Jun 9, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels left fielder Wade Meckler (53) reacts after scoring a run against the Houston Astros during the second inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Criticizing Shinnecock Hills’ treacherous greens is a time-honored U.S. Open tradition. On Monday at the 2026 U.S. Open at the iconic Long Island club, a new pro took up that baton. But his negative review differed drastically from the usual complaints.

That player is PGA Tour winner Michael Kim. Kim, who has a large base of followers on social media, will play in his third career U.S. Open this week and his first at Shinnecock.

Kim is well known for providing behind-the-scenes insight from all the tournaments he plays. While he generally stays positive and steers away from hot takes, he has also built a reputation for making honest observations and not pulling any punches.

That was the case when he took to X Monday night to offer his surprising criticism of Shinnecock’s green conditions to start the week.

Michael Kim offers less-than-glowing review of Shinnecock’s famous greens at U.S. Open

Traditionally, Shinnecock’s greens take hits from U.S. Open competitors for being too fast and too hard, which, when coupled with high ocean winds, makes the test so tough that certain players experience a momentary loss of sanity.

At the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock, for example, two-time major winner Zach Johnson went on live TV and declared that the USGA had “lost the golf course.” That same year, Phil Mickelson, so flustered by Shinny’s slick putting surfaces, whacked at his ball on the 13th green… before it had come to rest.

After playing his first practice round for the 2026 event on Monday, Kim offered another less-than-glowing review of Shinnecock’s greens. But the surprising adjectives Kim used in his description of the green conditions early this week — including “spongy”, “quite bumpy” and dotted with “aerification holes” — made it sound like he’d played a very different course than the one Mickelson malfunctioned on eight years ago.

In his first description, Kim reported that the greens were “decently receptive and not crazy fast,” which he attributed to the greens crew countering high winds that rankled players on Monday. Those are not modifiers commonly associated with Shinnecock.

“Talking about the greens… the greens are spongy so far. Decently receptive and not crazy fast,” Kim wrote on X. “I think they want to make sure to not lose the greens especially with how much wind is forecasted on Thursday.”

His next missive was far more surprising. Kim called the green surfaces “bumpy” and claimed they still showed evidence of the last aeration, something recreational golfers are more accustomed to than major competitors.

“They’re also… quite bumpy,” Kim wrote on Monday. “Poa greens plus some of the aerification holes are [not] completely fixed. You can still see the outline of the punched holes. Putting is going to be super tricky.”

Kim’s review didn’t stop at the greens, extending beyond them to the bunker sand, which he said featured “a lot of rocks and shells.”

Following his win over Rico Verhoeven, Oleksandr Usyk has been ordered to face WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel next. Four-time super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch has offered his thoughts on the proposed fight.

Usyk scored a round 11 stoppage over Verhoeven last month, but the result did not tell the full story of the bout, as the kickboxing star pushed the Ukrainian to the limit and almost sprung one of the greatest upsets in boxing history.

Whilst Verhoeven did impress, most feel that Usyk’s performance was far from his best – and that includes Froch.

On his YouTube channel, ‘The Cobra’ labelled Kabayel as a ‘tricky’ fight for the unified champion.

“That is a tricky fight, Agit Kabayel is a good fighter; unbeaten, you know what he is and you know what he has done, he is very capable. Has Usyk got old overnight? Is he looking a bit slow? His body looks a bit spread around the middle, he is nearly 40, isn’t he? 

“Usyk is past his best. I would have to see Usyk lose and get beat because of age. It’d be such a shame because he has had such a fantastic career, he is so good, one of the best to ever do it. For him to lose because he shouldn’t be fighting anymore, it would be a tragedy.”

Kabayel hopes to face Usyk before the end of the year, with the champion set to be stripped of the WBC crown if he does not take the fight. That would result in the undefeated German being upgraded.

Last night, a host of boxing stars were in attendance at the ‘UFC Freedom 250’ event at The White House, including recently retired pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford. After he commented on the main event, former MMA champion Conor McGregor took issue with his analysis. 

Headlining the UFC bill was Georgian lightweight world champion Ilia Topuria, who called for a boxing bout with ‘Bud’ back in September, pursuing a lucrative scrap with the American after witnessing him overcome Canelo Alvarez.

The invitation was laughed off by Crawford, who said that he did not know who Topuria was.

Now, with Crawford sitting at ringside, Topuria lost to Justin Gaetjhe via fourth-round stoppage, an upset which has cost him both his UFC title and undefeated record.

Upon witnessing the contest, Crawford took to social media to poke fun at Topuria, insinuating that their fight would have been extremely one-sided.

This the guy that said he would knock me out and whoop me and Shakur at the same time?😂😂😂

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) June 15, 2026

In response, McGregor spoke up for Topuria, declaring that Crawford is ‘afraid of an MMA fight’ and that he is ‘not man enough’ to step into the Octagon.

“What the f**k are you saying? You can wrestle yet you are afraid of an MMA fight. That to me is pitiful. The kid was beaten in an MMA fight, of which you don’t have the courage for.

“What the f**k was with all these little boxers at this show yet no MMA fighters?”

What the fuck are you saying? You can wrestle yet you are afraid of an mma fight.

That to me is pitiful.

The kid was beaten in an mma fight, of which you don’t have the courage for.

What the fuck was with all these little boxers at this show yet no MMA fighters?… https://t.co/cqmO1NHrs6

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— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 15, 2026

Crawford then fired back, claiming that he ‘does not need to fight in the cage’ and that it’s the job of the MMA fighters to come and prove themselves to the world of boxing, rather than the other way around.

Shut yo drunk as up and get ready for yo fight. He got his ass whoop like you did running yo mouth. I don’t have to come and fight in the cage. That’s the joy of boxing yall come to us we don’t have to come to yall.🤫

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) June 15, 2026

Crawford has maintained that he will not make the move into MMA, stating that the fighters ‘do not get paid enough’ for him to consider making the switch, despite his wrestling background.

McGregor has been absent from the UFC since his broken-leg defeat to Dustin Poirier in 2021. Although several comeback plans have been discussed in the years since, none have made it to fight night. He is now booked to return on July 12 against Max Holloway. He has had one professional boxing bout – a 2017 loss to Floyd Mayweather – and has teased a return to the ring in future.

Derek Chisora has faced Tyson Fury on three occasions throughout his career, making him well placed to predict a mega fight with Anthony Joshua.

It was announced two months ago that the two former heavyweight world champions have now signed to face off towards the end of this year, though both will have relative ‘warm up’ fights in the interim.

Should they win as expected, Joshua and Fury are expected to clash mid-November, with the UK and US currently in the running to host. If the fight comes off, it will end almost a decade of debate.

Speaking to Seconds Out, Chisora said he believes ‘AJ’ will put a full stop on the rivalry.

“AJ wins by knockout in round eight.”

Joshua scored his last stoppage against Jake Paul last December. Prior to that, he had beaten Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou before being stopped himself by Daniel Dubois. He has produced 26 knockouts in his 29 wins, a ratio of just under 90%.

Fury, however, has never been stopped. The two losses on his record came via decision against unified champion Oleksandr Usyk. ‘The Gypsy King’ was hurt in the first fight against the Ukrainian, and has been knocked down several times by American puncher Deontay Wilder, but is still praised for his powers of recovery.

If ‘AJ’ – who fights Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Saudi Arabia – can produce a KO as per Chisora’s pick, it would be very impressive. Fury is yet to announce his own interim opponent, though says it will come in late July or August.

Harry Maguire has revealed he learned of his World Cup omission via an “awkward” call with England manager Thomas Tuchel.

The Manchester United defender has previously described feeling “shocked and gutted” after he was left out of the 26-man squad for the tournament in North America, in what was widely considered one of the surprise selection decisions.

The 33-year-old, who featured at both the 2018 and 2022 editions, told Gary Lineker’s The Rest is Football World Cup podcast on Netflix that he felt he should have been picked after impressing this season for United and in England’s international friendlies in March.

“He (Tuchel) FaceTimes everyone,” said Maguire. “It’s quite an awkward call.

“I received a text around nine, ten in the morning saying can I speak to you today at 4pm. It is quite a unique way to do it. It makes it harder for him to see our reactions.

“He said he can’t really give me an excuse but he said he had gone with the four lads who got him through the qualifying in the autumn camps.

“It was tough to take. I did think I was going to be in the squad after being selected for the March camp for the first time under him. I felt like I did really well in both of the games and then went back to Manchester United and finished the season really, really strongly.”

“I was shocked. We had a few words. It was an honest conversation between us both.”

Maguire fears that this may have been his last chance of going to a World Cup, having competed at the previous two editions under Gareth Southgate.

“I was really disappointed, I wanted to go to the Word Cup and play. I’m 33 now and 37 at the next World Cup, it looks far away.

“I told the manager I wasn’t demanding to go and start the games, I’d have been happy to play one minute as long as I was there with the lads.”

Maguire has played 66 times for England since making his debut in 2017 but only four of them have come since the end of 2023.

“I don’t think I would retire from England,” he added.

“I still feel I have something to offer. There will be a time and a place where I don’t deserve to get picked but I probably still wouldn’t come out and retire. If I got one more cap it would be worth it.”

PA

India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy (PTI Photo)

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s growing value to India’s ODI setup earned high praise from Sunil Gavaskar after the all-rounder’s impactful display in the opening ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday.In the rain-shortened 25-over contest, India captain Shubman Gill opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Afghanistan made a strong start, largely thanks to a blistering century from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who hammered 102 runs from just 51 deliveries. However, it was Reddy’s crucial breakthrough that shifted the momentum in India’s favour.The young all-rounder produced a pinpoint yorker to dismiss Gurbaz, finishing with figures of 2 for 31 from his four overs. The wicket proved decisive as India fought back impressively, bowling Afghanistan out for 194 before completing a comfortable seven-wicket victory.“Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up a huge wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a perfect yorker. If you can nail yorkers like that, you become a valuable asset,” Gavaskar told JioStar.The former India captain highlighted how Reddy’s yorker changed the course of the innings after Gurbaz attempted to create room for himself only to see his stumps shattered.“Every time he tried something fancy, it went for runs. But every time he went back to the yorker, it worked,” Gavaskar said.Gavaskar also stressed the tactical flexibility Reddy offers to the Indian team through his all-round abilities.“So, here’s the takeaway. India now have a player in Nitish Kumar Reddy who can fill the role of a fifth or sixth bowler. Depending on the pitch and match situation, he gives the captain and selectors flexibility. ‘Pick me as a batter, pick me as a bowler, I am ready.’ That is a huge plus for any team,” Gavaskar said.Reddy’s rise has gathered momentum over the past year. While he has long been regarded as a promising batter, his bowling has developed significantly and is becoming an increasingly valuable part of his game.The 2026 IPL season reflected that progress. Alongside scoring 302 runs, Reddy claimed eight wickets and regularly delivered key breakthroughs for his side. It also turned out to be his most productive IPL campaign across the four seasons he has featured in so far, further strengthening his case as a genuine all-round option for India.