tampa Bay with the series tied headed into Monday's Game 3.
"It's about winning the series, it's not about winning Game 1," Cooper said. "Yeah, would we like to win every single game? There's no question. But we've also started out on the road for all four series, so the fact that we've won one of them is kind of a bonus on our side. But it's about winning the series."
The Lightning are in familiar territory, needing to battle back for a series win. Tampa Bay dropped Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final before rallying to beat the Dallas Stars in six games.
This year's squad overcame Game 1 losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round and the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final.
Ons Jabeur kept Coco Gauff waiting for a top 10 debut as the Tunisian battled past her teenage opponent to reach the Berlin Open final.
Gauff would have secured a career-high ranking on the WTA list if she had won Saturday's semi-final, but top seed Jabeur took it 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 to earn a shot at Belinda Bencic in the title match.
Only world number one Iga Swiatek has won more matches on the WTA Tour than fourth-ranked Jabeur this year, who collected a 29th win as she overcame a 3-1 career head-to-head deficit against Gauff to earn the victory.
Gauff, at 18 years and 98 days, would have become the youngest American to reach a grass-court singles final on tour since Andrea Jaeger was runner-up to Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1983.
It was not to be her day though, Jabeur breaking serve for the fourth time in the match to seal victory, encouraged by a large and vocal Tunisian following.
Reflecting on the match, Jabeur said: "When you play Coco you have to have all the shots. She's a talented player; she's very tough to beat. You can see I've lost already three times against her.
"Sometimes she takes it, sometimes I take it, and it was a great match for both of us."
This is just the second WTA tournament where 27-year-old Jabeur has been a top seed.
"I've tried to act like a number one seed on and off the court, and it's a good pressure," she added. "I'm trying to handle it very well and with the support of our Tunisian people here it's great."
Olympic gold medallist Bencic had earlier claimed an impressive 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-4 win over Greek second seed Maria Sakkari in the first semi-final.
Jabeur was bettered by Bencic in a hard-fought Charleston final in April, but is determined to secure a different outcome this time.
"I'm definitely going for the final revenge because we played each other at Charleston, and it was a very, very tough match," Jabeur said. "I hope she's tired from today's match."
Rain meant there was no play at the Birmingham Classic on Saturday, with the semi-finals set back to Sunday.
Beatriz Haddad Maia will face 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep, while Zhang Shuai tackles Sorana Cirstea.
Naomi Osaka pulled out of Wimbledon on Saturday as tournament officials said the former world number one was suffering with a leg injury.
The announcement came in the wake of Osaka revealing she was considering skipping the grand slam in any case, as she suspected it may feel "like an exhibition".
The All England Club's decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing has resulted in the WTA and ATP stripping Wimbledon of all ranking points.
Osaka, who is a four-time grand slam champion, suggested after her first-round exit at the French Open that she was unsure about whether to commit to the grass-court major.
Confirmation of her absence from the event, which starts on June 27, came from Wimbledon as her name was added to a list of withdrawals.
The Japanese 24-year-old has only played Wimbledon's main draw three times in her career, twice reaching the third round. She has yet to go further but has won the Australian Open twice and the US Open on two occasions. Recently she complained of a "stubborn" Achilles problem.
Osaka was joined on the withdrawal list by Eugenie Bouchard, the 28-year-old Canadian who was runner-up to Petra Kvitova at the 2014 Wimbledon championships.
Wimbledon listed Bouchard as absent due to a shoulder problem; however, that told only part of the story.
She is battling her way back up the rankings after injury and disappointing results and said she could not risk using a special entry dispensation on a tournament that will carry no points.
Bouchard wrote on Instagram: "I have decided to withdraw from Wimbledon due to the WTA's decision to not award ranking points at this year's championships.
"Due to my shoulder surgery, I get a limited number of protected ranking [PR] entries. As much as I love Wimbledon and skipping it makes me sad, using a PR entry at a tournament with no ranking points doesn't make sense. I must choose wisely and use my PR at tournaments that will help me get back to where I want to be."
She said she would use her protected ranking grand slam entries for the next US Open and Australian Open.
Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari have made "the best decision" by accepting a 10-place grid penalty for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Leclerc will start towards the back of the grid in Montreal after taking a new control electronic – his third used this season.
The Monegasque had little choice given the state of his power unit after the Azerbaijan GP, although it could have been the source of some frustration after he finished just 0.081 seconds behind Max Verstappen in FP2.
"Well, obviously I'm starting a little bit more in the back," Leclerc said. "But I think it was the best decision to make, so let's see how it goes.
"The overtaking was a little bit more difficult than I expected today, but the pace is there, so hopefully we can come back to where we want to be."
Indeed, despite championship leader Verstappen topping the charts in both Friday practice sessions, Leclerc added: "It is pretty close.
"The race pace we need to work on – I mean it's a bit difficult to have a clear picture, because I was on a different compound all the time – but overall, it didn't look too bad, so that's good."
The Crusaders secured their 11th title by beating the Blues 21-7 in the inaugural Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday.
A dominant first half from the Christchurch outfit saw them take a 13-point advantage into the break, before keeping their opponents at bay with a determined defensive effort to take the championship.
The teams that finished in the top two of the standings clashed at Eden Park, with the Crusaders taking the early initiative as Richie Mo'unga hit a drop goal and a penalty in the first 30 minutes.
Scott Robertson's men then dealt a real body blow to the Blues just before the break as Leicester Fainga'anuku burst through and was stopped just shy of the line, as was Pablo Matera, only for Bryn Hall to force the ball over – the converted try giving his team a 13-0 half-time lead.
Mo'unga added another three points six minutes into the second half, but after keeping the Crusaders from scoring what surely would have been a game-ending try, the Blues got themselves on the board just before the hour mark as Finlay Christie went over for a try just to the left of the posts to potentially set up a dramatic finale.
The Blues had won 15 straight matches, and Mo'unga's attempt at adding three more for the Crusaders from the tee fell short, his first miss of the night.
But the victory was sealed with just over four minutes remaining after a low kick to the corner from Matera evaded Sam Nock, allowing Sevu Reece to race in and score to send his team-mates wild in celebration.
Phil Mickelson tried to focus on the positives after a brutal week at the U.S. Open, as he finished round two 11 over par for the tournament.
This remains the only major Mickelson has never won after he missed the cut by eight strokes.
All eyes were on the 52-year-old, who has finished second at the U.S. Open on six occasions, following his return to action in the first LIV Golf Invitational.
Mickelson joined the controversial breakaway series for the opening tournament in London last week, having been out of the spotlight for a period.
Comments Mickelson made about his commitment to the Saudi-backed league prompted outrage and led to him taking time away from the sport.
This was therefore his first tournament back in the United States since the Farmers Insurance Open in January – another event at which he missed the cut.
But Mickelson at least showed some improvement on Friday with a three-over 73, having carded a dismal 78 in the first round.
"It was okay. I had a good day," he said. "I enjoyed the week. I wish I had played better."
Despite his move to LIV Golf, Mickelson appeared to remain popular with the fans in Brookline, and he added: "The fans here have always been terrific.
"They really support all sports, and I love it when we bring golf here because they create a really special atmosphere.
"I missed competing, but I also enjoyed some time away."
Lewis Hamilton said his Mercedes feels like it is "getting worse" after struggling in Friday's two practice sessions ahead of Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton is in the unfamiliar position of sixth in the drivers' championship, already 88 points behind rival and defending champion Max Verstappen eight races into what has been a tough 2022 campaign so far.
The seven-time world champion finished fourth last week in Azerbaijan, with team-mate George Russell claiming third, but called the race the "most painful" of his career after suffering severe back pain throughout.
Hamilton's discomfort, which saw him struggle to exit his car after finishing, was caused by the team's W13 car porpoising, bouncing unevenly.
The FIA confirmed on Thursday it had issued a technical directive to teams to provide guidance on how the porpoising problem will be dealt with in future, with a number of drivers complaining about its effects.
But Mercedes have continued to struggle in Montreal.
Following Friday practice, Hamilton summed up his day: "Pretty much like every Friday for us, trying lots of different things, an experimental floor on my side which didn't work.
"Nothing we do generally to this car seems to work, so we're trying different set-ups; me and George went with much different set-ups in this P2 just to see if one way works and one way doesn't. I'll wait to hear how it felt for him, but for me it was a disaster.
"It's like the car's getting worse, it's getting more and more unhappy the more we do to it. I don't know, we'll keep working on it; it is what it is. I think this is the car for the year, so we'll just have to tough it out and work hard on building a better car for next year."
Having won each of the past eight F1 constructors' championships, Mercedes are third in the 2022 standings, behind leaders Red Bull by 118 points.
"It's not the Montreal that I know, that I'm used to and that I've experienced in my career,” Hamilton added. "It's the worse that I've ever felt any car here, so I'm hoping overnight we can try and make some changes.
"But fundamentally, it's just the fundamentals of the car, it is what it is. It's going to be a struggle.
"It's just a monumental fight the whole time to keep it out of the wall.
"When it bounces, when the car leaves the ground a lot, and then when it lands it grips up and it goes in different directions, and you're just trying to catch a car that jumps, hops, grips, hops, grips... it's tough, it keeps you on edge. And there were some big hits today. We've raised the car, but it doesn't make a difference."
Joel Dahmen is a surprise co-leader with Collin Morikawa after 36 holes of the U.S. Open at The Country Club – and he was contemplating skipping the qualifier.
Dahmen, 34, is one of three players to shoot 68 or better in both rounds, finishing the first round one off the lead after a 67, before backing it up with a 68 on Friday. Hayden Buckley and Aaron Wise both posted a pair of 68s, and are one stroke off the lead in a tie for third.
In his second trip around the course, Dahmen had a strong front nine, birdieing the first hole as well as the fifth and eighth, with a bogey on the second. He started the back nine poorly, with a bogey on 10, but followed it with seven pars and a long birdie putt.
Speaking to the media after his round, he confirmed the story that he almost pulled out of the qualifier where he punched his ticket.
"There was a lot of discussion leading up to it, yeah, the prior week," he said. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do it.
"Then I was tired at Memorial and said I wasn't going to do it. I was never really going to do it until I… sort of played better at Memorial and the game was there.
"My coach, Rob Rashell, came out and things started to trend in the right direction. And then [my caddie] Geno [Bonnalie], I felt bad because he didn't switch his flight when he could have got home Sunday night, so at that point I had to stick it out."
Clearly, he is thrilled with his decision.
"I'm incredibly happy now for sure," he said. "I mean, sometimes you take for granted what you have out here a little bit.
"I think this is my eighth or ninth major championship, and you think not long ago I would have done a lot of things to play in one, and to think that I have an opportunity just to skip one, kind of looking back, even this whole week, you don't appreciate really.
"I've played 130-odd events. I've been six years out here. It's easy to get in a lull and be like, you just go home for two weeks and hang out and everything is all hunky-dory, but when you get here, everything changes as soon as you get on property.
"It's a USGA event. It's huge. People everywhere. So, yeah, that changes your mind pretty quickly."
After finding some form recently, Dahmen said he is starting to encounter fans who know who he is – something he does not believe will ever feel normal.
"It is unbelievable to me how many people know my name or yell for me out there," he said. "It's weird.
"I'm getting recognized a little bit more off the golf course – my wife will look at me, like, what is happening?
"It's not normal. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, but it comes with good golf."
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Los Angeles Angels after another dose of rough news Friday, with third-baseman Anthony Rendon set to undergo right wrist surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Rendon returned to the Angels’ lineup on June 10 after missing two weeks with the wrist injury, and played four games, but aggravated it during Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and has not played since.
He had a pregame workout Thursday before the Angels opened a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners, and it became clear then that surgery was the best option.
"Yesterday was the last straw,'' Rendon said. ''Trying to get through a new routine, and it was kind of the last thing we were going to try to do to see if I was able to play before the game.
"I was trying to see if I could get in the lineup, and then we did some more stuff during game time. It's just what happened.''
Since signing a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels before the 2020 season, Rendon has played in just 155 of the team’s 384 games.
He batted .228 with five homers and 28 RBIs in 45 games this season. Last year, Rendon was limited to 58 games and hit .240 with nine homers and 34 RBIs.
With an expected four-to-six-month recovery, Rendon is expected to be fully recovered before next year’s spring training.
Los Angeles entered play Friday 30-35 and in third place in the American League West, 10 games behind the first-place Houston Astros. The Angels fired manager Joe Maddon on June 7, with the team mired in what would become a 14-game losing streak.
The best team in baseball keeps on chugging along as the New York Yankees hammered the Toronto Blue Jays 12-3 on Friday.
Yankees pitcher Jordan Montgomery was excellent on the mound, giving up two earned runs from three hits and one walk across six innings, striking out five in a quality start.
The Blue Jays, at home, would take the early lead with Gabriel Moreno's RBI single in the second inning – but the Yankees responded by rattling off 10 runs in a row.
Gleyber Torres and Kyle Higashioka drove in a run each in the fourth inning, before an explosion in the fifth,
Giancarlo Stanton got things started with a 350-foot, two-run home run, followed by a massive 411-foot solo blast from D.J. Lemahieu. Joey Gallo then brought in another run with his RBI double, and the eight-run inning was capped off by a 435-foot grand slam from Anthony Rizzo.
Gallo put an exclamation point on the result in the last frame as the fourth Yankee to hit a home run in the game.
MVP favourite Aaron Judge was surprisingly not part of the power surge, but he kept his numbers strong with two base hits from five at-bats.
Judge leads the majors in home runs with 25 – six more than any other player – while Rizzo is now tied for seventh (17 home runs) and Stanton is also in the top-20 (14).
The win moves the Yankees' league-leading record to 48-16, six games clear of the New York Mets in second-place (43-23).
Cubs snap streaks
The Chicago Cubs ended a 10-game losing streak with their 1-0 home win against the Atlanta Braves – also snapping the visitors' 14-game winning streak.
In a true pitching duel, Cubs starter Keegan Thompson struck out nine batters in six innings, allowing just two hits and two walks for no runs.
Charlie Morton was just as impressive on the mound for the Braves, striking out nine batters of his own in seven innings, giving up three hits and no walks for no runs.
When Morton was withdrawn, the Cubs capitalised, with pinch-hitter Jonathon Villar earning a walk to lead-off the eighth inning. He would make it to second with a sacrifice bunt, before stealing third base, setting up a sacrifice-fly from Christopher Morel for what would be the winning run.
Alonso moves to top of RBI list with grand slam
New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso now leads the majors in RBIs after driving in four runs with one swing in his side's 10-4 win against the Miami Marlins.
Fellow Mets star Francisco Lindor provided the early fireworks with a monstrous 440-foot, three-run blast in the first inning, helping the hosts build a 6-1 lead.
With bases loaded, Alonso sent his only hit of the night over the fence, giving him his 19th home run of the season and his league-leading 63rd RBI. Jose Ramirez (62 RBIs) and Paul Goldschmidt (56) are the only other players with more than 49 RBIs this season.
Joel Dahmen is a surprise co-leader with Rory McIlroy after 36 holes of the U.S. Open at The Country Club – and he was contemplating skipping the qualifier.
Dahmen, 34, is one of three players to shoot 68 or better in both rounds, finishing the first round one off the lead after a 67, before backing it up with a 68 on Friday. Hayden Buckley and Aaron Wise both posted a pair of 68s, and are one stroke off the lead in a tie for third.
In his second trip around the course, Dahmen had a strong front nine, birdieing the first hole as well as the fifth and eighth, with a bogey on the second. He started the back nine poorly, with a bogey on 10, but followed it with seven pars and a long birdie putt.
Speaking to the media after his round, he confirmed the story that he almost pulled out of the qualifier where he punched his ticket.
"There was a lot of discussion leading up to it, yeah, the prior week," he said. "I told my wife I wasn't going to do it.
"Then I was tired at Memorial and said I wasn't going to do it. I was never really going to do it until I… sort of played better at Memorial and the game was there.
"My coach, Rob Rashell, came out and things started to trend in the right direction. And then [my caddie] Geno [Bonnalie], I felt bad because he didn't switch his flight when he could have got home Sunday night, so at that point I had to stick it out."
Clearly, he is thrilled with his decision.
"I'm incredibly happy now for sure," he said. "I mean, sometimes you take for granted what you have out here a little bit.
"I think this is my eighth or ninth major championship, and you think not long ago I would have done a lot of things to play in one, and to think that I have an opportunity just to skip one, kind of looking back, even this whole week, you don't appreciate really.
"I've played 130-odd events. I've been six years out here. It's easy to get in a lull and be like, you just go home for two weeks and hang out and everything is all hunky-dory, but when you get here, everything changes as soon as you get on property.
"It's a USGA event. It's huge. People everywhere. So, yeah, that changes your mind pretty quickly."
After finding some form recently, Dahmen said he is starting to encounter fans who know who he is – something he does not believe will ever feel normal.
"It is unbelievable to me how many people know my name or yell for me out there," he said. "It's weird.
"I'm getting recognized a little bit more off the golf course – my wife will look at me, like, what is happening?
"It's not normal. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it, but it comes with good golf."
Rory McIlroy is content with his performance across the first two rounds at The Country Club, coming into Friday one stroke off the lead, and finishing the same way after a one-under 69.
McIlroy trails only Collin Morikawa and Joel Dahmen, who lead at five under, but he needed to close in style to shoot back up the leaderboard after a shaky start.
His week threatened to fall apart on the third hole, but he was able to save double-bogey with a 30-foot putt to take some sort of momentum. He birdied the fifth and eighth, but bogeyed the sixth and 10th, leaving him at one under overall with eight holes to play.
But his final eight holes were magnificent, with birdies on 12, 14 and 17 to salvage an under-par round and maintain his one stroke deficit from the leaders.
Speaking to the media after his round, McIlroy said being in the hunt after Friday is all you can ask for at a major.
"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," he said.
"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.
"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."
Despite being a four-time major champion, it has been nearly eight years since McIlroy's last major crown, and he said he does not think he can rely on those memories for an advantage.
"I think I have to go out with the mindset this week that I'm going to try to win my first again," he said. "I'm playing as good a golf as I've played in a long time.
"I have a lot of experience. Yes, I've won major championships and other big events, but… just because I've done that, it doesn't mean that I'll hit better golf shots or I'll hit better putts.
"I'm in a good place. I'm really happy with where my game is at, and I think that's the most important thing."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
