Winning Open Is Becoming an American Tradition

No wonder they call it the U.S. Open. . . .

Steve Jones became the 14th American winner of the event in the last 15 years, Ernie Els of South Africa having won in 1994. . . .

I thought the comeback-a-day Angels had the Toronto Blue Jays just where they wanted them when the Canadian club scored two runs in the first inning Sunday at Anaheim Stadium. . . .

It was midseason baseball with postseason tension, reliever Todd Worrell surviving an Atlanta threat in the ninth inning after a 34-minute rain delay and putting the Dodgers into what soon would be a first-place tie in the National League West with San Diego. . . .

From April 26, 1949, until last Saturday, the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t execute a triple play. . . .

During that period the Dodgers pitched 12 no-hitters and Gil Hodges, on June 25,1949, and Wes Parker, May 7, 1970, hit for the cycle. . . .

Brett Butler should make a fine radio and TV baseball commentator some day. During Fox’s telecast from Atlanta Saturday, he wasn’t afraid to point out the shortcomings of teammates Roger Cedeno and Delino DeShields as leadoff hitters. . . .

Going into Sunday’s games, the top three hitters in the National League were ex-Dodger Eric Young of Colorado, Dodger Mike Piazza, and ex-Dodger Jose Vizcaino of New York. . . .

A celebrity golf tournament today at the Empire Lakes course kicks off two days of festivities climaxed by the first California League vs. Carolina League all-star game Tuesday night at the Rancho Cucamonga Epicenter. Judging by the way the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes do things, it should be a tremendous hit. . . .

Is it my imagination or do runners get called out on the vast majority of close plays at first base?. . . .

Look-a-likes: ESPN golf commentator Jimmy Roberts, who is a Maryland graduate, and Maryland basketball Coach Gary Williams. . . .

The surprise was that Carl Lewis, two weeks shy of 35, reached the 100-meter finals of the U.S. Olympic trials, not that he finished last. . . .

Fastness, probably the best middle-distance turf horse in the nation, won the Inglewood Handicap on Mother’s Day at Hollywood Park and the Shoemaker Breeders’ Cup Mile on Father’s Day. . . .

I still believe Cigar’s connections are blowing smoke about his inability to snap back from a minor injury in time to run in the $1 million Hollywood Gold Cup on June 30, as had been widely advertised. . . .

Cigar’s absence from the Gold Cup means that he will have carried as many as 130 pounds only once in his career. And that was in a virtual walk-over at Suffolk Downs. . . .

Proceeds from the second annual Bob Chandler Memorial Golf Tournament Tuesday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills will fund a scholarship for a student-athlete at USC and aid the Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times in Idyllwild. The first scholarship recipient is Sammy Knight, who led the Trojans in tackles last season. . . .

Three longtime former L.A. Ram employees--equipment manager Don Hewitt, ticket manager Don Nims and maintenance superintendent Joe Abad--will be honored at the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame on July 8. . . .

Oded Katash, a point guard from Israel who had been recruited by UCLA, signed a letter-of-intent with Clemson. . . .

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After watching the fight from the second row at Caesars Palace and on the HBO replay, I’m convinced that Oscar De La Hoya would have done a job on Julio Cesar Chavez even if he hadn’t gotten cut. . . .

De La Hoya was too big, strong, young, quick and smart for Chavez. . . .

The closed-circuit telecasts of the fight in California drew approximately 330,000 viewers, who paid about $13 million. . . .

I hope the latest of Larry Holmes’ retirements is his last. . . .

Michael Jordan played baseball better than Roy Jones Jr. plays basketball. . . .

An old friend, Indio dentist Roger Harris, writes proudly that he has two U.S. Olympians in the family. Barbra Fontana Harris qualified for the beach volleyball team. She is the wife of Roger’s son Charles Harris, who competed for the U.S. in water polo at the Barcelona Games and is a member of the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. . . .

Whoever thought Sachio Kinugasa’s consecutive games played record would be broken?