Detroit — Seven down, one more to go.
This week marks the eighth and final playing of the PGA Tour's Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club.
So, who will join the roster of champions that includes Nate Lashley, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Davis (twice), Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and Aldrich Potgieter? We'll know soon enough, before the sun sets on Palmer Park on Sunday.
In the meantime, The Detroit News' so-called experts (loose term) provide their predictions:
Predicting the winner of a 147-player PGA Tour tournament is a near-impossible task, unless Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlory or prime Tiger Woods is teeing it up. Usually, I like to lean in heavily on the horses-for-courses theory, so I considered the likes of Jake Knapp (tied for fourth course-record 61 last year), Chris Kirk (lost in a playoff last year) and Taylor Moore (the only player with three top-10s here), but the course has been renovated. So I'm going with The Kid, JACKSON KOIVUN, 21, fresh off his first PGA Tour win at the 3M Open. We'll pick him to go back-to-back at 3M and Rocket, like Tony Finau in 2022. If Koivun wins, he'd be the second player to receive a sponsor's exemption into the Rocket (2024), only to win the tournament two years later (Aldrich Potgieter, 2023 exemption and 2025 ****** le).

#detroit #tony

Detroit — No windows were broken, dang it.
But Rickie Fowler, good company man that he is as a longtime Rocket pitchman, did his best to go viral, plunking the side of the new Hudon's building with one of his tee shots during Par 3 in the D.
"I kind of broke the ice, and then there was a couple others," Fowler said as the sun was starting to set on downtown Detroit on a mild but breezy summer Tuesday night. "With the wind, the buildings were in play.
No broken windows to report in downtown Detroit. But it wasn’t for a lack of trying from Rickie Fowler. He’s a good company man. pic.twitter.com/R5xC5cUJgb
"Definitely probably one of the harder shots we've had to try and hit, between some buildings.

#rickie

Detroit — Rocket Classic officials were crossing their fingers for one more big splash with the field for next week's tournament. And on Wednesday night, they sure got one.
Jordan Spieth will play in Detroit's PGA Tour tournament for the first time, tournament officials confirmed to The News.
Spieth, a three-time major champion who has won on the PGA Tour 13 times, pulled out of this week's 3M Open in Minnesota, leading to speculation he could make the Rocket Classic a late addition to his schedule with the PGA Tour playoffs looming. Spieth is 55th in the FedEx Cup standings, and while he's in good shape to make the first playoff event (top 70), the top 50 make the second playoff event and the top 30 make the huge-money Tour Championship.
The Rocket Classic, set for July 30-Aug. 2 at Detroit Golf Club, is the second-to-last regular-season tournament before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs.
Spieth, 32, hasn't won on the PGA Tour since 2022, but he remains a star and a big draw for fans. He joins headliners like Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka among the 145-player field for the eighth and final Rocket Classic. Like Spieth, Schauffele and Koepka are playing in the Rocket Classic for the first time.

#make #first

A group of longtime Dr. Phillips Little League softball teammates have won the Florida state championship.
Many of the senior players have competed together since they were 5 or 6 years old. Nearly a decade later, the team advanced uncontested through district play and went undefeated at sectionals before capturing the state ***** le.
The team is coached by former Major League Baseball All-Star Rickie Weeks.
Players will continue practicing and fundraising before leaving July 22 for regional competition in Tennessee.
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The year’s final major is upon us. The Open Championship (or British Open, depending on which side of the pond you favor) tees off on Thursday at Royal Birkdale. Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, local hero Tommy Fleetwood and the rest of the field will begin play starting at 1:35 a.m. Eastern Time. The final group will tee off at 11:21 a.m. Get the coffee ready and follow along.
Notable tee times (all times Eastern):
2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick
4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland
4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day

It is officially Open Championship week and time for the 154th edition of golf’s oldest major, which is being held at Royal Birkdale for the 11th time.
But first, American pros headed over early for some links prep and went about getting on some of the U.K.’s many gems. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had some extra time on his hands after missing the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open and took in North Berwick Golf Club, one of several great courses in East Lothian, and with son Bennett in tow.
Over in England, Akshay Bhatia and Rickie Fowler explored one of the neighboring Southport courses, where Tommy Fleetwood cut his teeth in the game at West Lancs Golf Club. Very cool of them to bring junior member George Crompton along for the ride. Imagine he won't soon forget that experience.
Jordan Spieth, the 2017 British Open champion here at Royal Birkdale the last time it hosted the Open, was out and about getting familiar with links golf and took in a round at Formby Golf Club. "Always a privilege to see one of the game's great champions enjoying our links," the club posted on its social media accounts.
But the pros weren't the only ones squeezing in some golf while overseas. Jamie Kennedy of Golf Digest had the shot of his life, a hole-in-one at the par-4 18th at North Berwick and the bartender happened to be taking a time-lapse of the sunset at the time.

Where to watch HBCU Swingman Classic: Time, TV channel, live streams for All-Star college baseball showcase originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
MLB All-Star weekend is here, and it's beginning once again with the HBCU Swingman Classic.
This is the fourth iteration of the event that features student-athletes from historically Black colleges and universities. It began in 2023 at the All-Star weekend.
There will be 50 players from 19 historically Black colleges and universities participating in this year's event. The 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic will take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jimmy Rollins and Rickie Weeks will be the managers for the National League and American League rosters, respectively. Rollins is a Phillies legend and the 2007 NL MVP, while Weeks is a 14-year MLB veteran and former Southern University standout.

QUAD CITIES, Illinois — At 1:16 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood started his round in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am.
Illini fans might notice a familiar face on Underwood's bag, as his son, and Illinois basketball ***** istant coach, Tyler Underwood will be caddying for him during the event and helping him maneuver through TPC Deere Run.
There's no shortage of big names playing in the Pro-Am, as he followed in the steps of names like Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and members of the Savannah Bananas, who teed off earlier in the day.
Ahead of the Pro-Am event, Underwood spoke with the local media, and it's safe to say he wasn't the most confident in his abilities.
"I've played so little golf that it's a little concerning… I had hand surgery right after the season was over and literally I played a round on Friday and played a round on Sunday, and I was so bad on Sunday that I almost went fishing," Underwood said.

The Guardians will approach MLB's 2026 Trade Deadline with some interesting decisions to make.
With Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez likely to still be on the IL as the deadline approaches, the Guardians will have to evaluate what their team is likely to be in need of when their best player as well as their current slugging leader make their returns. One would THINK that a team that is steadily in the bottom of all offensive categories except on-base percentage would still be in the market for some slugging, particularly from the right-handed side of the plate.
The number one place on the team where there is no clear internal option is for one more high leverage reliever, preferably one that bats left-handed. Of course, every team in MLB will be hoping to find a high leverage reliever and a right-handed power threat at the deadline. Will Cleveland be willing to do a little overpay to get one of these players? …It doesn't seem like the kind of thing they typically do… but I suppose the Lane Thomas deal kinda qualifies.
The trickiest category of potential acquisitions is a starting pitcher. The Guardians' rotation is strong. However, how likely is it that all five of them will make it through the season, because the depth behind them is practically non-existent. Personally, I'd be delighted if the Guardians shocked us and added another front of the rotation arm and showed willingness to let Cantillo or Cecconi become multi-inning weapons in the pen. But, I don't expect that kind of move, and admit it probably makes sense to focus your resources on improving the lineup and bullpen. So, I'm not going to spend time below focusing on the starters the Guardians could target. If they do, great. If anything, I'd see them doing a 2024 Matthew Boyd-type deal where they find a pitcher who is rehabbing they can take a flyer on. (But, they do also have Ben Lively somewhere who may fit that category).
I see the Guardians being willing to consider trading prospects for major league help, but I also suspect they will look to trade some of their own players even independent from acquiring help for now. I ***** ume, at this point, that they will trade Franco Aleman, who should be an ***** et in a deal for help now. Otherwise, I'm not sure why he wouldn't be with the major league team at this point. Bo Naylor probably gets moved for a comp pick at best, but more likely a lottery ticket-type prospect. I think they may deal Steven Kwan to a team who believes they can fix what ails him as a hitter, as many of his underlying skills remain. They're not going to get much for Kwan, though, so imagine him as more of a third-piece or a player they trade for a comp pick/lottery ticket, also.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR) is emerging as one of the market's trickiest AI plays.
The company is closely related to the AI boom with its government data platforms, commercial software and artificial intelligence platform. But investors now are seeing such exposure less as a clear tailwind and more as a risk.
Shares had fallen for seven straight sessions before rebounding on June 26, after touching a fresh 12-month low of $107.27. The stock bounced back on June 26, gaining more than 5% to around $113, although that rally came after a tough period that saw Palantir down significantly for 2026 and roughly 45% below its November 2025 high.
The pressure is a sign of a bigger concern on Wall Street: The same AI capabilities that are boosting demand for Palantir's products could eventually disrupt parts of the traditional software market.
That concern has affected a lot of software names. But Palantir still has something many rivals do not: a high-profile buyer going in while the chart looks awful.

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(Bloomberg) -- On paper, it seems like a no-brainer trade: Cash out of one private credit fund at 100% of net ****** et value and plow the money back into a similar vehicle that's trading at a substantially discounted price.
Like many things in the $1.8 trillion direct lending market, that kind of arbitrage can be trickier and more time-consuming to pull off than it first appears, especially for retail investors. Still, as an avalanche of redemption requests from private credit funds stretches into another quarter, some advisers are urging their clients to make the move.
The strategy hinges on the structural differences between non-traded business development companies, and BDCs that trade like stocks on exchanges. Non-listed BDCs can limit withdrawals but when investors do get cash out, they get their money back at the full net ****** et value of the fund.
In contrast, listed BDC prices move largely in real time, and right now they're trading at a median discount to NAV of about 25%, arguably in anticipation of the type of pressure and markdowns that are starting to hit their semi-liquid peers.

Kenny Atkinson, the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year who guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to back-to-back postseason jumps before a 4-0 sweep at the hands of the eventual champion New York Knicks in this year's Eastern Conference Finals, sat down with HoopsHype for an exclusive interview at the 19th edition of adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy.
Atkinson discussed what makes his return to Treviso a full-circle moment, the life lessons packed into a 14-year playing career across Europe, how he keeps his stars focused through noise and adversity, and why James Harden's basketball IQ made one of the trickiest mid-season roster moves he's ever navigated feel almost easy.
Kenny Atkinson: Well, for me, this is where it all started, kind of my first coaching experience. For coaches, it's kind of the same as it is for players. You're always looking for opportunities outside of the club you're with or the NBA team you're working for. How can I get more repetitions? How can I be around a development camp like this? I've tried really hard to come back here because a lot of coaches know what a great opportunity it is. So, in a way, this feels like coming full circle for me, coming back here and reconnecting with the adidas family, the aidas Basketball family, and, of course, a lot of European coaches and coaches from all over the world. It's a unique, unique camp, as you know. I just love being back here and spending time at this camp.
KA: Yeah, we had a great question-and-answer session with VJ Edgecombe and Franz Wagner. The campers asked some really great questions because these guys are trying to gain knowledge about how they can be successful at the next level. So yeah, you try to impart your experience. And for me, the great thing about being a coach is that I've had the chance to observe the best do it, the best players in the world, and see how they succeed, what their habits look like, how they work on their game, and how they take care of themselves off the court. So I think there's some credibility behind it when someone like Franz or VJ, or me, says something, because we're actually in the league. So this kind of intermingling between people who are in the league and adidas prospects who are trying to make the league is kind of the perfect combination. You feel like a mentor for these guys.
KA: That's a big thing as a coach. How do you block out the noise? Because the greatest players have more pressure. I would say with talent comes responsibility, and with more talent comes more responsibility. So it's the media's responsibility, internal pressure, all of that. We're so process-oriented. We're not outcome-based. We really believe in the process. Take care of X, Y and Z, and the results will kind of take care of themselves. I think that frees your mind. When you're focusing on these kinds of micro tasks that eventually lead to a good result, that kind of relieves the pressure. The other thing I always give these guys advice about is keeping their

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev will make the first defense of his 170-pound ***** le when he tangles with No. 1-ranked Ian Garry atop the upcoming UFC 330 fight card on Paramount+, scheduled for Sat., Aug. 15, 2026 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Garry is the betting underdog for their five-round showdown, so why are Islam fans starting to panic?
"The truth is, I have this feeling in my heart that they know I'm the trickiest opponent for them," Garry told Ariel Helwani. "That's why the champion of the world, one of the most dominant athletes we've ever seen, called out Kamaru Usman to defend his world ***** le fight against. Does that make sense? He knows I'm long, I'm tall. I'm fast. I'm rangy. I understand distance management and control. I don't get hit very well. It's never clean, it's never connected."
Garry absorbs just 2.86 significant strikes per minute and avoids 52% of incoming fire. By comparison, Makhachev is hit with just 1.45 significant strikes per minute and defends 61% of blows coming his way. No doubt part of that success comes from his punishing top control.
Garry defends 80% of all takedown attempts.