National Sports Headlines from NBC Sports

Juggling family and golf, Mickelson leads US Open

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) - So much for being fresh.Phil Mickelson arrived at Merion Golf Club just hours before his 7:11 a.m. tee time. If he was jet-lagged Thursday, it was hard to tell by the time he finished - he had the first-round lead to himself at the U.S. Open.Mickelson flew overnight from San Diego after watching his oldest daughter graduate from the eighth grade and, at first, was a little shak...    

Downpours and birdies in 1st round of US Open

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) - Clouds gave way to peeks of sunshine, squeegees gave way to putters, and the 13th hole gave way to birdies during the first round of the U.S. Open's return to Merion Golf Club.Drenching storms caused a 3 1/2-hour delay early Thursday, halting play less than two hours after it began. When the golfers returned to the course, one thing was evident: a 102-yard hole was easy picking...    

Cuba-to-Florida swimmer was surprised by jellyfish

The Australian who had to give up her quest to swim from Cuba to Florida because of jellyfish stings said her run-in with the creatures was unexpected.Chloe McCardel told The Associated Press on Thursday that she had picked this time of year for her swim because the jellyfish danger is lower.But late Wednesday, she found herself in a swarm and was severely stung, including painful wounds inside he...    

Stormy weather halts play during US Open 1st round

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) - Phil Mickelson rolled a birdie attempt 8 feet past the hole at No. 11. Steve Stricker did the same at No. 12. Bogey. Bogey.And that wasn't even the stormy part.The horn blew at 8:36 a.m. Thursday, halting play after less than 2 hours into the first round of U.S. Open. It wasn't raining as the players began to leave the course, but soon there were thunderclaps over the Merion Go...    

Yankees' Rivera surprises longtime A's employee

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Posing as a pizza delivery man, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera surprised longtime Athletics employee Julie Vasconcellos by visiting her in the mail room where she has worked going on 25 years.Rivera carried in a pizza box Wednesday night and brought Vasconcellos to tears as he thanked her for 2 1/2 decades of hard work behind the scenes."This is my way to say thank y...    

Contingency plans made for stormy start to U.S. Open

ARDMORE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - U.S. Open organizers were preparing for severe thunderstorms and high winds for Thursday's opening round at Merion, which has already been saturated by more than six inches of rain since Friday.Though the iconic par-70 East Course drains very well, extra care has been taken over the location of pin positions on greens more susceptible to puddling while the safety ...    

Yankees' Rivera surprises longtime A's employee

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Posing as a pizza delivery man, New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera surprised longtime Athletics employee Julie Vasconcellos by visiting her in the mail room where she has worked going on 25 years.

Pirates 8, Giants 2

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Gerrit Cole wasn't feeling nervous in the hours leading up to his major league debut. And that made him nervous."I couldn't understand it," Cole said. "It made me a little worried."Cole had nothing to be worried about as he took a shutout into the seventh inning and hit a two-run single in his first at-bat Tuesday night, leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-2 victory over the S...    

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