Bryson DeChambeau triumphed at the U.S. Open for the second time after Rory McIlroy fluffed his lines on Sunday.

With the pressure on in the final stages of the fourth round at Pinehurst, McIlroy's major hoodoo continued as he bogeyed three of the final four holes.

It meant overnight leader DeChambeau had the chance to put in for par on the 18th and snatch victory by a single point.

McIlroy's last miss, on the 18th, came after he had seen DeChambeau skew a tee shot into the rough, with the Northern Irishman then planting an excellent chip within a couple of feet of the hole.

But the ball rolled agonisingly around the lip as McIlroy dropped another shot, finishing on five under for the tournament.

DeChambeau did not offer McIlroy another chance, drilling a shot out of a bunker and onto the green before sinking a four-foot put to spark huge celebrations in the crowd.

It condemned McIlroy to arguably the most painful defeat of his career, as a fifth major title continues to allude him.

The 35-year-old, who was held off by a single point by Wyndham Clark at last year's U.S. Open, had played brilliantly through the round, and four birdies between the ninth and 13th holes had him on course to win his first major since he triumphed at The Open in 2014.

DeChambeau, on the other hand, could not get going on the back nine, exchanging a pair of birdies with two bogeys, but he steadied himself on the 17th with an excellent drive.

The nerves got to the American, who was the only player to shoot below par in each of the first three rounds, on the 18th, with an awful drive into the rough, yet he regained his composure and, after seeing McIlroy's error, ensured there was to be no more mistakes.

Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay finished T3 on four under, with Matthieu Pavon rounding out the top five.

Andy Murray has said it would be fitting to call time on his glistening tennis career at Wimbledon or the Paris Olympics this year. 

The 37-year-old has prevailed in both competitions during his professional career, becoming the first British winner of the men's singles title since Fred Perry in 1936 at Wimbledon in 2013.

Murray also won gold on two occasions for Team GB in London 12 years ago and the Rio games in 2016. But when asked if he would compete in the US Open or the Davis Cup, he said: "I don’t think so.

"Probably if I was going to finish my career I would rather finish at Wimbledon or an Olympic Games - to me that would probably be more fitting."

"I've had amazing experiences and memories from Wimbledon, but also being part of British Olympics teams."

The former world number one will take part in the Queen's Club Championships and faces Alexei Popyrin on Monday, but revealed that he will not be playing as much over the next few months. 

He said: "My plans haven't really changed. I'm not planning to playing much past this summer. I'll see how I feel in the next couple of weeks. There are lots of things to factor in to retirement from sport.

"I think in lots of careers, retirement is something you celebrate and people really look forward to that day – that's not something I feel. I love playing tennis.

"Ultimately, if physically you're not able to play to the level you want to, the results are not as you wish, those things factor into the decision."

Katie Boulter successfully defended her Nottingham Open title on Sunday, coming from a set down to beat Karolina Pliskova 4-6 6-3 6-2 in the final.

With both players having to play two matches in one day, Pliskova started strong, powering through the first set in just 39 minutes before the the physical toll started to kick in.

Boulter found her second wave though, fighting back to force a decider in which she broke the Czech's serve three times to seal the victory.

It was a long day for Boulter, who came out on top in an all-British semi-final earlier in the day against Emma Raducanu in three sets after their semi-final was suspended on Saturday due to bad weather.

Raducanu won the first set after 80 minutes in a tie-break, but she could not pick up where she left off on Sunday, as Boulter came from behind to win 6-7 (13-15) 6-3 6-4.

Meanwhile, Liudmila Samsonova won her first title of the season after also coming from a set down to defeat Bianca Andreescu 4-6 6-3 7-5 in the Libema Open final at 's-Hertogenbosch.

Data Debrief: Boulter powers through marathon day

Boulter and Pliskova had split their first four meetings, and all five of their matches have gone the distance to a decisive third set.

The Briton won 77 per cent of her service games (10/13), while also winning 43 per cent of her return games (6/14), double the amount of Pliskova.

Jack Draper won his first ATP Tour title by fighting back to beat Matteo Berrettini in the BOSS Open final in Stuttgart, ahead of becoming British number one for the first time on Monday.

Draper had already ensured he will become Britain's top player in the ATP rankings by reaching the showpiece match in Germany with back-to-back wins over Americans Francis Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima.

Former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini took Sunday's opener in just 33 minutes, but Draper fought back in a near-hour-long second set as the momentum shifted.

Draper failed to convert two set points at 5-4 and the first of two in the tiebreak, but he never looked back after levelling things up.

A break in the seventh game was enough to take the decider as Draper triumphed 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, serving a huge ace – his 12th of the contest – on match point.

Data Debrief: Draper follows in Murray's footsteps

Draper will crack the world's top 30 after claiming his maiden title in his third ATP final, having previously lost to Adrian Mannarino at last year's Sofia Open and Jiri Lehecka at January's Adelaide Open.

He will also become his country's top male player at the age of 22 years and 269 days, making him the youngest British number one since Andy Murray in November 2009.

Alex de Minaur overcame Sebastian Korda in straight sets to win the Libema Open title on Sunday, clinching a career-high placing in the ATP rankings in the process.

The Australian needed one hour and 31 minutes on court to defeat Korda 6-2 6-4, meaning he triumphed at 's-Hertogenbosch without dropping a set in any round.

Back-to-back breaks got De Minaur through the opener, and though Korda hit straight back following another break early in the second, De Minaur kept the pressure on and got his reward in the sixth game.

De Minaur forced 14 break points overall while saving four of the six he faced, with Korda producing 26 unforced errors in an erratic performance.

Data Debrief: De Minaur enjoying productive year

After beating Casper Ruud to win the Mexican Open final in February, De Minaur has won multiple ATP crowns in a single year for the third time, also triumphing at Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuha in 2019 and in Antalya and Eastbourne in 2021.

He had already clinched a new career-high ATP ranking of eighth with his semi-final win over Ugo Humbert, but he will now rise to seventh on Monday after lifting the trophy.

West Coast Fever star Jhaniele Fowler-Nembhard delivered a record-breaking performance on Sunday, scoring 73 goals to lead her team to a 78-71 victory over the New South Wales Swifts in the Suncorp Super Netball League.

The win, witnessed by a home and away record crowd of 11,267, secured Fever's second spot on the Super Netball table.

The match came on the heels of a tumultuous week for the Swifts, who announced the release of Trinidadian star Samantha Wallace-Joseph on Friday due to "behavior concerns." The loss of Wallace-Joseph, a key player for the Swifts, left the team struggling to adjust their gameplay and maintain cohesion on the court.

Despite the Swifts' impressive tally of 18 supershots to Fever’s one, they were outplayed from the beginning.

 Swifts co-captain Maddy Proud admitted the controversy surrounding Wallace-Joseph had taken a toll on the team. "While it has only come out this week, we have had to deal with it for probably a month. There was a little bit of a relief in a way that all that speculation now has a conclusion," she said following the loss. "It would be silly to say that it hasn’t affected the group. We are a very tight-knit group and we had played with Sammy for eight years. We won two premierships with her and have been through a lot."

The Swifts, still adjusting to playing without a holding shooter like Wallace-Joseph, faced early challenges in feeding a moving circle. This led to moments of confusion between Helen Housby and youngster Sophie Fawns, resulting in both players moving into the same space.

The Fever capitalized on the Swifts' ball-handling errors in the second term, extending their lead to 14 points heading into the third term's power five. Although Fawns managed a flurry of supershots, hitting 11 out of 14 two-point goals, it wasn't enough to close the gap.

Fowler-Nembhard's exceptional aerial prowess earned her MVP honours for the match. Her performance not only secured a vital win for the Fever but also highlighted her as a continued formidable force in the league.

The Fever's victory reinforces their strong position in the league, while the Swifts will need to regroup and adapt quickly to their new team dynamics as they navigate the rest of the season without Wallace-Joseph.

Bryson DeChambeau is targeting "something special" on the final day of action at the US Open after building a three-shot lead by the end of round three at Pinehurst.

DeChambeau, who won his first and so far only major championship at the 2020 US Open, stands at seven under after overcoming a slow start to his third round.

He struggled with a hip issue in the early stages but managed three birdies in a five-hole stretch, and six overall throughout the round, to pull clear of a chasing pack that includes Matthieu Pavon, Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy.

DeChambeau would have held an even greater advantage if not for a double-bogey at the 16th, the ball rolling back to his feet at one stage as he saw his advantage halved from four shots to two.

However, an immediate birdie on the par-three next ensured he finished three clear of his rivals, and he is relying on the home crowd to help him over the line on Sunday.

"I gave it everything I had out there today," DeChambeau told Sky Sports. "The crowd's support has been fantastic. It's amazing. 

"I can't thank them enough and I'll continue to feed off of them. Tomorrow it's about fairways and greens and let's see if I can give them something special."

A one-under 69 ensured McIlroy crept up on Cantlay, who had been a joint-leader after round one, while Pavon matched the Northern Irishman to leave all three players at four under.  

McIlroy ended the third round of the 2023 US Open – staged at Los Angeles Country Club – one shot back of Rickie Fowler and eventual champion Wyndham Clark.

While Fowler drifted, both McIlroy and Clark shot par on the final round as the latter claimed the title, leaving McIlroy determined to go one better this time around. 

"I'm pretty much in the same position that I was last year going into the final day at LACC," McIlroy said. 

"It's a familiar position, I've been here many times before, and hopefully I produce the golf that's needed to go one better."

DJ Herz was masterful in his third career start, striking out 13 and allowing one hit over six stellar innings to lead the Washington Nationals to a 4-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.

Herz, a 23-year-old left-hander who made his major league debut on June 4, struck out eight of the first 10 batters and his total was the second-highest by a rookie for the Nationals since the team moved to Washington for 2005, surpassed only by Stephen Strasburg’s 14 in his debut on June 8, 2010.

Herz did not make it out of the fifth inning in his first two starts but didn’t allow a runner in this one until Jake Burger’s leadoff single in the fifth. He struck out the side in the third and sixth innings and was lifted after throwing 84 pitches.

He joins Strasburg as the only pitchers in major league history to strike out at least 13 without a walk in one of their first three career outings.

Herz also is just the third pitcher since 1988 to fan at least 13 on fewer than 85 pitches. The others are Clayton Kerhsaw (2022) and Greg Maddux (2000).

Dylan Floro, Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan finished the four-hitter to seal Washington’s seventh win in eight games.

The Marlins lost their fourth straight and dropped to 2-10 in June.

 

Yamamoto leaves early in Dodgers’ loss

Seth Lugo became the second 10-game winner in the majors and MJ Melendez hit a grand slam after Yoshinobu Yamamoto exited early in the Kansas City Royals’ 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yamamoto left after two innings due to triceps tendinitis following two scoreless innings. This is Yamamoto’s first year in the majors after he signed a record $325 million, 12-year contract in December.

He had thrown over 100 pitches in four consecutive starts entering Saturday and his scheduled start on Thursday against Texas was pushed back for extra rest.

Lugo limited the Dodgers to two runs and six hits in six innings to join Philadelphia’s Ranger Suarez as the only 10-game winners in the majors.

The Royals got all the offence they needed in the sixth to erase a 2-1 deficit. Vinnie Pasquantino, Nelson Velazquez and Freddy Fermin all drew one-out walks off Blake Treinen, who struck out pinch-hitter Adam Frazier before Melendez connected on the 12th pitch of his at-bat for his first career grand slam.

 

Santander powers Orioles past Phillies

Anthony Santander hit a pair of home runs and drove in four to back Grayson Rodriguez’s strong start as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2 in a matchup of two of baseball’s top teams.

Santander hit a tying solo homer in the fourth inning and his two-run blast in the eighth extended the lead to 5-2. He also added a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

Santander leads the majors with eight home runs in June.

Rodriguez allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings with one walk and six strikeouts to win his third straight start.

Edmundo Sosa hit a solo homer for the NL-best Phillies, who have lost three of four.

Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists and the Edmonton Oilers chased playoff MVP candidate Sergei Bobrovsky to extend their season and avoid a sweep with an 8-1 drubbing of the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night.

Dylan Holloway scored twice with an assist and Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse and Ryan McLeod also had goals for the Oilers, who busted out in a big way after they were held to four goals in the first three games of the series.

McDavid scored his first goal of the series, and his three assists gave him 32 to move past Wayne Gretzky (1988) for the most in a single postseason.

Stuart Skinner had his best game of the Cup final with 32 saves.

Bobrovsky was replaced by Anthony Stolarz after Nurse’s goal at 4:59 of the second period made it 5-1. He allowed five goals on 16 shots after yielding four goals on 86 shots in Games 1, 2 and 3.

The Panthers can clinch the franchise’s first Stanley Cup at home in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Edmonton is bidding to become the first team since the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs to erase a 3-0 series deficit at this stage of the playoffs.

Janmark got the Oilers going with a short-handed goal 3:11 into the game and Henrique’s tally 3 1/2 minutes later upped the advantage.

Vladimir Tarasenko’s goal put the Panthers on the board, but Holloway restored the two-goal lead with 5:12 left in the opening period.

McDavid scored 73 seconds into the second period and Nurse’s goal sent Bobrovsky to the bench.

Scottie Scheffler was left to rue "another frustrating day" at the US Open on Saturday, when Collin Morikawa found form on moving day at Pinehurst.

World number one Scheffler struggled once again in North Carolina, carding a one-over 71 to drop down to six-over par after the third day.

The two-time Masters champion has now shot four consecutive rounds over par for the first time in his professional career and catching the likes of Matthieu Pavon, Bryson Dechambeau and Tony Finau appears unlikely.

"Another frustrating day," Scheffler said on Sky Sports after his putter went cold once more. "Today was a day where I thought I played a lot better than my score.

"I'm having a lot of trouble reading these greens. I had a lot of putts today where I felt like I hit it really good. I looked up and they were not going the way I thought they were going to go."

Morikawa, in stark contrast, went on a hot streak with his putter and finished with a four-under 66 to move back to level par, sneaking within touching distance of the top 10.

The two-time major champion still has serious ground to make up to catch the leading trio on Sunday, with Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Corey Conners and Tyrrell Hatton all chasing at the top as well.

"If I play the way I did today, who knows what could happen," Morikawa said. "This course is only going to get tougher. 

"I know it's not going to be easy. Today was not easy by any means. I just put it in the right spot, kept the ball in front of me, really just played very simple golf."

Rory McIlroy remains in with the contending pack, aiming to end a 10-year wait for major success, but may be concerned if countryman Shane Lowry's words are anything to go by.

Lowry stayed on five-over for the tournament after battling through "torture" from the Pinehurst No.2 course, offering a warning to all competing this weekend.

"It's torture out there, honestly it's absolute mental torture," Lowry said. "That's the best level par I've ever shot in my life.

"Every single shot you have, even when you hit a good shot the putts you have, it's brutally difficult. It's not much crack out there, to be honest.

"The wind's in a different direction so some of the par fours are really long. You really just have to manage your way well around there and I did a great job today."

Ons Jabeur pushed Karolina Pliskova all the way in their delayed quarter-final match, but it was the Czech that came out on top.

After rain delayed the match on Friday, and start of play on Saturday, a tough battle ensued, but Pliskova reached her third semi-final of the season with a 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 win.

Pliskova edged the first set on the tie-break before Jabeur forced a decider with an equally impressive win in the second.

Despite going toe-to-toe once more in the third, Pliskova just did enough to hold off top-seed Jabeur, getting a vital break to set up a meeting with Diane Parry.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu advanced to her first semi-final since 2022 after receiving a walkover from Francesca Jones, but her match against Katie Boulter was suspended due to rain after the first set, which lasted an incredible 80 minutes.

In 's-Hertogenbosch, Bianca Andreescu will play in the Libema Open final after her straight-sets 6-4, 6-2 victory over Dalma Galfi on Friday, earning a place in her first final of the season.

Data Debrief: Jabeur unable to stop the break

Jabeur had the opportunity to win seven break points during the quarter-final, but had a measly 14 per cent conversion rate (1/7). Pliskova, meanwhile, won half of hers (2/4).

The Czech also won 94 per cent of her service games (17/18), just one more than Jabeur. It was the fine margins that won out in Nottingham.

After months of speculation regarding where Tee Higgins would play in the 2024 NFL season, the star wide receiver will officially remain with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Higgins will sign his franchise tag with the Bengals on Saturday, and is expected to be present when the team begins training camp next month.

The signing was first reported by Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, and later confirmed by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Higgins had the franchise tag placed on him by the Bengals on February 26, and then asked to be traded a few weeks later.

In early April, however, he then said he intended to play for Cincinnati in 2024.

 

By signing the tag, which will pay him $21.8million in salary for the upcoming season, Higgins and the Bengals have until July 15 to work out a multi-year deal.

Higgins is coming off an injury-marred 2023 season, as he was limited to just 12 games due to ailments to his hamstring and ribs.

He finished the year with 42 catches for 256 yards and five touchdowns after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2021 and 2022.

The Bengals reached the AFC conference championship game in those two seasons before finishing last in the AFC South in 2023 with a 9-8 record.

A second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2020, the 25-year-old Higgins has 257 career receptions for 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns in 58 games in his first four pro seasons.

The Bengals are scheduled to open training camp on July 26.

In what was another clinical all-round display, Adelaide Thunderbirds registered their seventh win of the Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) League, as they bettered GIANTS Netball 57-42 in a lopsided contest at Ken Rosewall Arena, on Saturday.

Demonstrating their exceptional depth and quality across the court, Thunderbirds, the reigning champions, led from start to finish in a dominant win that propelled them to second on the ladder, and reaffirmed their status as a strong contender in the race to the finals. 

Jamaican Romelda Aiken-George scored 38 goals from 47 attempts for the Thunderbirds, with support from Lauren Frew (10 goals from 13 attempts), Georgie Horjus (five goals from seven attempts), and Lucy Austin (four goals from five attempts).

Sophie Dwyer (24 goals from 25 attempts), Jo Harten (14 goals from 16 attempts, and Matisse Letherbarrow (four goals from four attempts) led the efforts of the GIANTS team, which comprises Jamaican defender Jodi-Ann Ward.

Thunderbirds, on 28 points, are now eight points off leaders Melbourne Vixens (36 points), with West Coast Fever, who will be up against New South Wales (NSW) Swifts on Sunday, in third on 28 points.

After coming off an all-important win last week against the Queensland Firebirds, GIANTS were looking to secure a back-to-back victories and keep their hopes of breaking through to the top four alive.

Jamaican Latanya Wilson (left) of Adelaide Thunderbirds challenge for possession.

However, the relentless defensive pressure from the Thunderbirds, coupled with a high number of unforced turnovers, proved overwhelming for the GIANTS, who ended the game with their lowest score in Super Netball history, much to the dismay of the home crowd.

Both teams were composed in the early exchanges, as they traded goals in end-to-end action before things began to unravel for the hosts, and that allowed Thunderbirds to close the quarter 16-12 up.

Momentum gradually shifted in favour of the GIANTS, who went on a three-goal run early in the second quarter, with follow-up efforts by captain Harten later gifting them a lead. But, their lead was short-lived, as the Thunderbirds' intensified work rate across the court saw them regain the ascendancy in a 14-8 run for a 30-20 scoreline at the half-time interval.

Player of the match, Latanya Wilson was again a powerhouse for the Thunderbirds, as the Jamaican racked up three intercepts and five deflections in the first half alone.

For the GIANTS, it was Jodi-Ann Ward who willed her side along with her relentless efforts. Ward finished on the highest Nissan Net Points for the GIANTS, along with three intercepts and six deflections. 

Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst used the depth of her bench in the third quarter, bringing veteran Laura Scherian into the game at WA and moving Horjus into GA. The GIANTS were unable to quickly adapt to the positional changes, as the Thunderbirds scored three unanswered three-goal runs.

Try as they did, GIANTS failed to really respond and, as such, faced a 13-goal deficit at 43-30 heading into the final quarter.

Still, it was more of the same –one-way traffic –for the Thunderbirds, who accelerated and dominated across all areas of the court in the final quarter. The long reach of outstanding Jamaican goalkeeper Shamera Sterling-Humphrey took the wind out of the home side, and allowed the Thunderbirds to wrap up a comfortable win.

Alex de Minaur will face Sebastian Korda in the final of the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch after posting a straight-sets win over Ugo Humbert in the last four.

De Minaur – the top seed for the ATP 250 tournament in the Netherlands – needed one hour and 46 minutes to wrap up a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 success over the world number 16, having thrown away a 4-0 first-set lead before holding his nerve in a tiebreak.

The second set was cagey as De Minaur did not give up a single break point and converted one of two he forced, some strong serving ensuring he held off his opponent.

He will face Korda in Sunday's final after the American ended Tallon Griekspoor's title defence at the semi-final stage earlier on Saturday, winning 6-2 6-4.

Meanwhile, Jack Draper will face Matteo Berrettini in the final of the BOSS Open in Stuttgart, having beaten Brandon Nakashima 6-3 6-3 in the semi-finals.

Former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini came through an all-Italian clash with Lorenzo Musetti in just 67 minutes, winning 6-4 6-0.

Data Debrief: New high for De Minaur

De Minaur is into his 17th ATP Tour-level final, having an 8-8 record in his previous 16. It will be his third on grass, after beating Lorenzo Sonego in Eastbourne in 2021 and losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's last year.

The victory also ensured he will rise to eighth in the world rankings – a new career-high position.

Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks will "believe until the end" after they kept their NBA title hopes alive with a Game 4 victory over the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics headed to Dallas on Friday with the chance to clinch a first NBA Championship since 2008, up 3-0 in the series and looking to get the job done on the road.

However, Dallas dominated on their home court, cruising to a 122-84 blowout victory that means Boston will have to wait until at least Monday to seal a record-breaking 18th NBA title.

No team has ever come from 3-0 down in an NBA playoff series, but Doncic says his Mavericks team will not let that deflate their hopes of pulling off a hugely unlikely comeback.

"Like I said at the beginning of the series, it's first to four," Doncic told reporters. "We're going to believe until the end.

"So we've just got to keep going. I have big belief in this team that we can do it."

Doncic was facing criticism heading into Game 4 after fouling out in the latter stages of the previous contest, but he led the way with 29 points on Friday to help his team ease to victory.

Kyrie Irving believes Doncic proved the doubters wrong with his Game 4 showing, saying: "I think he made a few people eat their words in a healthy way.

"I think what you're seeing is him just taking accountability as best he can at this point in his life. He's a young person, still trying to figure it out. I give him that grace. 

"I think it's just lessons being learned. When he is locked in like that, not paying attention to the refs, he's a huge, impactful player for us and a great leader for us. We want him to stay consistent on that and not be too hard on himself either."

The Boston Celtics must "reassemble" after missing the chance to clinch the NBA Championship on Friday, says Jaylen Brown.

The Celtics headed into Game 4 on the road at the Dallas Mavericks looking to complete the sweep and seal their first title since 2008.

However, they were outplayed by their hosts, slumping to a 122-84 blowout loss to end their 10-match playoff winning run and leave them with work to do if they are to get over the finishing line.

The Celtics now head home with the opportunity to get the job done on Monday, and Brown has called upon his team-mates to bounce back from Friday's 38-point defeat.

"These are the moments that can make you or break you," Brown told reporters.

"We have to reassemble. We have to look at it and learn from it, and then we've got to embrace it and attack it.

"It's going to be hard to do what we're trying to do. We didn't expect anything to be easy, but it's no reason to lose our head."

Dallas dominated from start to finish in Game 3, holding an 11-point lead just nine minutes into the contest and never looking back as they stamped out any hopes of a Boston comeback.

Brown praised the Mavericks for their response to losing the first three games of the series, saying: "Give credit to Dallas.

"I think they played hard physically, and then they dominated the glass. I think that was the key that put a lot of pressure on us.

"And then we didn't make shots tonight, and I think that's where, you know, we allowed them to play free, once we get them multiple opportunities to make shots, and then also we didn't hit shots on the other end.

"We're going to look at the film and see where we can get better, and then go from there."

Ludvig Aberg emphasised the importance of staying "disciplined and patient" after he took the sole lead of the US Open on Friday.

Aberg heads into the weekend with a one-shot advantage after carding a one-under 69, backing up an impressive 66 in his first round to leave him five under par at the top of the standings.

It leaves Aberg in a great position to become the second US Open debutant to win the tournament and the first since Francis Ouimet in 1913.

To achieve that, though, Aberg says he must remain calm, telling Sky Sports: "It's hard, but it's not supposed to be easy.

"It's what we expect coming into a US Open, even though it's my first one.

"I've had a lot of good discussions with my caddie Joe about course management and about trying to stay disciplined and patient.

"It's not easy, but I feel like we've done a great job of that so far."

Patrick Cantlay and Rory McIlroy held the joint lead heading into day two after both carding five-under 65s on Thursday.

However, McIlroy shot a disappointing 72 for his second round, while Cantlay's 71 leaves him as one of three players one shot behind Aberg, alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Thomas Detry.

The soaring temperatures have proved testing conditions for players and are expected to continue over the rest of the tournament.

Cantlay is predicting a difficult final two rounds, though he also said he was happy with the position he is in.

"I think this golf course is going to play very challenging over the weekend, especially with the forecast that we have," Cantlay told reporters.

"So I think being smart and being patient, it's inevitable there's going to be some mistakes made, but that's just part of playing a US Open."

Tiger Woods hinted that he may have played his final US Open after failing to make the cut on Friday.

Woods shot three over in his second round having carded a four-over 74 on Thursday to leave him at seven over par, two shots off the cut line.

It means Woods has now either failed to make the cut or withdrawn from six of his last nine major tournaments, and at 48-years-old and having faced a host of injury problems, it appears the 15-time major champion's glittering career is nearing its conclusion.

After Friday's disappointing exit from the major he has won three times previously, Woods insinuated that it may well have been the last time he plays in the US Open.

Woods told reporters: "In order to win a golf tournament, you have to make the cut. I can't win the tournament from where I'm at, so it certainly is frustrating. 

"I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn't work out.

"As far as my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don't know what that is. It may or may not be.

"I've only got one more tournament this season. Even if I win the British Open, I don't think I'll be in the [FedEx Cup] playoffs. [There is] just one more event and then I'll come back whenever I come back."

Luis Gil won his ninth straight decision and Alex Verdugo homered and drove in four runs against his former team as the New York Yankees became the first team to 50 wins with an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

Gil allowed one run and four hits over five innings with four walks and six strikeouts in a season-high 104-pitch outing. The rookie is 9-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 11 starts since a loss at Toronto on April 15.

New York’s bullpen pitched one-hit ball with eight strikeouts over the final four innings.

Verdugo, who spent the previous four seasons with Boston before he was traded to the Yankees in December, hit the first pitch he saw from Brayan Bello for a two-run homer in the first inning, doubled home a run in the fifth and added an RBI single in the ninth.

Verdugo matched a career high with four RBIs, done twice earlier this season and three times with the Red Sox.

Bello was tagged for five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Jose Trevino also homered for the major league-best Yankees (50-22), who won for the 13th time in 16 games. 

Bohm lifts Phillies over Orioles in 11th

Alec Bohm ripped a two-run double in the top of the 11th inning shortly after a 71-minute rain delay, and the Philadelphia Phillies topped the Baltimore Orioles, 5-3.

After the Orioles intentionally walked Bryce Harper to put runners at first and second with one out, Bohm followed with a drive to left-center that eluded Austin Hays that scored both runners.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and Rafael Marchan hit his first of the season for the NL East-leading Phillies, who bounced back from consecutive losses at Boston to take the opener of a three-game series between two of baseball's top teams.

Anthony Santander hit a tying home run in the eighth, but the Orioles went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position in their second straight loss following a six-game winning streak.

Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish allowed two runs in five innings before exiting due to elbow pain. He missed the first month of the season with a sprained UCL and will have further tests.

Garver, Castillo keep Mariners surging

Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer to back a strong start by Luis Castillo and the Seattle Mariners extended their AL West lead with a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

Castillo gave up two runs – both in the first inning - on four hits in six innings with one walk and seven strikeouts. He improved to 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his last five home starts.

Mike Baumann and Andres Munoz each pitched a hitless inning before Ryne Stanek worked around a hit in the ninth for his sixth save.

Seattle took the lead for good in the third when J.P. Crawford scored on a fielder’s choice. Julio Rodriguez hit a grounder to third with runners at the corners and Crawford trotted home to make it 3-2.

The Mariners have won five of six and 14 of 19 to open a 6 ½-game lead over Texas in the West.

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