After taking a shot at Russell Westbrook by using him as the butt of a joke, San Antonio Spurs rookie Jeremy Sochan took to Twitter to say he was "not intending on being disrespectful" to the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.
In a social media video, Sochan and fellow Spurs rookie Malaki Branham participated in a word association game while at this month's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Branham gave the hint, "Russell Westbrook get 'em a lot", with the hope Sochan would guess "triple-double" in response.
However, Sochan immediately said "bricks".
The 19-year-old eventually correctly guessed "triple-double" and apologised for the insult on Twitter.
"It's banter, I was not intending on being disrespectful," he said. "Heat of the moment, I was playing a game baby."
Sochan, the ninth overall pick of this year's draft, later went on to say Westbrook has "been one idol since I started watching the NBA and my dog is called Russell".
While Westbrook is the NBA all-time leader in triple-doubles with 194, the 2016-17 league MVP struggled mightily with his shot from 3-point range last season, shooting 29.8 per cent from beyond the arc.
Among the 142 players with at least 250 3-point attempts in 2021-22, Westbrook had the fourth-worst shooting percentage.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina sprung a surprise in the first round of the Hamburg European Open as he knocked out fifth seed Botic van de Zandschulp.
Van de Zandschulp reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon before losing Rafael Nadal, and he was undone by another Spaniard on the clay in Germany.
Davidovich Fokina broke Van de Zandschulp's serve six times en route to a 6-4 6-4 victory.
He will next face qualifier Jozef Kovalik, who also progressed on Monday alongside Slovakian compatriot Alex Molcan.
Lorenzo Musetti prevailed in three sets against Dusan Lajovic, while Karen Khachanov went the distance in beating Jan-Lennard Struff.
There was a shock at the Swiss Open Gstaad as home wild card Alexander Ritschard knocked out eighth seed Joao Sousa in straight sets.
Fifth seed Pedro Martinez beat fellow Spaniard Carlos Taberner, while there were also wins for Federico Delbonis and Jiri Lehecka.
James Harden made it clear this offseason that at this point in his career he cares more about having an opportunity to win an NBA championship than money.
While his deal with the Philadelphia 76ers has yet to be finalised, Harden is expected to sign a two-year contract that will pay him $32million next season and includes a player option for 2023-24. That $32m salary is a steep discount after he declined his $47.4m player option for 2022-23.
"I had conversations with [76ers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey], and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players," Harden told Yahoo Sports. "I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over.
"This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That's all that matters to me at this stage. I'm willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that."
The 32-year-old Harden has racked up plenty of personal accolades – NBA MVP, 10-time All-Star, three-time league scoring champion and NBA Sixth Man of the Year, to name a few. However, he has never won a title and only reached the NBA Finals once, in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Following that NBA Finals appearance, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets and became a superstar in the league. He was then dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021 to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but that experiment failed, and Harden was sent to Philadelphia last February.
Harden averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games after joining the 76ers. He then put up 18.6 points, 8.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs, where the 76ers lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Harden wound up appearing in 65 regular-season games overall in 2021-22, mostly due to hamstring issues. He averaged 22 points, 10.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in those 65 contests.
"I don't really listen to what people are saying. I wasn't right last season and I still almost averaged a triple-double," Harden said. "If anybody else had those numbers, we'd be talking about them getting the max.
"People were used to seeing me averaging 40, 30 points, and so they viewed it as a down year. I was in Philadelphia for a couple of months and I had to learn on the fly. That's just what it was. I'm in a good space physically and mentally right now, and I'm just looking forward to next season."
With a full season ahead of playing alongside perennial NBA MVP contender Joel Embiid, and with the additions of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House (thanks in part to Harden's paycut), the 76ers are expected to be a favourite in the East. They also added De'Anthony Melton in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies.
"I think we have a much deeper team," Harden said. "That's something we wanted to address. If you look at our team now, we're positioned to go a lot further. I like how we stack up with the rest of the top teams."
Kane Watson and Solesha Young emerged victorious in the respective men’s and women’s open categories at the Jamaican National Senior and Junior Table Tennis Championships held from July 16-17 at the National Indoor Sports Centre.
“We got a record number of entries this year. It was great, the youngsters showed fighting spirit,” said President of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association Andrew Lue.
Watson took home the men’s crown after defeating Christopher Marsh while Rohan Lewis defeated Alphanso Morris for third.
The job was made slightly easier for Watson as defending champion Simon Tomlinson didn’t compete due to personal reasons.
18-year-old Solesha Young won her third women’s open title by beating 14-year-old Tsenaye Lewis while Olivia Petrekin beat Keeara White to take third. Young and Lewis also teamed up to take the crown in women’s doubles.
Lewis was the star of the tournament, however, as she took home the titles in the girls under-15 and under-19 sections as well as the junior girls doubles and junior mixed doubles.
“I’d say she was the outstanding athlete of the championships. She is a prodigy for sure,” said Lue.
The youngest winner of the tournament was eight-year-old William Lei of Supersonic TTC who won the under-9 boys’ category ahead of Jathneil Todd of Infinity TTC and Shacoil Golding of Whitfield Young Stars TTC.
The under-11 boys’ section was won by Ajani Spencer of Hellshire Heights TTC ahead of Anthony Bird Whitfield Young Stars TTC and Ajaani Hall Walfarm TTC.
Logan Royes of SUTTA won the boys’ under-13 section ahead of under-11 winner Spencer and Gmarco Smith of Portsmouth Primary.
Royes was then runner up to Kingston College’s Gari Wythe in the under-15 section while Jamaica College’s Brian Blake was third.
The Boys’ under-19 section was won by Azizi Johnson of Wolmer’s Boys ahead of Kingston College’s Joel Butler and Angels Table Tennis Academy’s Andre Richardson.
Keeara White of Angels Table Tennis Academy, who finished third in the women’s open, won the under-13 title over Kayan Denton of Waterhouse TTC and Abigail Bramwell of Jonathan Grant High.
As mentioned before, Tsenaye Lewis took the under-15 crown ahead of Le-Anna Smith of Angels Table tennis Academy and Karecia Peterkin of Waterhouse TTC and the under-19 title ahead of the Greater Portmore TTC pair of Olivia Petrekin and Janel Blake.
The championships were sponsored by Tastee, Optical Solutions and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
Tyson Fury has vowed to return to face the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua bout, promising to fight his fellow Brit for free if he beats the Ukrainian.
Fury delivered a brutal sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte at a packed Wembley Stadium to retain his WBC heavyweight title back in April.
Either side of the all-British fight, Fury repeatedly stated his desire to retire and maintained his career was over after remaining unbeaten in 33 fights.
The 33-year-old has since reiterated he is "very happy" out of the ring after the WBC stated it wanted clarity over the world heavyweight champion's future.
But Fury has backtracked on his initial standpoint, suggesting he would face the winner of Usyk and Joshua's September 21 rematch in a unification bout for the right price.
Asked on talkSPORT whether the reports were true he had offered to train Joshua before his clash with Usyk in Saudi Arabia, Fury responded: "I'd train him to beat Usyk very easy, but he doesn't want my help because I would definitely train him to win and he obviously doesn't wanna win.
"I wouldn't tell you [the game plan] because that's giving the secrets away. But probably you'll see what I'll do.
"Because when this little middleweight batters the bodybuilder again, he's gonna lose again, then they're gonna call for Achilles to come out. They will call and groan for Achilles to come back.
"And I'm gonna say, 'Get f***ed, I'm retired, I don't wanna fight'. And then, when they're begging me to come out of retirement, I will return, but it's gonna be very costly like I said.
"I'll show you how to deal with a middleweight!"
While Fury referenced a significant payday to entice him to fight Usyk, he claimed he would face Joshua on for free at Wembley should he win the bout against the Ukrainian.
"Anthony Joshua's a s***house and I'll knock him out," Fury added. "If he beats Usyk, he's gotta fight me for free in England, for the fans.
"Not for hundreds of millions abroad in a foreign country, here, in the UK. Free-to-air TV, free tickets, sell out Wembley. It'll be watched by 30 million people for free.
"No pay-per-view. No money earned. We do this one for the fans of the UK. Let's see who's the real man of the people.
"I know I am, that's why I'm willing to do it for free in the UK, but he will not wanna do that, he'll wanna travel abroad because he's a businessman and I don't give a f*** about business."
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the team are not taking any comfort from Ferrari's reliability issues, as he insisted the title race remains wide open despite Max Verstappen's lead.
Ferrari are 56 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings despite Charles Leclerc claiming his first victory in eight races at the Austrian Grand Prix last time out, while Verstappen continues to lead the Monegasque star in the drivers' championship.
With Carlos Sainz triumphing at Silverstone, Ferrari have posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season but have been hampered in their bid to compete with Red Bull by issues with their car.
Sainz looked set to make it a Ferrari one-two in Austria before a dramatic engine failure left his car immersed in flames.
Meanwhile, Leclerc struggled with throttle problems as he held off Verstappen for the win in Spielberg, admitting it was cause for "concern" after the race.
But Horner says Red Bull cannot rely on Ferrari's problems in their bid for a first constructors' title since 2013.
"We are not too focused on them [Ferrari]," he said, looking ahead to Sunday's French Grand Prix.
"We can't control or contribute to that in any way. I think that we've got to focus on ourselves and just getting the best out of our own package.
"They had a very strong car [in Austria], and they could have finished first and second."
Meanwhile, despite Verstappen having a 38-point lead over Leclerc in the drivers' standings, Horner thinks the title race remains wide open, as he praised the team's "damage limitation" efforts last time out.
"We are just at the halfway point of the championship and things swing around quite a lot," he added.
"There is still an awfully long way to go. I would say Austria was sort of damage limitation, as we managed to get the pole, get the sprint victory and see the second place [in the race].
"I think Max has only lost five points to the Charles in the drivers' championship and obviously damage has been relatively contained in the constructors."
Rugby Australia's chief executive Andy Marinos has condemned the "unacceptable" and "offensive" remarks directed towards England and Eddie Jones in Sydney.
England responded to defeat in the first Test by triumphing in the following two meetings to secure back-to-back series victories over the Wallabies Down Under.
The Red Rose had to deal with a late push from Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where they held firm to win 21-17 and seal the slender series win.
Australian-born England coach Jones was greeted with abuse in the aftermath from the SCG crowd, berated as a "traitor" on two occasions by different spectators.
Jones – who was head coach of his country between 2001 and 2005, but has been in charge of England since 2015 – labelled the perpetrators as "clowns", and Marinos has subsequently apologised.
"The offensive remarks made by spectators in the members' areas towards England staff were unacceptable – and not representative of the values of rugby," a Rugby Australia statement read.
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behaviour, and we are working with Venues NSW on appropriate sanctions for these individuals.
"Rugby prides itself on values of respect and integrity – as seen in the players of both teams after the final whistle of a hard-fought series at the SCG on Saturday night.
"It is our expectation that spectators adhere to these values of respect and integrity when attending rugby matches – and, we would hope, in society in general.
"Please, cheer for your team with all that you have – but please, always show respect for others."
In a further incident at the SCG, another spectator was caught on film climbing onto the roof of the grandstand and urinating, and Marinos confirmed the fan received a lifetime ban.
"The deplorable actions of the alleged intruder that made his way to the roof of the grandstand were disgraceful and dangerous," the statement added.
"This individual has been issued with a life ban from Rugby Australia events – and we will continue to support the authorities in their handling of the matter."
Brandon Williams scored a game-high 22 points and Trendon Watford had 19 to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to an 85-77 win over the New York Knicks in Sunday’s NBA Summer League championship game.
Jabari Walker chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench to help Portland to its second Summer League title, while Watford added seven rebounds and was unanimously chosen the game’s MVP.
The Blazers previously won the 2018 Summer League after defeating the Lakers in the championship game, one year after losing to Los Angeles in the finals.
Portland built a lead as large as 16 points late in the third quarter, but the Knicks closed the gap with a 13-4 run to pull within 64-57 with seven minutes remaining.
Watford answered with a three-pointer and recorded seven points during an 11-4 scoring spurt that extended the Blazers’ advantage to 75-61 with under four minutes left.
Williams then helped seal the victory by going eight-for-eight on free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, capping an 18-for-20 performance by Portland from the foul line.
"We stuck together and when we came back in, we turned it up and I’m just proud of all these guys," Watford said post-game. "It was big time, our chemistry came together since day one."
Quentin Grimes put up 19 points for the Knicks but finished five-of-16 from the field and two-of-11 from three-point range. Miles McBride also scored 17 points in defeat.
The Baltimore Orioles took Oklahoma high school shortstop Jackson Holliday with the first overall pick of a 2022 MLB Draft that went top-heavy on sons of former standout players.
Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, went one spot ahead of Georgia prep outfielder Druw Jones, taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks at pick two. Jones’ father, Andruw, made five All-Star teams and earned 10 Gold Gloves over a 17-year career spent mostly with the Atlanta Braves.
With the third overall pick, the Texas Rangers made onetime Vanderbilt hurler Kumar Rocker the first pitcher selected in an unexpected move, with most predictions having him in the teens at the earliest. Rocker was taken 10th overall by the New York Mets last year, but did not sign and spent this season in the independent Frontier League.
Holliday hit .685 in 41 games as a senior at Stillwater High School while setting a national prep record with 89 hits in a season, breaking the mark previously held by Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed hitter also won two national Gold Glove awards and was named Baseball America’s 2022 High School Player of the Year.
Matt Holliday hit .299 with 316 home runs in 16 major league seasons, mostly spent with the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies, winning four Silver Slugger awards and capturing the National League batting title in 2007.
Jackson Holliday has verbally committed to Oklahoma State, where his uncle, Josh Holliday, is the head coach. However, the 18-year-old is expected to sign and enter the pro ranks.
Jones hit .570 with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases as a senior at Wesleyan High in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The six-foot-four, 180-pound Vanderbilt commit was ranked as this year’s number-one overall draft prospect, one spot ahead of Holliday, by MLB.com.
Rocker, who helped Vanderbilt win the College World Series as a star freshman in 2019, is the second straight former Commodores pitcher taken by the Rangers in the first round. Texas selected Jack Leiter, son of former All-Star pitcher Al Leiter and close friend of Rocker, with the second overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Rounding out the top-five, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected powerfully built high school second-baseman Termarr Johnson at fourth overall, before the Washington Nationals selected IMG Academy outfielder Elijah Green with pick five.
The Seattle Mariners set a new record on Sunday as they defeated the Texas Rangers 6-2 for their 14th consecutive win – the longest winning streak entering the All-Star break in MLB history.
Prior to this season, the longest winning streak heading into the All-Star break was 10 games, set by the 1935 Detroit Tigers, the 1945 Chicago Cubs and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. All three teams ended up making the World Series.
It was a great showing from the Mariners' top hitters as their two All-Stars drove in a pair of runs each.
A late addition to the American League All-Star roster, Ty France connected on the longest drive of the game with his 432-foot solo home run in the fifth inning, extending the Mariners' lead to 3-1.
Rookie of the Year favourite – and the only rookie All-Star – Julio Rodriguez then drove in a pair of runs with his double in the seventh inning, and Rodriguez was brought home by a France RBI base hit as the very next batter.
Of all rookies in the majors this season, Rodriguez leads in hits (93), home runs (16), RBIs (50), runs (52) and stolen bases (21).
The Mariners are now 51-42 for the season, giving them the fourth-best record in the American League. They are also one game away from tying their longest winning streak of all time, with 15-in-a-row set in 2001.
Soto homers in Nationals win
Washington Nationals star Juan Soto showed why he is expected to fetch one of the largest trade hauls in the history of the league as he connected on his 20th home run of the season in his side's 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves.
Soto is reportedly on the trade block after turning down a 15-year, $440million contract extension, with the 23-year-old considered one of the purest hitters in the game.
He connected on his homer in the eighth inning to put the finishing touches on the win and continue his barnstorming July. After an uncharacteristically poor start to the season, Soto is 17-of-40 at the plate this month, with an on-base percentage of .589 while slugging .850.
Cease pitches a gem
Chicago White Sox ace Dylan Cease was at the top of his game as his team hammered the Minnesota Twins 11-0.
Cease, arguably the best pitcher not to be named an All-Star this season, showed his quality with seven scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and two walks while striking out eight.
Nine of the 10 White Sox batters collected at least one hit, with elite first baseman Andrew Vaughn hitting a home run among his three knocks, and their lone offensive All-Star Tim Anderson had a two-RBI single to open the scoring.
Maxime Cressy staged an impressive fightback in the Hall of Fame Open final to outlast Alexander Bublik and scoop his first ATP Tour title.
When he trailed by a set and 3-0, Cressy's hopes looked almost forlorn, yet the French-American came back to win 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) in two hours and 23 minutes.
The run of six consecutive games in the second set saved Cressy's skin, before he edged a decider against Russian-born Kazakh rival Bublik in which neither man could force a break of serve.
Cressy had a brief injury timeout near the end of the third set, before sweeping through the tie-break.
The grass-court tournament in Newport, Rhode Island, earlier saw Lleyton Hewitt inaugurated to the International Tennis Federation's Hall of Fame, with the former US Open and Wimbledon champion on hand to receive the accolade.
Hewitt won the last ATP title of his career at the Hall of Fame Open in 2014, having lost in the final in the previous two seasons.
The 41-year-old Australian described the Hall of Fame entry on Sunday as "an incredible honour", saying he had previously considered it out of his reach and "for the people that were my idols growing up and the absolute legends of the sport".
Newly crowned Open champion Cameron Smith said he was just "here to win golf tournaments" as he declined to say whether he could soon join the breakaway LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The Australian was asked about the prospect in a news conference after landing the first major of his career on Sunday, pipping Cameron Young by one shot and Rory McIlroy by two at St Andrews.
It remains to be seen whether Smith has been tempted by the prospect of signing up for the lucrative, Saudi-backed breakaway competition.
He was not open to giving a direct answer when asked whether there was truth behind rumours he could defect to LIV Golf.
"I just won the British Open, and you're asking about that. I think that's pretty not that good," Smith said.
When asked to answer the question one way or another, Smith replied: "I don't know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I'm here to win golf tournaments."
The 28-year-old would be joining the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood if he joins LIV Golf.
Big incentives are on offer for committing to play in the new series, along with hefty prize purses.
Critics of LIV Golf have claimed it is an attempt at "sportswashing" by the Saudi Arabia regime, attempting to improve the country's image amid allegations of human rights violations.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have come out in opposition to the series, as have a number of leading players, including Tiger Woods and McIlroy.
Smith's fellow Australian Greg Norman is CEO of LIV Golf.
Norman also happened to be the last Australian winner of the Open until Smith's sublime closing 64 at the home of golf saw him vault to the top of the leaderboard and lift the Claret Jug.
In a congratulatory Twitter message to Smith, Norman, the 1986 and 1993 Open winner, wrote: "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi! A spectacular final round mate. A triumph for you and for Australia as the first Australian to win in 29 years. You’re in good company."
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale suffered yet another injury Sunday as he broke the pinky finger on his pitching hand when he was hit by a line drive in the first inning against the New York Yankees.
Sale was making his second start of the season after recovering from a fractured rib sustained while working out during the Major League Baseball lockout.
With two outs in the first inning Sunday, Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks hit a liner off Sale’s hand that ricocheted into right field for an RBI single. Sale looked down at his hand and immediately walked to the Boston dugout.
Sale signed a five-year, $145million contract extension with Boston in 2019, but he’s pitched a combined 48 1/3 innings since the end of that campaign.
The seven-time All-Star missed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery before making his 2021 debut on August 14, going 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts.
If Sale needs surgery on his pinky, he could miss the rest of the regular season for a Boston team that heads into the All-Star break in the hunt for an American League wild-card spot.
Open champion Cameron Smith revealed his third-round slump provided all the incentive he needed to get his act together and claim victory with a stunning 64 at St Andrews on Sunday.
The leader after 36 holes, it was widely thought Smith had blown his chances with a scruffy 73 on Saturday which left him four shots adrift of leading duo Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
However, a run of five birdies in a row after the turn in his final round put Smith in the ascendancy and he never looked back, showing nerves of steel to save par on 17 before making another gain at the last to render playing partner Cameron Young's eagle immaterial.
The Australian roared to his maiden major after undercutting crowd favourite McIlroy's Sunday score by six strokes, while he was a huge 10 shots better than Hovland across the concluding 18 holes.
Speaking about Saturday's backslide, Smith – who finished on 20 under, a shot ahead of Young – said: "I think I was really frustrated with how the round went.
"I just really put it down to links golf. I think you really have those days on these courses where you get a bit of a weird bounce here and there and puts you in a bad spot.
"So, I shrugged it off pretty good, I think, last night. I really didn't dwell on it too much.
"But to go out there and really stick my head down and keep making birdies and keep making putts, yeah, it was really cool. I think that [Saturday's disappointment] definitely helped."
Smith will have to wait before he can properly celebrate with his close family and friends, as his dad made what proved to be an ill-advised decision not to head over to Fife to see his son in action at the 150th Open Championship.
"I don't have any family here. I've got all my team here," he said.
"My dad was actually meant to come over, and he pulled out in the last minute basically. I had a quick chat with him before. He's kicking himself now.
"I really wish he was here, too. It would have been such a cool week, even without this, to be at the home of golf. Dad loves his golf as well. It would have been awesome."
The Champion Golfer of the Year – whose score of 268 is a record in an Open at St Andrews – had some warm words of praise for McIlroy, who missed out on a second Claret Jug and first major since 2014.
"He's obviously a great player," said Smith after finishing two strokes clear of the Northern Irishman.
"He's one of those guys that you can't help but stop when he's hitting balls on the range, and he just keeps knocking on doors every week, it seems like.
"He's probably the most consistent player out here.
"He's going to get a major, I'm sure, very soon. He's just really solid. For me, I've played with Rory a few times, and there's really nothing that you can fault."
Asked about the mullet hairstyle that makes him so distinctive and whether he would keep it, the 28-year-old added: "I think it's going to stay, mate!"
Cameron Smith struggled to find the words to describe his first major victory but said he achieved "something I've always dreamt of" after triumphing at The Open.
The Australian lifted the Claret Jug following a wonderful final-round 64 at St Andrews, which saw him finish on 20 under par.
Smith headed into the final round on Sunday four shots back from the leading duo of Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
Yet an impressive streak of gains on five consecutive holes after the turn saw him leap to the summit on 19 under.
He then held his nerve as the pressure intensified, saving par with a tricky putt on the 17th before a birdie on the last saw him edge out playing partner Cameron Young by one stroke and McIlroy by two.
Smith, who joined the likes of Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros in lifting the Claret Jug at St Andrews, revealed his pride at triumphing on the 150th anniversary of the Open on the iconic Old Course.
"First and foremost, I want to thank the team," he told Sky Sports. "All the hard work we've done over the last couple of years is really starting to pay off. This one definitely makes it worth it.
"It was just absolutely awesome out there. The course was exactly how an Open Championship should be played; firm and fast, tough pins. It was just unreal.
"I had a lot of support out there, especially the Aussie guys – you guys really kept me going out there. This one is for Oz!
"It's just unreal. This place is so cool. To have the 150th Open here and walk away with the win, it's something I've always dreamt of. I didn't even know I was going to get this far, it's just awesome.
"To look at these names on this trophy and then add mine, it's unreal, I'm lost for words. I'm definitely going to find out how many beers fit in this thing, that's for sure!"
Rory McIlroy admitted he had allowed himself to dream of Open Championship glory before Cameron Smith snatched the Claret Jug away at St Andrews.
Northern Irishman McIlroy had the bulk of the crowd support as he attempted to win a fifth major, and a first in eight years, but he could not convert a lead into victory.
Having started the day in a share of first place with Viktor Hovland, McIlroy at one stage powered into a two-stroke lead at 17 under par, yet charging Australian Smith surged past him after a run of five birdies from 10 to 14, and that was that.
McIlroy attempted to respond but found little, accepting his putter had gone cold once he completed a two-under round of 70 to reach 18 under for the championship, enough only for third place. American Cameron Young sneaked up to second, one behind Smith whose closing 64 gave him a 20-under winning score.
McIlroy said: "It's not life or death. I'll have other chances to win the Open Championship and other chances to win majors. It's one that I feel like I let slip away, but there will be other opportunities."
He had wondered how it would feel to again win The Open, having triumphed in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.
"Of course. I'm only human. I'm not a robot," the 33-year-old said.
"Of course, you think about it, and you envision it, and you want to envision it. My hotel room is directly opposite the big yellow board on 18. Every time I go out, I'm trying to envision McIlroy at the top name on that leaderboard and how did that feel?
"At the start of the day, it was at the top, but at the start of tomorrow, it won't be. Of course you have to let yourself dream. You've got to let yourself think about it and what it would be like, but once I was on the golf course, it was just the task at hand and trying to play the best golf I possibly could."
McIlroy felt he played well on Sunday until it came to capitalising on chances, particularly in the middle part of the round when many, as Smith showed, made significant gains.
"I wish that I had hit it a little closer with some approach shot shots, and I wish I'd have holed a couple more putts," he said. "The putter just went a little cold today compared to the last three days.
"I've just got to keep putting myself in position, keep putting myself in there. And whenever you put yourself in that shining light, you're going to have to deal with setbacks and deal with failures. Today is one of those times. But I just have to dust myself off and come again and keep working hard and keep believing."
He said he was "beaten by a better player this week".
"But it's been a good week overall," said the world number two. "I can't be too despondent because of how this year's going. I'm playing some of the best golf I've played in a long time. So it's just a matter of keep knocking on the door, and eventually one will open."
Cameron Young admitted his eagle at the last actually made his near miss at The Open a little harder to take.
The American sunk a putt for a two at the 72nd hole, but playing partner Cameron Smith etched his name onto the Claret Jug with a birdie moments later, sealing victory after starting the day four shots behind leading duo Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland.
Young finished on 19 under, one stroke behind Smith, while crowd favourite McIlroy ended up third on 18 under after a closing 70 – five worse than Young's final round, and six more than the imperious Smith.
His last-hole heroics had given Young a glimmer of hope that a play-off might be forthcoming, though he did not expect the on-song Smith to fluff his lines at St Andrews.
"No, Cameron was not going to miss that," he said.
"It probably hurts a little worse to come up one shot short. If you lose by eight you don't really care.
"But I played well. I would have signed up for 65 this morning, and to watch Cameron shoot what he did, it was pretty amazing. I had a front-row seat to I'm sure one of the better rounds that's been played this year.
"And we both started four back of two guys that are capable of as much if not more than just about everybody else in the world.
"I know Cameron Smith's ranked very highly in the world. I don't know exactly what, but I imagine top five or six. And this kind of just is more proof that he is that good and he is one of the very, very best players in the world."
Young was pleased with how he dealt with the pressure of being in the mix on the final day of a major and hopes to keep putting himself in that position.
"I think I handled it pretty well," he said.
"At this point – not as much as some of those other guys – but I've at least been around the lead a lot this year, so it's not the first time I've been in that situation.
"I think I said at the PGA one of these times I'll shoot five under on the back nine and that will be enough, and here I did that and it wasn't.
"I guess one of these times I'll shoot six on the back nine on Sunday and that will be enough!"
LeBron James showed no rust on Saturday in his return to competitive basketball at the Drew League, while former team-mate Kyrie Irving was a no-show after being expected to take the court.
James had 42 points, 16 rebounds and four steals while teaming with Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan at the Drew League, a pro-am event held every summer in the Los Angeles area.
It was James' first action since missing seven of the Los Angeles Lakers' final eight games due to a sprained ankle. James appeared in just 56 games in 2021-22 as he dealt with ankle, knee and abdominal injuries.
However, he managed to average 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists for a Lakers team that missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record.
"I'm 100 percent healthy," James told ESPN on Saturday in his first appearance at the Drew League since 2011.
Irving, meanwhile, was expected to play in the event but instead attended a camp hosted by Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy.
"They were pretty sure he was coming," Drew League Commissioner Dino Smiley told NBA.com of Irving's representatives. "But you know how Kyrie is. I guess he changed his mind in the middle of it."
James and Irving won an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and rumours have been swirling that they could be reunited in Los Angeles.
Irving recently exercised his $36.5million player option for next season with the Brooklyn Nets, but with Kevin Durant requesting a trade out of Brooklyn, the Nets could be looking to move Irving as well.
ESPN has reported that the Nets and Lakers have been in talks about a deal that would send Irving to Los Angeles and Russell Westbrook to Brooklyn.
"In order to get great talent, you have to give up a lot of great talent and value in draft picks," Lakers president Jeanie Buss told NBA.com. "Every team is sophisticated and smart. Nobody is just asleep at the wheel.
"Everybody is just trying to make their team better. Some teams are pivoting from a path they were on and want to deal because they have players that don't fit what their plans are. So it's a fluid situation. You always have to stay on top of it."
Cameron Smith surged to victory at The Open with a stunning final-round 64, edging out Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young to claim his first major.
The Australian started Sunday's round four shots back from leading duo McIlroy and Viktor Hovland but kept his cool to triumph over Young by one stroke on a thrilling day at St Andrews, finishing on 20 under.
He extinguished McIlroy's hopes of ending an eight-year major drought at the 150th edition of golf's oldest major, where record crowds were treated to a memorable tournament, even if they were denied the champion the majority wanted to see lift the Claret Jug.
McIlroy's closing 70, during which he passed up a series of birdie chances, was only enough for third spot as Young eagled the last to take second and Hovland faded to finish six shots off the pace, alongside Tommy Fleetwood.
The focus initially was firmly on the final pairing, who sat on a four-shot advantage, and it was Hovland who blinked first, three-putting for a bogey five on the fourth and McIlroy's lead was two when he birdied the fifth.
But as Hovland stalled, it was Smith who led the charge of the chasing pack, making gains in five consecutive holes after the turn to move to the summit on 19 under.
He showed nerves of steel to hole a tricky putt for par on the 17th and then made a birdie at the last after Young had found the hole for an eagle.
That left McIlroy needing a two at the par-four last to force a play-off as fans poured onto the 18th fairway at the home of golf, but he could only manage a par as a new major champion was crowned.
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