Laetitia Beck birdied five of her first nine holes and added three on the home stretch to set the pace at the first round of the ShopRite LPGA on Friday in Galloway, N.J.

Beck’s bogey-free, 8-under-par 63 earned her a one-shot lead over Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup. Briana Chacon, Germany’s Polly Mack and Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol were tied for third at 6-under 65 at the Bay Course at Seaview Hotel & Golf Club.

Beck, 34, has been a professional since 2014 and just last year landed her first win in the United States at an Epson Tour event. Her 63 Friday marked her career-low round.

She birdied the par-3 15th, the par-4 16th and the par-5 18th holes to finish a stellar round, where she hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation and needed just 25 putts.

“It was going well today for sure,” Beck said of her putting. “I think the confidence that I had from the other day during the pro-am, making putts, reading the lines properly, helped me trusting that I could see the line even though the greens might be a little bumpy. And I’ve been working on the strokes, and I feel more comfortable than I used to before.

“… Yeah, again, I made a few 15-footers that I usually don’t make, so that’s why — it was nice to keep going and keep making birdies.”

Broch Estrup had an interesting afternoon round, making all seven of her birdies in an eight-hole stretch from Nos. 4-11. She hit just 6 of 14 fairways in regulation and she settled for par on the final seven holes, unable to tie Beck.

“It hit me on nine when I was — I had like, I don’t know, a 20-footer for eagle. Left myself like a three-footer for birdie and then I started shaking to be honest,” said Broch Estrup, who normally plays Europe. “… My biggest goal is to not get in my own way. I feel like I was definitely not striking it well today, but I just kept a smile on my face and took the good bounces.”

Chacon is a 24-year-old rookie making her eighth start of the season. She missed the cut in five of her first seven starts and has yet to finish better than T60; her 65, which featured an eagle 2 at No. 16, was easily the best round of her LPGA career.

“Second shot I had about 136 to the pin,” Chacon said of her eagle. “You know, it was blowing a little into the wind and my caddie, Heath, and I decided that we’re going to do like a little cut 9-iron, but kind of like a little chip shot. So like a three-quarter cutty 9-iron, if that makes since.

“Luckily hit the shot really good and had a nice baby fade and came down next to the pin and just scooted back into the pin, spun back in.”

Soo Bin Joo of South Korea and Celine Boutier of France are tied at 5-under 66. Boutier, the only past major winner in the top seven, previously won this tournament in 2021.

“I feel like it’s a good course. I feel very comfortable on it,” Boutier said. “I think it’s very pretty with the views. And then it gets pretty windy, so I kind of like that challenge as well. I think it can be scorable if you’re hitting good shots, so I think it’s fair that way.”

Defending champion Jennifer Kupcho struggled Friday, shooting 3-over 74. There will be a 36-hole cut after Saturday’s round.

–Field Level Media

It didn’t take long after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Western Conference Final Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to start turning the page.

“Oh, I’m good. I’m ready to go,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Biggest game of my career.”

That’s bold talk for a player that has led his team to a Game 7 win in the NBA Finals last season.

But Gilgeous-Alexander is putting that kind of weight on Saturday’s Game 7 matchup with the Spurs in Oklahoma City for a berth in the NBA Finals.

It didn’t take long after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Western Conference Final Game 6 loss to the San Antonio Spurs for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to start turning the page.

“Oh, I’m good. I’m ready to go,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Biggest game of my career.”

That’s bold talk for a player that led his team to a Game 7 win in the NBA Finals last season.

But Gilgeous-Alexander is putting that kind of weight on Saturday’s Game 7 matchup with the Spurs in Oklahoma City for a berth in the NBA Finals.

Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t been efficient in the series, shooting just 37.9% from the floor,

It’s the first Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals since Golden State-Houston in 2018 and just the sixth Conference Finals Game 7 between top two seeds since the 16-team format began in 1983.

The winner will take on the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals beginning Wednesday.

Saturday’s game will be the fifth Game 7 of these playoffs, tied for the most winner-take-all games in a single postseason.

Home teams have split the previous four, with the 76ers and Cavaliers finishing off series with Game 7 wins on the road.

The Thunder will try to turn things around after San Antonio led wire-to-wire in Game 6.

“It’s a double-edged sword, right?” Oklahoma City guard Alex Caruso said. “You gotta put it behind you, clear the mind, and get ready to compete again, but also learn from what you did wrong and try to figure out how you can be better.”

During last season’s run to the NBA Championship, the Thunder won a pair of Game 7s at home, both after losing Game 6 by double figures.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said those experiences will help.

“Take the lessons from tonight that are relevant for Game 7 and be ready to go out there and throw our best punch,” Daigneault said.

While Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder have Game 7 experience, this will be the first such situation for the Spurs and star Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is averaging 28.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game during the series.

After being somewhat passive in Game 5, Wembanyama set the tone in Game 6 and finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. He’s shooting 48.2% from the floor in the series.

“I think that’s his biggest growth this year is not waiting to be perfect or necessarily knowing what to do all the time,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, “but attack the moment and have the right approach and live with the results.”

Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is expected to remain throughout the rest of its playoff run despite reportedly closing in on a deal to coach Orlando, according to reports Friday.

Sweeney has been a key to the defensive improvement that has helped make San Antonio a title contender this season.

In Thursday’s Game 6 win, it was the Spurs’ defense that kickstarted the 20-0 third-quarter run that put the game away.

–Field Level Media

Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey has been named the Philadelphia 76ers’ president of basketball operations, according to multiple reports Friday.

Gansey, 43, replaces Daryl Morey, who parted ways with Philadelphia on May 12 after six seasons as the franchise’s top decision-maker for on-court matters.

A former college basketball player at West Virginia who helped the Mountaineers reach the 2005 Elite Eight, Gansey joined Cleveland’s front office during the 2011-12 season and steadily rose up the ranks to become the team’s general manager in February 2022. The Cavaliers averaged 53.8 wins during Gansey’s four full seasons at the helm and reached the Eastern Conference finals this year.

Gansey will report to Josh Harris and the Sixers’ ownership group — Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) — as well as to Bob Myers, who as GM and President of the Golden State Warriors was the architect of four NBA championship teamss (2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022). Myers was hired last October as President of Sports for HBSE.

Gansey will lead a franchise that has failed to advance past the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2001. After missing the playoffs in 2024-25 amid injuries to Joel Embiid and other key players, they rebounded to go 45-37 this season and earn the seventh seed in the East. They upset the Boston Celtics in a seven-game first-round series before the New York Knicks swept them out of the conference semis.

–Field Level Media