So much history is involved when the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills, the only golf club to host this major championship in three centuries.Scottie Scheffler will try to take his place in history when the No. 1 player goes after the final leg of the career Grand Slam. Should he win, he would be the seventh player to win all four majors and join Tiger Woods as the only players since 1960 the modern era of the slam to get it done on his first try.That ordinarily would be the sole focus of the 126th U.S. Open, to be played June 18-21, except for the recent history at Shinnecock Hills.It has not been smooth sailing off the Great Peconic Bay on Long Island.It's hard when you run one tournament a year and you run it on a different golf course every year to get it just right, Scheffler said. And you're trying to make it hard. I think in the U.S. Open, they push the boundaries. If they're going to continue to push the boundaries, eventually they'll screw up and then they'll dial it back.The 2004 U.S. Open already was brutally tough when the USGA failed to account for the strength of the warm wind. The par-3 seventh, with its Redan green, became so impossible to hold that officials had to douse it with water between groups on the final day. No one broke par, and the average score was 78.73.Among the blistering comments came this from Jerry Kelly: I think theyre ruining the game. Theyre ruining the tournament. This isnt golf.When the U.S. Open returned to this New York gem in 2018, the greens were so glassy from sun and wind the last 45 players on the tee sheet Saturday failed to break par. Phil Mickelson staged a bizarre protest by swatting a moving ball on the 13th green. Brooks Koepka saved the week by becoming the first repeat champion in 29 years.So a return to the fabled course evokes one thought: What will go wrong this time?Hopefully, they get the balance right of all the different challenges, and its not contrived, Adam Scott said. These great tracks, theyve gotten into trouble when theyve been manipulated.Wider fairways planned for this yearJohn Bodenhamer, the USGA's chief competitions officer, was asked to take a hard look after 2018 to see what went wrong and why. The short answer was greens not properly hydrated.The real answer comes over four days at Shinnecock Hills, the sixth time for it to host the U.S. Open, never under this much scrutiny. The early scouting report from Scheffler and Rory McIlroy was wider fairways than they are used to seeing at a U.S. Open. That wasn't a mirage.Bodenhamer said the USGA wanted to present a course the way William Flynn designed it in 1931 when he was brought into reshape a course that first opened in 1891, the oldest golf club in America still in the same location.That means an average fairway width of 48 yards, compared with 42 yards in 2018 and 32 yards wide last year at Oakmont. He anticipates slower green speeds to account for so many putting surfaces perched on a hill and exposed to the wind.The way we're thinking about this year is to let Shinnecock be Shinnecock, Bodenhamer said.That should be enough. In the five U.S. Opens at Shinnecock Hills, three players have finished the tournament under par Raymond Floyd in 1986, Retief Goosen and runner-up Mickelson in 2004.McIlroy said the green speeds were just over 11 on the Stimpmeter slightly under the target speed the USGA has in mind and the Masters champion doesn't thing they need to be much fasters.If they can keep them at that green speed, they can get them firm, and they can use the hole locations that they want to use without having some of the struggles that they have had the last couple of U.S. Opens, McIlroy said. If it's set up the right way, I think it's one of the best championship tests in the country. It's an amazing golf course.Scheffler goes for the career Grand SlamMcIlroy became the most recent player with the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in 2025. At the time, Scheffler had two green jackets but only one leg of the career slam. And then he steamrolled the competition at the PGA Championship and British Open.Fixed that, Scheffler said with a laugh at the start of the year.Now he's on the cusp of the most elite club in golf. McIlroy had to wait 11 years to get the final leg. Jack Nicklaus (1966 British Open) and Gary Player (1965 U.S. Open) each waited three years for their final pieces. Scheffler is the betting favorite, even though he hasn't won in five months.He was runner-up in 2022 at The Country Club, his best chance. He was in the mix at Los Angeles in 2023 and on the fringe of contention at Torrey Pines.I like the challenge of playing a really hard golf course against a really good field, he said.Adam Scott playing his 100th straight majorScott is among three players potentially four depending on alternates who is playing a third time at Shinnecock Hills, though he has yet to make the cut there. He still has cause of celebration. Scott is playing in his 100th consecutive major, dating to the 2001 British Open, the second-longest streak behind Nicklaus and his incomparable run of 146 in a row.It's crazy," said Jordan Spieth, next in line at 52 in a row. It's not only playing at a high level, it's take care of yourself the right way. Almost every single person you think of that could have reached 100 missed it because of injury.The toughest testPlayers were due to start arriving around the weekend to prepare a major with a reputation as being the toughest test in golf. For Shinnecock, the test starts with wind on a course that more closely resembles a Scottish links than any other in America.Flynn created a series of triangles holes that run in that shape so players are forced to cope with different wind direction no matter which way it's blowing. And for the players, the test can be what goes on between the ears. Nicklaus once said he could rule out most players having a chance when he hears them complain. And there's been a lot of complaining the last two times at Shinnecock Hills.Your acceptance meter, you've got to add some at the top end, Xander Schauffele said. If it's 100, you need to make it 150 because 100 is not enough. It might be the second or third hole of the day and you might have already had four bad breaks. It's really penalized. It's the most tired I am of the four majors.___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Luke Reece never played hockey growing up in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga. Instead, he played soccer, like many Canadians who are now adults.The sport is so popular it has surpassed hockey and all other sports in youth participation, according to a recent report by Jumpstart, a Canadian charity that helps low-income youth play organized sports. It said half the nations youth participate in organized soccer.Reece was one of many locals sporting Canada soccer gear on Thursday ahead of their nations World Cup opener Friday against Bosnia-Herzegovina.Wish I had tickets to the game tomorrow, but I dont, Reece said. Im going to a game in Vancouver. It was cheaper to get a ticket out there.Is Canada about to have a soccer moment?It already has a good hold in this country in terms of participation. I think we all expect that to grow. These tournaments inspire so many next-generation people to find their heroes, play the game, said Christina Linz, president of the women's Northern Super League. I think (it) will really draw those emotional connections.Thursday in Toronto looked a bit like wear-your-favorite-soccer-jersey day as the tournament opened in Mexico. Canadas red tops, like the one worn by Reece, were among the most popular.Mexico (No. 13) and the United States (No. 17), the other co-hosts for the World Cup, each sit higher in FIFAs rankings than Canada, which is 30th, but that means theres more to gain for the Canadians. Especially when it comes to generating passion for the sport.Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Thursday he has felt a real momentum behind this team and behind this moment as Canada Soccer, the sports national governing body, looks to capitalize on hosting the World Cup for the first time.Canada has become more and more multicultural, and I think the excitement for so many different nations to be here in North America and in Canada, and to be playing with all of the greatest players in the world and some of the greatest coaches, I think that theres real excitement behind what this will be, Marsch said.Potentially stalling the potential of Marschs squad is the absence of star defender Alphonso Davies, who was ruled out for Fridays match as he continues to nurse a hamstring injury sustained during Bayern Munich's Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain on May 6.Marsch is hopeful that Davies will be able to return at some point in the group stage. He said Davies had an MRI on Wednesday.Were getting ready to ramp things up, Marsch said Thursday.Davies is one of many Canada players fighting injuries. Defender Moise Bombito is recovering from a broken leg, but Marsch said Bombito is ready to contribute.Regardless of whos on the pitch for Canada, its ready to make a statement, and players are eager to prove their country is a soccer nation.Every one of these boys is incredibly Canadian, and the pride they have in putting on the jersey, representing the country, hearing the national anthem, Marsch said. These guys sing the national anthem, belt it out to the top of their lungs, because they want to show the country how proud they are to be here, to be Canadians, and to represent what Canada is.___Lexie Linderman is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.___AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

UFC White House will be watched by "a billion people all over the world", the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.The event goes hand in hand with America's 250th anniversary of independence.A signature octagon cage has been constructed on the South Lawn of the White House, with the US administration saying the UFC would be covering the 45million cost.There will be a ceremonial weigh-in for fighters on Saturday, where organisers expect 120,000-plus visitors to watch Sunday night's proceedings on large screens.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayRubio described the event as a "gift to the American people".He said: "The White House is the people's house. It belongs to the people of the United States."The American 250 celebration belongs to the people of the United States."Noting the popularity of the sport, Rubio said: "For them to be able to see this event with their White House in the background as part of our celebration as a country in our 250 years, I think is a gift to the American people.LATEST SPORTS NEWSWorld Cup 2026 day two: Mexico and South Korea kick off campaigns with wins, two games to comeIreland to play Israel behind closed doors overseas due to fears of protestsF1 star who was left 'heartbroken' after Monaco Grand Prix given major boost"They're going to see their White House and their capital on their nation's birthday celebrating with a historic event."We could've had a band, and we have great bands. We could've done a Shakespeare in the Park production. "There's a lot of things we could have done with it, but this one will have people watching, probably a billion people all over the world."A billion people all over the world will be watching America celebrate its 250th birthday with the White House in the background, and some of the best athletes in the world in that octagon, and we're happy to be a part of that."Donald Trump has described the event as "the greatest show on Earth", with seven fights scheduled on the cards.Canadian bantamweight fighter Aiemann Zahabi anticipates boos and jeers during his fight against American Sean O'Malley, a known Trump supporter.Zahabi said: "It's something that's probably never going to be repeated again."It's a one-off, and you know, Trump's an eccentric guy, and you know, he loves MMA. He loves UFC... I think of it [as] just one big celebration."The card kicks off with Ilia Topuria facing Justin Gaethje, before Alex Pereira goes up against Ciryl Gane.O'Malley competes at bantamweight against Zahabi, before a heavyweight bout between Josh Hokit and Derrick Lewis.Michael Chandler faces Mauricio Ruffy, and Bo Nickal fights Kyle Daukaus in the penultimate fight.Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia will conclude the event.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

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