COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) Though John Smoltz may have felt very much alone on the wind-whipped, sun-baked Broadmoor course, he wasn’t.

The pitching Hall of Famer spent Day 1 at the U.S. Senior Open in much the same position as the rest of the field – gouging out of ankle-high rough, then scrambling to put himself in position for par putts on tricky, mountain greens that left player after player shaking his head.

”I’m just being honest,” Smoltz said after a round of 15-over 85 that left him tied for 150th place. ”I don’t have enough game for this course yet.”

Article continues below …

He wasn’t alone.

The ultimate test for the seniors produced only eight below-par scores Thursday, and not a single player – not even leader Jerry Kelly – finished 18 holes without a bogey on his card.

Kelly gave it a run, though.

After saving par from the rough on the 559-yard, par-4 17th – he was holding his right elbow after digging out the approach – Kelly was one 4-foot putt away from going..

POTOMAC, Md. (AP) The guy who has been fiddling with putters because he wasn’t happy with the results finally saw his share of putts go in.

If only Tiger Woods could have looked behind him, he might have seen J.J. Spaun match his best score of the year with a 7-under 63 to share the lead with Andrew Landry in the Quicken Loans National.

Spaun, who has gone back-and-forth with putters four times in his last six tournaments, quietly went about his business Thursday while most of the attention was on Woods in the group ahead of him using a mallet-style putter to help him shake out of a slump.

Article continues below …

A new putter gave Woods a better feel, but the same middling results. He had six birdie chances from 10 feet or closer and made two of them to offset a double bogey early in his round, and he had to settle for an even-par 70.

”I shot about the score I should have shot today,” Woods said.

Landry shot his 63 in the morning when the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm was soft, ..

None

John Smoltz didn't let an 85 ruin his first day at the US Senior Open.

None

Even fringe basketball fans were likely aware of the legend of Zion Williamson well before he committed to Duke, college basketball's version of the evil empire. If you have an account on one of the many social media platforms that exist, you've come across one of his ridiculous dunks. Here's a sampling for those of you who have been living under a rock:
As you can see, there's a reason Coach K wanted him despite already having signed the top two recruits in the country, giving them what some believe to be the best class in modern recruiting history. The kid is a freak of nature, standing at 6'6'', weighing 275 pounds and displaying the ability to literally fly through the air in a violent manner. He makes some of his opponents in these videos look like fifth graders, and there's no reason to believe he won't do the same on the college level when the Blue Devils play one of their regularly-scheduled cupcake games against Elon or some other t..

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) Though John Smoltz may have felt very much alone on the wind-whipped, sun-baked Broadmoor course, he wasn’t.

The main difference between him and most of the guys battling the conditions Thursday at the U.S. Senior Open was that Smoltz does not do this for a living.

The pitching Hall of Famer spent Day 1 of his fantasy golf camp in much the same position as the rest of the players – gouging out of ankle-high rough, then scrambling to put himself in position for par putts. But Smoltz didn’t make many. His round of 15-over 85 included only five pars and no birdies.

Article continues below …

”I’m just being honest,” Smoltz said. ”I don’t have enough game for this course yet.”

The ultimate test for the seniors produced only six below-par scores through the morning rounds, with the wind forecast to pick up as the day wore on.

Rocco Mediate was in an early three-way tie for the lead at 2 under – in the mix again for a national championship 10 years after h..

It's been 21 long, excruciating years since Top Of The Muffin To You!—the muffin-top-only breakfast empire of Elaine Benes and Mr. Lippman—folded in the wake of a messy discarded stump scandal. But now, as America continues its ongoing crusade to make real life mimic pop culture and not the other way around, McDonald's is finally picking up the blueberry baton, rolling out muffin tops for real on Thursday.
RELATED: Seinfeld's 10 greatest sports moments
McDonald's now has sole ownership of the fast food frontier, but not all is golden beneath the Golden Arches. Talking to TMZ earlier this week, former Seinfeld writer and the brains behind the minimal muffin movement, Spike Ferensten, demanded [full Dr. Evil voice] $1 billion dollars from the “f—k it, we gotta eat somewhere” giant. But don't worry, Ferensten expressed desire to use that money for good, saying he plans to buy a bigger car collection than Jerry Seinfeld and fund his podcast “Cars and Coffee,” which..

Follow all the Tiger Woods action from the first round of the Quicken Loans National on the Golf Digest live blog.

PARIS (AP) Bradley Dredge carded a 4-under 67 to lead by one shot after the opening round of the French Open on Thursday.

The Welsh player, who closed with a 66 at last week’s BMW International Open, continued his good form with five birdies in windy conditions at Le Golf National, where the Ryder Cup will be played in September.

Two-time champion Graeme McDowell, a vice captain for the European team, and Andy Sullivan of England were both a shot off the lead.

Article continues below …

McDowell had seven birdies and four bogeys, and Sullivan five and two. They are one clear of Robert Karlsson – another of Europe’s vice captains – Thomas Pieters and Dean Burmester.

Justin Thomas of the United States, making his debut at the tournament, and Jon Rahm of Spain were in a group of eight tied for seventh, three shots off the lead. Thomas had a double-bogey on the fifth hole, and Rahm did the same on the 15th.

Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood is 3-over par.