👋 {{readername | Hey, golf fans}},

The Monday after the U.S. Open is the time to reflect on some moments that flew under our radar and also to look beyond the men's major. That’s what we will be doing today. If you want to revisit last night's edition featuring detailed coverage of Wyndham Clark's victory, here is your chance. Today, we’re looking at tournaments across the globe and some behind-the-scenes moments from Shinnecock. And we’ll also reveal the winner of the U.S. Open Prediction Challenge.

Let’s get started…

Miyu Yamashita, the Meijer LPGA Classic champion, didn’t think she’d have to play an extra hole on Sunday. She was five strokes behind 54-hole leader Jing Yan (-13) and four behind the 22-year-old Lottie Woad heading into the final round. But then again, Lottie couldn’t have seen the late-round charge coming from Miyu, either.

Miyu birdied four of her first five holes to surge up the leaderboard, but it wasn’t until a bogey on the 15th that she slipped one shot behind Woad, who also stumbled on the 17th. Her second shot landed in the greenside bunker. With that lie, a birdie was out of the question; par seemed salvageable.

And yet, guess what Lottie did? She conjured this spectacular bunker shot that rolled over the green before dropping into the cup. Even Woad couldn’t believe it herself—watch it here.

On any other day, that’s a tournament-winning shot. But Lottie surrendered her one-shot lead with a bogey on the final hole, forcing a playoff with Miyu. The duo headed back to the 18th for the first playoff hole. Yamashita made a birdie, sealing her third LPGA title.

But for Miyu, the victory on Father’s Day was special. Her dad, Katsumi, is her swing coach and introduced her to the game at five years of age.

“(Father’s Day) gave me a little extra motivation out there and drove me throughout the round,” said the 2025 AIG Women’s Open winner, struggling to hold back her tears. The victory also punched her ticket into the 2027 and 2028 editions of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

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Sweet: Miles Russell (T39/+7) gave his father, Joe, a moment to remember on Father’s Day. Before the round, he petitioned the USGA to let his dad carry his bag on the 72nd hole, in place of caddie and swing coach Ramon Bescansa. The USGA said yes—and the result is this tear-jerker walk on the 18th.

Rough: Imagine the rage you will feel watching your shot from the rough almost touch the green only to roll back to your feet. Then you try again, and the ball does the same thing. Can you imagine it? If not, watch Brian Harman here.

Strange: On the fourth, Sahith Theegala’s (T11/+2) club slipped from his grip, sailing over the heads of nearby fans after he tried to hack his ball from deep rough. And he found another ball buried beneath his own. Watch the wacko sequence of events here.

Unreal: How good is Joaquin Niemann’s (T7/+1) short game? On the ninth, standing on Shinnecock’s edge, the Chilean unleashed a wedge shot that sent the ball gliding from fairway to green, inching closer, closer, closer to the cup. Watch it here.

Memories: The USGA honored Corey Pavin’s legendary celebration after beating Greg Norman at the 1995 U.S. Open in the most unique way possible. Pavin was in the broadcast booth, and here is how he reacted to the surprise news.

Elsewhere:

A snapshot of special Father’s Day moments from the golf world:

Wyndham Clark on getting booed and jeered in his own country.

Noted golf author shares his two cents on Phil Mickelson’s current state.

Joaquin Niemann reflects on his code of conduct penalty at the U.S. Open.

The Amateur Championship: Golf taketh away, but golf giveth, too. Stuart Grehan became the ninth Irish winner and the first since James Sugrue in 2019, edging Matt Moloney by one hole to secure his place at The Open next month, plus spots at next season’s Masters and the U.S. Open. This arrives just two years after he reclaimed his amateur status. Watch the look of relief on his face.

KCM Golf Challenge: Samuel Simpson (-18) edged past a four-way tie by a single stroke to seize his third Sunshine Tour title. Pieter Moolman (-17/T2) and Simon du Plooy (-17/T2) had set the early pace, but Simpson’s birdie at 18 tipped the balance. Meanwhile, Christiaan Burke (-11/T19) made the season’s fourth hole-in-one.

Dutch Ladies Open: Aunchisa Utama made a birdie on the first playoff hole to defeat Dorthea Forbrigd for her maiden LET title. Utama becomes the second Thai champion after Trichat Cheenglab’s 2023 win. She phoned her father straight away and broke down in tears—watch the emotional moment here.

English Open: John Catlin (-18/1st) had to wait until the seventh extra hole to defeat Kristian Krogh Johannessen and win his first HotelPlanner Tour title. In the final hole, Catlin made a birdie, but Kristian couldn’t catch up. The fist pump says it all.

With the U.S. Open ending, our Essentially Golf Prediction Challenge winner is finalized. The contest was tight, and we had to apply the tiebreaker to determine the final five. So, congratulations to the top five finishers.

The top performer will take home a $25 Amazon gift card. And to everyone else who played along and shared your picks with us, thanks for being part of the ride. We'll have more such challenges coming up soon. Stay tuned…

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