It is U.S. Open week for men’s golf. They are back to the traditional Father’s Day weekend conclusion. My favorite to win this week is Jon Rahm from Spain. The key for him will be to get off to a good start in the first round. He is coming back from being off for 10 days because he tested positive for Covid while he was on his way to winning the Memorial Tournament. He was up by six shots when he was required to withdraw. The Open is being held on a regular PGA Tour stop, Torrey Pines, in San Diego, Calif. Rahm won his first PGA tour event there, so he loves the golf course. The course is also quite famous because the only other time the Open has been played there was in 2008 when Tiger Woods won his last U.S. Open in a playoff. It will be difficult for the tournament to live up to that drama. As usual, San Diego weather is supposed to be great for the whole week. I believe the winning score will be between one- and four-under par.
In the NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers are one game from elimination because they blew a big lead on Wednesday and lost to the Atlanta Hawks. They were up by 24 points with two minutes left in the third quarter. This has to be one of the worst chokes by a team in NBA history. I don’t know what their problem was in the fourth quarter. They just stopped playing like a team. Hopefully, it will also be one of the best comebacks if they can somehow win this series in seven games.
If the 76ers do not advance, I will be cheering for the Phoenix Suns to win their first ever NBA championship. They swept the favored Denver Nuggets in their second round series to get to the Western Conference finals, so they are primed to make a good showing.
In the French Open, Novak Djokovic won his 19th major and his second French Open title. He made the finals by beating Rafael Nadal in a great four-set match that took over 4 1/2 hours and then won in the final by beating Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets after being down two sets.
If Novak stays healthy, he could possibly win the tennis Grand Slam this year. If so, he will pass Nadal and Federer in terms of career major championships won, as they both have 20.
Enjoy the weekend. It's definitely going to feel like summer.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
