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The Sports Report: A hole-by-hole look (via drone) at the U.S. Open course

A worker waters the 16th hole during the First Look for the U.S. Open Championship.
A worker waters the 16th hole at Los Angeles Country Club.
(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)
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Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Sam Farmer: The Los Angeles Country Club is playing host to its first U.S. Open this week. It marks the 15th U.S. Open and 20th major golf championship played in California.

The club hosted the 2017 Walker Cup, with a team of U.S. amateurs defeating Britain and Ireland. Members of that American squad included future PGA Tour stars Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Champ and Will Zalatoris.

A look at the holes of LACC’s North Course:

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L.A. Country Club is part mystery, part myth that the U.S. Open will reveal

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DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers entered Sunday with the fourth-worst bullpen earned-run average in the majors, and the third-worst mark away from home.

Then, in a game where they had to use nothing but relievers because of their shorthanded rotation, those numbers only got worse.

Forced to go with a bullpen game after a setback in Julio Urías’ recovery from a hamstring strain earlier this week, the Dodgers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 at Citizens Bank Park, dropping their third consecutive series and finishing a two-city trip with just two wins in six games.

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ANGELS

From Sarah Valenzuela: Zach Neto has continued to impress in his first season in the major leagues.

The Angels shortstop logged his first career multi-home run game Sunday in a 9-4 win over the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium.

Both of his home runs were solo shots that made their way well over the left-field wall. The first one happened in the second inning against starter Logan Gilbert and gave the Angels a 3-0 lead. His second shot came in the eighth off reliever Chris Flexen, a hit that plopped into the visitor’s bullpen before bouncing into the Angels’ bullpen.

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GALAXY

Daniel Aguirre scored late in the second half to rally the Galaxy to a 1-1 draw with St. Louis City on Sunday.

Aguirre took a pass from Douglas Costa in the 83rd minute and scored for the first time this season to help the Galaxy (3-9-4) earn a point on the road. LA closed out May with a 3-2 road win over Real Salt Lake, snapping an eight-match winless streak away from home. The Galaxy totaled one goal and two points through their first seven matches on the road.

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FRENCH OPEN

Novak Djokovic made clear for years that this was his goal. What drove him. What inspired him. The biggest titles from his sport’s biggest stages were Djokovic’s main aim and now he finally stands alone — ahead of Rafael Nadal, ahead of Roger Federer, ahead of every man who ever has swung a racket.

If Djokovic could wait this long to hold this record, he certainly could wait for the half-hour or so it took to straighten out his strokes in the French Open final. And so, after a bit of a shaky start in thick, humid air and under foreboding charcoal clouds Sunday, he imposed himself. The opponent at Court Philippe Chatrier, Casper Ruud, never really stood a serious chance after that.

Djokovic earned his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam singles championship, breaking a tie with Nadal and moving three in front of the retired Federer, with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Ruud that was not in doubt for most of its 3 hours and 13 minutes.

HORSE RACING

From John Cherwa: The cloud that has hung over horse racing since just before the Kentucky Derby continued on Sunday when a horse was euthanized after falling in the first race at Belmont Park. It is the sixth fatality since May 4 during racing or training at the Elmont, N.Y., track. It was also the second in two days, with a horse dying in the last race after Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.

Mashnee Girl fell near the quarter pole entering the stretch in an allowance race for fillies and mares. The horse was euthanized on the track. The cause of the fall will be determined by a necropsy but was likely a fracture in one or both of her legs.

Both Excursionniste, who was euthanized on Saturday, and Mashnee Girl were trained by Mark Hennig. According to the New York Equine Death and Breakdown report, Hennig has not had a fatality since 2021, when he had two, one at Belmont Park and the other at Saratoga. Hennig has won more than $81 million with over 10,000 starts in a career that spans more than three decades.

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SPARKS

Napheesa Collier had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Minnesota rallied from a late 11-point deficit to defeat the Sparks 91-86 on Sunday, the day the Lynx honored Sylvia Fowles by retiring her No. 34 jersey.

A deep three-pointer by Lexie Brown gave the Sparks an 83-72 lead with 3½ minutes left before a three-pointer by Minnesota’s Rachel Banham started the game-winning rally.

A three-pointer by Bridget Carleton gave the Lynx an 84-83 lead with about a minute remaining. After a missed three and a turnover by the Sparks, Carleton added another long-range shot for a four-point Lynx lead.

NBA PLAYOFFS

Results, schedule
All times Pacific
NBA Finals

No. 1 Denver vs. No. 8 Miami
Game 1: at Denver 104, Miami 93
Game 2: Miami 111, at Denver 108
Game 3: Denver 109, at Miami 94
Game 4: Denver 108, at Miami 95
Today at Denver, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Thursday at Miami, 5:30 p.m., ABC
*Sunday at Denver, 5 p.m., ABC

*-if necessary

NHL PLAYOFFS

From Helene Elliott: As it turns out, Elvis never really left the building. In fact, he turned up often this season in the locker room of the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Some teams honor players’ outstanding performances by giving them a replica of a boxing championship belt. Others award a sombrero or a cowboy hat. The Golden Knights, whose victory song is “Viva Las Vegas,” give key players an outrageously glossy Elvis wig and sunglasses.

For the Golden Knights, whose wonderfully over-the-top entertainment at T-Mobile Arena features knights in armor, Elvis impersonators and showgirls wearing team-themed headdresses but not much else, bonding over Elvis Presley — or a funny facsimile — makes perfect sense.

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Results, schedule
All times Pacific
Stanley Cup Final

Vegas (P1) vs. Florida (WC2)
Game 1: at Vegas 5, Florida 2
Game 2: at Vegas 7, Florida 2
Game 3: at Florida 3, Vegas 2 (OT)
Game 4: Vegas 3, at Florida 2
Tuesday at Vegas, 5 p.m., TNT
*Friday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT
*Mon., June 19 at Vegas, 5 p.m., TNT

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1920 — Man o’ War wins the Belmont Stakes, which was run at 1 3/8-miles, in 2:14 1/5. He shatters the world record by 3 1/5 seconds and sets the American dirt-course record for that distance.

1930 — Max Schmeling beats Jack Sharkey on a fourth-round foul for the vacant heavyweight title in New York. Schmeling becomes the first German — and European — heavyweight world champion.

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1939 — Byron Nelson wins the U.S. Open in a three-way playoff with Craig Wood and Denny Shute.

1948 — Citation, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown with an eight-length victory over Better Self. It’s Arcaro’s second Triple Crown. He rode Whirlaway in 1941.

1948 — Ben Hogan wins the U.S. Open with a record 276, five fewer than Ralph Guldahl’s 1937 record.

1954 — Milwaukee Braves spot starting pitcher Jim Wilson throws first no-hitter in history of County Stadium when he blanks Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0.

1979 — Bobby Orr becomes the youngest player in NHL history to be selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame. The 31-year-old is inducted months after officially ending his NHL career as the Hall waives its usual three-year waiting period.

1981 — Larry Holmes stops Leon Spinks in the third round for the WBC heavyweight title in Detroit.

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1983 — Patty Sheehan wins the LPGA championship by two strokes over Sandra Haynie.

1984 — The Boston Celtics beat the Lakers, 4 games to 3, to win the NBA title.

1990 — Egypt, a 500-1 shot, stuns the Netherlands when Magdi Abdel-Ghani makes a penalty kick with eight minutes remaining to tie the World Cup favorites 1-1.

1991 — The Chicago Bulls win the first NBA championship in the team’s 25-year history with a 108-101 victory in Game 5 over the Lakers. MVP Michael Jordan scores 30 points, Scottie Pippen has 32 and John Paxson 20.

2002 — NBA Finals: Lakers beat the New Jersey Nets, 113-107 for a 4-0 sweep and third straight title; MVP: Shaquille O’Neal for third consecutive Finals series.

2005 — Annika Sorenstam closes with a 1-over 73 for a three-shot victory over Michelle Wie in the LPGA Championship. The 15-year-old Wie shoots a 69 to finish second. It’s the highest finish by an amateur in a major since 20-year-old Jenny Chuasiriporn lost a playoff to Se Ri Pak in the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open.

2008 — The Boston Celtics overcome a 24-point deficit and beat the Lakers 97-91 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. No team has ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and the Celtics post the biggest comeback in the finals since 1971.

2009 — Pittsburgh’s Max Talbot scores two second-period goals as the Penguins beat the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in Game 7 and win the Stanley Cup at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena.

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2011 — The Dallas Mavericks win their first NBA title by winning Game 6 of the finals in Miami, 105-95. Jason Terry scores 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki adds 21 as the Mavericks win four of the series’ last five games.

2013 — Andrew Shaw scores on a deflection in triple overtime to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins in a riveting Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Blackhawks gets third-period goals from Dave Bolland and Oduya to erase a 3-1 deficit.

2016 — Sidney Crosby sets up Kris Letang’s go-ahead goal midway through the second period and the Pittsburgh Penguins win the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history by beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final.

2017 — Kevin Durant caps his spectacular first season with the Warriors by bringing home an NBA championship. Durant, who joined Golden State last July, scores 39 points in a finals-clinching 129-120 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2019 — Stanley Cup Final, TD Garden, Boston, MA: St. Louis Blues beat Boston Bruins, 4-1 for a 4-3 series victory; first title in franchise history.

2021 — Danish soccer midfielder Christian Eriksen suffers an on-field cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match with Finland in Copenhagen. Eriksen is revived with a defibrillator and the game controversially continues with a 1-0 Finland win.

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—Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

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