Xander Schauffele wins The Open; Team USA men’s basketball nearly stunned by South Sudan

Happy Monday all! This week, the Olympics begin, NFL training camps get into full swing, and the MLB trade deadline heats up. Not bad at all.

Let’s get right to it.

🏆 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

XANDER SCHAUFFELE

Two months and three days ago, he woke up with the unofficial title of “best player in the world yet to win a major.” Today, he wakes up a two-time major champion and arguably the best player in the world, bar none.

Xander Schauffele raced away from a leaderboard crowded with names big and small to win the British Open, shooting a masterful, bogey-free 65 to top Justin Rose by two. It came just nine weeks after Schauffele won the PGA Championship.

• After years of his closing ability in big events being questioned, Schauffele joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to shoot 65 or lower multiple times in the final round of a major victory.
• It’s the seventh time a player has won both the PGA Championship and The Open in the same year, and the first since Rory McIlroy in 2014.
• For the first time since 1982, American men have won each of the year’s four majors: Schauffele twice, Scottie Scheffler (Masters) and Bryson DeChambeau (U.S. Open). In 1982, it was Tom Watson (U.S., British), Craig Stadler (Masters) and Raymond Floyd (PGA).
• Schauffele joins the following players who won two majors and came in the top 10 in all four majors in a single season: Nicklaus, Watson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

On a windy, but clear, day, Schauffele shredded Royal Troon’s vaunted back nine to the tune of a 4-under 31, fittingly highlighted by the only birdie all day at the brutal 11th hole.

In a season that long looked like Scheffler’s and Scheffler’s alone, Schauffele more than joined the conversation, Kyle Porter writes.

😃 Honorable mentions

🤕 And not such a good morning for …

OZZIE ALBIES, MAX FRIED AND THE ATLANTA BRAVES

After two more brutal injuries, the Braves can only put on a brave face and soldier on. Ozzie Albies fractured his wrist hours after Atlanta placed All-Star pitcher Max Fried on the IL with forearm neuritis (nerve irritation). Albies is expected to miss approximately eight weeks, while Fried expects to be back soon.

The Braves have been without reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. (torn ACL) since late May and got just two starts out of ace Spencer Strider before he had Tommy John surgery.

Adding insult to injury — quite literally — is how Albies and Fried got hurt. Albies’ injury came when he tried to apply a tag to a base stealer with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and the Braves trailing the Cardinals 5-2 (Atlanta would lose 6-2). Fried, meanwhile, felt discomfort while warming up to pitch in the All-Star Game. He went out and pitched anyway, getting through a scoreless inning on 10 pitches.

The Braves are first in the NL wild-card race, 2½ games up on the Cardinals and four games up on the Mets, Diamondbacks and Padres.

😞 Not so honorable mentions

• Lamar Jackson was sent home from Ravens training camp practice due to an illness.
• Jordan Love and the Packers aren’t close on a new contract.

🏀 Team USA men’s basketball squeaks by South Sudan on LeBron James’ game-winner

Team USA men’s basketball has always had a target on its back. Now, countries around the world — even some of the most unlikely ones — have the skill to match the ambition, and South Sudan is the latest example. The Bright Stars nearly pulled off one of the greatest upsets in international sports history Saturday, ultimately coming up one point short, 101-100, after a late LeBron James layup and a hectic sequence thereafter.

South Sudan has only been officially independent since 2011 and had never played a major international basketball tournament before 2021.

James (25 points) and fellow Lakers star Anthony Davis (15) helped the U.S. survive its own dreadful shooting performance (7 for 28 from 3) and a red-hot one from South Sudan (14 for 33 from 3).

Marial Shayok, who played briefly for the 76ers, scored 24 points for the Bright Stars, and Carlik Jones, who played for three NBA teams across two seasons, had a triple-double. JT Thor (Hornets) and Wenyen Gabriel (multiple NBA teams) also reached double figures. But neither Jones nor Gabriel could convert shots in the final seconds before the buzzer sounded.

Watching this group of players push one of the greatest rosters ever assembled to the limit was jaw-dropping, and it should be eye-opening for the U.S. The Americans have tinkered with lineups throughout their showcase, but with the Olympic opener under a week away, Sam Quinn assessed who Steve Kerr should go with as his starting five. One tough call is the guard spot alongside Stephen Curry.

• Quinn: “The most important trait is going to be perimeter defense. James and Curry aren’t really built for high-leverage assignments anymore, at least not across full games, so someone else is going to have to do the defensive dirty work. The obvious choice for one of these slots is Jrue Holiday, who may still be the best perimeter defender in the world. He can defend basically any position, make 3’s, and won’t interfere with anything else the starters need to do offensively.”

🏀 WNBA All-Stars defeat Team USA behind Arike Ogunbowale, Caitlin Clark

Months after removing herself from the Team USA player pool due to “politics,” Arike Ogunbowale reminded everyone involved what they’re missing out on. Ogunbowale scored a WNBA All-Star Game record 34 points — all in the second half — on her way to MVP honors as Team WNBA beat Team USA 117-109 on Saturday.

Ogunbowale, who also won the award in 2021, joined Lisa Leslie (three), Maya Moore (three) and Swin Cash (two) as the only multi-time All-Star Game MVPs. In Ogunbowale’s case, both such awards came in the Team WNBA vs. Team USA format.

Of course, Ogunbowale wasn’t the only player considered a snub when Team USA released its Olympic roster. Many fans were hoping (and perhaps expecting) to see star rookie Caitlin Clark. Instead, Clark, dishing out an All-Star rookie record 10 assists against that team. That included a highlight-reel no-look pass to fellow star rookie Angel Reese, who had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win.

It was a surprising loss for Team USA as it warms up to go for its eighth straight Olympic gold. While Team WNBA is likely much stronger than any international competition, there are questions to answer, Jack Maloney writes.

• Maloney: “Perhaps the biggest question is who will step up behind Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson. The two best players in the world combined for 53 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and alone may be enough to lead Team USA to gold. But in the event of an off night, or, knock on wood, an injury, where will the Americans turn? … And what about the guard play? Chelsea Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum have all been inconsistent …”

Here’s more:

• Stewart gave a positive update on her hamstring.
• Allisha Gray won the 3-point Contest and the Skills Challenge.

Utah State cornerback Andre Seldon Jr. dies in apparent drowning

Utah State cornerback Andre Seldon Jr. died Saturday in an apparent drowning in a Utah reservoir. He was 22 years old.

• Seldon’s body was recovered Saturday evening after an extensive search that included a diving team. The Cache County Sheriff’s Office believes it was, “a tragic accident as multiple witnesses recount the same information.”
• Seldon started his career at Michigan and played the last two seasons at New Mexico State, where he was a team captain. He followed defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling — now the interim coach — to Utah State in the offseason. The Aggies fired Blake Anderson last week.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 Team USA vs. Germany, 3 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Grizzlies vs. Heat, 8 p.m. on ESPN