Matthew Fitzpatrick hit one of the all time brilliant second shots in a major on the 72nd hole at the Country Club at Brookline this past Sunday in the 122nd U.S. Open.

In the sand trap off the tee, the last place he wanted to be he said, and facing a 156 yard shot out of the bunker and trying to land it on the green to 2 putt and hope that Will Zalatoris didn’t birdie, the 27 year old Fitzpatrick, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, hit the shot of his young career, striking a 9 iron to 18 feet above the hole. He hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation on Sunday. Zalatoris, at -5, one back of Fitzpatrick, kept the heat on with an approach to 15 feet. Fitzpatrick, who is a stellar putter but was off with the flat stick on Sunday finishing with 36 putts, stroked his putt to a foot and tapped it in and waited for the Zalatoris attempt to tie him. Scottie Scheffler, the great young Masters champion at 26 years old, had finished at -5 and Fitzpatrick had dodged that hurdle, but the 25 year old Zalatoris from San Francisco, looked pretty confident lining up his birdie attempt. Zalatoris had spent 3 years at Wake Forest while Fitzpatrick was at Northwestern for only a quarter. When Zalatoris’s putt was halfway there is looked center cut, but it just slid off to the left as it made it to the hole, and Fitzpatrick had won his first PGA Tournament of his career. He had also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Brookline, so he accomplished a feat no other golfer besides Jack Nicklaus had, winning the U.S. Amateur and Open on the same course. Nicklaus did it at Pebble Beach. When Nicklaus called to congratulate him on his “first victory” on U.S. soil, Fitzpatrick reminded him that he won Nicklaus’s member-member in Florida in January. A light moment between two great champions. Arguably the greatest of all time, as far as majors won goes, and the young, upcoming star.

The Open Championship is at venerable St. Andrews in Scotland is the final major of the year and will take place July 14-17th. Should be another classic major championship. Scheffler captured the Masters, 29 year old Justin Thomas captured his second major and second PGA Championship at Southern Hills, OK. in May, and now Fitzpatrick for the third major of the year. Should be a riveting Open Championship, the 150th edition, at one of the most historic golf venues in the world, most likely the most historic. Can any of these 3 players capture the Claret Jug? Or will somebody like Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth or Will Zalatoris win it? Tiger Woods will be playing. The LIV golfers will be playing. Should be an epic.

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Winner

Defending champion, Nelly Korda, came back from a blood clot in her arm three weeks ago and made it to a playoff only to lose in a playoff last Sunday to Jennifer Kupcho at the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan. Kupcho is also the Chevron Championship major winner in March.

The tournament will be played at famed Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, 20 miles north of D.C. The course is playing 6,831 yards and is a par 72.

Weather, Thursday, 71 with a 79% chance of showers, wind E 6 MPH.

Friday, 83, Partly sunny, slim chance for rain, wind SE 5 MPH.

Saturday, 89, sunny, wind S 7 MPH.

Sunday, 90, Mainly sunny, wind S 10 MPH.

TV, All times Central

Thursday, 10 AM-2 PM, Golf Channel.

Friday, 10 AM-2 PM, Golf Channel

Saturday, 12-3 PM, NBC

Sunday, 12-3 PM, NBC.

Winner

It’s hard to go against several of the women. Jin Young Ko and Nelly are the favorites at 9/1. Lydia Ko comes in at 10/1, Minjee Lee, the Women’s U.S. Open Champ at Pine Needles, N.C. in early June, is 12/1, Lexi Thompson is at 14/1, Brooke Henderson, the 2016 champion, and winner two weeks ago at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, is 16/1.

But, I’ll take Nelly’s big sister. This 29 year old from Bradenton, FL. finished second to Kupcho at the Chevron Championship in March, and shot 68, 68, 69,67 last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic last weekend to finish -16 and 2 back of Kupcho, Leona McGuire and Nelly, who all finished at -18. Kupcho is 45/1. I like the way big sister is trending. Give me the older and less heralded Korda to make her mark at Congressional and capture the third major on the LPGA Tour this week at Congressional.

Jessica Korda

The fourth women’s major is Amundi Evian Championship in France July 21-24, and the final women’s major is the AIG Women’s Open at famed Muirfield in Scotland, site of Phil Mickelson’s 2013 Open Championship title, his fifth major at the time. He won his 6th at Kiawah Island in 2021, at the 103rd PGA Championship at 50 years old.

Auburn Baseball

Just not the Tigers year although it was a super season as the Tigers made the College World Series. They’ll probably lose Sonny D, but the talent is solid that is returning. Butch Thompson is doing a nice job on the Plains.

I’m going to take Ole Miss over Oklahoma.

Ole Miss over Oklahoma in 3.

National Champion, Ole Miss