Our great freshman, Jon Ed Steed, and his teammates home in on capturing the NCAA Championship in Men’s Golf. (Photo courtesy of On3).
Super freshman Jon Ed Steed helps lead the Dores into La Costa Resort and Spa for the NCAA Championships (Photo courtesy of On3)
Our 11th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores are trying to augment what our 10-3 football almost did, our men’s and women’s basketball teams accomplished, our women’s soccer team accomplished, and our baseball team, though not what we wanted, played extremely hard and there is a lot of hope for 2027. When you have a coach in Tim Corbin, who has won national championships in 2014 and ’19, there is always room to be optimistic.
There’s a lot of optimism for all our teams. Clark has reloaded and brought back some studs in wide receiver Junior Sherrill, running back Seddy Alexander and company to go along with 99, 5 star frosh quarterback Jared Curtis, and some nice pieces out of recruiting and the portal. And we have excellent returnees. We’ll be good.
The SEC is always a battle of attrition, but we’re well equipped for 2026 and beyond. Clark is already assembling a solid 2027 class led by 94, four star linebacker Omarii Sanders, 6′ 3 1/2″, 210. Love what Clark did in his fifth season with the great Diego and company and love what the future holds.
Coach By just recruited a stellar freshmen class and also landed some major transfers. Chandler Bing is coming back for his sophomore season, and I like what Chandler brings to the table with his athletic ability, driving and scoring and improving ability from beyond the arc. He averaged 28 points his senior year in his school in Atlanta. He also plays lockdown defense.
And the news of the year in Vanderbilt Sports happened on Tuesday when the amazing Tyler Tanner decided to return for his junior season. That’s tremendous. Tyler averaged 19 points, almost 6 assists and 2.4 steals. He’s looking at an All American Wooden Award season in ’26-27.
Get your season tickets for football and men’s basketball as soon as possible. It’ll be a spectacle at First Bank and Memorial Gymnasium in 2026-27.
Not to be outdone, Coach Shea Ralph led her women’s basketball team to an awesome season. Love the future with Mikayla Blakes and company returning. Coach Ralph is tremendous.
Also, Coach Darren Ambrose took our soccer team to the Elite Eight and we have incredible prospects for 2026.
Those respective teams banged hard on the door, and now Coach Scott Limbaugh, players senior Wells Williams, freshmen Jon Ed Steed and Will Hartman will home in on breaking it down at the NCAA Championships which commenced today and is being played at La Costa Resort and Spa North Course in the San Diego metro area.
Our great golf team, led by freshman Will Hartman’s tie for low medalist honors, won the Athens, GA. Regional defeating teams like No.1 Auburn to earn one of the 30 spots in this field. We tee off at 3:07 P.M. CT/ 4:07 ET/ 1:07 Pacific.
We’ll start senior Wells Williams, sophomore Ryan Downes, freshmen Jon Ed, Will and Michael Riebe. Jon Ed, Will and Michael were part of the No.1 recruiting class in the country in 2025. Coach Limbaugh also secured the No. 1 class in the country for 2026.
The North Course at La Costa will play over 7,500 yards with a couple of long par 5’s in the 616 yard 2nd hole, and the 609 yard 18th. No.6 is the No.1 handicap hole. It’s a par 5 at 576. Good bit of water on the backside. Greens will be a certain kind of bentgrass that will be quick, stimping at 12 1/2 to 13.
Coach Limbaugh, in his 14th season, has led his teams to 50 tournament titles, with the most recent one being the Athens (GA.) Regional, we’ve had 37 low medalists (winners of tourneys), 12 NCAA Championship Appearances, 7 Match Play appearances, 3 Final Fours, 2017, ’19 and ’22, and Gordon Sargent won the NCAA individual title in 2022. It’s a laundry list of excellence. There’s more, players in the pros, etc..
The format for the major championship of college golf is a 30 team field with the field playing 3 rounds, 54 holes, today through Sunday, with a cut to 15 teams after the third round on Sunday. On Monday, the field gets cut down to 8 teams after 18 holes, and those 8 will play match play starting Tuesday. The quarterfinals and semis will transpire Tuesday, and the Championship match is Wednesday. Golf Channel will stream the Championships over the weekend and televise on the Golf Channel Monday through Wednesday, starting at approximately, 5-5:30 P.M. CT/ 6-6:30 East/ and 3-3:30 P.M. Pacific.
Coach Limbaugh said the teams that are favored are Auburn, Florida, Texas and UVA.
We’ll home in on breaking this door down this time. Regardless, we’ve had a heckuva season, and the future is through the roof bright.
And we could very well get over the hump and capture our first Golf National Championship over the next 6 days.
Novak goes for Slam Number 25. (Photo courtesy of ATP Tour).
The 125th French Open at Roland Garros commences Sunday with immense excitement on both the men’s and women’s sides. Can Novak Djokavic win a record setting 25th major breaking his tie with former women’s superstar Margaret Court. Novak will be locked in. Can the 24 year old Italian phenom Jannik Sinner complete the career Grand Slam with a win at Roland Garros. The now established young Italian, who is the best, nicest and most warrior like competitor on tour, along with 23 year old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, is searching for major number 5, as he’s won the 2024 and 2025 Australian, the 2025 Championships at Wimbledon, and the 2024 US Open. He looked to have the French Open in his grasp in the final in 2025, but Alcaraz pulled off a miracle comeback winning 4-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2, 10 point tiebreakers in fifth set at French).
The 39 year old Djokavic, who turned 39 yesterday, will try to regain the magic form that has carried him for so long and has allowed him to win 10 Australians, 3 French’s, 7 Wimbledons, and 4 US’s for his 24 major titles. His last championship came at the 2023 US. That same year, 2023, he also won the French and Australian Opens with Carlos Alcaraz winning Wimbledon that season preventing the great Joker from winning all four Slams. But Joker didn’t go down at Wimbledon without a major fight falling to Alcaraz, 6-1, 6-7 (8-6), 1-6, 6-3, 4-6. What a war.
Carlos will not be playing in this year’s French as he has a wrist injury that will also keep him out of Wimbledon. I know all tennis fans are hoping the superb Carlos will return for the US.
On the Women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka is the star. She’s a tough out with her
powerful, dominant and intimidating style of play.
Here are my Predictions for the Men’s Quarters, Semis and Finals and the Women’s Semis
and Finals at Roland Garros in Paris. TNT and TruTV will televise with HBO Max streaming
the action.
Men’s Quarterfinals, Wednesday, June 3rd, TNT, TruTV
Jannik Sinner over Ben Shelton, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
Daniil Medvedev over Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
Djokavic over Alex De Minour, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Alexander Zverev over Jiri Lehecka, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Women’s Semifinals, Thursday, June, 4th, TBS and TruTV
Aryna Sabalenka over Coco Gauff, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
Elina Svitolina over Elena Rybakina, 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 7-6 (10-8*** 10 point tiebreaker in the French in the third set for women and the fifth set for men.)
Junior Alex Kranzler incredible versus Kentucky on Tuesday at the Hoover Met. (Photo courtesy of Instagram).
Junior right hander Alex Kranzler locked it down for the Vanderbilt Commodores Tuesday, and the bats got going in the bottom of the 6th, as the Vandy Boys defeated Kentucky, 8-5, in the first round of the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met.
We moved to 33-24 overall and earned our 15th SEC victory as we set our sights on advancing much further in this tourney and solidifying our spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Our No. 12 seed Commodores now face 5th seed and 18th ranked Florida in the second round today with an approximate 1 P.M. first pitch. Could be 1:30 ish or a little later depending on how Miss. State-Mizzou goes. State is up 3-1 in the top of the 4th presently.
Connor Fennell got the start and fought hard like he always. The SEC Network broadcasters interviewed Coach Corbin in the third and Corbin said Fennell was not at his best as he had just gotten 5 days rest. Normal rest time is 7 days for a weekend starter. But Fennell battled, as always, going 4.2, giving up 7 hits, 4 earned with a walk and 5 K’s.
Then Alex Kranzler came in and shut the door on the Kentucky offense. Kranzler went 4.1 innings, gave up 1 hit, 1 run, in the 9th when the game was close to secure, with 1 walk and 5 K’s. It was a spectacular performance from our junior from Norwood, Jersey.
Meanwhile, the bats took a while to get going, but once they did, it went well. We were down 4-1 going into the bottom of the 6th when the offense woke up. After two outs, right fielder Logan Johnstone walked, first baseman Tommy Goodin singled putting runners at first and second, and shortstop Ryker Waite singled driving in Johnstone. Then, our centerfielder, Rustan “Rooster” Rigdon singled up the middle to drive in Goodin to cut the deficit it to 4-3. DH Brandon Barczi singled to left driving in Waite to tie it at 4-4. Jaxon Jelkin, the Kentucky pitcher, who had been dealing on us, was knocked out of the game. Jack Sams came in and with runners on first and second, catcher Korbin Reynolds hit it to third and the KY third baseman threw it away, and the fleet footed Rigdon scored to put us up, 5-4.
With Kranzler dominating Kentucky, we extended the lead in the bottom of the 8th when the great Rigdon singled, stole second and third, and scored when the catcher threw it into left field while Rigdon was sliding into third. Reynolds then singled and our terrific sophomore third baseman from Ooltewah, TN., Brodie Johnston, cranked his 15th homer of the season to deep left field. It was a no doubter. Brodie had to watch that one for a second. It was his 46th and 47th Ribeyes as well.
We were up 8-4 in the top of the ninth and Kentucky scored an inconsequential run, as Kranzler closed it out.
It’s Florida today at 1 P.M.CT/ 2 East on the SEC Network.
I’ll guesstimate either freshman right hander Tyler Baird, 0-5, 4.81 ERA, 24 walks, 49 K’s in 4 games started and 43 innings. Tyler has been figuring it out lately, and has super stuff and throws it 95. He has given up 7 doubles, 0 triples and 4 homers.
Or we might go with frosh Wyatt Nadeau, 2-3, 5.57 ERA, 36 walks, 60 K’s in 51.2 IP’s. Wyatt has given up 9 doubles and 5 long balls. Both pitchers have been trending well. Wyatt hits 96 regularly. If they can just keep their control in order I like our chances.
Florida, 37-18, 18-12- SEC, might go with starter Liam Peterson, who is 2-5 with a 4.00 ERA. They may go a bullpen game.
Not sure how Florida is approaching this game. They are securely in the NCAA Tournament, but their coach, Kevin O’Sullivan, and Corbs are good friends, but major rivals. We always get everybody’s best shot, so we’ll need to home in on being successful.
Will get pitchers to you when I know. Could be about 10 or 20 minutes before the game. State is up 3-2 on Mizzou in the bottom of another fifth. We’ll see how that game progresses.
By the way, our great second baseman Mike Mancini, was named second team All-SEC earlier this week., Mancini is hitting .306 with 15 homers and 44 Ribeyes. He has also stolen 20 of 21 bases, including another one Tuesday. Mike’s been a superb player for us this year and is excellent on defense.
Our Men’s Golf Team was down a little earlier today, but is now in first place at the Athens, GA. Regional at -25. We are one shot clear of Louisville, which is at -24. BYU is next at -18. Georgia and Charleston are tied for 4th at -17, and No.1 Auburn is surprisingly in 6th at -15. The top 5 teams advance to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa-North Course next Friday, May 29th.
Louisville has just dropped three shots and we now have a four shot lead at -25. Both Louisville and us are on holes 10-13. Auburn is also on holes 10-13. Our great freshman, Will Hartman, is -14 and leading the player leaderboard by 3 shots over Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter, who is at -11. Will, from Marvin, North Carolina, shot eight under, 63 on Tuesday. Freshman Jon Ed Sneed, from my prolific wife’s stomping grounds, Enterprise, Alabama, is in 6th at -8. Senior Wells Williams is at -4. Just fell off two shots to -23, and are just one clear of Louisville (-22). Both teams through holes 11-14. BYU is -20 through holes 10-13. Will keep you posted.
Will be in touch on Baseball and golf today. Have a great work day.
Our Warrior junior right hander Connor Fennell is on the hill today versus Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of The Tennessean).
Our 12th seeded Vanderbilt Commodores, who are 32-24 overall and finished 14-16 in the SEC after sweeping South Carolina over the weekend at the Hawk, are in the Hoover Met today for the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament. We will face Kentucky at approximately 1 P.M. CT/2 East for a shot at matriculating and keeping our NCAA hopes alive and having a shot at excelling in Hoover.
The SEC Network will televise. We need two victories in this tournament, and maybe even three, to solidify our NCAA Tournament chances. So it all starts today versus the Wildcats, who we took two of three from in the regular season in Lexington.
We’ll go with right hander and stellar Friday Night starter Connor Fennell, who is 4-2 with a 4.80 ERA, but has been terrific lately in his starts versus Alabama, Missouri and South Carolina, respectively. Connor has walked 19 and struck out 97, which is excellent. He has allowed 13 doubles, one triple and 15 homers. The opponents batting average against him is .252. Gotta keep it in the ball park. The Hoover Met is more of a pitcher’s park, but there are definitely long balls hit out of there.
Kentucky, which is 31-20, and 13-17 in the SEC and also playing for their NCAA Tournament chances, will go with junior left hander Ben Cleaver, I’m guessing. Cleaver is 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA, 25 walks, 44 K’s. He has given up 7 doubles, 0 triples and 5 homers. Opponents are batting .250 against him.
In the Friday Night game in Lexington on April 17th, Fennell faced Jaxon Jelkin. Fennell went 6.1, gave up 5 hits, 1 earned with 2 walks and 3 K’s. Cleaver didn’t pitch, but Kentucky won, 5-2. Our bullpen got hit pretty hard that night. I’m not positive Cleaver is starting for them, so this is a guesstimate. I’ll update if I find out anything else before the game.
We’ve hit well this season at .291, and played really solid defense fielding at a .976 clip. Just gotta get pitching in this tournament. We showed some good signs against South Carolina. Fennell was solid as always on Thursday and we got a solid start from Jacob Faulkner on Saturday. We’re just getting it done by committee right now. We’ve got a lot of young, talented arms who seem to be figuring it out right now. Alex Kranzler, our junior, has been pitching well lately.
We’ve just got to get through today. I picked us 5-4 on my All Sports Blog yesterday, so hopeful that comes to fruition. Will elaborate more Wednesday if we emerge victorious today. Come on Fellas.
Golf tied for second after first day of NCAA Regionals in Athens.
Our Men’s Golf team is in second place tied with Auburn at -7 after the first round of the NCAA Regionals at University of Georgia Golf Club in Athens.
We are three back of Louisville, which is at -10, and we are tied with No.1 ranked Auburn. We got stellar performances from freshmen Jon Ed Steed and Will Hartman, who both shot 4 under par 67. Senior Wells Williams is at -1. The second round is underway and we’re on the course. Will keep you updated. There are 13 teams in this Regional with the top 5 teams after the third round advancing to the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa North Course in Carlsbad, CA. starting Friday, May 29th. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do.
Luckily for both of our teams, we have Tim Corbin and Scott Limbaugh, respectively.
Will keep you apprised. Thanks and have a great day.
Spike Me Up, John “Brombey” Bromberg, captured the second leg of the Triple Crown with his prediction of Napoleon Solo. (Photo Courtesy of JB&Co. Jewelry Boutique, Not the greatest “quality” photo. Sorry Spike-best I could do).
After Amy “Sweetie” Bromberg predicted Golden Tempo to successfully win the 152nd Kentucky Derby, her other half, the great “Spike Me Up” John “Brombey” Bromberg backed it up by successfully predicting Napoleon Solo to capture the 151st Preakness Stakes. It’s onto the Belmont as the Bromberg dynamic duo sets their sights on capturing the Triple Crown in the predictions and “earnings” departments in these American Classic races. Great stuff from the Bromberg family. White’s World, Derrick and Excedrin “Bill Gates” Bates went with Iron Honor. White’s World felt good about the pick, and Derrick, whose vintage O’Neal Steel company slogan was, “When you need steel, depend on O’Neal,” of course went with the Iron horse. Excedrin was in agreement. Iron Honor almost pulled it off, barely falling a length short of winning the mile and three sixteenths race. It was another electric Triple Crown race. Excited for Brombey, Joseph “Bama Golf”, WP, Excedrin, Derrick,Brownie, White’s World, etc.. to pick the ponies at the 158th Belmont Stakes, which will take place at Saratoga Park in Saratoga Springs, New Yawk, as Belmont Park, in Elmont, New York, is under construction and won’t be ready this year, but will host the 2027 Belmont, after a $455 million renovation. Should be fun with the Derby winner Golden Tempo along with Preakness winner Napoleon Solo and other Derby and Preakness contenders set for “The Test of the Champion.” The mile and a half race will transpire on Saturday, June 6th, with an approximate post time between 5:40-6 P.M. CT/6:40-7 P.M. East. Will have the accurate time on race week. FOX will broadcast. Should be another thrilluh.
Rai Captures the 108th PGA Championship
Aaron Rai dominated the field at Aronimink Golf Club on Sunday (Photo courtesy of The PGA Tour).
Aaron Rai, the 31 year old Englishman, whose parents are natives of India, was iron on Sunday at the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA., 15 miles west of downtown Philly. Rai shot 70, 69, 67, 65, to capture the second major of the season, finishing at nine under par. He won by three shots over LIV player Jon Rahm and PGA player Alex Smalley, who both finished at six under. The PGA Championship is famous for producing first time winners; Rich Beem, Y. E. Yang and Shaun Micheel being three of them. Rai’s electric 68 foot birdie conversion on 17 was the shot of the tournament. It brought back memories of J.J. Spaun’s 64 foot birdie putt he drained on 18 at Oakmont in 2025 to capture the 125th U.S. Open. Next up is the 126th U.S. Open at historic Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., on Long Island, June 18th-21st on NBC. That’ll be Father’s Day weekend. Spaun is the defending champion. Aronimink played extremely tough, but Rai found a way to lock in and dominate the field Sunday. Great stuff from the Englishman.
The S-E-C Baseball Tournament
Georgia junior catcher Daniel Jackson will lead his regular season winner Bulldogs team into the Hoover Met as the SEC Baseball Tournament commences at the Hoover Met Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of AJC.com).
The 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament gets underway at the Hoover Met in Birmingham with four games slated for Tuesday. The SEC Network will broadcast through the semifinals of what is a “single elimination” tournament, and ABC will broadcast the Championship Game on Sunday at 1 P.M. CT/ 2 P.M. East. The SEC went to single elimination games in 2025 when Texas and Oklahoma joined the league. Good move.
Georgia led the SEC and the country in home runs with 147. Junior catcher Daniel Jackson, a potential first round draft pick in June in the MLB draft if his defense keeps improving throughout the rest of the season, leads the conference in long ones with 27 along with a conference leading 77 Ribeyes. He also leads the SEC in batting average at .394. Georgia leads the SEC in hitting at .325. They are second in the conference in fielding percentage at .983. Tennessee leads at .984. That’s a wash. But their team ERA is 10th in the conference at 5.05. Auburn leads the conference in ERA at 3.60. Alabama is next at 4.13.
A very interesting development in this tournament is the SEC’s institution of the ABS system. The ABS is the Automated Balls and Strikes System, which Major League Baseball employs. In the Big Leagues, each team has two challenges per game, and only the pitcher, the catcher or the hitter can challenge a ball or a strike call by the home plate umpire. If the player gets it right, the team retains its’ challenge, i.e., if a team has two challenges and the batter challenges a strike call and is successful with the automated review overturning it to a ball, the team will still retain its’ two challenges left for the game. In this SEC Tournament each team will have three challenges and retains its’ challenge if it is successful with its’ respective challenge. Awesome move by Greg Sankey and the SEC. I watch a lot of SEC Baseball, at least Vanderbilt games, and these home plate umpires miss a lot of ball/strike calls. This will make the tournament much better. Love the move.
So who’s going to win this extravaganza in Hoover? Here are my predictions.
***All games will be televised by the SEC Network starting Tuesday until the Championship Game on Sunday, which will be televised by ABC***
Tuesday, First Round
9:30 AM CT/10:30 ET-No.9 Ole Miss 7, No. 16 Missouri 2
Emerging superstar jockey Jose Ortiz, the 32 year old from Puerto Rico, goes for the second leg of the Triple Crown, this time aboard 5/1 Chip Honcho. He won the 152nd Kentucky Derby aboard Golden Tempo. (Photo courtesy of Daily Racing Form).
Fourteen horses will compete in the 151st edition of the Preakness Stakes, which will take place at Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland as Pimlico is under a $400 million renovation. Laurel Park, a 25 minute drive from Pimlico in Baltimore, has a capacity of 4,800, so there will be a lot less fans, but the electricity will still be high. Pimlico is expected to be back open in 2027. Post time today is 5:50 P.M. CT/ 6:50 East and NBC and Peacock will broadcast.
Golden Tempo, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, followed a trend that three of the last five Kentucky Derby winning trainers have employed, as his trainer, Cherie DeVaux, is sitting her horse out to prepare for the 158th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6th at Saratoga Race course, which has been hosting it temporarily while Belmont Park is undergoing a major redevelopment.
There are a few horses in this field that ran in the Derby, but it looks like a wide open race, which makes prediciting this race even more dynamic.
Here are the thoroughbreds in this year’s Preakness, with, in order, their 1.post position, 2.their name, 3.their jockey, 4.their trainer, and 5.their odds.
1. Taj Mahal, Sheldon Russell, Brittany T. Russell, 5/1
2. Ocelli,Tyler Gaffalione, D. Whitworth Beckman, 6/1
3. Cropper,Junior Alvarado, Donnie K. Von Hemel, 20/1
4. Robusta, Rafael Bejarano, Doug F. O’Neill, 30/1
5.Talkin, Irad Ortiz Jr., Danny Gargan, 20/1
6. Chip Honcho, Jose Ortiz, Steve M. Asmussen, 5/1
7. The Hell We Did, Luis Saez, Todd Fincher, 15/1
8.Bull by the Horns, Micah J. Husbands, Saffie A. Joseph Jr., 30/1
9. Iron Honor, Flavien Prat, Chad Brown, 9/2
10. Napoleon Solo, Paco Lopez, Chad Summers, 8/1
11. Corona De Oro, John Velazquez, Dallas Stewart, 30/1
I had an economics teacher at my high school boarding school in Northern Virginia named Mike Miller. He was a phenomenal teacher. He was hard, but fair, and an excellent guy. We called him “Iron Mike.” He also coached the wrestling team. He was as tough as a Sherman Tank.
I gave a speech at the senior banquet and thought I’d have a little fun at Mr. Miller’s expense. I said when I started, “I hope everybody can hear me, this mic is made of Iron!” The next day, a Saturday, we had Saturday classes before football games, etc.., he was battering me with questions. “So, David, give me the micro definition of supply and demand.” I was a little flustered. “Now give me the macro version.” Getting more flustered. “Now tell me more about opportunity cost and economy of scales.” “Iron” had me totally out of sorts. It was pretty funny.
So in honor of my great teacher and leader, I’m going to take two time Preakness winning trainer (2017 and 2022), 47 year old New York state native Chad Brown, and 2019 Derby winner and 2021 Preakness winning jockey Flavien Prat, the 33 year old Frenchman, to have their horse well suited for the mile and three sixteenths race. Give me:
Iron Honor
I’ll take Iron Honor to capture the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes. (Photo courtesy of Thoroughbred Daily News).
Could Blistergate be a problem for Rory? (Photo courtesy of Facebook).
There are 156 players competing for the coveted Wanamaker Trophy at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA., 15 miles west of downtown “Philadelphia, PA.,” as the 108th PGA Championship transpires Thursday through Sunday, and features all the best players in the world on an impressive 1928 Donald Ross design , that was redesigned and restored to its original design by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner in 2016-17. There are 174 bunkers at AGC and the rough is thick at 3 1/2 inches. You either hit the fairway or go in the deep rough, placing a premium on driving accuracy. The bentgrass greens will be stimping at 13 1/2, lightning fast, and the weather looks sunny and dry all week/weekend, so they will stay extremely quick throughout the weekend.
The defending champion is Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler won at Quail Hollow in 2025 with a score of 11 under, 6 clear of Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau. DeChambeau, the consummate entertainer, will carry his Youtube golf game to Aronimink this week.
The 2026 season has been electric. Rory captured his sixth major championship with his victory at Augusta National over Scheffler by a shot in April. Cam Young was the winner at the Players Championship. The six winners of the Signature events this season are: Collin Morikawa at the AT&T Pebble Beach (he earned $3.6 M); Jacob Bridgeman at the Genesis Invitational (he won $4 M, player sponsored event by Tiger Woods pays more for first); Akshay Bhatia at the Arnie ($4 M- player sponsored event-late Arnie); Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage, ($3.6 M); Young at the Cadillac Championship ($3.6M); and Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan? at the Truist Championship ($3.6 M). The two other upcoming Signature events are the Memorial Tournament, Jack’s tourney, which will take place June 4th-7th at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio ($4 M to winner), and the Travelers Championship on June 25th-28th at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, CT. ($3.6 M to winner). There are 8 signature events this season with 6 down and two left.
The 126th U.S. Open will be played June 18th-21st at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New Yawk. The 154th Open Championship, or British Open, depending on your preference, will be played at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England July 16th-19th. SEC Media Days will commence in Tampa the following week, Monday, July 20th through Thursday, July 23rd.
This 108th edition at Aronimink will not only give a golfer a legacy that can never be replaced, it will also pay the winner roughly $3.4 million. The winner also has a lifetime invitation to play at the PGA Championship, a five year exemption into the three other majors, full playing status on the tour for five years, automatic qualification for the season ending Tour Championship, and the possible $10 M bonus for winning the Tour Championship. And a shot at the $25 M Fed Ex Cup bonus for winning the Cup. So all good if you’re successful this week.
However, the course is challenging and the competition is fierce. Key holes include the 171 yard par 3, 5th, where bunkers form a semi-circle around a heavily sloped green. The 385 yard Par 4, 13th is a 385 yard Par 4, that is the shortest par 4 at Aronimink. But the tight fairway with the 3 1/2 inch rough has bunkers squeezing it too. A forward tee of 285 will be used for the heavy hitters to go for the green, but it brings out of bounds into play on the left. The 546 yard, par 4, 15th is the longest par 4 for four rounds in a major ever. The 16th hole at the Los Angeles Country Club played 558 yards for a par 4 for the 2023 U.S. Open. The fairway slopes to the left and the green is one of the largest on the course. These greens are massive. There is an open front for the players to run it up onto the putting surface. The 229 yard, par 3, 17th has a pond to the left, so any overcooking puts you in the water. The best shot is to the middle of the green. With a front right pin position, possibly on Sunday, the players will have to clear the bunker to get to it if he HAS to have a birdie. The 490 yard, par 4, 18th is a classic. Off the tee, the players will be challenged with trees on both sides of the fairway and three bunkers on the right side of it. The approach is uphill to a tiered green. Will be a “thrilluh in Philluh” on Sunday. The course is 7,390 yards and a Par 70.
Can Golf “Celebrity” Bryson DeChambeau be serious enough to win at Arinomink? (Photo courtesy of Golf Digest).
The next two PGA Championships will be held at PGA Frisco (in 2027, Fields Ranch East Course, Frisco, TX) and Valhalla Golf Club (in 2028, Louisville).
Here are the key tee times Thursday with odds for each competitor.
7:18 A.M. CT/8:18 ET- Ludvig Aberg, 16/1; Rickie Fowler, 50/1, playing better, but not sure he’s trustable; DeChambois, 20/1.
7:29 A.M. CT/8:29 East-Xander Schauffele, 16/1, possible, 2024 PGA champion at Valhalla. Brooks Koepka, 40/1, three time PGA Championship champion (2018, 2019 and 2023), five time major winner. The 2017 and ’18 U.S. Open champion also. Tyrrell Hatton, 50/1. LIV player who does challenge in majors. LIV players have shown that they can win majors; Koepka, PGA Championship winner in 2023 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY. And DeChambeau, U.S. Open 2024, Pinehurst No.2. But it gets harder and harder when you play Member Guests every weekend with 54 holes and no cuts, rock and roll blaring, and then try to play Serious tournaments; tournaments that are at elite levels. The concentration has to be laser focused, and these guys seem to lose their edge playing on the possibly soon to be defunct tour. Koepka is back playing on the PGA Tour. He had had enough and is very fortunate to be back on tour, but there are financial conditions. Patrick Reed is back as well. There should be consequences for defecting and there are. A lot of lost future earnings, many millions, but it could be worse for guys who are already worth 8 figures, some 9.
7:40 A.M. CT/8:40 East-Rory, 10/1. Six Majors. Getting in rarefied air, but can he win another? Not positive. Has a blister on his foot. Possible problem. Jordan Spieth, 60/1. Still not seeing it. Too much of a head case. Jon Rahm, 12/1. This is a guy who has really fallen off “precipitously” (vocab word for Excedrin) since joining the LIV Tour.
12:32 P.M. CT/1:32 ET-Vik Hovland, 60/1. Kind of gets in his own way like Spieth has for almost a decade. Morikawa, 40/1. Won the PGA Championship at Harding Park in SF in 2020 and the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England. He’s battling a back injury right now, but giving it a whirl. Shane Lowry, 75/1. Won the British Open in 2019 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Made the clinching Ryder Cup winning putt in 2025 at Bethpage “White” Black to keep the Cup with Europe. The next Ryder Cup will be played September 17th-19th at Adare Manor Golf Club in County Limerick, Ireland, so that’ll be a home field for Rory and Shane.
12:43 P.M. CT/1:43 East-Tommy Fleetwood, 25/1. Got a shot. The 2025 Fed Ex Cup winner. Chris Gotterup, 50/1. Has won the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic, the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open, the 2026 Sony Open in Hawaii, and the 2026 Waste Management Open in Phoenix. Bob McIntyre, 75/1. Was a total head case at the Masters. Not as bad as Sergio Garcia, who’s a punk, as he destroyed a tee box at Augusta. But I don’t see Bob with the mental game to handle a major.
12:54 P.M. CT/1:54 East- Cam Young, 11/1. Strong contender. Keegan Bradley, 100/1. Not much of a Ryder Cup captain, but won the 2011 PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club and won the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink, so he’s a possible factor. Justin Thomas, 50/1. The 2017 PGA winner at Quail Hollow, and the 2022 PGA winner at Southern Hills in Tulsa, is playing well now and has a shot.
1:05 P.M. CT/2:05 East-Scottie Scheffler, 5/1. The favorite, as usual. One hundred forty fourth on the PGA Tour in proximity to hole, so his irons aren’t that sharp heading into Aronimink. Matt Fitzpatrick, 20/1. Hot golfer. Won the Valspar Championship, the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic in N’Awlins with his brother Alex, who has taken full advantage of his 2026 exemption ever since. Justin Rose, 50/1. The 45 year old Englishman seems to always still be in the hunt.
Can Scheffler recapture the magic as he defends his 2025 PGA Championship. (Photo courtesy of Golf Monthly).
Other key players with shots to win include: Hideki Matsuyama, 40/1; Patrick Cantlay, 50/1; Russell Henley, 50/1; Min Woo Lee, 50/1; Sam Burns, 60/1; Si Woo Kim, 60/1; Adam Scott, 60/1, still playing well; J.J. Spaun, 60/1, defending U.S. Open champion at Oakmont, 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours away from Aronimink near Pittsburgh depending on how fast you’re driving. With my wife that would be 3 1/2 hours. Akshay Bhatia, 75/1; Kurt Kitayama, 75/1, and Sepp Straka, 90/1. Those are pretty good odds for Straka if you pick him to finish in the top 10.
Sunday-88, Partly cloudy. Twenty one percent chance of rain. 47% humidity. Winds W 5-10.
The wind will be a factor in this week.
Winner
I’m bullish on Players Championship winners capturing a major the same year they win at TPC Sawgrass. Scheffler won the Players and Masters in 2024, and Rory won the Players and Masters last year. So I’ll take the 28 year old from Scarborough, New Yawk, by way of Wake Forest, and the 2026 Players Championship champion along with the 2026 Cadillac Championship champion. The fifth major and a Signature Event victories resonate with White’s World.
Cameron Young
Give me Cam Young to capture the 108th edition of the PGA Championship. (Photo courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle).
Can the prolific Aaron Judge lead his Yankees to their 28th World Series title, the most in MLB history. (Photo courtesy of Brittanica).
The 2026 Major League Baseball season is well under way and the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers, of course, are leading the way. The Dodgers are in a bit of a slight slump, but that won’t last and they’ll be there in October. They pay a luxury tax of $162 million, which is outrageous. They don’t seem to care. They are the Saudis of baseball. I wish the players would come around and agree to a salary cap for teams to make this sport more equitable for teams from smaller markets. Despite no salary cap, there are some smaller market teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincy Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates that are doing well despite their financial limitations. The salary cap argument will ensue into the offseason after this 2026 season, and there could be another lockout in 2027, unfortunately. The players need to get it together and realize the NFL and NBA both have salary caps and most of those players are thriving, if they take care of their finances. These MLB players need to look out for the fans, the people who pay their salaries, and quit being so self absorbed.
But, despite that, 2026 looks to be a terrific year in Major League Baseball. There are some middling teams, particularly in the AL Central and AL West with the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers at 18-17, and the A’s leading the AL West at 18-16. But there are teams that are excelling too. Here are Postseason Predictions for the 2026 season and which team I like to win the Fall Classic, along with MVP predictions.
American League
(Numbers are for seeding).
East Division Champion: 1.Yankees, No.2 Tigers
3.Seattle Mariners 4. Tampa Rays 5. Toronto Blue Jays 6. Sacramento A’s?- They have moved to Sacramento from Oakland until Las Vegas opens its new stadium later this decade.
National League
1. Braves, 25-10, playing .714 ball right now. 2.Cubs 3. Dodgers 4. Padres 5. Cardinals 6. Reds
AL Wild Card Series (Best of 3)
Mariners over A’s in 2. Rays over Jays in 3
AL Divisional Series (Best of 5)
Yankees over Rays in 5-Rays always give Yankees trouble. Tigers over Mariners in 4.
AL Championship Series (Best of 7)
Yankees over Tigers in 6
NL Wild Card
Dodgers over Reds in 2. Padres over Cards in 3.
NL Divisional Series
Cubs over Dodgers in 5. This monopoly has to end some time. Braves over Padres in 4
NL Championship Series
Braves over Cubs in 6
The 2026 World Series
Atlanta Braves vs the New Yaawk Yankees
Give me Matt Olson and that hitting arsenal that is the Atlanta Braves to capture the Fall Classic. The Braves are leading the Bigs in batting average at .276, and are second to the Yankees in team pitching ERA at 3.19. The Yankees are at 3.01. Some really good pitching going on in Hot’lanta and the Big Apple. I’ll be visiting my daughters in New York this summer and catching a Braves-Mets game at Citi Field. I’ll post on Instagram if anybody is interested. But give me these phenomenal Braves to capture their third World Series title in franchise history. The other two were in 1995 and 2021.
Braves over Yankees in 6
World Series MVP
Matt Olson- hitting .299 right now with 11 homers, 5th in the Bigs, and leading the Big Leagues with 31 Ribeyes. He’s fifth in OPS, on-base plus slugging percentage. Awesome stat. Tells a lot about a player’s hitting ability for a season. Give me the 31 year old from Atlanta to capture the Most Valuable Player Award for the Series.
I’ll take Olson as my World Series MVP. (Photo courtesy of The Sporting News).
AL MVP
Aaron Judge
AL Cy Young
Max Fried-Yankees
NL MVP
Matt Olson-Bravos
NL Cy Young
Chris Sale-Bravos– 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA, 49 K’s, 12 walks, 5 homers in 42 innings pitched. 0.90 WHIP-Walks plus hits allowed per inning. Incredibly telling stat. 1.00 is superb. Below that is Cy Young stuff. I like Sale to capture that award and be a key piece in the Braves World Championship victory in 2026.
Brad H. Cox has two of the favorites running at Churchill Downs, Commandment and Further Ado. (Photo courtesy of Twinspires).
Today at 5:57 Central/6:57 East is post time for the 152nd running of the American Classic/Epic, Kentucky Derby. NBC and Peacock will broadcast.
It’s a wide open field. There have been some scratches, as usual, one being a favorite in the race, The Puma. Bama Golf was high on this thoroughbred. Bama’ll adjust. Here’s a look at the field including the horses, its odds, the trainers and the jockeys in that order. It’s an all star cast of trainers and jockeys with the best in the business competing. Below that, I’ll pick the winner of the Derby along with my trifecta pick.
1. Renegade, 5/1, Todd Pletcher (going for his third Derby), Irad Ortiz Jr.
2. Albus, 50/1, Riley Mott, Manny Franco.
3. Intrepido, 55/1, Jeff Mullins, Hector Berrios
4. Litmus Test, 34/1, Bob Baffert (five time Derby winner), Martin Garcia
5. Right to Party, scratched
6. Commandment, 7/1, Brad H. Cox, Luis Saez
7.Danon Bourbon, 14/1, Manabu Ikezoe, Atsuya Nishimura, Japanese horse
8. So Happy, 6/1, Mark Glatt, Mike Smith
9. The Puma, scratched
10. Wonder Dean, 20/1, Yoshinari Yamamoto, Daisuke Takayanagi, Japanese horse
11. Incredibolt, 27/1, Riley Mott, Jaime Torres
12. Chief Wallabee, 9/1, William Mott, Junior Alvarado
13. Silent Tactic, scratched
Horses moved up in posts due to Silent Tactic withdrawal. Significant for one of the favorites.
13. Potente, 23/1, Bob Baffert, Juan Hernandez
14. Emerging Market, 11/1, Chad Brown, Flavien Prat
16. Six Speed, 40/1, Bhupat Seemar, Brian Hernandez Jr.
17. Further Ado, 7/1, Brad H. Cox, John Valazquez, the 17 post has never won a Derby, 0 for 46
18. Golden Tempo, 36/1, Cherie DeVaux, Jose Ortiz
19. Fulleffort, scratched
20. Great White, 29/1, John Ennis, Alex Achard
21. Ocelli, 50/1, D. Whitworth Beckman, Tyler Gaffalione
22. Robusta, 50/1, Doug O’Neill, Christian Torres
Winner/ Predictions
Commandment is a really good horse and in a solid post position at 6. He won the Florida Derby, making Brombey a happy man. That’s a pretty good indicator of Derby success as several Florida Derby winners have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby. Further Ado, another Brad H. Cox horse, is a terrific runner, but has the dreaded post 17 where a horse has never won a Derby. There’s always a first. Renegade is the favorite, but has a tough post position at No.1. The inside rail is tough to emerge victorious from.Emerging Market is a horse to look out
But I’m going to take 53 year old trainer Mark Glatt, an Auburn, Washington native, whose wife passed away in February due to heart failure. They had been married 25 years. And the great 60 year old Mike Smith is on this pony’s ride. Smith won the Derby in 2005, and in 2018. In ’18, he won it on Justify and went on to win the Triple Crown on Justify. He has also won two Preaknesses (1993, 2018) and three Belmonts (2010, 2013, 2018). Give me this team and their horse, the Santa Anita Derby winner.
So Happy
I’ll take So Happy at Churchill Downs. (Photo Courtesy of Thoroughbred Daily).
