This Sunday is Father’s Day, the traditional weekend for the men's U.S. Open golf tournament. This year they’re celebrating the 125th championship at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pa. This is the 10th time they’ve played the men’s U.S. Open there. It is well known for being one of the most difficult golf courses in the country. I would be surprised if more than five people finish this tournament under par.
Through the first round, JJ Spaun is winning at four-under par. Earlier this year, he lost in a playoff at the Players Championship to Rory McIlroy. It would be quite impressive if he could hold the lead for all four days of the tournament. The coverage is on NBC over the weekend, and I will be following it closely.
Both French Open finals went the distance. On the women’s side, Coco Gauff was able to outlast Aryna Sabalenka of Russia in three sets to win the first French Open for an American woman in 10 years since Serena Williams. I hope now that Coco has won her second major, it will validate in her mind that she can win a lot more. She is only 21 years old, and she really reminds me of a younger version of Serena’s sister Venus Williams.
In the men's final, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain beat Jannik Sinner of Italy in one of the longest matches in French Open history. The match took over five-and-a-half hours. Alcaraz came back from two sets down, surviving three match points in the third set. He won the fifth-set tiebreaker by the score of 10-2!
The Indiana Pacers are ahead in the NBA Finals 2-1 over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Everyone seems to be underestimating how good the Pacers are as a team. I expect the series to now go the distance and be decided in the seventh game. The Pacers have the advantage, with the next game at home on Friday. The Pacers definitely want the games to be high scoring. Every time they have scored over 111 points in the playoffs, they are undefeated. They won Wednesday’s game by the score of 116-107.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there.
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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.
