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Women’s British Open: Three players to watch at Muirfield

Madelene Sagstrom had one of the best rounds of the day on Friday at the Women’s British Open. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

The cut line for the AIG Women’s Open has been drawn, with South Korea’s In Gee Chun leading the pack at 8-under.

This year’s PGA Championship winner, Chun has been driven to the lead this week by her caddie, who bet on Chun recording bogey-free rounds. While she has yet to achieve the feat, that hasn’t stopped her from vaulting to the top of the leaderboard.

“Before the start of the tournament my caddie Dean and I talked about the course, and after that we had a little bit of betting,” Chun said. “If I make a bogey-free round he’s said he’s going to buy me dinner and pay me 100 dollars each day. So before each round it’s like setting another goal. That mindset helped a lot on the course. I had two bogeys over the last two days, but I want to keep trying to make a bogey-free round.”

Seven-time major winner Inbee Park sits in the mix, two shots back of the lead after shooting a 67 on Friday. Others will also look to make a run over the weekend as they battle the Scottish winds.

Just Women’s Sports has three golfers to watch as the tournament enters the weekend.

Celine Boutier

Celine Boutier entered the week having finished second at the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open. While she shot a 3-under 69, LPGA Tour rookie Ayaka Furue had an outstanding round to win the tournament.

Now, Boutier sits tied for seventh entering the weekend, four shots off the lead. The confidence she gained from last weekend’s finish has shown, with the Frenchwoman posting back-to-back scores under par (68 on Thursday, 70 on Friday).

Currently ranked 17th in the world, Boutier has finished in the top 10 six times this season, including tied for fourth at the Gainbridge LPGA and third at the Honda LPGA. A two-time LPGA Tour champion, including last year at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Boutier has what it takes to fight her way up the leaderboard and, come Sunday, could find herself holding the winner’s trophy.

Rose Zhang

The weekend isn’t over and Rose Zhang already has a trophy. While Zhang sits eight shots off the lead heading into the weekend, she’s the lone amateur in the field to make the cut, meaning she’s won the Smyth Salver for the tournament’s top amateur.

After shooting a 72 on Thursday, she improved by two shots on Friday to shoot 1-under for the day. It’s an improvement from last year, when she didn’t make the cut.

The reigning NCAA individual champion and a member of Stanford’s 2022 NCAA Championship team, Zhang has the abilities to make a run in Scotland. She chose Muirfield over the U.S. Women’s Amateur for her third major start of the season, all three of which she has made the cut.

While the world’s No. 1 amateur tied for 40th at the U.S. Women’s Open and shared 65th two weeks ago at the Evian Championship, Zhang — who currently sits tied for 35th — has an opportunity to place even higher this weekend and will be aiming to do so.

Madelene Sagstrom

Madelene Sagstrom is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard at the AIG Women’s Open, having finished tied for runner-up last year when the tournament was in Carnoustie. Meanwhile, fellow countrywoman Anna Nordqvist claimed the crown.

This year, Nordqvist sits on the outside looking in, having not made the cut, as Sagstrom — who has just one LPGA Tour victory from the 2020 Gainbridge LPGA under her belt — surged on Friday with a 65. She tied with South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai for the best round of the day and now sits one shot back of the lead.

So far this season, Sagstrom has found herself in the top 10 four times, at the DIO Implant LA Open (T3), Palos Verdes Championship presented by Bank of America (T9), Cognizant Founders Cup (T3), and Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards (T5). She’s found herself near the top of LPGA ranking categories in driving distance, eagles, and birdies — all of which have contributed to her world ranking of No. 32. If anyone in the top 10 has the ability to break through this weekend, it’s Sagstrom.

Alex Morgan “week-to-week” with ankle injury

Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images

USWNT stalwart Alex Morgan will miss at least one week of NWSL action after suffering a left ankle knock in her last club appearance, Wave manager Casey Stoney said on Thursday.

Morgan was helped off the field after rolling her ankle in the later stages of the Wave’s 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride last weekend, despite the San Diego side being out of available substitutes.

“She's got an ankle injury and she's out for this weekend, and then it'll be week by week from there,” Stoney said, confirming that Morgan’s been ruled out for Saturday’s showdown with NWSL newcomer Bay FC.

Depending on its severity, Morgan’s ankle issue might have larger ramifications than missing a few weeks of NSWL play. Morgan was added to the team's Gold Cup roster after an ACL injury sidelined young striker Mia Fishel, and she's since made a number of USWNT starts in the team's Gold Cup and SheBelieves wins. A long-term injury could potentially derail the center forward’s Olympic plans.

With her return timeline uncertain, it's possible the injury could also impact Morgan's ability to participate in new head coach Emma Hayes' first U.S. friendlies in June and July.

Morgan's injury concerns aren't uncommon in the U.S. player pool, but add a sense of urgency as Hayes eyes the NWSL for top-performing players in the upcoming weeks. Gotham's Tierna Davidson and Rose Lavelle have also been dealing with injuries: Lavelle has yet to appear for Gotham, while Davidson exited last weekend's match early with a hamstring injury.

Gotham has yet to issue an update concerning Davidson's status.

Brazil legend Marta to retire from international play after Olympics

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Marta of Brazil during the 2023 SheBelieves Cup match between Japan and Brazil at Exploria Stadium on February 16, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)

This week, legendary Brazilian superstar Marta announced that she’ll retire from the national team at the end of 2024.

In an interview with CNN Esportes published Thursday, the iconic footballer confirmed that she would be hanging up her boots regardless of whether or not she ends up making Brazil's 18-player roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

“If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team,” she said. “There is no longer Marta in the national team as an athlete from 2025 onwards.”

Marta will retire as a giant of the women's game, having appeared in five Olympics and multiple World Cups. When discussing her retirement, she stressed confidence in the rising generation of Brazilian players, noting that she was, “very calm about this, because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes." 

The statement echoes back to a plea she made during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup after Brazil lost to France 2-1 in the Round of 16. “It's wanting more. It's training more. It's taking care of yourself more. It's being ready to play 90 plus 30 minutes. This is what I ask of the girls,” she said then, addressing the young players following in her footsteps. 

In 2023, she signaled a farewell to World Cup competition with the same sentiment, telling media, “We ask the new generation to continue where we left off.”

If selected for the 2024 Olympic team, Marta has a shot at extending her own consecutive-scoring record with the ability to score in an unbelievable sixth-straight Olympic Games. She currently stands as Brazil’s top goalscorer, racking up 116 career goals in 175 matches, as well as the leading goalscorer in any World Cup, women’s or men’s, with 17 to her name. 

Marta will continue to play for the NWSL’s Orlando Pride through at least the end of 2024. The longtime forward and club captain has already contributed to multiple goals this season.

USWNT to face Costa Rica in final Olympic send-off

uswnt sophia smith and tierna davidson celebrate at shebeilves cup 2024
The USWNT will play their final pre-Olympic friendly against Costa Rica on July 16th. (Photo by Greg Bartram/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA start to serve as 2024 Olympic tryout

Clark of the Indiana Fever poses for a photo with Lin Dunn and Christie Sides during her introductory press conference on April 17, 2024
The talented Fever rookie is still in the running for a ticket to this summer's Paris Olympics. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

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