Bryson DeChambeau described his second U.S. Open triumph as the highlight of his life after edging out Rory McIlroy in a dramatic finish to Sunday's final round at Pinehurst.
DeChambeau, who won the 2020 edition of the event in Mamaroneck, went into the fourth and final round with a three-shot lead over McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Matthieu Pavon.
As Pavon carded a one-over 70 and Cantlay shot par on Sunday, it came down to a thrilling head-to-head battle between DeChambeau and McIlroy.
McIlroy moved two shots clear by sinking a terrific 27-foot putt on the 13th, managing four birdies in his first 14 holes, but he inexplicably missed two putts to save par from inside four feet on the closing stretch, putting DeChambeau in pole position.
The American looked to be in trouble when he missed the green with his second shot on the par-four last, but a stunning pitch from the sand teed him up for a four-foot putt to seal the title.
"I felt like I was hitting the driver the way I wanted today," DeChambeau said during the trophy presentation.
"I just kept staying the course, focused on trying as many fairways as I could."
Reflecting on the final hole, he said: "I got myself out of trouble really well but I can't believe that up and down, it was probably the best shot of my life.
"I was just trying to land it pretty much where I landed it. I knew that was huge to get up and down to win this huge prestigious championship. It's the highlight of my life."
McIlroy will now be left to rue those missed putts as he failed to end his 10-year major drought, finishing one shot behind the champion for a second straight edition of the U.S. Open.
The open nature of the course at Pinehurst No. 2 allowed DeChambeau a clear view of McIlroy's play down the final straight, and he says their battle made his win more enjoyable.
"I even saw on 10 where he made birdie," DeChambeau said. "I'm like, 'oh, man, he's gunning, he's going for it'. I had to put my foot on the pedal and push down pretty hard.
"I could hear 'Rory, Rory' chants. That was fun because it gave me the knowledge of what I had to do. There was also a lot of, 'go USA, go Europe'. It was a fun battle between us."
Shohei Ohtani homered twice to help the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, though the National League West leaders were dealt another injury to a key player when shortstop Mookie Betts exited the game with a broken hand.
Betts left the game after being struck on the hand by a fastball from Dan Altavilla in the seventh inning. The Dodgers later announced the 2018 American League MVP suffered a fracture but will not need surgery, though he's still expected to miss several weeks.
“It’s a big blow," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward. "I feel bad for Mookie because he's having an MVP-type season."
Betts entered the game fourth in the NL with a .307 average while producing 10 home runs, 40 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 72 games.
The seven-time All-Star's injury comes one day after pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto exited Saturday's start against the Royals after two innings due to a strained rotator cuff. The Dodgers placed the former Japanese league star on the injured list prior to Sunday's contest.
Los Angeles did get stellar pitching in Sunday's finale of this three-game series, as Tyler Glasnow (7-5) held the Royals to three hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings.
Ohtani supplied the offence with his 18th and 19th homers of the season, a solo blast in the third inning and another in the sixth.
Both homers came off Kansas City starter Brady Singer, who also surrendered a solo shot to Freddie Freeman in the sixth inning that followed Ohtani's second of the day.
Singer (4-4) lasted six innings and allowed five hits while striking out four.
Freeman finished 2 for 4 to help the Dodgers take two of three from Kansas City, which has now lost six of its last eight games.
Orioles take series from Phillies behind four homers
Jordan Westburg went 2 for 4 and hit one of four Baltimore home runs off Zack Wheeler as the Orioles powered their way to an 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in the finale of a three-game interleague series between top contenders.
Westburg's three-run blast off Wheeler in the fifth inning was the final blow as the Orioles tagged Philadelphia's ace for eight runs to earn their second win over the NL leaders in as many days. Baltimore also moved within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees for first place in the AL East after New York was dealt a 9-3 loss by the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Gunnar Henderson had the first of Baltimore's long balls, a lead-off shot in the first inning for his 22nd homer of the season. Wheeler also gave up a two-run homer to Colton Cowser in the second that put the Orioles up 3-0, and Adley Rutschman extended the lead further with a solo blast in the third.
The power surge helped Corbin Burnes (8-2) win his fourth consecutive start with a solid six-inning stint in which he allowed two runs and struck out seven.
Burnes' only damage came in the top of the fifth inning, during which the Phillies threatened on a single by Garrett Stubbs and a Kyle Schwarber double that put two on with one out. Stubbs scored on a groundout and Alec Bohm drove in Schwarber with a single two batters later to bring Philadelphia within 4-2.
The Orioles answered with four runs in their half of the fifth, however, to knock Wheeler out of the game.
Ryan Mountcastle led off the inning with a single and Wheeler walked Ryan O'Hearn before Anthony Santander plated Mountcastle with a single. Westburg then drove Wheeler's pitch over the wall in right center field to put Baltimore up comfortably at 8-2.
Wheeler (8-4) lasted just 4 1/3 innings and surrendered nine hits while serving up the most homers in a game in his 10-year MLB career.
Bohm finished 3 for 4 and knocked in the Phillies' final run with a seventh-inning double that scored Bryce Harper, who also reached base on a double.
Alonso drives in five runs as Mets win fifth straight
Pete Alonso knocked in a season-high five runs and had one of two first-inning homers that propelled the resurgent New York Mets to an 11-6 win over the San Diego Padres and a three-game series sweep.
Francisco Lindor also homered in the opening inning and drove in two runs to help the Mets to a fifth straight victory and ninth in 11 games. Brandon Nimmo recorded three of New York's 14 hits, including a run-scoring single.
The Padres were handed a seventh consecutive road loss despite taking an early 1-0 lead when Manny Machado's two-out single in the first inning brought home Jurickson Profar.
Lindor quickly pulled the Mets even with a lead-off homer in the bottom of the inning, however, and the Mets scored three more times in the first off San Diego starter Dylan Cease.
Nimmo followed with a single and Cease walked J.D. Martinez before Alonso launched a pitch well over the wall in left center field for his 15th homer of the season.
Cease briefly settled down until the fourth, when Luis Torrens singled and came home on Harrison Bader's double to extend the Mets' lead to 5-1. Bader later scored on a Lindor sacrifice fly and Martinez doubled in Nimmo to cap the three-run inning.
Back-to-back doubles from Luis Campusano and Luis Arraez got the Padres a bit closer in the fifth, and San Diego closed the gap further with four runs off the Mets' bullpen in the top of the eighth.
After the Padres loaded the bases on a Profar single, an error and a walk, New York's Jake Diekman walked Jackson Merrill to force in a run. San Diego got another run on a fielder's choice groundout that preceded Ha-Seong Kim's RBI double which cut the lead to 7-5. Campusano followed with a sacrifice fly to get the Padres within a run.
The Mets responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, however, which Torrens began with a lead-off homer.
Jeff McNeil then doubled in front of Bader's single and a walk to Lindor that loaded the bases for Nimmo, who singled in a run to increase New York's advantage to 9-6. Two batters later, Alonso's single drove in Bader and Lindor for a five-run cushion.
Cease (6-6) was charged with seven runs on seven hits over 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season. Counterpart Tylor Megill (2-3) picked up the win for New York by limiting the Padres to two runs through five innings.
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."
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
