2026 U.S. OPEN | ROUND 2 | CONDENSED

 

WHY TENNIS GREAT GABRIELA SABATINI RETIRED EARLY | MENTAL HEALTH

Gabriela Sabatini’s decision to retire at just 26 shocked the tennis world, but in hindsight, it reflected a deep, long-standing struggle with motivation rather than physical ability. By 1996, the Argentine star had already amassed 27 singles titles and nearly $9 million in prize money, including a memorable U.S. Open triumph in 1990. Yet despite her success, Sabatini admitted that she simply “couldn’t take it anymore.”

The source of her burnout wasn’t her body. She explained that the mental and emotional strain of the tour had gradually built up over years. “At 26, I was physically in great shape. I had already been processing it,” she revealed to ESPN, reflecting on the period that began around 1994. Working with a sports psychologist, Sabatini confronted a persistent sense of emptiness. “You feel like you’re hitting a rough patch and you say, ‘I don’t want to play, I don’t want to be in here,’ and it’s like everything is the same to you, and I wasn’t motivated to be there.”

This struggle traced back to her earliest years in tennis. A prodigy who turned professional at 14, Sabatini first experienced the same lack of motivation at 17, showing that even immense talent and early success couldn’t shield her from the mental toll of elite sport. Her candid reflections highlight the often unseen pressures faced by top athletes, reminding fans that the path to glory can come with profound personal cost.

#GabrielaSabatini #TennisLegend #MentalHealthInSports #USOpenChampion #TennisHistory #AthleteBurnout #WomenInSports #TennisRetirement #SportsPsychology

- Viral Y4

US OPEN: HARRIET DART EASES TO WIN, JAN CHOINSKI OUT ON DEBUT

 

Britain's Harriet Dart breezed into the second round of the U.S. Open on Monday with a straight sets win over Chloe Paquet, though her compatriot Jan Choinski fell to a heartbreaking defeat in five sets on his main-draw debut at Flushing Meadows.

Dart, the British No. 3, won 6-2, 6-1 against her French opponent, showing a newfound power in her service games which have traditionally been a weakness for the 28-year-old.

Her game started later than expected as a result of Choinski's epic, the British men's No. 10 falling just short against Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.

Choinski earned his first-ever spot in the main draw by winning three qualifying matches but it looked as though his stay would be short after a number of unforced errors saw him down two sets.

An impressive recovery ensued and Choinski had five break points to start the fifth set. He was unable to convert any of them, however, and Carballes Baena took advantage with a break of his own in the next game which proved to be the decisive blow.

"All in all, I'm happy how I performed in this match and it's something I can build on in the future for sure," Choinski said.

Several other Brits begin their campaigns in New York on Tuesday, including Katie Boulter, Emma Raducanu, Jack Draper and Dan Evans.

- ESPN 

DECHAMBEAU WINS US OPEN AS MCILROY'S MAJOR MISERY CONTINUES

USA TODAY Sports 

 Bryson DeChambeau came out on top in a dramatic final round, back nine battle with Rory McIlroy to win the U.S. Open by one shot on Sunday as the Northern Irishman's major misery continued at Pinehurst resort in North Carolina.

Poised to end a decade long major drought, McIlroy collapsed at the finish with bogey's on three of his final four holes, including a heart-breaker at the 18th where he missed from inside four feet.

At the same time, playing in the final pair, DeChambeau sent his tee shot into the rough but held his nerve with a brilliant up and down to save par for a final round one-over 71.

That was good enough to earn the LIV Golf standard bearer a heart-stopping victory with a six-under 274 winning total.

"Oh, man, I didn't want to finish second again," said DeChambeau, runner-up at last month's PGA Championship. "PGA really stung.

"As much as it is heartbreaking for some people, it was heartbreak for me at the PGA. I really wanted this one.

"When I turned the corner and saw I was a couple back, I said, nope, I'm not going to let that happen.

"I was a little lucky. Rory didn't make a couple putts that he could have coming in.

"I had an amazing up-and-down on the last.

"I don't know what else to say. It's a dream come true."

McIlroy had a final round 69 to finish alone in second one ahead of Americans Patrick Cantlay (70) and Tony Finau (67).

It was the second career major win for DeChambeau, his first coming at the 2020 U.S. Open.

The 30-year-old American started the day at the top of the leaderboard three clear of the chasing pack that included McIlroy but trailed the world number three by two with five holes to play.

"Ultimately on 13, I knew I had to make birdie there to give myself a chance because Rory was going on a heater," said DeChambeau, who collected is last birdie of the day at 13. "He (McIlroy) slipped up a couple on the way coming in, and I just kept staying the course."

DeChambeau had looked headed for another second place until McIlroy's sudden collapse.

McIlroy had used a red hot putter to snatch the lead, but with the finish line in sight, suddenly went cold on the greens missing from 30 inches at the 16th and from inside four-feet at 18 leaving the Northern Irishman shellshocked as he walked off the course and quickly into his car putting the disaster in his rearview mirror.

The U.S. Open thriller showcased golf's best providing fans something they have been regularly denied since the sport split into two camps with the PGA Tour on one side and Saudi-backed rebel circuit LIV Golf on the other.

The final round on a tricky Pinehurst No. 2 layout featured two of the game's more intriguing personalities with McIlroy, long one of golf's most popular players and the big-hitting DeChambeau one of the most entertaining.

Along with the silver trophy, a record $4.3 million winner's purse golf bragging rights were also on the line with a LIV golfer again claiming a major title.

"I hope this can bridge the gap between a divided game," said DeChambeau. "All I want to do is entertain and do my best for the game of golf, execute and provide some awesome entertainment for the fans.

"From at least what I can tell, that's what the fans want, and they deserve that.

"Let bygones be bygones and go figure it out."

WOOD EXITS US OPEN, SAYS IT 'MAY OR MAY NOT' BE' HIS LAST

USA TODAY Sports 

 Fifteen-times major winner Tiger Woods said this could very well be his final U.S. Open, after carding a three-over-par 73 that left him at seven over for the week to miss the cut at Pinehurst on Friday.

The former world number one has kept a limited competition schedule after a horrific 2021 car crash and was non-committal about whether he would tee it up in his national open again after missing the cut at last month's PGA Championship as well.

"I thought I played well enough to be up there in contention. It just didn't work out," said Woods, who accepted a special exemption to compete this week.

"As far as my last Open Championship or U.S. Open Championship, I don't know what that is. It may or may not be."

The American was one of several notable names sent packing on Friday, as a brutal Pinehurst course exacted its toll.

Phil Mickelson's (76) latest campaign for a career grand slam never had a chance as he finished near the bottom of the leaderboard at 15-over par.

His LIV Golf colleague Dustin Johnson (75), who won in 2016, hit the road as well after finishing nine-over par, while twice PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas (74) left North Carolina at 11-over par through 36 holes.

American Max Homa (75), who finished this year's Masters tied for third, and Norwegian Viktor Hovland (68) had both been on the hunt for a maiden major but each missed the cut at six-over par.

World number one Scottie Scheffler (74) struggled with his putter on Friday but just made the cut at five-over par through 36 holes.

"I just couldn't get the putts to fall," he told reporters. "This golf course can be unpredictable at times, and maybe it got the better of me the last couple days."

TIGER WOODS OFF EARLY FOR US OPEN PRACTICE THAT INCLUDES ADAM SCOTT AND HIS MAJOR STREAK

AP Photo 

 PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Tiger Woods was among those on Pinehurst No. 2 for the first full day of U.S. Open practice before the sun could break through the clouds and climb over the trees.

It's his first time playing a U.S. Open on this Donald Ross gem in 19 years, and so much of it is new to him because of a restoration project from a decade ago that replaced rough with native sandy areas and wiregrass bushes.

As for Adam Scott, there is nothing new about playing in the majors — this is 92nd in a row, the longest active streak — only about the way he got into the 156-man field.

A week ago, he walked off the 36-hole qualifier in Springfield, Ohio, as the first alternate after losing in a playoff to Cam Davis for the final spot from that site.

“Leaving from Springfield, there was a lot of uncertainty, I would say,” Scott said. "By Friday, and fully understanding how this field works, I was feeling a lot better about myself. It's funny, not having been in that position there is a lot to finding out how a field gets filled. And it's complicated.

“I'm grateful I haven't been in this position too much.”

The USGA set aside six spots for anyone who moved into the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking published Monday, and the rest go to alternates.

Scott was No. 60 last week, almost certain to fall out. But there also was the delicate issue of Grayson Murray, who took his life on May 25, still listed among the top 60. The USGA wanted to honor Murray's position in the world ranking — it will stay there for another week — though it said it would remove his name as it related to its top 60 category.

Scott fell to No. 61 — Billy Horschel, already in the U.S. Open, was one shot away from bumping Scott to No. 62 — but still extends a streak in the majors that dates to the 2001 British Open.

It looks close only on paper. In fact, Scott learned his qualifier would be the fourth site selected for alternates. Of the six spots held back, only one would be taken by Canadian Open winner Robert MacIntyre. That left five spots.

“I can do that math,” Scott said with a smile.

He also had to go through U.S. Open qualifying five years ago, what he said then is no different now. Getting into the major is great. But the goal is to win.

What awaits is a Pinehurst No. 2 course among the most challenging. In three previous U.S. Opens, only four players have finished under par — Payne Stewart (1 under) in 1999, Martin Kaymer (8 under), Erik Compton (1 under) and Rickie Fowler (1 under) in 2014.

“This is pretty typical U.S. Open in the sense that par is a great friend to you all week,” said Webb Simpson, a former U.S. Open champion who had to qualify this year for the first time since 2011. "It’s a brutally hard golf course.

“You have to be incredibly disciplined. You have to accept 30-footers all day.”

Woods has a full week beyond the golf. He had scheduled a mid-morning news conference, only to postpone that until later in the week. He also is being given the Bob Jones Award on Tuesday night, the USGA's highest honor.

Still to be determined is whether — when? — he will accept the Ryder Cup captaincy for the 2025 matches. And he was in New York on Friday for a PGA Tour Enterprises board meeting with the Saudi financiers of LIV Golf.

He played with Fowler, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, with son Charley walking along with him now that he's out of school for the summer.

Scottie Scheffler wasn't on the course after winning the Memorial by one shot on a Muirfield Village course that was tough enough to feel like a U.S. Open.

AP Photo 

Among those playing in the afternoon was David Puig of Spain, a 22-year-old who plays on the LIV Golf circuit and is a reminder of what else is at stake this week. The world ranking published Monday will be used to determine who plays at the Paris Olympics.

For Puig, it's simple — and daunting. If he makes the cut, he will get the second spot that goes to Spain. If he misses, it goes to Jorge Campillo.

Also in the field was Maxwell Moldovan, who just graduated from Ohio State, turned pro and was second alternate in Ohio a week ago. It took a sequence of events for him to get to Pinehurst, and it worked out perfectly for him.

No one at the Memorial was able to bump Scott out of the top 61. Because Scott was the first alternate at Springfield, that spot went to Moldovan. He didn't find out until Neal Shipley — the low amateur at the Masters and his Buckeyes teammate — messaged him at 5:20 a.m. Monday.

Moldovan had to win a playoff over Troy Merritt just to be second alternate. The final round of the Memorial had a huge bearing on his immediate future.

“I did a lot of leaderboard watching and OWGR searching, and a lot of my friends were trying to crunch numbers and see what I needed,” he said. “I'm thankful how it all worked out.”

- DOUG FERGUSON

COLONIAL GETS MODERN UPGRADES DURING A HANSE-LED RESTORATION INSPIRED BY 1941 US OPEN

Craig Wood, 1941. AP Photo

 FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Work was already underway on a complete renovation of the historic Colonial course the day after Emiliano Grillo won on the second playoff hole last May.

There are plenty of modern upgrades at “Hogan's Alley,” but a significant goal of the $20 million-plus project was to restore the course to much of its original form. Colonial Country Club opened in 1936, five years before a U.S. Open was there and 10 years before it began hosting what is now the longest-running PGA Tour event at the same venue.

“It's the same old Colonial, but better,” tournament director Michael Tothe said about the tree-lined course where Fort Worth great Ben Hogan won five times.

Renowned architect Gil Hanse oversaw the course renovation that was completed on time for the Charles Schwab Challenge this week — the first rounds played at Colonial since last year's tournament.

“New reads, new contours, new everything ... do my homework and pretend it's a place I've never played,” Grillo said.

“It's (my) 12th start here, but really the first start in the new Colonial era,” said local favorite Jordan Spieth, the 2016 champion and a three-time runner-up. “I imagine it's tough for a course designer to bring a course back in time, but accommodating the modern game, making it maybe more playable for an average member 51 weeks of the year, but still a championship golf course making it as or more difficult for us. I guess time will tell over the next four days, but it really seems like he’s somehow done that."

The first round is Thursday.

Grillo. AP

Every bit of sod was replaced over about 118 acres. There are new greens, tees and bunkers, and 65 miles of pipes that are part of a state-of-the-art irrigation system.

Colonial was the first course in Texas to have bentgrass greens when it opened nine decades ago, and still has them. The renovation included the installation of a hydronics system that can circulate cool or warm water to keep the putting surfaces at the peak condition, even during the often-brutal summer heat.

As for restoring the course, Hanse relied heavily on a program from the 1941 U.S. Open that included photographs and detailed descriptions of each hole.

Most of the greens were lowered, with some moved back and others shifted several feet to one side or the other. Among the most significant changes were on Nos. 8 and 13, both par 3s.

The No. 8 green was moved about 30 feet to the left, bringing into a play a creek along the left side, a twist on the original design when that hole was closer to the Trinity River on the right before a 1949 flood. Hanse moved back and raised the 13th green fronted by water to more like it was originally, and also expanded that tee.

Grillo had to go to a playoff last year after a double bogey on the 72nd hole, when his wayward tee shot went into the flowing water of a small concrete drainage canal to the right of the 18th fairway. The ball finally came to rest against a rock in the middle of the flow about 150 yards downstream.

That concrete canal and other drainage areas on the course, around half the holes, have been replaced by barrancas, which are often sandy areas dotted with native wild grasses and plants. They are part of existing natural dry beds on the property that channel water during heavy rains.

Hanse also incorporated barrancas in a restoration he oversaw at Los Angeles Country Club, where the U.S. Open was played last summer. Hanse also restored recent U.S. Open host sites The Country Club in Brookline (Massachusetts) and Winged Foot Golf Club in New York, and Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which hosted the 2022 PGA Championship.

Ryan Palmer is making his 21st PGA Tour start at Colonial, where he has been a member since 2010. His caddie, James Edmondson, is the five-time club champion.

“It’s been a crazy year for Colonial, obviously, but the restoration Gil Hanse and his team did, I mean it’s unbelievable how fast it came together,” Palmer said. “It’s pretty cool to kind of be a part of a lot of the conversations we had. ... To finally see it, and for the guys on Tour to be here playing it, I heard a lot of great positive comments, so that’s good to know. I was a little nervous, to be honest with you, for the course and for the club.”

- STEPHEN HAWKINS

AUSTRALIAN OPEN UPS PRIZE MONEY BY 13% FOR TOTAL POOL OF $58.4M

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Australian Open tennis officials have announced an increase in prize money by 10 million Australian dollars ($6.8 million) for the upcoming tournament which begins on Jan. 14 at Melbourne Park.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said in a statement Friday that the Grand Slam tournament will now offer 86.5 Australian dollars ($58.4 million) in total prize money.

The U.S. Open announced in August that it was increasing its total prize money and player compensation to a record $65 million, which is the highest among the four Grand Slam tournaments.

2023 U.S. OPEN | ROUND 2 | MIDDAY

2023 U.S. OPEN HIGHLIGHTS | ROUND 1 | LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB

 

JOHNSON LEADS LIV CHARGE AT U.S. OPEN | TWO BACK OF LEADER

LIV Golf players have made their presence felt at the majors this year and on Thursday it was Dustin Johnson who led the charge with a solid start to the U.S. Open.

The former world number one, who picked up the first of his two major titles at the 2016 U.S. Open, fired a six-under-par 64 at Los Angeles Country Club to tie his career-low round in a major.

That put him two shots back of co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, whose matching 62s marked the lowest round in U.S. Open history and equalled the lowest major round of all time.

2021 U.S. OPEN | ROUND 4 | EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS