Sports
Rory McIlroy in three-way tie at Scottish Open; Scottie Scheffler misses cut
(File photo) Rory McIlroy pictured at the 153rd Open Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Rory McIlroy shot 66 in the second round to keep pace with co-leaders Tom Kim of South Korea and PGA Tour rookie Jordan Smith at 9-under at the Scottish Open in North Berwick, Scotland.
Smith’s eight birdies propelled him to the round of the day on Friday with a 63. McIlroy remained a co-leader after his first-round 65 on the strength of four birdies on the front nine on Friday.
“I thought I played well again,” McIlroy said. “It would have been nice to be a couple better. But you know, it’s obviously another good day and in good position.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is accustomed to separating from the pack, but not typically in this fashion. He finished even par through 36 holes and missed the cut for the first time since 2022.
Kim has matched McIlroy from the start of the tournament with equal rounds of 65-66.
“I stayed really patient out there, just tried to position myself,” Kim said. “The wind got tricky a little bit as it started to pick up, and of obviously completely different wind than yesterday. So I think my experience over here the last few years has helped. I’ve played in both wind directions.”
Local favorite Robert MacIntyre is two shots off the lead as is defending champion Chris Gotterup. Gotterup was one shot better than McIlroy on Friday. His 65 was nearly a 64 until he wrapped up Friday’s 18 with a bogey.
The wind shifted in the afternoon and pristine playing conditions were closer to the expected Scottish Open or Open Championship weather. For McIlroy, MacIntyre and Gotterup, the back nine played extremely long due to the wind. McIlroy went light instead of trying to hit the green on No. 14, a par-4, because of the unpredictable gusts.
He recognized the game had gone from target practice aiming for pins to grabbing hold with both hands and hoping for the best.
“Once we turned for home the wind got its strongest for the day and it was hard to hit it close,” McIlroy said. “Felt like I did well to hang on. Maybe could have been one or two better but overall it was a good day.”
Matt Fitzpatrick and Min Woo Lee are tied one off the lead at 8-under.
Scheffler had made the cut in 78 consecutive events. He’ll have a few unplanned days off this weekend before the Open Championship kicks off Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. And it’s a safe assumption he’ll be spending the extra time working on tee shots. Scheffler hit only 11 of 26 fairways at the Scottish Open.
“I got off to a tough start,” Scheffler said of Friday’s round. “And then on the back nine I didn’t feel like I was hitting it close enough to give myself enough opportunities. I think that’s what it really comes down to. I got off to a poor start and didn’t really hit it close enough to give myself a bunch of looks, and that’s how you shoot over par.”
Germany’s Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, Victor Perez of France and 24-year-old Australian Karl Vilips had rounds of 64 on Friday and are among the more than two dozen players in the field within three shots of the lead entering the weekend. None of the trio walked onto the opening tee Thursday at the Scottish Open with a world ranking above 175.
–Field Level Media
Sports
South Africa's Jayden Adams, 25, dies after playing in World Cup
June 24, 2026; Monterrey, Mexico; South Africa’s Jayden Adams. Mandatory Credit: Eloisa Sanchez-Reuters via Imagn Images Jayden Adams died at age 25 after playing in three World Cup games last month for South Africa, the country’s football players union confirmed Saturday.
No official cause of death was released.
“The South African Football Players Union (SAFPU) is devastated by the untimely passing of Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Jayden Adams.
“Jayden had only recently represented South Africa at the FIFA World Cup, carrying the hopes of the nation with pride, courage and distinction. His passing is an immeasurable loss to his family, teammates, clubs, the football fraternity and the country at large.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Adams family, Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch FC, Bafana Bafana and all those whose lives he touched. South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
Adams started two of the three World Cup matches he appeared in for South Africa despite the death of his grandmother, Marianna, one day before a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic. He started in that match and South Africa’s 2-0 loss to Mexico. He was a sub in a 1-0 win over South Korea.
He was an unused substitute when South Africa was knocked out by Canada on June 28.
Gayton McKenzie, minister of sports, arts and culture in South Africa, said he reached out to Adams to offer condolences when his grandmother died.
“I shall carry forever the humble, appreciative response he gave me. That he chose to wear the national jersey and give his all for his country in that moment speaks to a depth of character and professionalism well beyond his years, and it reflects the calibre of young man South Africa has lost,” McKenzie’s statement read.
Prior to the World Cup, he helped Mamelodi Sundowns win the CAF Champions League. He joined Sundowns after playing for Stellenbosch FC. Adams dedicated his medal from the Sundowns to late Stellenbosch teammate Oshwin Andries, who died after being stabbed in 2023.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Trade to the 76ers Still Doesn’t Make Sense
Boston Celtics fans have been scratching their heads and looking for answers since the team traded Jaylen Brown to the rival Philadelphia 76ers earlier this month. In exchange, Boston received Paul George, two first-round draft picks and two second-round picks.
Brown, 29, was selected to five All-Star teams during his 10 years in Boston and earned two All-NBA selections. He was also selected as the 2024 NBA Finals MVP after he helped Boston defeat Dallas in five games.
George, 36, is a nine-time All-Star who remains an excellent shooter from beyond the 3-point arc, but has had difficulty staying on the court in recent years. He has missed at least half of the last two regular-seasons due to injuries and a suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
When Celtics majority owner Bill Chisholm and president of basketball operations Brad Stevens addressed the media regarding the trade, the press conference provided more questions than answers. Questions like these:
Why did the Celtics feel the need to trade Brown?
Stevens said having Brown and Jayson Tatum on the roster would eat up 70 percent of the team’s salary cap, and that wasn’t a formula that could produce an NBA championship under the new collective bargaining agreement. Brown and Tatum accounted for 47 percent of the salary cap when the Celtics won the championship in 2024.
It’s worth noting that George’s $54.1 million salary is comparable to what Brown makes. George has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract followed by a $56.6 million player option.
Brown is entering the third year of a five-year deal. Since the Celtics will likely be in a bad financial spot for the next two years anyway, Boston may have been better off biting the financial bullet for an extra year and keeping Brown until his contract expired.
Did ownership or possibly Tatum make it clear that they wanted Brown off the roster?
Chisholm said there was no mandate from ownership to trade Brown, and Stevens insists Tatum had no input in the decision to move Brown either.
“I have a real hard and fast rule,” Stevens said. “I don’t ask other guys about other guys because it’s not — I won’t put them in that position. So, he had none.”
Still, with the underwhelming package the Celtics received for Brown, it’s hard to believe there weren’t some behind-the-scenes forces at work that made Stevens a little more eager to pull the trigger on a deal.
Why make the trade with Philadelphia, a team the Celtics share space with in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division?
The Celtics playing nice with the 76ers is like the Red Sox sending a top player to the Yankees which is difficult to envision under any circumstance. This part of the trade was also puzzling, especially since Philadelphia overcame a 3-1 series deficit and eliminated the Celtics in the first round last season. The trade handed the 76ers one of the best players in the NBA.
There are reports that Brown was picky about which teams he would play for, so that could have narrowed the market. If only the Celtics had shown some patience a better deal may have materialized – one that didn’t involve a team in Boston’s division. It’s unlikely the 76ers were going to pull their offer off the table.
Even if you don’t believe the Celtics were fleeced in the deal, Boston had a better chance to win a championship in the next few years with Brown than without him.
There’s no question about that.
Sports
UFC 329 predictions: Best bets for Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Max Holloway (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Justin Gaethje (not pictured) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images After five years away from the Octagon, the UFC’s biggest superstar in its history, Conor McGregor, finally steps back in the cage to headline the 2026 UFC International Fight Week card, UFC 329.
McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, returns to take on another legendary name in former lightweight and BMF champion Max Holloway. This will be a rematch of their first meeting back in August 2013, a bout McGregor won by unanimous decision. This bout will also take place at welterweight – marking the fourth time McGregor has fought at the weight class, and Holloway’s first.
McGregor last fought at UFC 264 in July 2021, a bout that saw him break his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in their trilogy bout. McGregor is just 1-3 since his first hiatus from the UFC – when he fought Floyd Mayweather during a two-year break from the Octagon.
Holloway went unbeaten for nearly six years after losing to McGregor, going on to become one of the UFC’s greatest featherweight champions. He’s just 7-6 since the end of that streak, however. He added the BMF title to his mantle but lost that belt to Charles Oliveira four months ago at UFC 326.
The co-main event will be a pivotal lightweight battle between Benoit Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett. BSD enters this fight having won four straight, scoring finishes of Kyle Prepolec, Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker. Pimblett, meanwhile, enters this fight after suffering his first UFC loss, coming up short in an interim lightweight title fight with current champ Justin Gaethje in the UFC 324 main event.
The rest of the main card includes Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista, Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh, and King Green vs. Terrance McKinney.
CONOR MCGREGOR VS MAX HOLLOWAY
Conor McGregor is returning to the Octagon after a five-year hiatus, raising questions about whether his skills and vintage power remain intact against a highly evolved Max Holloway. However, Holloway faces his own questions regarding how he’ll look making yet another jump in weight division. And while UFC CEO and President Dana White said at the press conference that there are multiple scenarios in play regardless of who wins, it feels hard to imagine the UFC lets their most valuable fighter ever simply fight out his contract.
For McGregor to have a chance at securing victory, he has to use his reach and look for that vintage McGregor striking to secure an early KO. The longer the fight goes, the more it benefits “Blessed.” And if McGregor can’t get the job done in 10 minutes, maybe even the first five minutes, it’s likely Holloway could put a hurting on him when you add in five years of ring rust.
BET: Fight to NOT start Round 3 (DraftKings: +120)
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BRANDON ROYVAL VS LONE’ER KAVANAGH
Brandon Royval is a fun flyweight fighter to watch, and he’ll be looking to rebound from his loss to Manel Kape. Royval is still a top flyweight contender, but he’s consistently losing to those who you’d consider the next-level and championship-level fighters. Lone’er Kavanagh’s UFC run is young. He’s just 10-1 in the sport, and after the upset loss to Charles Johnson, he rebounded hugely with his win over former champion Brandon Moreno.
Even with the KO loss to Kape, Royval is still one of the toughest flyweights, having had the Fight of the Year with current champ Joshua Van last year. And while Kavanagh has a lot of momentum on his side, Royval is still experienced and will pose a strong test to determine if Kavanagh is ready for upper-echelon competition.
BET: Fight to end via decision (DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, & BetMGM: -150)
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LUKE RILEY VS KAI KAMAKA III
Luke Riley is a promising European prospect who has impressed so far in his first two UFC bouts. Now he takes on the always durable Kai Kamaka III, a Hawaiian fighter with a strong chin and strong fists. The speciality for both of these men comes in their stand-up game, so expect an entertaining war with practically no time on the ground. It’s another opportunity for Riley to impress.
BET: Riley via decision (FanDuel: +140)
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South Africa's Jayden Adams, 25, dies after playing in World Cup
James Gunn’s Raunchy, R-Rated Superhero Comedy With Office Star Delivers Swift And Brutal Justice
