From Royal Birkdale to Tuscaloosa; a Packed summer of Electric Sports segues into College Football
Quite a summer of sports with the thrilling finish at the 154th Open Championship as a veteran New Zealander captured the Claret Jug with superbly clutch play, a young Auburn Tiger made his mark on the PGA Tour at age 21, the prolific World Cup extravaganza, an epic documentary on an all time superb athlete, and, looking to the fall, the Alabama Crimson Tide prepares to take on the competition, both out of conference and in the SEC, as this 2026 squad evolves in fall camp to become the best team it can be. Auburn’s got next with a profile of the Tigers early next week.
A look at all of this in today’s column.
The 39 year old Phenom
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox went 72, 68, 62, 68 (-10) to capture the 154th British Open by a shot over American Cam Young. Those four rounds included immaculate play on Saturday and Sunday, punctuated Sunday by his second shot on the difficult 508 yard, par-4, 18th at Royal Birkdale, a masterpiece of a hole. Fox faced a 175 yard approach shot and selected a nine iron. The pin was located on the back tier of the top shelf of the green. Tied with Young at 9 under, Fox caught his shot perfectly, drilling it to 11 feet 7 inches. From there, with the pressure ratcheted up, he calmly drained a left to righter and claimed the 154th edition. Young, waiting on the practice tee, was visibly distraught. But Young and Sam Burns, who finished third at -8, are both exciting late 20-early 30 something players and will have more opportunities to win majors. Superb effort by the 39 year old who has hung in there through challenging times and kept the faith.
The week after the Open, on July 23rd-26th at TPC Twin Cities near Minneapolis, a young emerging star in the game, straight out of Auburn, Alabama, put on a clinic at the 3M Open. It seemed like a slow day in sports on Saturday, 7/25, so I was watching Quarterback, a Netflix Documentary on NFL Quarterbacks that was in its third season. The quarterbacks being featured were Cam Ward of the Titans, Joe “Flucco” Flacco of the Browns/Bengals, Jayden Daniels of the Commanders and Bake being Bake of the Bucs. Very good.
Brombey, a prolific golfer in his own right, sent me a text and said, “this makes the game bigger when a grinder like Fox wins!” He went on to say, “By the way, Koivun shot 28 on the second 9, -8 (at the 3M). A record for the tourney. A blast to watch.” I was definitely interested. The 21 year old Jackson Koivun, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina by way of Auburn University, shot 61 on Saturday, and backed it up with a 66 on Sunday to finish 25 under, three clear of Scottie Scheffler and a talented field. You never know how young stars will evolve, but this kid looks for real. No guarantee, but I really like what I’m seeing from this young guy. Know MB and EHS ’80 are amped about Koivun’s future.
Spain captures the World Cup
The great Espana team allowed one goal in 8 games of World Cup play and defeated defending champion Argentina (2022, Qatar) and Lionel Messi, 1-0, at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands (New Jersey) on Sunday, July 19th. Spain star midfielder Rodri earned the Golden Ball as the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He completed 692 of 720 passes, 94%. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, as dominant as they were, were completing 70+% of their passes, and that’s elite in the National Football League. So this was a remarkable performance. But also goalkeeper Unai Simo’n was just as worthy of an award as he claimed the Golden Glove Award awarded to the best goalkeeper of the World Cup for his phenomenal play in the goal for the Spaniards. It was Spain’s second World Cup as they also captured it in 2010 with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in Johannesburg.
Joseph “Bama Golf” texted Derrick and me that afternoon and said, “Defense wins in every sport.” In team sports, Joseph is exactly right. You need quarterback play in football, at least good quarterback play, and you need some offense in basketball and baseball. In golf and tennis you have to play aggressively sometimes to win. But Bama’s point on defense and team sports is right on the money.
Final Record in the World Cup
Straight Up: 6-1; ATS, 5-2; O/U: 4-3
Joseph was on Spain early. He’s a terrific predictor. I was bought in early, too. Nice spectacle in the U.S. Really made it an enjoyable sports viewing summer along with the Knicks, the Carolina Hurricanes, the PGA and Professional Tennis Majors, MLB , and several sports documentaries.
Rafa
Playing through a broken foot most of his career, Rafa Nadal still won 22 Majors, second only to Novak Djokovic’s 24. That, in itself, is rich. But the way he did it, his perseverance and his mental and physical toughness through the pain he was suffering from, and his intimidating way of playing the game had many of his opponents defeated before they started the match. There was Federer and Djoker as major competitors, but Nadal won 14 French Opens, 4 U.S. Opens, 2 Wimbledons and 2 Australians. He was a magnificent competitor and battled through injury after injury and never told anyone what he was going through. It was just revealed in the Netflix documentary, “Rafa,” that he played with a broken foot, which was actually a disease called Mueller-Weiss syndrome. It caused chronic foot pain, difficulty with weight bearing and running, and progressive damage to the foot. It started in 2005 after he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. But the great Nadal fought through it, and became, what I would consider, the greatest tennis champion of all time. He played tennis like a linebacker plays football. He was the ultimate warrior.
He had unusual habits on the court; lining up his water bottles between every change of sides, pulling at his tennis pants, etc. But they were coping mechanisms for the anxiety he felt in trying to win Grand Slams. But he conquered those demons. In 2024, a hip injury was just too much for him to overcome at age 38. He still had the nagging foot condition that never went away.
But in the documentary, he told his wife that 14 French Opens is “going to be harder to break than 24 majors.” Novak is still playing, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are making it tough on him, so he could retire with 24. I agree with Nadal. Fourteen French Opens is astounding.
After his retirement, Netflix asked Mery, his wife, what he would do now. She said, “He’ll embrace his new life.” At the end of the documentary, Rafa is running around the house with 3 year old Rafa Jr., with Mery holding one year old son Miquel. Looks like a happy guy to me. He still has his Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, is passionate about playing golf and loves being a husband and a dad. He’s earned all the happiness he can get. What a career.
Alabama Football 2026
The Crimson Tide heads into its third season under Kalen DeBoar with question marks, but also reasons to be optimistic.
The main strength of this football team is its secondary. All-American senior strong safety Bray Hubbard (6’2″, 217), after posting 74 tackles in 2025, third on the team behind Deontae Lawson (80) and Justin Jefferson (79), is the Bell cow on D for the Tide. Lawson and Jefferson are both departed and trying to make NFL rosters, but Hubbard is back. Hubbard added 4 interceptions, which tied for the lead in the SEC. It seemed like when the Tide needed a big play on defense it was either Hubbard or corner Zabien Brown who made them. Brown returns after posting 39 tackles and 2 interceptions. He took both ints back to the house. One was a 99 yarder against Tennessee just before halftime that turned the game in the Tide’s favor, and the other was against Oklahoma before halftime, which turned the game around for the Crimson Tide in a first round playoff victory over the Sooners at Norman.
Also back are studs Dijon Lee Jr. at right corner, Keon Sann at free safety and Red Morgan at the Husky position. Walter was high on Lee Jr. last summer and he delivered as a freshman, as did the rest of the secondary. It’s a formidable group. In front of them there are question marks, but outside linebacker Yhonzae Pierre is not one of them. The 6’3″, 253 pounder recorded 52 tackles, eight sacks for -81 yards and 3 forced fumbles. Pierre looks like Will Anderson Jr. 2.0. He’ll need some help on the front seven. He and middle linebacker QB Reese (6’0″, 229) will need to lead an inexperienced group that shows promise, but needs repetition.
On offense, it’s about the quarterback room and the two guys competing in it, the O line, which needs to be better than last season if the Tide wants to reach its goals, and, also, of course, the running game and perimeter players. It’s a team game.
Keelon Russell is the 6’3″, 201 pound 5-star from the class of 2025. He was excellent in the spring game, completing 21-of-33 passes for 240 yards, 4 TDs and 1 Int. As a senior in Duncanville, Texas for Duncanville High School, Russell threw for over 3,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Austin Mack, 6’6″, 232, and entering his fourth season, brings a little experience, and four-star talent. He followed DeBoar from Washington and waited patiently on the bench last season behind Ty Simpson. In 2025, in limited action, he was 24-of-32 passing for 228 yards, two TDs and 0 ints. In his final season at Folsom High School in Folsom, California in 2023, Mack threw for 3,498 yards and 40 TDs. So it’s a tough decision, but a good problem for DeBoar and oftensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to have.
The O Line is being rebuilt with new O Line Coach Adrian Klemm taking over that room. Sophomore Michael Carroll, 6’6″, 318, will play right tackle or right guard. He has experience. The DeBoar staff is also high on sophomore left tackle Jackson Lloyd, 6’7″, 317. Outside of those two, there are positions to be filled. Senior transfer Racin Delgatty, (6’3″, 301, Cal Poly) is a leading candidate at center. Junior William Sanders (6″3″, 315) looks like a starting guard. Ethan Fields, a 6’3″, 319, a senior transfer from Ole Miss, will be another candidate who could start. The Tide needs eight or so who can play to be an effective offense in 2026. Coach Klemm has experience coaching USC in 2025, and the o line of the New England Patriots, among other stops, so he will be tasked with making this an asset for team. The Tide has to have it.
There are four running backs who look pretty solid to me. Daniel Hill, 6’1″, 236, is a powerful runner who has trimmed down and gained quickness and speed. Kevin Riley showed flashes last season, both as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. The 5’11”, 198 pound junior brings that pass catching element to the offense, which helps the quarterback immensely, taking pressure off of them to throw it downfield. AK Dear was a 95, four star in the class of 2025, so there is plenty of talent there. And 5-star freshman EJ Crowell, 5’11”, 221) is a player Alabama coaches and fans are ecstatic about. So the cupboard is solid.
On the outside, I like the potential of sophomore Lotzeir Brooks, 5’9″, 193. Brooks pulled in a lot of big receptions last season and has the ability to make explosives every game. Ryan Coleman-Williams is kind of on a redemption tour after having a tough sophomore season. He is graduating in 2 1/2 years, so that tells you he’s a solid kid. Just needs to be able to pull the ball in better. The talent should be there. Noah Rogers, a transfer from North Carolina State DeBoar and his coaches were counting on, was hurt in the spring and will be out for a while this fall. Freshman Cederian Morgan is a guy the Alabama coaching staff is high on. He’s 6’4″, 223, so the size and catch radius is there. Other players like Derek Meadows and Rico Scott will have to step up, but there is talent with those two. At tight end, the DeBoar and his staff are high on 6’6″, 268 pound Kaleb Edwards. Jay Lindsey and Marshall Pritchett are a couple of others who DeBoar and Grubb want to see have an impact.
Conor Talty and Lorcan Quinn are battling it out for kicking duties. Quinn has the lead at present. Adam Watford is the No.1 punter right now. Lee Jr. is the No.1 punt returner with Ryan Coleman-Williams also in the mix. And Brooks and Rico Scott are the kick returners.
2026 schedule
Saturday, September 5-vs East Carolina, 11 A.M. CT/12 ET, ABC
Sat. 9/12 @Kentucky, 2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET, ABC
Sat., 9/19, vs. FSU, 2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET, ABC
Sat., 9/26, vs. South Carolina, TBD on time and TV
Sat. 10/3, @Miss State, TBD
Sat. 10/10, vs. Georgia, TBD
Sat. 10/17, @ Tennessee, TBD
Sat., 10/24, vs. A&M TBD
Sat. 10/31, Off
Sat. 11/7, @ LSU
Sat. 11/14 @ Vandy
Sat. 11/21 vs. Chattanooga, 1 P.M. CT/2 ET SEC Net+
Sat. 11/28 vs Auburn TBD
A tough schedule with nine straight games without an off week. But that’s expected in the gauntlet that is the SEC. But this team has talent and DeBoar recruited well in 2025 with the No.3 class, and in 2026 with the No.6 class (Rivals/On3 rankings), and there is still good talent on the team from the Saban years.
This coaching staff will have to figure out which quarterback gives them the best chance of having success this year. With college football the way it is now, it’s a year to year scenario. Both guys have terrific talent, so it’s a good problem to have. Who can lead the best, make the best decisions and create the most efficient and explosive plays will be under center come the East Carolina game on September 5th. The line will have to be good, and the backs, to me, should be a hidden gem on this football team. There is talent on the perimeter and the defense has a chance to be highly successful. There’s no reason this 2026 Crimson Tide team shouldn’t be in the mix for the SEC Championship and Playoff “matriculation.” Looking forward to seeing how they can progress starting in game 1.
Early next week
“It’ll be great to be an Auburn Tiger”
Auburn Football 2026
The Vocab word of the day brought to you by Excedrin and myself
Serendipity–Finding something good or valuable when you weren’t looking for it.
Example-The Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers found serendipity when they both
finished 11-1 in 2026.
The next question is “Who won the Iron Bowl?” TBD.
