From Sam Farmer: The odds of Wyndham Clark winning the U.S. Open were as long as the shin-deep fescue surrounding the Los Angeles Country Club bunkers.
Clark had just one PGA Tour win under his belt, and this was only his seventh appearance in a major.
Hot on his heels was Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion and crowd favorite whose only hiccup Sunday was a bogey on No.14.
As for Clark, he notched his first PGA Tour win last month at the Wells Fargo Championship. Surely, the newcomer’s knees would be knocking down the stretch.
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But Clark, who once almost gave up the game because of the heartache of losing his mother to cancer, steadied himself after a wobbly stretch on the back nine and parred the final two holes to hold on for the victory.
“I feel like I belong on this stage, and even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world,” said Clark, 29, who shot an even-par 70 to beat McIlroy by one stroke. “I felt like I’ve shown that this year.”
Clark sealed the victory with a one-foot putt, the 18th green ringed by wall-to-wall fans — including McIlroy backers who had warmed to him — and a sea of raised cellphones.
This was the most undeterred Clark since Griswold.
“Wyndham’s won twice now in the last six weeks, and they’re both unbelievable fields,” said Casey Martin, who coached Clark at Oregon for a season after he transferred from Oklahoma State. “So I’ve got to believe the win at Wells Fargo really allowed him to weather those storms. I think he was just so prepared for this.”
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Dodgers
Dodgers catcher Will Smith reaches for a throw as the Giants’ Luis Matos scores in the sixth inning Sunday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers lost 7-3 and suffered a three-game sweep.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
From Jack Harris: The Dodgers are officially a third-place team.
And unless they snap out of what has now become a month-long funk, their slide down the standings might only be beginning.
With a 7-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers not only fell behind their cross-state foes in the National League West but also suffered their first home sweep in the rivalry since August 2012 — the last season the Dodgers failed to make the postseason.
For now, this year’s squad is still safe in the wild-card race, holding a one-game edge over the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL’s last playoff spot. But with 18 losses in their last 30 games, the Dodgers (39-33) are four games out in the division, only 3½ games clear of the fourth-place San Diego Padres, and headed squarely in the wrong direction ahead of series against the Angels and Houston Astros this week.
“It’s not the ideal situation right now,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “Every day, we come in with the right attitude, right mindset. And by the end of the day, it’s another loss.”
Starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin was the biggest culprit Sunday.
Soccer
U.S. players celebrate after defeating Canada in a CONCACAF Nations League final at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Canada came into Sunday’s Nations League final eager to prove it belongs among the region’s soccer royalty. The U.S. came in looking to polish its crown.
And when it was over, the king still was ensconced safely on the throne, with Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun scoring their first international goals — both off assists from Gio Reyna — in a 2-0 victory at a half-empty Allegiant Stadium.
In the third-place game, Mexico beat Panama 1-0 on Jesús Gallardo’s goal in the fourth minute.
Canada, playing in a final for the first time in 23 years, was riding a huge wave of momentum under coach John Herdman. It won last year’s World Cup qualifying tournament, going unbeaten in four games with the U.S. and Mexico. Sunday it was playing for a trophy for the first time in a generation.
Team USA’s response?
Whoa, Canada. Your time may be coming, but it’s not here yet.
Sparks
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Curt Miller almost couldn’t lose.
Coaching against his former team, the Connecticut Sun, for the first time since taking over in L.A., the Sparks head coach could see the franchise he helped revitalize carry on his legacy or he could lead his new team to its best win of his short tenure.
Miller’s previous team outshined his present as the Sun won 83-74 at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, handing the Sparks (5-6) their third loss in the last four games.
Forward Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 19 points and 15 rebounds, but the Sun outscored the Sparks 20-11 in the fourth quarter, led by 20 points and nine rebounds from DeWanna Bonner.
“We hate losing and not protecting our home court,” Miller said, “but I think we’re proving ourselves despite the adversity, despite numerous players that are rotational players for us that are out. We can play with these teams. We can play with the top teams in the league.”
The Sun (9-3) remain among the WNBA elite despite trading 2021 most valuable player Jonquel Jones during the offseason and changing coaches. Connecticut is second in the league standings and the only team to defeat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
Angels
From the Associated Press: Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout hit back-to-back home runs to help the Angels defeat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series.
It’s the sixth time this season, and 28th overall, that Ohtani and Trout have homered in the same game. The Angels are 6-0 this season and 20-8 overall when both players go deep.
“When I write Mike Trout in the lineup I feel pretty good about it, as any other manager in the league would,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “You can’t win games with just two guys, but if there are any guys back-to-back you can do it, it’s those two. They can carry a team for quite a while.”
Baseball
Johnny Davis of Tecolotes slides headfirst during a game between Algodoneros de Unión Laguna and Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos during the 2019 season in Torreón, Mexico.
(Jam Media / Getty Images)
From Kevin Baxter: When the Mexican-American War ended in 1848 and land on the northern side of the Rio Grande River became part of the U.S., the people of Laredo celebrated their place in a democracy by holding a referendum.
They voted overwhelmingly to remain part of Mexico.
The U.S. government dismissed the results, so a few hundred people picked up their stuff and moved to the other side of the river, establishing the town of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. And despite being separated by a border, the cities have been united as a community ever since.
“A river divides us, but we’re the same people basically,” Laredo Mayor Victor Treviño said. “Family, culture, everything. We have a lot of ties.”
Children who live on the Mexican side go to school on the U.S. side. Workers who live in the north have jobs in the south. And more international trade passes through Laredo — $24.6 billion in February alone — than any other U.S. port of entry.
So it makes sense the two cities should share a baseball team.
In fact, during most of the past four decades, the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, who play in the Mexican summer league, have split their home games between Texas and Tamaulipas, making it the only fully binational professional baseball team in the world. But that history was threatened last fall when the Laredo City Council declined to renew the Tecos’ contract at Uni-Trade Stadium, the team’s home in the U.S., citing the need for $8.6 million worth of renovations to the city-owned ballpark.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1867 — Ruthless, ridden by J. Gilpatrick, wins the inaugural Belmont Stakes at Jerome Park in the Bronx. The filly earns $1,850 for her victory.
1914 — Harry Vardon wins his sixth and final British Open by shooting a 306, three strokes ahead of J.H. Taylor at Prestwick Club.
1936 — German heavyweight boxer Max Schmeling knocks out previously unbeaten Joe Louis in the 12th round. Schmeling’s victory sets off a propaganda war between the Nazi regime and the United States on the eve of World War II.
1938 — FIFA World Cup Final, Stade Olympique de Colombes, Paris, France: Luigi Colausig & Silvio Piola each score 2 goals as Italy beats Hungary, 4-1.
1954 — Ed Furgol edges Gene Littler by one stroke to win the U.S. Open, the first golf tournament to be televised nationally.
1955 — Jack Fleck beats Ben Hogan by three strokes in a playoff round to win the U.S. Open.
1973 — Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) and Willie Davis (LA Dodgers) both record 2,000th MLB career hit; Rose, a single in 4-0 win vs SF Giants; Davis, a HR in 3-0 win vs Atlanta Braves.
1977 — Hubert Green wins the U.S. Open by one stroke over Lou Graham.
1986 — Len Bias, the second pick in the NBA draft made by the Boston Celtics two days before, dies of a heart attack induced by cocaine use.
1992 — Evander Holyfield wins a unanimous decision over Larry Holmes to remain unbeaten and retain the undisputed heavyweight title.
1992 — Charlie Whittingham becomes the second trainer in history, behind D. Wayne Lukas, to top $100 million in purse earnings when Little by Little finishes second in the sixth race at Hollywood Park.
1999 — Dallas wins its first Stanley Cup, as Brett Hull’s controversial goal at 14:51 of the third overtime gives the Stars a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6.
2000 — NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana Pacers, 116-111 in Game 6 to win the franchise’s first title in 12 years; MVP: Shaquille O’Neal.
2005 — Michael Campbell answers every challenge Tiger Woods throws his way for a two-shot victory in the U.S. Open. Retief Goosen, the two-time U.S. Open champion, turns in a collapse that ranks among the greatest in major championship history. He loses his three-shot lead in three holes and closes with an 81 to tie for 11th at 8 over.
2006 — Cam Ward stops nearly everything giving the Carolina Hurricanes their first Stanley Cup title with a 3-1 victory over Edmonton in Game 7.
2011 — Rory McIlroy runs away with the U.S. Open title, winning by eight shots and breaking the tournament scoring record by a whopping four strokes. McIlroy shoots a 2-under 69 to close the four days at Congressional in Bethesda, Md., at 16-under 268.
2015 — Alex Rodriguez homers for his 3,000th career hit as the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers 7-2.
2016 — Dustin Johnson atones for his past mishaps in the majors winning the U.S. Open by three shots. Shane Lowry, who began the final round with a four-shot lead, Jim Furyk and Scott Piercy finish tied for second.
2016 — LeBron James and his relentless Cavaliers pulls off an improbable NBA Finals comeback to give the city of Cleveland its first title since 1964. James delivers on a promise from two years ago to bring a championship to his native northeast Ohio, and he and the Cavs become the first team to rally from a 3-1 finals deficit by beating the defending champion Golden State Warriors 93-89.
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
Dodgers standout Mookie Betts is going deep on his plans for the MLB All-Star Game next month. Read all about it here.
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.