Michael Barnett flipped a weighted baseball into his hand and threw it against the side of the strength-training room next to UCLA’s clubhouse.
Jostling through folding tables, water coolers, television stands and a postgame news conference podium, he resumed his starting pitcher routine, as he would for any start, moving inside the weight room to stretch his right arm with resistance bands.
The junior right-hander’s pregame obstacle course — navigating university staffers, media and more — before trotting down to the bullpen, was outside of the ordinary. Friday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium was different — from the energy on the concourse to the noise from the dugouts and ultimately, the power from the Bruins’ bats.
Hosting its first regional since 2019, national No. 15 seed UCLA posted season highs for hits and runs in a dominant, 19-4 victory over regional No. 4 seed Fresno State.
“It wasn’t the cleanest game — it didn’t feel like the cleanest game,” said UCLA coach John Savage, “but at the end of the day, at this time of the year, you win any way you can and certainly we did that today. So it was a good win.”
A six-run, seventh-inning sent the Bulldogs unknowingly waving a white flag. UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu’s line drive off the left-field wall cleared the loaded bases to provide the Bruins with a 12-2 lead. Fresno State’s nine players dejectedly walked off the field, as if they’d been walked off in a mercy-rule defeat.
But the field crew reminded the Bulldogs that in the NCAA tournament, no matter how many runs you trail by, both teams play nine innings. The Bruins still had seven more runs to score in the eighth inning Friday.
It wasn’t Big Ten player of the year Roch Cholowsky — the 20-year-old who dreamed of Omaha when he chose the Bruins over entering the MLB draft — who led the offensive barrage that gave UCLA a 4-0 lead in the first inning. The middle of the UCLA lineup helped produce a rally as they had all year.
UCLA’s Dean West makes contact during the Bruins’ blowout win over Fresno State on Friday.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Levu — who led the Bruins in regular-season RBI with 74 and led UCLA with five RBI against Fresno State — singled into left field to start the rally. Cleanup hitter Roman Martin brought home the first run of the game with a single into left. Payton Brennan and Blake Balsz (who tallied his third-career, three-hit game) connected for back-to-back RBI base hits, solidifying a lead as the Bulldogs awaited the walk back to the dugout for a mid-inning reprieve.
“The nice part about today is I was just trying to simplify everything and trust that my teammates are gonna pick me up,” Balsz said.
Before Fresno State starting pitcher Jack Anker knew it, UCLA strung together four runs in the blink of an eye, creating distance against the Mountain West champions they never made up.
Martin connected for a third-inning solo home run — his seventh of the year — while Balsz joined his teammate with multiple RBI after a run-scoring single a few batters later.
“One of the huge things we talked about, one of our offensive goals is to score first, and that’s really a huge momentum shift for us,” Martin said. “It definitely kind of took a little bit off, especially during our first playoff game, kind of eased us into it a little bit.”
UCLA tagged Anker for six earned runs and 10 hits across five innings, holding the Bulldogs junior who entered the game averaging 10.5 strikeouts-per-nine innings to just two punchouts. The two strikeouts were the second-fewest Anker forced against an opposing team this season.
UCLA pitcher Michael Barnett delivers during the first inning Friday.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Barnett’s outing on the mound was an obstacle much like his routine before toeing the Jackie Robinson Stadium mound. The sinkerballer struggled with command against the Bulldogs, throwing just 40 strikes among 74 pitches, and lasted just 4⅓ innings before UCLA coach John Savage pulled Barnett with runners on the corners and one out in the fifth.
Southpaw Chris Grothues, a junior in his first season of high-leverage pitching opportunities, broke Barnett out of the inherited jam with a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning. Grothues then spun a scoreless sixth — placing the Bruins in cruise control for the rest of the contest, earning the victory.
“They did a really good job against Barnett,” Savage said, adding that he felt lucky to be up 6-2 entering the seventh. “Our bullpen did a nice job. Grothues came in, got that double play. That was a big play — the 3-6-1 — that was a big momentum swing.”
Cholowsky, who also led the nation in wins-above-replacement with 6.36, according to D1Baseball, still collected two hits Friday.
Leadoff hitter Dean West was hit by a pitch three times by Bulldog pitchers, the last of which brought home a run to make it 9-2 in the bottom of the seventh.
Brennan hit a two-run home run in the eighth, while catcher Cashel Dugger also pulled a solo home run over the right-field wall for the Bruins’ 15th run.
UCLA advances to the winner’s bracket where it’ll face the winner of the UC Irvine-Arizona State game late Friday. The Bruins split midweek season series against both the Anteaters and the Sun Devils.
Visma-Lease a Bike rider Yates was visibly frustrated after finishing 24 seconds behind Del Toro in seventh.
“The plan was completely different from what we did today, so I will talk about that with the team,” he told Eurosport.
“I will not say anything more about that.”
However, team director Marc Reef said the day went “exactly as we agreed”, and added Carapaz and Del Toro were “just a bit stronger”.
Although Yates, 32, could still overhaul Carapaz and Del Toro, it looks most likely this year will again add to the heartbreak he has experienced in bids to win the Giro.
He led for 13 days in 2018 but cracked in the final week when Chris Froome launched an astonishing comeback to win the race.
After an underwhelming eighth-placed finish in 2019, Yates had to withdraw from the 2020 edition with Covid-19 and then had to recover from a difficult first two weeks to claim third in 2021.
Yates’ twin brother Adam sat up and dropped out of the top 10 overall in order to save himself to help team-mate Del Toro on Saturday.
Ecuador’s Carapaz, the 2019 Giro champion, tried to drop Del Toro on the final climb, but could not shake the 21-year-old, who is bidding to become the youngest winner of the Giro since 1940.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Del Toro, who won stage 17, showed impressive nous to grab the six bonus seconds for second place, with EF Education-EasyPost’s Carapaz, 32, having to settle for four bonus seconds in third.
With the recent pivot in US foreign policy regarding Europe and NATO, it has become clear that NATO’s European members need to ramp up spending on defense, and the time of relying on the US for defense in Europe is over. Many would argue that it’s well overdue, with Trump saying that NATO members should boost their defense spending to 5% of their GDP versus the traditional 2% target set by NATO. This target for NATO members was first set at the 2006 Riga summit; however, that target was reaffirmed and made more concrete in the 2014 Defence Investment Pledge at their summit in Wales, with only four members hitting the target that year. In 2024, those numbers were up, with NATO estimating 22 out of 32 would hit the target that year, so it’s clear defense spending in Europe is on the up. The Secretary-General of NATO, Mark Rutte, said, “We will need more time to consult amongst Allies what exactly the new level should be. But it is considerably more than 2%,” when asked about higher spending targets.
Inevitably, it will come down to the middle powers of NATO—France, Germany, Poland, and the UK—to step up to the plate and take over the leadership roles. Ultimately, this shift in responsibility will largely shape the alliance and Europe for years to come. But is this realistic, and what hurdles will the middle powers overcome to get there?
The US is the glue that holds NATO together.
Since NATO’s inception, the US has acted as the glue that keeps the alliance together, and it is evident from recent events just how crucial that role is. And it’s significantly more than just manpower/firepower, as you may expect.
The middle powers of NATO face a series of challenges ahead in their effort to step up and take over that role from the US. One of these challenges is the fact that the US plays a monumental role in the hierarchy of NATO’s various operational commands, with the US holding a lot of key roles within that structure that NATO, without the US, would not be able to operate certainly anywhere near as efficiently as it is currently run.
The US also has an integral part to play in NATO’s capability for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), with most of the capability that NATO has being US-supplied and run. An example of this occurred during Operation Unified Protector (Libya, 2011): the US provided an estimated 75% of ISR assets, enabling NATO to carry out precision strikes and monitor Gaddafi regime movements.
All of this is said without even touching the subject of the US’s missile defense and general man/firepower capabilities, with the European nations currently not having an equivalent.
Defense spending and capabilities
The only way the middle powers will be able to step into the US’s shoes and fill the role Washington has traditionally played is through an increase in defense spending, resulting in a significant boost to their military capabilities. However, this necessity presents several challenges of its own, so what does the current situation look like, and how will it develop?
France has consistently maintained a capable military and spent a good amount of their GDP on defense. Fluctuations in their defense budget have meant they’ve fallen short of the 2% goal set by NATO in previous years.
President Macron announced plans in early 2023 to vastly increase military spending, pledging to spend 413 billion euros on defense in 2024-2030, an increase of 118 billion euros compared to the previous period.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, we have seen a vast increase in defense budgets across NATO, none perhaps more noticeable than in Germany, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz wanting to inject 100 billion euros into the German military (Bundeswehr) to increase military capability and readiness. With the German Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, pledging to make the German military “the backbone of deterrence and collective defense in Europe.”
It would seem this shift in defense policy is here to stay, with both German parliaments recently voting in favor of another boost to military spending.
Nevertheless, it’s not all plain sailing for Germany. With recent recruitment numbers falling short of their targets, the Bundeswehr still faces personnel shortages. It’s clear that the intention is there, but there are still many practical challenges for them to overcome.
Poland has quickly become a key player within NATO, from having a humble military at the time of the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russian forces to boasting the third-largest military within NATO, only behind that of the US and Turkey. Their armed forces have undergone a significant modernization program at this time, too.
This rapid modernization has meant Poland has fast become one of the leading defense powers within NATO, playing a crucial role in securing their eastern flank; they have also become one of NATO’s highest spenders on defense, spending an impressive 4.12% of their GDP.
The UK has consistently hit the 2% target set by NATO and, for the past four years, has even slightly exceeded this, with projects such as the Challenger 3 and the Boxer armored vehicle receiving around £5 billion in funding.
As with Germany, this isn’t without its challenges. The UK has faced significant setbacks in recruitment, with it being reported in November 2024 that the British armed forces had “consistently fallen short of recruitment targets over the past five years,” with some saying that the armed forces were losing 300 people a month more than they were recruiting.
It is also worth mentioning that France and the UK both possess nuclear capabilities, although the UK’s Trident missile system is US-supplied and maintained. Meanwhile, the French “Force de dissuasion” is fully independent.
Whilst it is undoubtable that the middle powers and Europe as a whole are taking defense spending a lot more seriously, and, for the first time since the Cold War, it is being seen as a priority, there is still a long way to go before NATO without the US taking a primary role could even be considered comparable to the NATO we have known up until now.
No natural leader
Other issues the middle powers face when trying to take over these roles are cooperation, coordination of efforts, and political and military leadership. To put it simply, NATO risks lacking unified leadership without the US. There is no obvious alternative to U.S. leadership within NATO. This means the alliance’s future leadership will depend entirely on the ability of European members to cooperate. Historically, however, that cooperation has been difficult. Europe is often divided by differing political ideologies, national interests, and unresolved disputes between member states. Countries frequently prioritize their own agendas, making it hard to reach collective decisions. A key example of this is the long-standing tension between Turkey and Greece—both NATO members, yet frequently at odds due to their history of conflict and territorial disputes. There is also the issue of the European Union and NATO often failing to cooperate, causing frequent internal strife on key issues such as the situation with Turkey and Cyprus.
Nevertheless, there are recent examples of political cohesion, such as the UK stating it would back the potential incoming German chancellor Friedrich Merz in sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine come across more as a patchwork than cohesive leadership. Most of the middle powers appear to focus on strengthening their own national capabilities rather than fostering cohesion and building multinational capacity. The result is a fragmented and disorganized approach—unsurprising, given that NATO is fundamentally an alliance of countries with a long history of rivalry and conflict. However, one should never underestimate the power of an external threat in uniting nations and giving them a common enemy, and Russia certainly seems to be doing just that.
NATO going forward
What does all this mean going forward? Across the board, especially amongst the middle powers of NATO, the intention to take a more active role in defense is there. Generally, NATO isn’t in a terrible position, and the desire for collective defense amongst member states has become paramount.
That said, the alliance still faces significant challenges ahead, especially when it comes to leadership; the US has long been the force that bridged the gap where the European members fell short. The US shifting its focus away from Europe has undoubtedly had a profound effect. It was perhaps not until this happened that it became clear just how much NATO relied on Washington for political direction, and whilst it is entirely possible for the middle powers to collectively take over that role, presently, that reality seems distant. Reaching that reality will be far from an overnight process. With Europe’s attention firmly focused on the war in Ukraine, many argue that the clock is already ticking, bringing the prospect of a conflict with Russia closer to reality.
The actors playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the new Harry Potter HBO show have been announced as the magical story gets a TV reboot thanks to American broadcaster HBO
22:38, 28 May 2025Updated 22:41, 28 May 2025
HBO have announced the cast for the Harry Potter reboot
The announcement of the lead cast for HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot has sparked a wave of excitement from the fandom, but it hasn’t come without controversy. As the wizarding world prepares to welcome a new generation of Hogwarts students, some long-time fans are voicing frustration over one major issue.
Harry Potter still doesn’t have green eyes. Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as the Boy Who Lived in the new TV adaptation, with Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout playing Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley respectively. The young trio are stepping into the iconic roles that were made famous by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in the original eight-film series.
Harry Potter fans have criticised the casting choice for the new HBO show(Image: AP)
While many were excited to hear the casting announcement, a number of fans took to social media to express their disappointment that once again Harry Potter’s most mentioned physical trait in the books has been overlooked.
One fan on Instagram asked: “PS Where’s the green-eyed kid for Harry?” Another commented: “Even after 25 years, they couldn’t find a kid with green eyes to play Harry.”
The criticism stems from the books’ constant emphasis on Harry’s green eyes, which are supposed to be a key link to his mother, Lily Potter. Many avid fans of the original novels feel that without this detail, certain key scenes don’t make sense, such as Snape admitting he is hard on Harry because his eyes remind the professor of his former love.
People have complained that once again the star playing Harry Potter does not have green eyes
A third fan hit out: “Physical traits matter. I can’t believe we’re getting another Harry with brown hair and blue eyes despite the author constantly pointing out his defining features as jet black hair and green eyes.”
Someone else who spoke out in defence of Hermione’s casting grumbled: “Our boy Harry on the other hand is never gonna get represented properly with black hair and green eyes. Brown and blue are apparently close enough.”
The same issue came up during the original films, when Daniel Radcliffe was cast as Harry despite having blue eyes. According to a behind-the-scenes video featuring producer David Heyman, the star initially tried wearing green contact lenses while the first film was being shot, but had an allergic reaction to them and had to give up.
Despite the backlash, JK Rowling has voiced her support for the new cast. She responded to a fan wishing the actors well on social media saying: “All three are wonderful. I couldn’t be happier.”
As an executive producer on the series, Rowling was reportedly involved in the casting process. The upcoming HBO series is being billed as a “faithful adaptation” of the beloved books, with each season dedicated to a single novel.
Showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod have also spoken highly of the cast in a joint statement, saying: “The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen.”
They added: “We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”
From Jack Harris: For a few weeks now, the Dodgers have been in the “treading water” portion of their season, trying to work through injuries in their pitching staff and inconsistencies in the lineup to remain atop the National League West standings.
On Tuesday, in a 9-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, two of their coldest hitters finally gave them some comfortable space to breathe.
In a game that was close until the final few innings, Michael Conforto and Max Muncy both showed long-awaited signs of life at the plate, each reaching base three times and each hitting late home runs to help the Dodgers pull away on a cool night in Cleveland.
“It’s big,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It adds the length [to the lineup] that we expected coming into this season.”
For much of this year, that length had been missing, the Dodgers forced to navigate around subpar production from both veteran sluggers — both at the plate and in the field.
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NBA PLAYOFFS RESULTS
All Times Pacific
Conference finals
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 6 Minnesota at Oklahoma City 114, Minnesota 88 (box score) at Oklahoma City 118, Minnesota 103 (box score) at Minnesota 143, Oklahoma City 101 (box score) Oklahoma City 128, at Minnesota 126 (box score) Wednesday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Friday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN* Sunday at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 3 New York vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 138, at New York 135 (OT) (box score) Indiana 114, at New York 109 (box score) New York 106, at Indiana 100 (box score) at Indiana 130, New York 121 (box score) Thursday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT Saturday at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT* Monday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT*
Wayne Randazzo, the television voice of the Angels, was detailing just how poorly the team’s relievers had performed. He recited the Angels’ earned-run average in the late innings, inning by inning. Over 5.00. Over 6.00. In the ninth inning, at that time, over 7.00.
“The numbers,” Randazzo said, “are gargantuan.”
What a colorful, descriptive and absolutely apt adjective. Not the “struggling” or “scuffling” or “slumping” a broadcaster typically offers, bland adjectives presented with the assurance that better times are ahead. No team can win with that kind of bullpen performance, and no one can guarantee that better times are ahead for a relief corps where only the closer has a successful track record.
For all that has gone wrong on the field for the Angels in modern times, they have struck gold in the broadcast booth. In pairing Randazzo with longtime analyst Mark Gubicza, the Angels just might have their best broadcast team since Dick Enberg and Don Drysdale half a century ago.
Carlos Rodón pitched seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball, and Devin Williams barely survived a perilous ninth inning to earn his first save since April 17 in the New York Yankees’ 3-2 victory over the Angels on Tuesday night.
Yoán Moncada homered in the ninth as the Angels ended a stretch of 16 scoreless innings in the series with two runs and three hits off Williams, the Yankees’ embattled new reliever. Williams lost the closer role last month after a shaky beginning to his New York tenure, and he hadn’t had a save opportunity since April 25.
After Moncada led off the ninth with a homer on his 30th birthday, Taylor Ward and Luis Rengifo singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Ward scored when Jo Adell grounded into a forceout, but Williams got pinch-hitter Logan O’Hoppe on a foul popup to secure his fifth save and the Yankees’ seventh straight series win.
From Anthony De Leon: When the Sparks traded for Kelsey Plum, the buzz around her reunion with former championship teammate Dearica Hamby centered on one thing: their pedigree elevating the franchise.
On Tuesday night, fans got a glimpse of the potential that the duo could attain. The chemistry. The comfort. The way they fed off each other’s energy — stepping up when the Sparks needed it most, looking to build momentum off a previous hard-fought victory.
By the fourth quarter of an 88-82 loss to the Atlanta Dream (4-2) on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks (2-4) were on the verge of a comeback. A steal by Hamby near midcourt turned into an outlet on the fastbreak to Plum, who quickly dished it back for the finish, trimming the deficit to 66–63.
The second half belonged to them. Plum and Hamby combined for 39 points to rally the Sparks from a 40–31 halftime hole. Like clockwork, Plum buried a clutch three-pointer to cut the lead to 71–70 — the closest L.A. would get. Hamby’s late free throws pulled them to within two in the final minutes.
From Kevin Baxter: Carlos Vela, the first player signed by LAFC and still the club record-holder in goals, assists, games and minutes played, announced his retirement Tuesday. The team said in announcement that Vela will work with LAFC as its first Black and Gold Ambassador. He will also be honored on Carlos Vela Night at BMO Stadium on Sept. 21.
“Helping to build LAFC and winning trophies for the club is a highlight of my career,” Vela, 36, said in a statement issued by the team. “This club means so much to me and my family, and I am proud of everything we have accomplished together with the great fans of Los Angeles. I am excited to begin this next chapter in my journey here in L.A.”
Vela signed a designated-player contract with LAFC in August 2017, eight months before the team’s first game. He led LAFC to the playoffs in his first season, then set the MLS single-season goal-scoring record with 34 in 2019, when the team won the first of two Supporters’ Shields. Vela was named the league’s MVP that season
From Kevin Baxter: The last time Bruce Arena and Dave Sarachan stood together on the sidelines at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy were beating the Colorado Rapids in the MLS Western Conference semifinals. That was 2016 and the win was the pair’s 18th playoff victory in eight seasons with the Galaxy.
It was also the last game they coached together in Carson.
They’ll be back on Wednesday, only this time Arena and Sarachan will be in the opposite technical area, standing in front of the San José Earthquakes’ bench. And in some ways it’s a bittersweet return. Because while both men have mostly fond memories of their time with the Galaxy, they return with the home team hungry and winless through 15 games, the longest drought in franchise history.
That makes the homecoming both welcome and challenging.
“I have nothing but good memories of my time in L.A. with the Galaxy. So it’s nice to go back,” Arena said.
“I like watching them and they’ve had tough times. But they’re better than their record indicates. We’re the next team up, which will be in some ways very, very challenging because you know they’re due to have success.”
From Kevin Baxter: With the World Cup, one the U.S. will play at home, just 380 days away, Captain America has decided to take a pass on the national team’s last major competition ahead of the tournament.
That’s Pulisic’s choice, of course. He’s played a grueling schedule with AC Milan this season, one that concludes Sunday, a week before the national team reports to camp in Chicago.
And he has permission.
“Christian and his team approached the Federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played,” said Matt Crocker, U.S. Soccer’s sporting director, noting that Pulisic has played more than 4,400 minutes for club and country the last 12 months.
Nor is Pulisic alone in his absence. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson, Josh Sargent and Yunus Musah, Pulisic’s teammate in Milan, were also left off the 27-man roster summoned to training camp ahead next month’s Gold Cup, although some of those players will be participating in the Club World Cup.
Yet even if reason and rules are strongly on Pulisic’s side, the optics are bad.
Let’s hear from you. Could a smoother path to the College Football Playoff be worth losing the Notre Dame-USC rivalry? Vote here and let us know. Results announced next week.
NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE, RESULTS
All times Pacific
Conference finals
Western Conference
Central 2 Dallas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton at Dallas 6, Edmonton 3 (summary) Edmonton 3, at Dallas 0 (summary) at Edmonton 6, Dallas 1 (summary) at Edmonton 4, Dallas 1 (summary) Thursday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ABC* Monday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Metro 2 Carolina vs. Atlantic 3 Florida Florida 5, at Carolina 2 (summary) Florida 5, at Carolina 0 (summary) at Florida 6, Carolina 2 (summary) Carolina 3, at Florida 0 (summary) Wednesday at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT Friday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT* Sunday at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1901 — Parader, ridden by Fred Landry, overcomes a bad start to win the Preakness Stakes by two lengths over Sadie S.
1904 — Bryn Mawr, ridden by Eugene Hildebrand, wins the Preakness Stakes by one length over Wotan.
1958 — European Cup Final, Brussels: Francisco Gento scores the winner in extra time as Real Madrid beats AC Milan, 3-2; 3rd consecutive title for Los Blancos.
1969 — European Cup Final, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid: AC Milan striker Pierino Prati scores 3 in 4-1 win over Ajax; second title for I Rossoneri.
1975 — 19th European Cup: Bayern Munich beats Leeds United 2-0 at Paris.
1978 — Al Unser wins his third Indianapolis 500, the fifth driver to do so, edging Tom Sneva by 8.19 seconds.
1980 — 24th European Cup: Nottingham Forest beats Hamburg 1-0 at Madrid.
1985 — The San Diego Sockers beat the Baltimore Blast 5-3 to win the MISL title in five games.
1995 — Jacques Villeneuve overcomes one penalty and wins by another in the Indianapolis 500. Villeneuve drives to victory after fellow Canadian Scott Goodyear is penalized for passing the pace car on the final restart.
1997 — 5th UEFA Champions League Final: Borussia Dortmund beats Juventus 3-1 at Munich.
2000 — Dutch swimming star Inge de Bruijn sets her third world record in three days, adding the 100 freestyle mark to the 50 and 100 butterfly marks she set previously at the Sheffield Super Grand Prix. De Bruijn becomes the first swimmer to finish under 54.00 in the 100 freestyle at 53.80 seconds.
2003 — Patrick Roy officially announces his retirement from the NHL.
2003 — 11th UEFA Champions League Final: Milan beats Juventus (0-0, 3-2 on penalties) at Manchester.
2006 — Sam Hornish Jr. overcomes a disastrous mistake in the pits and a pair of Andrettis — Marco and father Michael — to win the second-closest Indianapolis 500 ever, by .0635 seconds.
2007 — Duke has an almost unfathomable comeback fall short in a 12-11 loss to Johns Hopkins in the NCAA lacrosse championship game. The Blue Devils never finished their 2006 season, and then make it all the way back to the title game.
2011 — Novak Djokovic extends his perfect start to the season at the French Open, beating Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 for his 40th straight victory this year. Djokovic’s 40-0 start to 2011 is the second-best opening streak in the Open era, which started in 1968.
2011 — UEFA Champions League Final, London: FC Barcelona beats Manchester United, 3-1; 4th title for Barça.
2020 — The Boston Marathon canceled for the first time in its 124-year history. The race had originally been scheduled for April 20 before being postponed for five months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
2022 — UEFA Champions League Final, Paris: Carlo Ancelotti becomes first manager to win CL x 4 as Real Madrid beats Liverpool, 1-0.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1918 — Boston’s Joe Bush pitched a 1-0 one-hitter against the Chicago White Sox and drove in the lone run. The only Chicago hit was by Happy Felsch. It occurred when he threw his bat at the ball on a hit and run.
1939 — Philadelphia pitcher Robert Joyce was victimized two straight days by New York’s George Selkirk. Joyce gave up two homers to Selkirk a day earlier. Joyce came on in relief on this day and gave up two more homers to Selkirk. Selkirk ended with four homers in four at-bats against the same pitcher over two successive games. The Yankees won 9-5.
1946 — The Washington Senators beat New York 2-1 in the first night game at Yankee Stadium. The first ball was thrown out by General Electric president Charles E. Wilson.
1951 — After going 0-for-12 in his first three major league games, Willie Mays of the New York Giants hit a home run off Warren Spahn in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Braves.
1956 — Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a home run in his eighth consecutive game, a major league record. Long connected off Brooklyn’s Carl Erskine at Forbes Field.
1968 — The American League announced the league will be split into two divisions. The East division will consist of Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, New York and Washington. California, Chicago, Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland and Seattle will make up the West.
1979 — George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hit for the cycle and added another home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in 16 innings.
1986 — Joe Cowley of the Chicago White Sox set a major league record by striking out the first seven batters he faced. He lasted 4 2-3 innings in a 6-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.
1995 — The White Sox and Tigers set a major league record with 12 homers, and combined for an American League-record 21 extra-base hits in Chicago’s 14-12 victory in Detroit.
1998 — Arizona manager Buck Showalter intentionally walked Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and the Diamondbacks held on to beat San Francisco 8-7.
2003 – Atlanta became the second team in major league history to start a game with three straight homers in its 15-3 win over the Reds. Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield hit consecutive home runs off Jeff Austin in the bottom of the first. The Padres did it against the Giants on April 13, 1987.
2006 — Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run during the San Francisco Giants’ 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies to slip past Babe Ruth and pull in behind Hank Aaron and his long-standing record of 755.
2007 — Adrian Beltre tied a franchise record with four extra-base hits, including two homers, as Seattle pounded the Angels 12-5.
2010 — Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera hit three homers in a 5-4 loss to Oakland. Oakland’s Ben Sheets gave up three runs — on Cabrera’s first two homers — worked seven innings in his longest start of the season.
2012 — The Cubs end a twelve-game losing streak, their longest since 1997, with an 11-7 win over the Padres at Wrigley Field.
2013 — The Mets honor Yankees great Mariano Rivera, who has announced his retirement at the end of the year, by having him throw the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the two teams from the Big Apple at Citi Field, with retired Mets closer John Franco acting as his catcher for the occasion.
2016 — In the third inning of a game against the Dodgers, Mets P Noah Syndergaard is ejected for throwing at Chase Utley, in apparent retaliation for Utley’s aggressive slide which injured Mets SS Ruben Tejada in last year’s NLDS. Umpire Adam Hamari also tosses Mets manager Terry Collins for arguing his decision, then Utley gets his revenge when he opens the score with a solo homer off Logan Verrett in the 6th and adds a grand slam off Hansel Robles in the 7th. The Dodgers hit five homers in total as they win the game, 9-1.
2019 — Derek Dietrich continues his unlikely homer binge as he hits three, all two-run shots, in leading the Reds to an 11-6 win over the Pirates. With 17 homers this year, he has already topped his career high, and 12 of his last 17 hits have gone over the fence. For the Pirates, rookie Kevin Newman hits his first career homer, a grand slam off Lucas Sims.
2023 — Spencer Strider of the Braves becomes the fastest starting pitcher to record 100 strikeouts in a season, doing so in his 61st inning in an 11 – 4 win over the Phillies. Last year, Strider set the record for the fastest pitcher to reach 200 Ks in a season.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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CLEVELAND — It had been a while since the Dodgers’ last stress-free win.
Over their previous nine games entering Monday, the team had won just three times — and needed extra-innings after blown ninth-inning saves in two of them, and a late-game go-ahead home run from Teoscar Hernández in the other.
Such theatrics underscored the club’s underwhelming play in recent weeks, with manager Dave Roberts bemoaning everything from poor fundamentals, to continued pitching injuries, to a lineup that had most of all gotten back out of sync.
“We’ve got to kind of lock in our hitting zone,” Roberts said Monday afternoon, “and continue to take good swings.”
In a 7-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Memorial Day, the Dodgers finally did.
While Yoshinobu Yamamoto cruised through a six-inning, two-run start, the club’s lineup waking from a recent lull that had seen them fail to top five runs (excluding extra innings) in each of their last seven games.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, left, runs the bases after leading off the game with a home run against the Cleveland Guardians on May 26.
(David Dermer / Associated Press)
Shohei Ohtani provided an early spark, hitting a leadoff home run for the second-straight game to take the MLB lead with 19 long balls. Andy Pages added an RBI single in the second inning, before the Dodgers mounted two extended rallies in the fifth and sixth, scoring two runs in each inning.
The bullpen was shakier, Alex Vesia having to strand two runners in the seventh before Tanner Scott — coming off two blown saves in his previous three outings — worked around José Ramírez’s second double of the game in the eighth for Cleveland (29-24).
But in the top of the ninth, Will Smith punctuated the night with a home run over the tall left-field wall at Progressive Field to ensure the Dodgers (33-21) got back in the win column.
Connor Norby had three hits, including a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and the Miami Marlins ended the Angels’ eight-game win streak in a 6-2 win Saturday night.
Norby’s third home run came on a 1-2 pitch from reliever Caden Dana (0-1) as Miami stopped a three-game slide.
Taylor Ward doubled and scored in the ninth — giving him an extra-base hit for the 10th straight game, an Angels record.
The Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the second against starter José Soriano when Liam Hicks walked leading off and scored on a two-out single by Ronny Simon.
Angels pitcher Jose Soriano delivers against the Marlins in the first inning Saturday at Angel Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Zach Neto doubled leading off the fourth and Yoán Moncada’s one-out single put runners at the corners, ending Marlins starter Cal Quantrill’s night after just 46 pitches. Ronny Henriquez (2-1) entered and gave up a tying sacrifice fly to Ward before striking out Jorge Soler to keep it 1-1.
Eric Wagaman had a two-out RBI single in a two-run fifth to put Miami up 3-1.
Janson Junk yielded one run and six hits in five innings of relief against his former team for his first career save.
Soriano (3-5) gave up three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
The Marlins loaded the bases with nobody out in a 1-1 score in the fifth. Soriano got a double-play grounder from Kyle Stowers that made it 2-1, and Wagaman blooped a single to center for a two-run lead and Miami never looked back.
The Angels also had a team-record seven-game stretch of hitting multiple home runs end.
Up next: Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera (0-1, 5.50 ERA) starts Sunday’s finale against Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-5, 5.32).
Although not an official rivalry steeped in tradition just yet, the competitiveness between California’s two WNBA teams suggests the start of one.
With the Sparks and Golden State Valkyries trying to jump start new eras for their respective franchises, the meeting marked the third clash between the teams in as many weeks — and it left the Sparks emotionally and physically bruised.
On their first road trip to Southern California on Friday, the expansion Valkyries exacted revenge on one of the WNBA’s charter members, holding off a late Sparks comeback in an 82-73 win.
The Sparks’ frustration was evident after the game. Coach Lynne Roberts looked displeased. Beside her, rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker sat stone-faced, a fresh shiner darkening the area beneath her right eye. Dearica Hamby rested her head in her hands, her responses to questions from the media brief and subdued.
“They beat us tonight,” Roberts said. “They were more connected. They played harder. They played with more intensity.”
What began as a back-and-forth battle quickly underscored how evenly matched the two teams are despite being at different stages. The final score suggested a close game, but for much of the night, it looked like it would be a Valkyries rout.
The Sparks surged to an early 20-9 lead behind strong play from Odyssey Sims, Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby. Sims hit three early three-pointers and Plum added six points fueled by defensive pressure and steals. Hamby anchored the interior with physical play.
But much like their previous two matchups, inconsistency quickly crept in for the Sparks (1-3). The Sparks’ struggles emerged after halftime in their last two games. This time, the unraveling came earlier.
“We stopped following the game plan,” Roberts said. “It’s bad — we’ve got to fix it. We need to put together a full 40 minutes. We haven’t done that yet.”
A second-quarter collapse — marked by defensive breakdowns and offensive stagnation — put L.A. in a hole too big to overcome. Entering the period with a two-point lead, Golden State went on an 18-0 run to take a 45-26 lead.
Golden State (2-1) shot 10 for 18 (55.6%) from the field in the second quarter, looking every bit like a team determined to avenge its two earlier losses — one in the preseason and the other in their season opener.
Meanwhile, the Sparks appeared far removed from the cohesion and toughness they showed in a loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday — the kind of progress coach Lynne Roberts pointed to as a sign of early-season growth. The Sparks didn’t register a field goal in the second quarter until the 2:36 mark.
L.A. trailed 49-35 at halftime after shooting just 2 for 16 from the field and scoring nine points in the second quarter.
From the start, the Valkyries’ game plan centered on containing Kelsey Plum, who erupted for 37 points against them on May 16. Golden State’s defense swarmed Plum with traps and forced the ball out of her hands, limiting her to 16 points on six-of-18 shooting, including two for 10 from beyond the arc. She also had four steals.
Golden State’s lead hovered around 15 points for much of the third quarter. The Sparks only began to chip away at the deficit in the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer from Plum cut the Valkyries’ lead to 73-63 with just under six minutes remaining. Moments later, Hamby powered to the rim through heavy contact, converting a tough layup and drawing the foul. Her successful free throw made it an eight-point game.
Hamby continued to take charge, shooting a three-pointer with 2:32 left to make it a five-point game.
“We definitely picked up the defensive energy,” Hamby said of the fourth-quarter effort. “We got some good hustle plays and tried to build momentum — but I want to win, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
But that was as close as the Sparks would get after Hamby fouled Kayla Thornton on a three-point attempt. Thornton made all three of her free-throw attempts.
Robert liked what she saw from the Sparks in the fourth quarter, but she wants to see that urgency deployed earlier and throughout the game.
“We can’t wait,” Roberts said. “We did show toughness — we didn’t fold. They kept competing, and we made it a game. … But why does it take us 30 minutes to play like that?”
Hamby scored 10 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter. She also had six rebounds and three blocks. Sims finished with 13 points as the Sparks suffered their third consecutive loss. Carla Leite led Golden State with 19 points.
Golden State’s win marked a special homecoming for Anaheim native and Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, who said she felt a wave of emotion as the team flew into L.A. Seeing familiar landmarks from the window of the plane — including her childhood homes — stirred memories of her father and the path that led her to becoming a WNBA coach. Nasake served as an assistant coach under Clippers coach Doc Rivers.
“It’s like seeing the ushers — a lot of them I’ve known for a long time, and they’re just saying congratulations and what an accomplishment,” said Nakase of the surreal feeling of winning at Crypto.com Arena. “It’s nice to see a lot of familiar faces.”
NBA’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 2 win over Minnesota Timberwolves in West finals.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points and Jalen Williams added 26 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 118-103 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
The Thunder lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 going into Game 3 on Saturday in Minneapolis.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was selected the NBA Most Valuable Player on Wednesday and presented with the trophy before Thursday’s game, has scored 30 or more points in five consecutive games.
The 38 points tied a career playoff-high, and he added eight assists and three steals with just one turnover.
Chet Holmgren contributed 22 points in the win.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert in the fourth quarter of Game 2 [Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images/Reuters]
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards finished with 32 points, shooting 12 of 26 from the floor but just one of nine on three-point attempts. He also contributed nine rebounds and six assists.
Julius Randle, who helped Minnesota build a first-half lead in Game 1 with a string of three-pointers, wound up with just six points in Game 2. He made just two of 11 shots from the floor – missing all three of his three-point tries – and did not play in the fourth quarter.
The Timberwolves got 17 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, plus 10 points and eight rebounds from Naz Reid.
Oklahoma City led by as many as 24 points late in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves clawed within 10 with just more than three minutes remaining.
However, that was as close as Minnesota would get late, as the Thunder repeatedly answered in the closing minutes.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, right, shoots against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, second right, and forward Chet Holmgren, left, in the third quarter [Brett Rojo-Imagn Images/Reuters]
Oklahoma City grabbed control in the third, turning up the pressure on defence once again.
Minnesota didn’t make a field goal for six minutes late in the quarter, missing seven consecutive shots and committing five turnovers as the Thunder stretched their lead to 24 late in the period.
After struggling from the field early in Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander was much more efficient from the jump in Game 2, not missing a shot until just more than five minutes remained in the first half.
Edwards said he needed to shoot more in Game 2 after attempting just 13 shots on Tuesday in a 114-88 loss. He was aggressive offensively from the start on Thursday, attempting 10 shots in the first quarter (and making four) while adding three assists.
The Timberwolves were within three with just more than two minutes to go in the half before Oklahoma City closed strong.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored all of the Thunder’s points during a 7-2 run to take an eight-point lead into halftime. His spree included drawing a foul on Jaden McDaniels in the closing seconds and sinking a pair of free throws.
The Thunder led 58-50 at the break despite shooting just four of 20 from beyond the arc in the first half.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver presents Gilgeous-Alexander with the Michael Jordan Trophy for winning the Most Valuable Player award for the 2024-25 season [Alonzo Adams/Imagn Images/Reuters]
The actress best known for playing Sister Frances will lead the cast of the major BBC series airing next year
17:00, 22 May 2025Updated 17:08, 22 May 2025
Ella has played a nun three times but this is her first time as an Austen heroine(Image: BBC / Nealstreat Productions / Sophie Mutevelian)
Call the Midwife favourite Ella Broccoleri has landed the lead role in BBC1’s upcoming Jane Austen drama The Other Bennett Sister. Ella, 35, played kindly nun Sister Frances in the hit series for four years from 2019, when she was written out suddenly after deciding to leave to pursue other roles.
In the plot she was knocked off her bike in the snow during a birth emergency in the 2022 Christmas special, suffering a shoulder injury. Fans were gutted when she was then sent to the Mother House to recuperate, and never returned to Poplar. One declared at the time: “If Sister Frances leaves I swear to God I’ll sue someone at Call the Midwife.”
As well as Sister Frances, Ella has also played the role of a young nun in historical drama, The Last Kingdom. And the actress also donned a habit for a third time as she appeared alongside Olivia Colman in Paddington in Peru.
Call the Midwife fans were bereft when Sister Frances departed suddenly in 2022 with a shoulder injury(Image: BBC / Neal Street Productions)
Now the actress has been cast as Mary Bennet, sister of Pride and Prejudice’s lead character Elizabeth and she is also starring in upcoming ITV royal drama The Lady.
The Other Bennet Siste r is a fresh spin around the ballroom for one of Jane Austen’s most unassuming characters: Mary Bennet – the seemingly unremarkable and overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice .
Awkward, anxious, preachy, full of fact and a terrible singer, Mary is overlooked by her mother and seems destined to have an empty dance card for the rest of her life – until she takes matters into her own hands.
She appeared alongside Olivia Colman in Paddington in Peru(Image: Youtube/Sony Pictures Entertainment)
The Other Bennet Sister, a 10-parter to air next year from production company Bad Wolf, gives Mary Bennet the epic love story nobody predicted for her. It takes her from her family home in Meryton to the soirees of Regency London and the peaks and vales of the Lake District – all in search of independence, romance and, most elusive of all, self-love and acceptance.
Writer Sarah Quintrell says: “I’m thrilled to be telling the story of Mary – the other Bennet sister – exploring what it is to come of age when you’re the odd one out. It’s a joy to be adapting Janice Hadlow’s brilliant take on such a beloved classic and to have found our home at the BBC.”
Saying she herself had been an “awkward, anxious” teen, she added: “I grew up watching the BBC’s wonderful Austen adaptations. It’s the stuff every writer dreams of and I can’t wait to bring this beautiful story to screen – not least, for all the Marys out there.”
Ella will play the role of Mary Bennet, the gawky sister from Pride & Prejudice who is given her own happy ending
BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt said: “The BBC’s Pride and Prejudice will forever be a classic moment in television history, and it’s incredibly exciting to return to Jane Austen’s irresistible world and go even further than before – this time in the footsteps of The Other Bennet Sister , Mary. We fell in love with Sarah’s adaptation because it’s a true underdog story packed full of heart, wit and charm, and a chance to explore Austen in a playful, original and heartfelt way.”
Last year Ella appeared in ITV’s Passenger and in the films Polite Society and Joy. She is currently filming The Lady, based on the story of Jane Andrews, a former royal dresser who worked for the Duchess of York who was later convicted of murder.
SACRAMENTO — Logan O’Hoppe homered and had a tiebreaking RBI single as the Angels beat the Athletics 7-5 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Kenley Jansen gave up pinch-hitter Seth Brown’s RBI single in the bottom of the ninth but struck out Tyler Soderstrom to get his 10th save and hand the Athletics their seventh straight loss.
Yoán Moncada had a tying three-run homer in the fifth to tie it 4-4 before O’Hoppe’s RBI single put the Angels ahead for good.
Zach Neto had an RBI double in the ninth and Taylor Ward added a run-scoring fielder’s choice to put the Angels up 7-4.
Angels (2-5) starter Kyle Hendricks gave up four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Shea Langeliers hit a solo homer and Nick Kurtz had a two-run shot in the fourth to give the Athletics a 4-1 lead.
Jacob Wilson, third in the majors with a .341 batting average, left the game in the third inning after he was hit on the wrist by a pitch from Hendricks.
Hendricks gave up a two-out RBI single to Luis Urías in the second inning as the Athletics grabbed a 1-0 lead. O’Hoppe hit his 11th home run with two out in the fourth to tie it against rookie right-hander Gunnar Hoglund.
Hoglund (1-2) gave up five runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Jansen has a save in three straight games. He is fourth on the all-time list with 457 — 21 behind Lee Smith for third place.
Trout resumes running
Mike Trout has started to do some light running as he works to return from a bone bruise in his left knee that has kept him out of the lineup for the past three weeks.
Trout told reporters that he ran at about 50% intensity on Monday and that he plans to run harder later this week. The three-time MVP was hurt trying to beat out an infield single on April 30 against the Seattle Mariners.
The 33-year-old was hitting .179 with nine homers and 18 RBIs before the injury. He’s missed substantial time in three of the past four seasons because of various injuries.
LEAD ARTIST wore down Dancing Gemini in the final strides to deny Roger Teal a fairytale Lockinge win at Newbury.
Teal’s well-backed 2-1 favourite headed the eventual winner with a furlong to run, but the petrol tank began to empty and John Gosden’s runner got back up close home.
1
Lead Artist (left) edged out Dancing Gemini in the Lockinge StakesCredit: Getty
It was heartbreak for nice guy Teal, who was seeking just his third Group 1 win, but he took it on the chin and is up for another crack at the winner.
There was promise, too, from Richard Hannon’s Classic winner Rosallion, who was a few lengths away in third on his first run for nearly a year.
But it was Gosden who had the last laugh, winning a Group 1 just 10 days after sacking Kieran Shoemark as his stable jockey.
He will no doubt feel his decision has been vindicated after Oisin Murphy steered home 17-2 shot Lead Artist by a neck, a result Gosden admitted he didn’t see coming.
He said: “It was a very strong Lockinge and if you’d asked me beforehand I’d have said we’d be in the first three, I didn’t expect him to win.
“He is a lovely horse and he’s won over nine furlongs before, so Ryan came at us from off the pace and used up petrol and we’ve just been able to get back past him.
“We’ll go to the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot now where I expect we’ll meet several of these horses again, and it should be a hell of a race.”
Dancing Gemini will definitely be there, and Teal said he won’t duck and dive his way through the season with his stable star.
The Lambourn trainer said last month he wanted to emulate last season’s top miler Charyn, and so far the four-year-old is sticking to the script.
Teal said: “We said we were going to try and do a Charyn and he was second in the Lockinge last year, so it’s not the end of the world. We’ve run better than Charyn did, he ran great.
“Ryan said the ground was probably a bit lively for him, it was the quickest ground he’s been on.
“We don’t duck and dive, we’ve only gone down a neck and he has put the rest of the field to bed so we’ll go to the Queen Anne now.
“It was a bit of an awkward draw, we had to take him back further than we wanted to. He’s gone down on his sword and he’s a Group 1 winner waiting to happen.”
Hannon was a bag of nerves before Rosallion’s long overdue return to action, but he was pleased with the colt after such a long lay-off.
He said: “It was a very good run, he was pretty fit coming here but there is nothing like race fitness.
“I’ve no doubt he’ll improve loads for that, so we will go again and head to Ascot.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The strongest field of the majors gave way to a few surprises Thursday in the PGA Championship, starting with Jhonattan Vegas charging into the lead with a seven-under 64 and the top 10 players in the world nowhere to be found among the top 10 at Quail Hollow.
A long day filled with sunshine and mud balls ended with Vegas in the penultimate group playing the best golf hardly anyone saw.
A briefly energized crowd had mostly left when Vegas blazed his way to the finish with five birdies on his last six holes, ending with an 18-footer on No. 8 and a 25-footer on the rugged ninth.
It was Vegas’ best score in 45 rounds playing the majors. The Venezuelan has never finished in the top 20 in a major and hadn’t qualified for this one in three years.
He had a two-shot lead over Ryan Gerard, the PGA Tour rookie who grew up in North Carolina and was the only other player to reach 7 under until bogeys on his last two holes. He was joined at 66 by Cam Davis of Australia.
The biggest crowds belonged to the top three in the world, and it wasn’t nearly as inspiring as four of the last five majors they have combined to win.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy didn’t make birdie over his last 12 holes and had nothing to say about that after a three-over 74 sent him straight to the range.
Scottie Scheffler and defending PGA champion Xander Schauffele had plenty to say about mud balls on tee shots, particularly on the 16th hole that sent both to double bogey. Scheffler at least holed two shots from off the green — one for birdie, one for eagle — and he finished with a 6-iron from 215 yards to three feet on No. 9 that sent him to a 69.
“I did a good job battling and keeping a level head out there during a day which there was definitely some challenging aspects to the course,” Scheffler said. “Did a good job posting a number on a day where I didn’t have my best stuff.”
For the first time in at least 30 years, the top 10 scores after the opening round of a major did not include anyone from the top 10 in the world ranking.
In their places were Vegas, who only got his game back in order last year when he won in Minnesota, and a host of other surprises.
Alex Smalley, the first alternate who found out about 15 hours before he teed off that he had a spot in the field, rolled in a 70-foot eagle putt on his way to a 67. Ryan Fox of New Zealand, who qualified by winning the Myrtle Beach Classic, also was at 67.
They were joined by a large group that included Luke Donald, the 47-year-old Ryder Cup captain for Europe who was the only player without a bogey on his card. The U.S. captain, Keegan Bradley, was another shot behind.
“It’s always fun, bogey-free in a major championship on a course that you wouldn’t have thought would be ideal for me,” said Donald, who is only in the field because of a PGA of America tradition to invite active Ryder Cup captains.
Considering the champions the majors have produced in recent years, this leaderboard more closely resembled the Myrtle Beach Classic. None of the top eight players have won a major, nor have they ever seriously contended.
Gerard looked comfortable playing before a home crowd. He made a tough par on the rugged ninth hole, then ran off four straight birdies on the back nine, and was seven under for the round after holing a 60-footer for eagle on the par-five 15th.
Davis had seven birdies and narrowly missed a 10-foot par putt on his last hole for the lead. Not bad for someone who recently ended a stretch of five straight missed cuts and hasn’t had a top 10 since early February.
“It’s just constantly trying to go back to things that have worked, trying to keep the head in a place where you’re not feeling like you’re banging your head against the wall all the time,” Davis said. “It’s letting it organically come — good processes, good routines, all those little one percenters add up to good golf eventually.”
The others at 67 were Stephan Jaeger and Aaron Rai, who both became first-time PGA Tour winners last year.
Scheffler at 69 had the best score of anyone from the top 10 in the world.
McIlroy, a four-time winner at Quail Hollow, came into this PGA Championship believing that thrill-a-hole Masters title last month that gave him the career Grand Slam would be the highlight of his career no matter what he does from here.
A sloppy round, particularly off the tee, wasn’t going to change that. It was no less surprising to see him struggle at Quail Hollow, posting his highest round since a 76 in the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship in 2018.
Schauffele wound up with a 72 in his bid to go back-to-back in the PGA Championship.
Jordan Spieth likely will have to wait until next year at Aronimink to try for the career Grand Slam. The three-time major champion, lacking only the Wanamaker Trophy for his major collection, ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 76.
