MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021 MOVING ON C INSIDE Allyson Felix qualifies for SECTION her fifth straight Olympic C2 Statistics Games in track and field. C2 Calendar/TV C3 Auto Racing ■ OLYMPIC C6 NEWS TRIBUNE Fantastic finish Rahm birdies last two At Torrey Pines, where he made day. First, he cradled young Kepa a 50-foot eagle putt on the final when he walked off the 18th green holes to win U.S. Open hole to clinch his first PGA Tour with the roars still ringing in his at Torrey Pines victory. ears. Then, he hoisted that silver On Father’s Day, with his U.S. Open trophy, the first champi- SAN DIEGO (AP) — Whether 10-week-old son in his arms and on from Spain. it was destiny or karma was of no his father having flown in from Rahm was on the practice range relevance to Jon Rahm. He won Spain to witness his son winning when Oosthuizen, who fell two the U.S. Open on Sunday at Torrey his first major to return to No. 1 in shots behind with a most untimely Pines, the perfect time and the the world. tee shot into the canyon that led perfect place to become a major And just two weeks after his to bogey on the 17th hole, failed champion. six-shot lead was wiped out at the to hole out his wedge for eagle at How it unfolded was beyond Memorial because of a positive the end. his dreams. COVID-19 test that knocked him “Little man, you have no idea One shot behind and running out of the tournament and cut into what this means right now,” Rahm out of holes, Rahm made a sweep- his U.S. Open preparations. said to his son. “You will soon ing, left-to-right birdie putt from “It felt like such a fairy tale story enough.” 25 feet on the 17th hole to tie for that I knew it was going to have The final round was so tight the lead, and closed with another a happy ending,” Rahm said after that six players had a share of the bending 18-foot birdie putt that those two career-changing birdies lead at some point, and there were gave him a one-shot victory against gave him a 4-under 67. “I could 10 players separated by a single hard-luck Louis Oosthuizen. just tell, going down the fairway shot. No one had ever birdied the after that first tee shot, that second And then that special brand of last two holes to win the U.S. Open shot, and that birdie, I knew there U.S. Open chaos hit everyone but by one shot in the previous 120 was something special in the air. I Rahm, the only contender not to could just feel it. drop a shot on the back nine. editions of the toughest test in golf AP until Rahm’s storybook finish. “I just knew that I could do it Four players who were within “It had to happen in a beautiful and believed it.” one shot of the lead on the back Jon Rahm watches his birdie putt drop in the hole on the 18th green during Sun- setting like this,” he said. He picked up two prizes Sun- Please see Open, p. 4 day’s final round of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego. Shut out Staying on top Renegades fall Larson romps to yet Saturday. I think it’s a big advan- to Joplin 11-0 tage for me to be in a car multi- another victory for ple times a week.” By the News Tribune staff Hendrick Motorsports Larson led 264-of-300 laps at The Joplin Outlaws had four Nashville for his third consecu- pitchers combine to throw a LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — tive win in a points race, fourth three-hitter Sunday, shutting Kyle Larson won his fourth race straight including the All-Star down the Jefferson City Rene- in seven days then finally head- race. The Chevrolets from Hen- gades in an 11-0 run-rule win at ed home to sleep in his own bed. drick Motorsports have won six Vivion Field. For a night, anyway. consecutive weeks dating to Alex Josef Keilholz had a double The busiest driver in motor- Bowman’s May 16 win at Dover. for Jefferson City, while David sports won again Sunday in the “My goodness, we don’t have Dell and Tommy Ruether each Cup debut at Nashville Super- anything for those Chevrolets singled for the team’s remaining speedway, where Larson drove right now,” said Aric Almirola, hits in the MINK League contest. to NASCAR’s victory lane for the the highest-finishing non-Chev- Christian DeJesus was the fourth consecutive week. rolet driver at fourth in a Ford. winning pitcher for Joplin. In Sandwiched in between his He started from the pole. five innings, he gave up three $1 million victory in the All-Star Nashville Superspeedway hits and one walk while striking race last Sunday at Texas and reopened this weekend after a out nine. his Cup-leading fourth victory decade of dormancy to host its The Outlaws led from start of the season at Nashville were first ever Cup race. NASCAR’s to finish, scoring in every inning two dirt racing wins in Ohio top series last raced in the except the fifth and seventh. AP worth $6,000 each to the winner. Nashville-area 37 years ago at Joplin collected 15 hits against Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright works against the Braves in the first inning of Next up for Larson: Brandon, the Fairgrounds, where Geoff four Renegade pitchers. the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader in Atlanta. S.D., for tonight and Tuesday Bodine won in the No. 5 Chevro- Trenton Morrow was credit- night World of Outlaws races at let for Rick Hendrick in his first ed with the loss. In 31/3 innings, Huset’s Speedway. season as a team owner. he allowed five runs on seven “All of the racing helps for Hendrick is the winningest hits with one walk and one everything I do. I win a Cup race organization in NASCAR with strikeout. Day-and-night difference and it helps me for dirt racing,” 271 wins. Larson gave his new Shane Fontenot, Deejay Larson said. “I think just racing boss the record 269th victory game most starts. I think I could’ve pitched a Seelbach and Kaleb Haley com- Smyly, Acuña fuel Braves a lot — I’m in racing situations three points races ago at Char- whole lot better.” bined to pitch the remaining 42/3 more than anybody else in the lotte. past Cardinals for DH split Smyly didn’t allow a hit until the sixth innings of relief. Seelbach fin- world, really — but especially in Nashville is the 30th track a inning, Ronald Acuña Jr. hit his 100th career ished with five strikeouts. Cup and I think that helps me Hendrick car has won at and ATLANTA (AP) — Drew Smyly knows his homer and Atlanta earned a split of a day- The Outlaws also stole nine stay sharp, it helps me be aggres- Larson did in his own No. 5 first season with the Atlanta Braves hasn’t night doubleheader with a 1-0 victory Sunday bases in the win. sive and understand what things Chevrolet to bring Hendrick full gone as smoothly as he thought it would. night against the Cardinals. Joplin (9-6) led 3-0 after are doing and tracks changing. circle on racing in Music City. After shutting down the St. Louis Cardinals, In the first game, Adam Wainwright struck two innings and 6-0 after four. “You’re just getting into a “To be here and have this Smyly believes he’s on the right track to better out 11 and pitched a three-hitter, sending the The Outlaws won the game by consistency. rhythm and staying in a rhythm many victories, to see that car Cardinals to a 9-1 victory. run-rule with a four-run eighth “I guess pretty up and down, you know?” when none of these (Cup) guys back on track, it never gets old,” Smyly (4-3) signed a one-year, $11-million inning to lead by double-digits. he said. “I didn’t have the April I would like, are getting back in the car until Please see NASCAR, p. 3 deal as a free agent in November and has Jefferson City (8-7) is sched- but there’s five more months of the season, uled to play today at Sedalia. and I know it only takes one game to turn it largely been a disappointment for the Braves, First pitch is at 7 p.m. at Liberty around and start getting on a roll. I think I’ve entering with a 5.63 ERA in 11 starts. Park. battled every start and kept our team in the Please see Cardinals, p. 5 Winning the battle Dyson double caps 10-pitch at-bat, Royals top Red Sox 7-3 KANSAS CITY (AP) — Jarrod Dyson capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a tiebreaking, two-run double in a three-run third inning off Nathan Eovaldi, and the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Sunday for their first series win in nearly three weeks. “It was a good series win against a good team,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “We are seeing a lot of com- ponents coming together.” Mike Minor (6-4) allowed two runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings for the Royals, who had lost 12 of their previous 14 games.