Sports
Soaring Chris Gotterup out to defend Scottish Open crown
Jul 5, 2026; Silvis, Illinois, USA; Chris Gotterup walks up to his ball on the 18th green during the final round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Chris Gotterup had one PGA Tour win in an alternate-field event on his otherwise anonymous pro resume when he landed in Scotland last year.
After a second-round 61 pushed him into contention, he held off Rory McIlroy to win one of Europe’s premier events and qualify for the Open Championship — where he went on to place third in his debut.
Now back on the British Isles following his fifth career victory a week ago, Gotterup and a sea of the world’s best players will take on links golf at The Renaissance Club when the Genesis Scottish Open tees off Thursday in North Berwick.
“The first two rounds you kind of play, they weren’t exactly the marquee group and all of a sudden get kind of thrown into the fire in the last round,” Gotterup recalled. “Yeah, it was a big day for me and kind of like the second step, it felt like, of my career on tour. Yeah, nothing but good memories coming back and it was nice to get back and feel like I know this place a little bit and not feel like I had no idea what was going on.”
Gotterup, 26, rose to No. 7 in the world rankings after prevailing at the John Deere Classic on Sunday. He has more than earned his place in marquee groups now: He’ll tee off with McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre on the first two days, a trio of the past three Scottish Open champions.
A longtime proponent of playing national opens, McIlroy expressed the importance of the Scottish on the golf calendar.
“This, to me, is the blueprint of what it can be and what can happen … It’s a perfect lead-in to the Open Championship,” the Northern Irishman said. “You know, I’ve thought could the Canadian Open become co-sanctioned, as well, leading into the U.S. Open as well? That could be interesting, as well, trying to build out this series of national opens that have a bit more meaning behind them.”
The Scottish fields have certainly become stronger since the DP World Tour and PGA Tour decided to co-sanction the event in 2022. Though a few players like Cameron Young and Englishman Justin Rose are skipping it to focus on next week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, the rest of world’s top 10 and a host of PGA Tour and European veterans will get reps in on the par-70, 7,282-yard links course.
“Overall helps me get used to a different style of golf, and this is a links golf style of golf, and get used to the turf and conditions,” said World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. “It always helps for me to get over here and play some competitive golf and get used to the time zone, especially.”
The subplot for the week is the presence of seven LIV Golf members who are eligible to play via their standing on the DP World Tour. Chief among them are Spanish star Jon Rahm and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, both of whom are warming up for the Open amid a long break in the LIV schedule as the league figures out its future funding.
“Although I love Valderrama (host of LIV Golf Andalucia), it’s a fantastic week, this one gets you much more prepared for the Open and that’s why so many players have come and played the Scottish Open before it was a co-sanctioned event,” Rahm said Tuesday. “It’s great to play a links golf event before a links golf event, and playing in the weather and the fescue grass (is) different than what we are playing year-round.”
The home-crowd favorite will again be MacIntyre, who in 2024 became the first Scot to win his national open since Colin Montgomerie in 1999.
“Memories I’ve had from growing up to winning in ’24, I mean, I don’t know if anything is ever going to top that in my golfing career,” MacIntyre said. “… This one, the Scottish Open, I’m always going to come back here as much as I can.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
White Sox reinstate All-Star 1B Munetaka Murakami from IL
May 27, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) during warmups before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Chicago White Sox reinstated rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami from the 10-day injured list on Friday.
Prior to striking out in his first at-bat Friday night against the Athletics, Murakami was named to the American League All-Star team as a replacement for injured Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton and announced as the eighth and final participant in the Home Run Derby.
The 26-year-old first baseman missed the previous 35 games with a strained right hamstring. The White Sox posted a 17-18 record during his absence, but pulled into a share of the AL Central lead with the Cleveland Guardians.
At the time of his injury on May 29, Murakami was tied for the American League lead in homers (20) and RBIs (41).
Murakami is batting .240 with a .938 OPS and 43 runs scored in 57 games this season with the White Sox.
Chicago optioned infielder Jacob Gonzalez, 24, to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding transaction.
The 2023 first-round pick made his MLB debut on May 31 and batted .244 with two homers and 17 RBIs in 30 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
Jun 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New York Mets first baseman Mark Vientos watches from the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images The New York Mets placed infielder Mark Vientos on the 10-day injured list on Friday because of a fractured right hand, which will not require surgery but keep him sidelined six to eight weeks.
In a corresponding move, the Mets selected the contract of shortstop Zack Short from Triple-A Syracuse. They also recalled right-hander Tobias Myers from Syracuse and designated righty Dan Hammer for assignment.
Vientos was struck on the right hand by a 92.2 mph sinker from the Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha in the second inning of the Mets’ 7-3 home win on Thursday. Vientos, 26, ran for himself but did not take his place at third base in the third inning.
“It definitely sucks because I want to be with the team and play with the guys,” he said. “I’ve been hit in the hand before. I started to realize this (injury) was different when I was on first base and the hand started to feel a little numb. It was a painful feeling. … The hand was swollen and there was no way I could grip the ball.”
This season, Vientos is hitting just .211 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 73 games while seeing his playing time dwindling. He has played 60 games at first base, eight as designated hitter and three at third base.
In his fifth season with the Mets, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft, Vientos is a .234 career hitter with 65 home runs and 192 RBIs in 386 games. His best season came in 2024, when he hit .266 with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs in 111 games.
Short, 31, was 1-for-8 (.125) in three games earlier this season for the Mets after going 6-for-36 (.167) in 23 games with the Detroit Tigers.
He was 3-for-21 (.143) in seven games at Syracuse.
Short also appeared in 10 games with New York in 2024 and was 1-for-9 (.111). He has played for five different MLB teams since 2021.
Myers, 27, is 0-2 with one save, a 6.14 ERA, 13 walks and 33 strikeouts in 44 innings over 25 games (three starts) in his first season with the Mets.
He is a career 10-10 with one save, 64 walks and 198 strikeouts in 232 2/3 innings over 74 games (34 starts) with Milwaukee Brewers (2024-25) and New York.
Myers was optioned to Syracuse on Thursday when career minor leaguer Hammer, 28, was selected to the major league roster to bolster the bullpen. Hammer did not play on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rain postpones Brewers-Pirates; set for split DH on Saturday
Clear skies shine over PNC Park in Pittsburgh prior to the game between the Pirates and the Brewers getting rained out July 10, 2026. The opener of the three-game series between the Milwaukee Brewers and host Pittsburgh Pirates was postponed because of rain on Friday night.
The Brewers and Pirates, who didn’t start their game on Friday after a delay of one hour and 27 minutes, will play a split doubleheader on Saturday. The makeup game begins at 12:05 p.m. ET and the first pitch of the regularly scheduled game stays at 4:05 p.m.
All-Star right-hander Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.24 ERA) was slated to start Friday night for the Pirates while the Brewers had rookie right-hander Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.13) ready to go.
The Brewers are expected to keep rookie left-hander Shane Drohan (4-2, 2.97) in place for Saturday. The Pirates are expected to do the same with rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.82).
When Chandler started against Milwaukee on Sept. 7 last year, he surrendered nine runs and nine hits in 2 2/3 innings. Drohan threw four innings in relief against the Pirates on April 24 and gave up four hits and three runs (one earned).
–Field Level Media
White Sox reinstate All-Star 1B Munetaka Murakami from IL
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
