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
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
Sports
Team Yandex tied with 1w in Group D at Esports World Cup Dota tourney
The hands of an esport gamer clutching the controler at Encore Esports Gaming Lounge in New Rochelle on Thursday, December 20, 2018.
E Sports
Team Falcons and PARIVISION stand alone atop their groups, while 1w and Team Yandex share first place and Aurora Gaming is tied with Nigma Galaxy after Thursday’s action at the Dota 2 event of the Esports World Cup in Paris.
Group A’s Team Falcons and Group C’s PARIVISION each won with 2-0 sweeps over their opponents and are unbeaten. Team Yandex (3-0-1) also swept to victory in Group D, but 1w split a match 1-1 with OG to move to 3-0-1 in the competition. Similarly, Group B co-leader Aurora Gaming is 3-0-1 after a prior tie with Nigma and Friday’s 2-0 win over PTime.
The Dota event at the Esports World Cup is the final championship of the ESL Pro Tour, now in its fourth season. The tournament has a $2 million prize pool, with $750,000 and 1,000 club points going to the first-place team.
The format consists of three phases: a group stage (through Sunday) of four groups of six teams competing in a round robin, a survival phase (July 14-15) formatted into a single-elimination bracket that will see four teams advance, then a final playoff stage (July 16-19), which is single elimination.
All matches in Phase 1 are two games, while the matches in Phases 2 and 3 are best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final.
Overall, the Esports World Cup will feature competition in 25 titles and a total prize purse of $75 million. This week’s events also include Valorant, Apex Legends and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Upcoming events will include League of Legends, PUBG, EA Sports FC, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Rocket League, Counter-Strike 2 and Fortnite.
On Friday in Group A, BetBoom Team swept Xtreme Gaming, winning in 39 minutes on green and 20 minutes on red. Team Falcons swept Poor Rangers in 31 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red. GamerLegion and Rune Eaters played to a 1-1 tie, with GamerLegion taking red in 52 minutes and their opponents emerging with a 68-minute victory on red.
Group B was all sweeps, as Aurora Gaming took down PlayTime in 46 minutes on red and 44 minutes on green; Team Liquid vanquished L1 TEAM in 28 minutes and 42 minutes, both on green; and Nigma Galaxy notched a 2-0 win over LEVEL Up in 28 minutes on red and 33 minutes on green.
Group C followed suit in with three sweeps. PARIVISION beat MOUZ in 43 minutes on green and 22 minutes on red; Vici Gaming knocked off Team Nemesis in 51 minutes on red and 39 minutes on green; and Team Spirit blanked REKONIX in 41 minutes on red and 28 minutes on green.
In Group D, Team Yandex swept LGD Gaming, winning in 33 minutes on green and 34 minutes on red. Virtus.pro blanked Inner Circle x Insanity, taking red in 35 minutes and green in 39. OG and 1w played to a 1-1 tie, with 1w winning in 40 minutes on red and OG emerging with a 51-minute victory on red.
Saturday’s schedule
Group A
–Xtreme Gaming vs. Team Falcons
–BetBoom Team vs. GamerLegion
–Poor Rangers vs. Rune Eaters
Group B
–Aurora Gaming vs. Team Liquid
–PlayTime vs. Nigma Galaxy
–L1 TEAM vs. Level UP
Sunday’s schedule
Group C
–PARIVISION vs. Team Spirit
–MOUZ vs. Vici Gaming
–REKONIX vs. Team Nemesis
Group D
–1w vs. Team Yandex
–OG vs. Virtus.pro
–LGD Gaming vs. Inner Circle x Insanity
Dota 2 Esports World Cup group-stage standings (match record W-L-T, map record)
Group A
1. Team Falcons, 3-0-1 (7-1)
2. BetBoom Team, 2-0-2 (6-2)
3. Xtreme Gaming, 1-1-2 (4-4)
4. GamerLegion, 1-2-1 (3-5)
5. Rune Eaters, 0-1-3 (3-5)
6. Poor Rangers, 0-3-1 (1-7)
Group B
T1. Aurora Gaming, 3-0-1 (7-1)
T1. Nigma Galaxy, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. Team Liquid, 2-1-1 (5-3)
4. PlayTime 1-1-2 (4-4)
5. L1 TEAM, 0-3-1 (1-7)
6. Level UP, 0-4-0 (0-8)
Group C
1. PARIVISION, 4-0-0 (8-0)
2. Team Spirit, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. Vici Gaming, 2-2-0 (4-4)
4. MOUZ, 1-1-2 (4-4)
5. Team Nemesis, 0-3-1 (1-7)
6. REKONIX, 0-4-0 (0-8)
Group D
T1. 1w, 3-0-1 (7-1)
T1. Team Yandex, 3-0-1 (7-1)
3. OG, 1-1-2 (4-4)
T4. LGD Gaming, 1-2-1 (3-5)
T4. Virtus.pro, 1-2-1 (3-5)
6. Inner Circle x Insanity, 0-4-0 (0-8)
–Field Level Media
Mets' Mark Vientos (hand) expected to be out 6-8 weeks
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