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Charles Barkley blasts ‘unprofessional’ Celtics after Game 4 blowout loss to Dallas charles,barkley,blasts,unprofessional,celtics,after,game,blowout,loss,to,dallas,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-playoffs,nba-finals

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The Boston Celtics had a chance to close out the 2024 NBA Finals on Friday night. Instead, the Dallas Mavericks extended the series at least one more game with a 122-84 trouncing of the visiting Celtics. The 28-point loss for Boston now goes into the NBA record books as the third-worst loss in NBA Finals history, behind Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals (where the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz 96-54), and Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals (where the Celtics blew out the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 to close out that series).

After the game, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley had some thoughts.

Barkley blasted the Celtics, going as far to call their effort in Game 4 “unprofessional.” Barkley pointed to how well Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had “gotten downhill” earlier in the series, and then pointed to a reliance on outside shooting from the Boston stars in early going Friday night.

“We said, if the Celtics come out just jacking up jumpers going through the motions, Dallas has a chance,” started Barkley. “They came out nonchalant. Lackadaisical … We said, if Jayen and Jason are going downhill … I think the first quarter they shot like 12 threes out of like the first 15 to 20 shots and they missed them.

“I still feel very good [Boston] winning [the] series, but that was so unprofessional the way they played that game tonight.”

You can see Barkley’s entire comments here:

While Barkley still thinks Boston will win the series, he even held up a sign handedd to him by a fan that said otherwise:

Beyond Barkley’s comments on the Celtics, the NBA Hall of Famer made some other news on Friday night. Speaking after the game on NBATV, he announced that next season — his 25th on television — would be his last.

“You know, there’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months and I just wanna say, I’ve talked to all the other networks but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” began Barkley. “I have made the decision myself no matter what happens last, next year is gonna be my last year on television.

“And I just want to say thank you to my NBA family. You guys have been great to me. My heart is full with joy and gratitude, but I’m gonna pass the baton at the end of next year.”

Barkley’s announcement can be seen here:

Given the brutal honesty he displayed in both discussing Boston’s effort in Game 4, and his own basketball future, you can understand why NBA fans might be saddened at this news.

And hoping Dallas truly forces a Game 7.

Golf Talk Today: U.S. Open Rd. 3 Tee Times, Ludvig Åberg’s Pinehurst magic golf,talk,today,u,s,open,rd,tee,times,ludvig,berg,s,pinehurst,magic,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It’s Moving Day at the 124th U.S. Open.

Ludvig Åberg leads the field by one shot in his U.S. Open debut. He is eying some magic from Pinehurst as he attempts to win his first major championship. However, he will have to hold off some talented players like Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and more.

The round 3 tee times are below, but let’s also discuss how much carnage Pinehurst caused for some of the biggest names in golf.

So brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the U.S. Open.

Pinehurst No. 2 sends some massive names home early

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf players sweated it out on Friday at Pinehurst. After two rounds of play, 20 golfers are at even par or better. The top 60 and ties make the weekend at the U.S. Open, so over half the field went home.

Popular golfers who missed the cut at Pinehurst No. 2
Viktor Hovland: 6-over, 78-68
Max Homa: 6-over, 71-75
Justin Rose: 6-over, 73-73
Tiger Woods: 4-over, 74-73
Rickie Fowler: 8-over, 71-77
Jason Day: 8-over, 71-77
Dustin Johnson: 9-over, 74-75

Check out the complete list of who missed the cut at the U.S. Open.

Ludvig Åberg aims to ma

U.S. Open Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

*Everyone tees off from the 1st tee

8:44 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Sahith Theegala

8:55 a.m. — Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari

9:06 a.m. — Matthew Fitzpatrick, Max Greyserman

9:17 a.m. — Justin Lower, Dean Burmester

9:28 a.m. — Tom McKibbin, Brandon Wu

9:39 a.m. — Luke Clanton (a), Brendon Todd

9:50 a.m. — Ben Kohles, Shane Lowry

10:01 a.m. — Cameron Young, Scottie Scheffler

10:12 a.m. — Tommy Fleetwood, Greyson Sigg

10:23 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, David Puig

10:50 a.m. — J.T. Poston, Wyndham Clark

11:01 a.m. — Aaron Rai, Neal Shipley (a)

11:12 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Daniel Berger

11:23 a.m. — Matt Kuchar, Cameron Smith

11:34 a.m. — Gunnar Broin (a), Brian Campbell

11:45 a.m. — Martin Kaymer, Jordan Spieth

11:56 a.m. — Harris English, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

12:07 p.m. — Adam Svensson, Mark Hubbard

12:18 p.m. — Isaiah Salinda, Davis Thompson

12:29 p.m. — Min Woo Lee, Emiliano Grillo

12:45 p.m. — Denny McCarthy, Adam Scott

12:56 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Jackson Suber

1:07 p.m. — Sepp Straka, Brian Harman

1:18 p.m. — Nico Echavarria, Sam Bennett

1:29 p.m. — Nicolai Højgaard, S.H. Kim

1:40 p.m. — Frankie Capan III, Taylor Pendrith

1:51 p.m. — Russell Henley, Sergio Garcia

2:02 p.m. — Stephan Jaeger, Sam Burns

2:13 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Zac Blair

2:40 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Xander Schauffele

2:51 p.m. — Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim

3:02 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Matthieu Pavon

3:13 p.m. — Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy

3:24 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay, Thomas Detry

3:35 p.m. — Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg

ICYMI: Top stories from the 2nd Round of the U.S. Open

Check out these stories:

Francesco Molinari does unthinkable; makes U.S. Open cut with improbable hole-in-one

Tiger Woods misses U.S. Open cut, provides update on 2024 golf plans

Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Åberg highlight 5 U.S. Open outfits we love

Sahith Theegala’s surreal U.S. Open chip-in has fans, NBC broadcasters going nuts

Rory McIlroy fails to cash in, convert opportunities in U.S. Open pursuit

Bryson DeChambeau delighted by his patience, honors U.S. Open legend in big way

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Tiger Woods misses U.S. Open cut, updates 2024 golf plans tiger,woods,misses,u,s,open,cut,updates,golf,plans,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,tiger-woods,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

Tiger Woods misses US Open cut updates 2024 golf plans
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Despite the stars aligning regarding the hot weather, favorable tee times, and his history at Pinehurst No. 2, Tiger Woods has missed the cut at the 2024 U.S. Open.

He shot a 3-over 73 on Friday, one day after signing for a 4-over 74. The 15-time major winner made his only birdie of the day at the par-4 4th, but then made four bogies over his next 14 holes to miss the cut by two.

“Well, it was probably the highest score I could have possibly shot today,” Woods assessed after.

“I hit a lot of good shots that just didn’t quite go my way, or I hit good putts, and then I put myself in a couple of bad spots with some bad lag putts. But again, as I said, it was probably the highest score I could have shot today.”

Woods admitted to feeling agitated, not because of his ailments but due to his results.

“It is frustrating because I’m not here to have a chance to win on the weekend,” Woods said.

Tiger Woods reacts to his missed birdie putt on 15.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

“Granted, my ball-striking and felt like my putting was good enough to be in contention, and I’m not.”

Despite what Woods said, he ranked 131st in strokes gained approach and 106th in strokes gained putting. He hit the ball well off the tee but did not strike enough solid iron shots to make the weekend. He also missed plenty of opportunities, with none hurting more than his birdie attempt on the par-3 15th, which lipped out at the end.

“15 hurt. That was a sweet little 7-iron in there and a good putt, high-side lip. If I make that putt, it flips the momentum, and I’m looking pretty good,” Woods said.

“Instead, I’m on the wrong side of the cut line and having to do something good on the last three holes, which I end up hitting a sweet shot out of the trouble on 16, and I thought I holed my bunker shot at 17.”

Alas, it was not meant to be for Woods, who also laid out his plans for the rest of the 2024 season.

“I’ve only got one more tournament this season,” Woods added.

“Even if I win the British Open, I don’t think I’ll be in the Playoffs. Just one more event and then I’ll come back whenever I come back.”

Woods made his way to the U.S. Open this week via a special invitation. The United States Golf Association (USGA) created a special exemption for Woods, who has won nine USGA championships in his career: three U.S. Junior Amateurs, three U.S. Amateurs, and three U.S. Opens. He won his Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateurs over six straight years in the 1990s, perhaps his most underrated accomplishment.

Whether or not he will tee it up in a USGA championship in the future remains to be seen.

“As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don’t know what that is,” Woods added.

“It may or may not be.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Men’s College World Series: Bracket, scores, schedule, how to watch, and more men,s,college,world,series,bracket,scores,schedule,how,to,watch,and,more,sbnation,com,front-page,college-baseball,college-world-series,ncaa-baseball-tournament

Mens College World Series Bracket scores schedule how to watch
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Eight teams are on their way to Omaha for the 2024 Men’s College World Series.

Only one will earn the right to be called a National Champion.

A field that began with 64 teams in pursuit of a dream has been trimmed to eight, and now those final teams have been split into two brackets. On one side of the tournament you have North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida State. The other finds NC State, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas A&M.

That’s right, eight teams representing just two conferences, the SEC and the ACC.

Later this week the eight teams will head to Omaha to begin the final two stages of the Men’s College World Series, starting with a pair of double elimination tournaments to trim the field to the final two, and then a best-of-three series to crown a champion.

Here are the teams, the brackets, the full schedule, how to watch, and more.

Finalists

Here are the eight finalists, listed in order of their ranking heading into the NCAA Men’s Baseball Tournament.

(1) Tennessee
(2) Kentucky
(3) Texas A&M
(4) North Carolina
(8) Florida State
(10) NC State
(12) Virginia
Florida

As you can see, seven of the eight teams were among the ranked 16 teams when the field of 64 began play. Only one team — Florida — survived to this point as an unranked team.

Format and Brackets

The NCAA Men’s Baseball Tournament follows something of a hybrid model, beginning with a double-elimination tournament (the Regionals) and then a best-of-three series (the Super Regionals).

The Men’s College World Series uses both over the final two segments. In the Men’s College World Series the eight teams are divided into two brackets, and play a double-elimination tournament. A winner emerges from each bracket, and those two teams meet in the Men’s College World Series Final, which is a best-of-three series.

Bracket 1

The first bracket consists of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Florida State.

Bracket 2

The second bracket consists of Florida, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and NC State.

You can see the full bracket here:

Men’s College World Series schedule and results

Friday, June 14

  • Game 1: North Carolina 3, Virginia 2
  • Game 2: Tennessee 12, Florida State 11

Saturday, June 15

  • Game 3: Kentucky vs. NC State | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
  • Game 4: Texas A&M vs. Florida | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Sunday, June 16

  • Game 5: Virginia vs. Florida State | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
  • Game 6: UNC vs. Tennessee | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Monday, June 17

  • Game 7: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
  • Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Tuesday, June 18

  • Game 9: TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
  • Game 10: TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Wednesday June 19

  • Game 11: TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
  • Game 12: TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Thursday, June 20

  • Game 13 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 2 p.m. ET | TBD
  • Game 14 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 7 p.m. ET | TBD

Men’s College World Series Final schedule and results

Saturday, June 22

  • Game 1: TBD vs. TBS | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

Sunday, June 23

  • Game 2: TBD vs. TBS | 2:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+

Monday, June 24

  • Game 3 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBS | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

NBA Finals 2024: Schedule, TV, streaming, scores, and more for Celtics-Mavericks nba,finals,schedule,tv,streaming,scores,and,more,for,celtics,mavericks,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-playoffs,nba-finals,draftkings

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The 2024 NBA Finals are here.

The Boston Celtics are back in the Finals, making a return trip after losing to the Golden State Warriors back in 2022. For the bulk of the season the Celtics were the class of the Eastern Conference, finishing with a 64-18 record — the best in the NBA — and 14 games ahead of the New York Knicks in the East.

That led many to wonder if the Celtics would be ready for the playoff run, and to many neutral observers, Boston’s path to the Finals was a little easier than expected. Boston squared off with the Miami Heat in the first round, but without Jimmy Butler who was lost with an MCL sprain, Miami struggled against Boston.

Then came the Cleveland Cavaliers, who began the series against the Celtics without rim protector Jarrett Allen, who missed the entire series with broken ribs. Add in a knee injury for Donovan Mitchell and you have a 4-1 series win for Boston, who moved on to face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Who were without Tyrese Haliburton for the final two games of that series, as the guard entered the Conference Finals with a groin injury that hampered him in the first two games, and saw him shut down for the final two.

Now they’ll take on the Dallas Mavericks, who stormed to the NBA Finals thanks to a tremendous playoff run from Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić. Dončić might be playing the best basketball on the planet right now, and in our ranking of the top 15 players in this series, he was a fairly easy choice for the top spot. He has averaged almost a triple-double in the playoffs, averaging 28.8 ppg, 9.6 rpg, and 8.8 apg over Dallas’ 17 postseason games. With him, the Mavericks have the best player left standing, even if he is doing it on just one healthy leg as he deals with a knee sprain.

They also could pose some problems for the Celtics, given their length and athleticism. As outlined above Boston has seen a somewhat easier path to the Finals, but that will change starting Thursday night. Around Dončić and Irving the Mavericks have players who can frustrate the Boston offense, including P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr.

Washington is big with a massive wingspan, and expect to see him on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for most of the series. Jones Jr. is one of the better athletes in the league, who can pose problems both near the rim and around the arc.

Down low Dallas can turn to the combination of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. The rookie Lively is 7’1, has a massive wingspan, and has been Dallas’ third best player on this run. Gafford is another springy rim protector who can disrupt shots and harrass Boston’s scorers near the tin.

Those players will need to step up if Dallas has a shot at pulling this off, but in the NBA Finals, anything can happen.

It all gets started this Thursday. Here is how to watch.

2024 NBA Finals Schedule

  • Game 1: Boston 107, Dallas 89 (Boston leads series 1-0)
  • Game 2: Boston 105, Dallas 98 (Boston leads series 2-0)
  • Game 3: Boston 106, Mavericks 99 (Boston leads series 3-0)
  • Game 4: Dallas 122, Boston 84 (Boston leads series 3-1)
  • Game 5: Dallas at Boston | Monday, June 17 | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+
  • Game 6: Boston at Dallas | Thursday, June 20 | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+*
  • Game 7: Dallas at Boston | Sunday, June 23 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN+*

*If necessary

Christian Moore makes Men’s College World Series history in Tennessee-Florida State christian,moore,makes,men,s,college,world,series,history,in,tennessee,florida,state,sbnation,com,front-page,college-baseball,college-world-series,ncaa-baseball-tournament

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Friday night’s game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida State Seminoles in the Men’s College World Series has yet to go final.

But a player has already made some history.

Tennessee infielder Christian Moore hit for the cycle in the game, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since Jerry Kindall hit for the cycle back in 1956.

Kindall and Moore are now the only two players in Men’s College World Series to ever hit for the cycle.

Moore’s first hit came in the bottom of the first inning, when the Tennessee second baseman tripled to lead off the inning for the Volunteers. Then in the bottom of the second Moore checked the double off his “cycle to-do list,” as he laced a line drive down the left-field line to drive in a run:

Moore came all the way around the bases on a throwing error, but the play went into the books as a double.

In the fourth inning Moore laced a single to right, improving to 3-for-3 on the night. But that still left the infielder a home run shy of the cycle.

Moore checked that box in the sixth inning:

As noted by Tennessee’s social media department, Moore’s cycle is just the sixth in program history, and the first for the school in the postseason.

Moore is considered one of the top prospects in the upcoming MLB Draft, and in our most recent mock draft we had Moore coming off the board with the No. 21 pick to the Minnesota Twins.

After tonight, that might be too low.

Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas stumble, miss U.S. Open cut tiger,woods,justin,thomas,stumble,miss,u,s,open,cut,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news,liv-golf

Tiger Woods Justin Thomas stumble miss US Open cut tigerwoodsjustinthomasstumblemissusopencutsbnationcomgolfus open golfgolf majorsgolf pga tourgolf newsliv golf
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Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas are just two of the big names to miss the cut at the 124th U.S. Open.

Woods, a 3-time U.S. Open champion, carded a 3-over 73 on Friday to miss the weekend by two shots. Thomas, meanwhile, looked lost all week at Pinehurst No. 2, finishing at 11-over through 36 holes. The two-time PGA champion has missed the cut in five of his last seven majors, an alarming trend for the Louisville, Kentucky native.

But plenty of others will head home early, too.

Viktor Hovland opened the 2024 U.S. Open with an eye-opening 8-over 78. He fought hard to make the weekend on Friday, battling back after making a double-bogey at the par-4 8th with four birdies, but he fell short in the end. Two bogies over his final three holes cost the Norwegian dearly, as he missed the cut by a stroke at 6-over par.

Also finishing at 6-over was Robert MacIntyre, who recently won the RBC Canadian with his father on the bag. Unfortunately for the Scotsman, he will have no reason to celebrate this time around.

Max Homa, Eric Cole, and PGA Tour rookie Nick Dunlap also finished at 6-over, with Homa being the biggest surprise of this trio. Yet, Homa has missed the cut at the U.S. Open in four of his five starts, with the outlier being a tie for 47th at the Country Club at Brookline in 2022.

Max Homa drops his club on the 6th tee.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Canadians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor will also head home early, finishing at 7-over and 8-over, respectively. Australian Jason Day also totaled an 8-over score, a surprise given that this course suits his game nicely.

Others who finished at 8-over include Will Zalatoris, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris, Rickie Fowler, and one of SB Nation’s Dark Horses, Alex Noren of Sweden.

Dustin Johnson ended his second round at 9-over, as he has looked completely lost in major championships this season. So, too, has Phil Mickelson, who finished at 15-over after shooting a 79 on Thursday and a 76 on Friday.

Plenty of big names faltered at Pinehurst No. 2, but the big name favorite—Scottie Scheffler—made the cut on the number.

In all, 74 players earned third-round tee times, and play will commence first thing on Saturday, which promises to be another thrilling day in the North Carolina sandhills.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

U.S. Open: Ludvig Aberg learned from Masters missteps, leads u,s,open,ludvig,aberg,learned,from,masters,missteps,leads,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Ludvig Åberg found his groove on Friday at the U.S. Open, becoming the solo leader after 36 holes. He posted a 1-under 69 to move to a 5-under overall and holds a one-shot lead heading into Saturday’s third round.

Once again, the former Texas Tech Red Raider is in contention at a major in 2024. He played Augusta National, another difficult golf course, exceptionally well. Åberg finished runner-up to World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler at this year’s Masters.

But he made some mistakes down the stretch, notably on the 11th hole, which cost him a chance at a Green Jacket. As such, Åberg will have a chance to put those experiences to work this weekend in North Carolina.

“I think Augusta proved to me that I was able to be in that position,” Åberg said.

“It was more of a justification of you can be there and contend on a Sunday. The golf course also played very difficult. It demanded a lot of patience and discipline, just like this one does. I feel like those experiences that I had back in April were great. Hopefully, we’ll draw some similarities between those.”

The young Swede continued to plug right along at Pinehurst No. 2 on Friday. He remained extremely consistent, hitting 12-of-14 fairways and finding 14-of-18 greens. The 24-year-old has missed just two fairways and six greens over the first two days overall.

To this point, he leads the field in both total strokes gained and strokes gained off the tee.

Yet, he did not have his best day on Friday, even though he recorded three birdies and two bogeys on his round. Still, his round was consistent enough to push him up the leaderboard and into the solo lead.

“Felt like I hit it very nicely today,” Åberg said.

Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images

“It was very challenging, and it’s not an easy golf course. I felt like we stayed very disciplined, stayed very patient, and tried to hit it to our targets all the time and see how many good shots we can hit today and see where that ends up at the end.”

He looks to become the first player in 110 years to win in his U.S. Open debut. Francis Ouimet famously did so in 1913 at The Country Club at Brookline as an amateur, which many say put the U.S. Open on the map. Other pundits call Ouimet’s win the most important victory in professional golf history.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Open has transformed into the toughest test in golf, with Pinehurst taking no prisoners.

“I think a U.S. Open is supposed to be hard,” he said.

“It’s supposed to be tricky. It’s supposed to challenge any aspect of your game, and I feel it’s really doing that. But I’m super fortunate with the way that things have turned out over the last couple of days, and hopefully, we’ll be able to keep it up.”

Despite its difficulty, Åberg knows this track fairly well. He played a U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2019 but failed to advance past the round of 32. That experience taught him a lot about how to take on this tricky golf course.

“I think with the way those greens are when it gets really firm—you don’t really have any bail-out areas; you’ve got to take on the golf shots and see where it ends up,” Åberg said.

“If you don’t pull it off, you’re going to have a really tricky short game shot. I think it’s a challenging golf course, but once again, that’s how it was supposed to be.”

Åberg and Bryson DeChambeau will comprise the final pairing for the third round of the U.S. Open.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

U.S. Open: Francesco Molinari makes inconceivable ace, makes cut u,s,open,francesco,molinari,makes,inconceivable,ace,makes,cut,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

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Francesco Molinari stood on the par-4 9th hole—his 18th of the day—at 7-over par. With the cut-line sitting at 5-over, he needed a hole-in-one to make the cut on the number.

The request was impossible, and yet Molinari delivered the improbable. He made an ace with a 7-iron, thus earning a third-round tee time at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2021.

“I think from where we were standing, it looked like it just carried the bunker, plus the greens are getting firm, so it was the ideal shot,” Molinari explained after.

“Then it started tracking, was going to break left to right at the hole, and we were joking with Sergio Garcia about how it looked and on a great line the whole way, but what are the chances really. I don’t even know what to say. Just incredible.”

Molinari struggled to process what had transpired after his 2-over 72.

“I just bogeyed 8. I was hoping I could par the 8th and then have to make two at 9,” Molinari said.

“With that flag, if you hit a good shot, you can get it within birdie range, but when I dropped a shot at 8, and then yes, standing on the 9th tee, it was just put a good swing on it and see what happens. But the chances are incredibly small, so I don’t know what to say.”

Molinari has had his fair share of incredible hole-in-ones.

He aced the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale one year. He also made a hole-in-one at Bay Hill, when he won there in 2019, per golf statistician Justin Ray.

But on Friday, he made the greatest ace of his life—when he needed it most.

“It was the last chance to have a chance to play the weekend,” Molinari added.

“That’s golf in a nutshell.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Men’s College World Series: Vance Honeycutt delivers again for UNC against Virginia men,s,college,world,series,vance,honeycutt,delivers,again,for,unc,against,virginia,sbnation,com,front-page,college-baseball,college-world-series,ncaa-baseball-tournament

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North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt began his first game in Omaha in the 2024 Men’s College World Series with an 0-for-4 mark at the plate. But he finished Friday’s opening game of the Men’s College World Series against Virginia with a 1-for-5 mark at the dish, with one single.

And what a single it was.

As he has done so many times before, Honeycutt delivered in the clutch for UNC. With the game knotted at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth and the winning run 90 away from home plate — and two outs on the scoreboard — Honeycutt ripped a breaking ball into left field, plating the game-winning run and advancing UNC into the winner’s side of Bracket 1 in Omaha.

Quite the start for UNC’s Mr. Clutch:

Or as they like to call him down in Chapel Hill, Vance Honey-clutch:

UNC now awaits the winner of tonight’s game between Tennessee and Florida State, two of the most potent lineups in all of college baseball. The Volunteers as a team posted an OPS of 1.029 this season, best for second in the nation, with the Seminoles not too far behind with a mark of .975 which placed them sixth. But the winner of that game will be facing something different in their second contest.

Mr. Honey-clutch himself.