CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks allowed two runs on three hits and a walk to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, his first outing since recovering from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Hendriks, 34, got several standing ovations, both before he took the mound and when he entered the game in the top of the eighth inning. He pitched one inning.

"It was definitely emotional," Hendriks said after the 6-4 loss. "It was humbling going out there and seeing the amount of people wearing my shirts, the amount of people having signs or flags or anything like that -- the amount of people that were chanting when I came into the game."

Both teams stood and clapped for Hendriks, as did the Memorial Day crowd at Guaranteed Rate Field. Home plate umpire John Libka and Angels lead-off man that inning, Matt Thaiss, also gave Hendriks a moment to take it all in before beginning the inning.

"It was great being back out there," Hendriks stated. "I felt good. I felt strong. I felt comfortable out there. Unfortunately, for me, I wasn't able to get the 2 strike pitch where I wanted it."

Hendriks threw 27 pitches, giving up runs on a sacrifice fly by Zach Neto and an infield single by Mike Trout. He eventually got Shohei Ohtani to ground out to end the inning, his first since Oct. 3.

He kept his first pitch of the inning as a keepsake.

"The outpouring of love, not only online and on social media, but in person, has been huge and I want to thank the city of Chicago for embracing us in this way," Hendriks said.

Hendriks was diagnosed with cancer in December, going public with the news in early January. His goal was to come back without being placed on the 60 day injured list. He accomplished that.

"He came up to me in the parking lot when I first got to Arizona at the start of spring training," general manager Rick Hahn said before the game. "He told me, 'I could be back before those 60 days are up.' (Monday) is Day 60. ... (And) we are literally, only 45 days removed from his last chemotherapy treatment so it's remarkable that he's here."

Hahn indicated the team is dealing in somewhat 'unchartered' territory in terms of his rehab and usage on the mound. After the outing, his manager indicated it's a day-by-day assessment and wasn't sure when Hendriks might resume closing duties.

"We'll process this as we go," Pedro Grifol said. "Too early for that answer. We'll see how he feels (Tuesday) and make that decision as we go."

Said Hendriks about returning to the ninth inning: "I need to earn it."

Emiliano Grillo needed to win to get in — nothing else would do it.

Even a playoff loss would put Grillo on the outside looking in for The Open qualifying, forcing him to find another route to Royal Liverpool. Instead, his win at last weekend's Charles Schwab Challenge boosted him into the Official World Golf Ranking top 50, just in the nick of time.

Players can qualify to The Open via a few different routes, including The Open Qualifying series, but arguably the easiest is to play well enough to be in the OWGR top 50 eight weeks prior to the tournament.

That cut off was this past Sunday. Mere hours after Grillo secured his win in Fort Worth, Texas, he jumped from No. 80 to 42 to book his ticket to England.

Other players who also qualified via the OWGR exemption include:

21. Tom Kim
22. Jason Day
24. Keegan Bradley
28. Justin Rose
30. Russell Henley
37. Chris Kirk
38. Si Woo Kim
42. Emiliano Grillo
43. Seamus Power
46. Rickie Fowler
48. Taylor Moore
49. Abraham Ancer
50. Lucas Herbert

These are players who have otherwise not yet qualified.

The Mud Bath King, Tom Kim, will make his second start in the final major of the year after finishing T-47 at The Old Course at St. Andrews last year.

Rickie Fowler cracked the top 50 for the first time in two years after the Wells Fargo Championship in early May, but he had dropped to No. 51 by the time he teed off in Fort Worth. Fowler fired a Final Round 3-under 67 — tied for the best round of the day — to finish T-6 and three shots off Grillo, climbing to No. 46. Royal Liverpool will mark his first Open Championship appearance since 2021.

LIV Golf's Abraham Ancer has been in an OWGR free fall since defecting to the rival league, but The Open's cutoff came at just the right time; Ancer dropped from No. 46 to 49 this week, narrowly making the cut.

Players who have yet to qualify still have other opportunities, just not via OWGR. The field will be finalized the week before the tournament begins on July 19.

Well, well, well ... that was quite the weekend? On Saturday, we had final day drama in the German Bundesliga as Borussia Dortmund let the title slip away and allowed Bayern Munich to claim a remarkable 11th straight title. Then, on Sunday, we had the last day of the 2022-23 Premier League season, with Everton escaping relegation and Aston Villa clinching a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League at Tottenham's expense.

Elsewhere, there were talking points galore for Napoli, Milan, Inter, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & more (U.S.)

It's Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of football.

Dortmund self-destruct to throw away Bundesliga, but Bayern aren't resting on laurels

What sets you apart is how you react. And no, I'm not just talking about Borussia Dortmund's meltdown that handed Bayern their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title on the final day of the 2022-23 season. I'm talking just as much about how Bayern reacted to the season, firing sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and chief executive Oliver Kahn despite winning the league. (More on them in a minute.)

You have to start with Dortmund. Going into the final day on Saturday, at home to Mainz, they had a two-point lead over Bayern, which meant all they had to do was match or beat Bayern's result away to Koln. A win would guarantee Dortmund the title, and this was a Mainz side that was in free fall. Yes, they were midtable, but they had also lost four consecutive games, conceding three or more goals in each of them.

You probably know what happened next. Andre Hanche-Olsen beat everybody at the near post to give Mainz the lead. Sebastian Haller missed the penalty that would have levelled the score and restored some semblance of normality. Some of the worst marking you'll ever see allowed Karim Onisiwo to put Mainz up 2-0 and maybe, that's when the demons surfaced in the Dortmund heads.

At that stage, a superb Kingsley Coman goal had given Bayern the lead at Koln. Dortmund were chasing. Again. It's not that they didn't try -- they would end up with 29 shots on goal, 10 of them on target, and an Expected Goals of 3.78 -- but that nothing seemed to work. Having failed with their defending, the finishing was messing with their heads. Still, they huffed and they puffed and pulled one back with Raphael Guerreiro and because life is cruel, they got a lifeline from Koln when Dejan Ljubicic equalised for the home team, nine minutes from time.

It meant that they were back in the driver's seat, they were champions...

... and it lasted all of seven minutes, until Jamal Musiala's darting run and finish put Bayern ahead 2-1 on the day and gave them 71 points to Dortmund's 70 in the table.

Nicklas Sule's late, late goal gave Dortmund the draw and the most pointless point in their history. It enabled them to finish level on points with Bayern, but it was totally meaningless, given the Bavarians held the goal difference tie-breaker. (By the way, assigning titles on tiebreakers like goal difference or head-to-head results is nonsensical, but it's been done that way for so long that folks come up with the silliest reasons to justify it.)

It's going to take a long time for Dortmund to undo the psychological damage. Few things hurt you more than living up to your stereotypes as a flimsy, mentally weak club that crumble when it matters most.

If they're honest with themselves, Borussia Dortmund will know that they are probably an inferior team to Bayern. But they'll also know that the run they put together after the World Cup showed the sort of resilience they possess. That's what they need to build on, rather than dwelling on Saturday. Jude Bellingham will likely be on his way out this summer, but his transfer fee can offer the launchpad for this team to come back stronger next season, even without him, and truly compete for the title. But for that to happen, they need to heal first.

As for Bayern, this is their lowest points total in twelve years. The title won't change that and, more importantly, neither will the awareness of how badly they screwed up when they sacked Julian Nagelsmann just before April Fools' Day and brought in Thomas Tuchel. As we've said and written before, it's not necessarily the change -- Tuchel is a fine coach, though I would have persevered with Nagelsmann -- but the way it came to pass, the timing of it and the way it burdened Tuchel with additional pressure and no time to work. It's a credit to the club that they had the courage to own the mistake.

The sackings of Salihamidzic and chief executive Oliver Kahn may seem ruthless and perhaps politically motivated (Uli Hoeness is still behind the scenes, pulling strings), but it shows that the club is fully aware of the mess they created, and they're taking steps to remedy it. That's big club mentality and that's responsible stewardship: not hiding behind silverware to pretend nothing is wrong.

With Dortmund and RB Leipzig, Bayern's most serious domestic rivals, probably losing their star players this summer (Bellingham and Christopher Nkunku, who is off to Chelsea), they're obvious favourites for next season, too, but Tuchel knows that's not enough. There is a ton of work to be done. And he'll need to do it without the people who gave him his job, because they're also the people who got the club into this mess.

PSG finally win the title, but it's all about Mbappe's future

It's extraordinary to think that, out of the Big Five European leagues, Paris Saint-Germain were the last club to secure their title. They backed into it, too, the arithmetic finally coming together Saturday night in the 1-1 draw away to Strasbourg. Given how the season unfolded and the changes to come -- Christophe Galtier? Gone. Lionel Messi? Gone. Neymar? Gone, if PSG find someone who'll take him. The Qatari owners? Officially staying, but given the spending and the World Cup project come and gone ... who knows? -- it was probably the most underwhelming title celebration in recent history.

Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, said he's going to play for PSG next year because he has another year left on his contract. Maybe he didn't mean it this way, but it sounded like when you were a kid if you said, "Yes, Mom, I'm going to church on Sunday because if I don't, you're cutting my allowance." Hardly a ringing endorsement, though you appreciate his honesty.

Needless to say, Mbappe's future will be the biggest distraction for the club next year. It may end up like last time -- with him signing a massive new deal -- but it does feel as if he's ready to move on. And if that's the case, you wonder if maybe PSG wouldn't be better off cashing in now and beginning the rebuild straight away, with the funds raised by a Mbappe move, rather than getting zero from his departure in a year's time.

Xhaka says farewell as Arsenal thrash Wolves

It was the best way to say goodbye to the Emirates until August, with a fun and straightforward 5-0 win over Wolves. And Granit Xhaka's two goals to cap it off led to some emotional farewells, as he's poised to join Bayer Leverkusen next season.

It's one of those moves that isn't entirely clear to me. Xhaka had his ups and downs with Arsenal, but this was probably the best of his seven seasons at the club. He had a year left on his contract and I assume Arsenal weren't offering him a new one (or, at least, the sort of new deal he'd want). So he picks up and goes to Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year deal. Sure, job security and all that, plus he gets to play for Xabi Alonso (at least for a year). But it also means no Champions League, not being a part of this new Arsenal chapter and, well, swapping London for Leverkusen (no offense).

My hunch is it's not (entirely) about money. Mikel Arteta probably told him that with Jorginho (31), Thomas Partey (30 next month) and Xhaka (31 in September), they'd probably be bringing in some younger midfielders and maybe he would have to compete for playing time in a way hasn't had to do this year. Either way, it feels like a loss.

Milan clinch Champions League spot, but Juve's future still murky

A fine Olivier Giroud header gave Milan a 1-0 victory away to Juventus that seals their place in the Champions League next season. It was a campaign of ups and downs for the Rossoneri -- the positives include the run to the Champions League semifinal, negatives include a season that will see them finish nearly 20 points off their mark last year -- and if they're clever about it, they'll learn from their missteps. But another year of Champions League cash (and the new deal for Rafael Leao) suggest they can look ahead with some optimism.

As for Juventus, there's not much more to add. It was a wretched campaign on the pitch (let's not forget the Champions League group stage elimination) and off it (witness the points penalty and the various legal proceeding against them). The one bright spot is the youngsters who got on the pitch and contributed.

However, it's galling to hear Max Allegri talk about how he knew he wasn't coming to Juve to win trophies, but rather engage in a rebuild. The reality is that he took over a squad that finished one point out of second place the year before and added the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria and Manuel Locatelli, while maintaining (by some distance) the highest wage bill in Serie A.

Man United beat Fulham as Ten Hag sets target for Rashford

It was a meaningless game in the end, but it's still nice to conclude the league season with a win, especially on a day when you're resting players ahead of the FA Cup final. Sunday's 2-1 win over Fulham also sealed Manchester United's third place in the table and their second highest points total since the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

I was struck, though, by Erik Ten Hag saying Marcus Rashford, whose seasonal tally is 30 goals, is capable of scoring 40 goals in a season. I'm sure he probably is, but if he ends up scoring 40 goals it will likely mean United have not added an A-list center-forward and that's something that, I think, most agree must be an absolute priority.

Barcelona win in final farewell for Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba... and Ansu Fati too?

Barcelona rolled over Mallorca 3-0 this weekend in what was classic late-season fare. The Camp Nou gave their tribute to Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets as they celebrated their farewells, and there was a certain symbolism in the goal scorers: Gavi and Ansu Fati, who bagged two.

The latter's situation is particularly emblematic. He's still only 20, yet has been a household name since making his debut at 16. Several years of injuries have slowed him down and, right now, he's not in Xavi's best XI. Not long ago, he was the most hyped kid in town; now it's unclear whether he'll stay, if only because Barca need to balance the books (again) and he has a massive upside.

I hope this isn't the last we've seen of him in a Barca shirt at the Camp Nou.

Unsung Rodrygo bags two as Real Madrid beat Sevilla

It's easy to get somewhat overlooked when you share the stage with the reigning Ballon d'Or (Karim Benzema) and arguably LaLiga's biggest star (Vinicius). Especially when, often, you end up on the bench in favour of an extra midfielder like Fede Valverde. But Rodrygo's two goals in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Sevilla took his seasonal total to 19, which is not a bad return when you're 22 and the third option up front.

He's not clinical like Benzema and he's not explosive like Vinicius, but he's growing as a player and, given the number of times he has popped up with big goals, might well have been Madrid's most important player this season, other than Thibaut Courtois.

Kane's numbers are eye-popping on a poor Tottenham team

Defending champion Iga Swiatek begins her French Open campaign on day three as she chases a third Roland Garros title in four years.

Top-10 seeds Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, Kazakh Elena Rybakina and American Coco Gauff also feature on Tuesday.

Daniil Medvedev opens against qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild in the men's draw.

The Russian second seed is among four players who could finish the fortnight as men's number one, with Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas also capable of replacing Carlos Alcaraz.

Elsewhere, Norway's 2022 finalist Casper Ruud and 20-year-old Danish sixth seed Holger Rune begin their respective campaigns.

Tuesday's night session will once again feature a men's singles match, with France's Gael Monfils taking on Argentine Sebastian Baez on Court Philippe Chatrier (not before 19:15 BST).

Britons Neal Skupski, Jamie Murray and Lloyd Glasspool are all involved on the first day of the men's doubles tournament.

Top spot on the line for Swiatek

First up for Swiatek, winner of titles in Doha and Stuttgart this season, is a meeting with Spain's Cristina Bucsa in the third match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Swiatek, who must reach the last eight at Roland Garros to have a chance of extending her stay as world number one, is beginning a tournament with her ranking on the line for the first time since she took the top spot in April 2022.

She is still recovering from the right thigh injury which forced her to retire from the Italian Open quarter-finals earlier this month, although she is optimistic it will not impact her title defence.

"Luckily nothing serious happened," Swiatek said. "I'm still recovering from the injury but I'll be good for my first round. That's the most important thing.

"Having this time to reset, think about other stuff and just calm down for a couple of days was really helpful, and also to analyse what happened during the whole clay season."

Jabeur begins proceedings on the main show court at 10:45 BST against Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.

The Tunisian, who reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2022, also picked up an injury in the build-up to the tournament but insisted she is "definitely" back to full fitness.

Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who claimed the biggest clay-court title of her career in Rome earlier this month, faces Czech 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova on Court Suzanne Lenglen after Gauff's match against Spain's Rebeka Masarova.

Two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka, seeded 18th, goes up against Canada's Bianca Andreescu, while 2021 champion Barbora Krejcikova meets Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko.

In-form Medvedev in contention

Medvedev has never previously advanced beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, but he will feel confident of changing that this year.

The Russian has won a Tour-leading 39 matches in 2023, along with five titles - including the first of his career on clay in Rome - and begins his tournament against Brazilian qualifier Seyboth Wild.

"For sure I have more expectations than I usually had at Roland Garros," Medvedev said.

"But I know that it's also tricky."

Ruud, beaten by Rafael Nadal in last year's final before finishing runner-up to Alcaraz at the US Open, is first up on Court Suzanne Lenglen at 10:00 BST against Sweden's Elias Ymer.

Denmark's Rune, who prepared for Roland Garros by beating Ruud and Djokovic on his way to the Italian Open final, starts against American Christopher Eubanks after German former world number two Alexander Zverev meets Lloyd Harris.

British trio begin doubles campaigns

Britain's top-ranked men's doubles player Skupski and team-mate Wesley Koolhof will begin their bid for a first major triumph as a pairing against Kazakh Andrey Golubev and Ecuador's Gonzalo Escobar.

Fifth seeds Glasspool and Finland's Harri Heliovaara take on Austrian duo Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler.

Murray and New Zealand partner Michael Venus, the 13th seeds, face Diego Hidalgo, of Ecuador, and Spain's David Vega Hernandez.

Elsewhere, Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer and Argentine Marcelo Arevalo, the defending champions, meet Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas - who is seeded fifth in the men's singles - and his younger brother Petros Tsitsipas.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Last year at Grayhawk Golf Club, Blaine Woodruff was wrapping up his final moments as an assistant at Pepperdine, a program he helped coach to an NCAA title and another national-semifinals appearance on this golf course. By then, Woodruff already knew what was next for him; he had accepted the head position at Chattanooga, and he and his wife, Katie, then the women’s assistant at USC, would soon be moving across the country to start the next big chapter of their lives.

From the get-go, Woodruff had his work cut out for him. The Mocs, no longer a top-100 program, didn’t have a schedule set, and the roster lacked enough players to field a full lineup. Plus, one of the squad’s top guys, Paul Conroy, had entered the transfer portal.

But after a year of remarkable resiliency, both on and off the golf course, Woodruff found himself back in the Arizona desert for a third straight year, leading Chattanooga to its first NCAA Championship appearance since 2012. On Sunday, the Mocs’ magical – and emotional – season came to an end with a T-23 finish.

“I’m so proud of these guys and what they’ve done this year,” Woodruff said. “I was thinking about it this whole week like, a year ago, knowing I was going there, then being back here with this team, it was just surreal. These guys are unbelievable. They bought in from the start, and to watch them grow as players and more importantly as people, accepting each other and pushing each other, they’re everything a coach could ask for.”

This performance was arguably more meaningful than any national championship.

Not only did Woodruff show off his evaluation skills by constructing a competitive lineup with a mix of returners – Conroy, who withdrew from the portal, and 22-year-old sophomore Braeden Wear – and transfers – Oklahoma’s Garrett Engle, D-II King College’s Samuel Espinosa and NAIA Tennessee Wesleyan’s John Houk. He also received full buy-in.

“He sold me in a heartbeat,” Engle said. “When I decided to come here, I didn’t really know what to expect. We had a lot of guys who I didn’t even know, but we’ve all come together as a team and enjoyed each other not even knowing what was going to happen this year.”

Wear remembers the tragic day like it was yesterday. It was March 23, and the team had just arrived at McLemore Club for a qualifying round. The course is some 40 minutes from Chattanooga’s campus, so Wear was surprised to see a couple members of the athletic department there – and no Coach Woodruff. Wear and his teammates knew that Katie was nine months pregnant with their first child, a girl, Riley Grace, and scheduled for a C-section that weekend, so perhaps Riley Grace had decided to come a little early. The faces on the two staff members and assistant Nick Robinson, though, told a different story.

“That’s when they broke the news to us,” Wear said.

The night before, Katie began feeling painful contractions and the Woodruffs rushed to the hospital. After a series of tests, which started off seemingly normal but then became dreadfully long, doctors told Blaine and Katie that Riley Grace didn’t have a heartbeat; the umbilical cord had wrapped three times around her neck.

They had lost their baby girl.

“Delivering a baby is difficult enough,” Blaine wrote for Golf Channel shortly after the loss of Riley Grace, “but having to deliver your baby when you know there won’t be a cry as they emerge must be the worst thing in the entire world. I’ve never cried so many tears, not just for our loss but for what Katie was having to go through.”

When doctors delivered Riley Grace that next morning, they first placed her in Blaine’s arms.

“You hear and you read about this moment, becoming a parent and how it changes you forever once you hold your child for the first time,” he wrote. “Even in our circumstances, I don’t think it was different. She was beautiful and perfect in every way, even though her soul was already with our Heavenly Father. … God gave us a perfect daughter that lived a perfect life.”

The days that followed were some of the hardest for the Woodruffs. Leaving the hospital without their daughter. Arriving back home to an empty nursery. Deleting the baby apps they had downloaded to track sleep and feeding schedules.

The Mocs had a tournament in just over a week’s time at Wofford, but Blaine opted not to travel with the team; he needed to be with Katie.

His players understood. They were grieving, too. Some of them, including Engle, didn’t pick up a club for a few days. But when it was time to leave for Spartanburg, South Carolina, they knew what they had to do.

“It was a really hard time,” Engle said. “I didn’t even want to go outside honestly. But after that, we all got together, we were all upset, but we knew we had to go win that golf tournament not only for him but for Riley Grace.”

And they did. And they also won the next one, at Indiana, this time with Blaine and Katie in attendance. A couple weeks later, at the SoCon Championship, Chattanooga led conference rival East Tennessee State on the final nine before finishing second.

And then, in the most miraculous moment of all, the Mocs grabbed the 18-hole lead at a loaded NCAA Auburn Regional and easily advanced to nationals with a third-place finish, just two shots back of No. 1 Vanderbilt.

“What happened, it put everything in perspective, like yeah, this game is important, but it’s not everything,” Wear said, “We were just trying to be there for him, to come together for him. We rallied behind him and just tried to make him proud.”

Added Engle: “Coach has never wavered through all this. It’s all bigger than golf and he really allowed us to see it. He’s been so strong the entire time, and he’s been a great example to all of us to just remain at peace.”

When the Mocs first arrived in Scottsdale, Arizona, last Wednesday, Katie was already waiting for them. With the USC women making the NCAA final, Katie needed to be there to root on her former players. Though that also meant her first night away from Blaine since Riley Grace’s death.

“It was rough,” Katie said. “But when I saw our Mocs family show up at the hotel, it just felt warm.”

Creating that family in Chattanooga was Blaine’s main goal in his debut season, and he’s succeeded, Katie said, with patience.

“He sees the whole picture,” Katie said. “As a coach myself, I’m very impatient, and we complement each other in that way. But I think he’s so patient and just wants the guys to see it themselves, help them see the big picture, and he’s made these guys believe.”

Added Blaine: “Going after the guys’ hearts is the most important thing. Understanding that everybody’s different, there’s no blueprint or cookie-cutter method to coaching a player, each guy’s different, but if you show them that you care about them, then the other stuff can be pretty cool.”

Though Chattanooga entered Sunday’s third round well back of making the top 15, Blaine reminded his players that there was still much to play for. They responded, like they have all season, and shot 5 over, tied for the second-best round of the afternoon wave. The Mocs also finished seven shots better than ETSU.

As his final player putted out on Grayhawk’s ninth hole, Blaine was down on one knee, just outside the rope line, taking it all in.

Katie was just a few yards behind him.

“You’re going to make me cry talking about just how proud I am of him,” Katie said. “When he got the job this time last year, regionals was kind of a dream … and now to see what this team has accomplished, to see their heart. What they’ve done, it’s unbelievable.”

Their season over, Blaine huddled his guys, yellow ribbons pinned to each of their hats, for one final speech. Easily the most emotional of his career, Woodruff said afterward. There were tears, hugs, but most of all, hope.

On the heels of their top-25 national finish, the Mocs don’t figure to be going anywhere. All five starters will be back for a team that will finish the season ranked inside the top 40 nationally.

All of them eager to build on the most tragic yet rewarding year of their lives.

All of them inspired to go win more for Riley Grace.

"It gives me chills, really," Pepperdine head coach Michael Beard said. "Just their year with their team, with Blaine and Katie moving there, getting adjusted, and then obviously with Riley Grace, it's all been a lot. I ran into Blaine in the practice round, and I asked him, 'Did you think you'd be here a year later? ... Yeah, they're not going to make match play, but that's not how it all works all the time. They got here, now they believe that they are one of these teams."

For Blaine, summing up the past 12 months was a near impossible task.

“Man, just a roller coaster,” he said, fighting back tears. “But so thankful for these guys, so thankful for you and the Golf Channel for sharing our story, and just the whole golf community in general, there’s a lot of good people that are in this. And I knew that before, but after what happened, we really saw it. I just couldn’t be more thankful, and this golf stuff is really cool, too, but it was all secondary.

“To see the guys come together as a team, and how they played for her, and played for me and Katie was special.”

In his mind, they were all champions.

Sheffield Wednesday added a fairytale ending to their extraordinary League One playoff campaign as Josh Windass scored the winner in stoppage time of extra time to earn them promotion with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Barnsley in the final on Monday.

Wednesday can now look forward to Championship football next season, which had seemed wildly out of reach when they trailed Peterborough 4-0 after the first leg of their semifinal before producing the greatest comeback in English Football League playoff history.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

In front of 44,000 Wednesday fans crammed into Wembley, Windass emulated his father Dean, whose winning goal for Hull City in the 2008 Championship playoff final helped them win promotion to the Premier League.

In an action-packed period of extra time, Wednesday's Michael Smith and Barry Bannan had efforts saved before Windass sent a diving header past goalkeeper Harry Isted in the 123rd minute to spark rapturous celebrations.

"There's no words, there's no words. Wow," Dean Windass told BBC Radio Sheffield. "I knew he'd score, this morning when I woke up at 5:30 I was nervous and even with his head as well -- I can't believe he's headed it.

"I'm so proud for him. When I scored here I thought my life would change. I've got two boys but this boy -- it's unbelievable."

Wednesday, who narrowly missed automatic promotion to the Championship from the third tier in the regular season, fell to a thumping defeat in the first leg of their playoff semifinal against Peterborough to leave their promotion hopes in tatters.

But they stunned Peterborough 5-1 at Hillsborough in the return leg before prevailing on penalties.

"I've played for a couple of big clubs but look at this, it's unbelievable," Josh Windass told Sky Sports. "We've been good on the pitch this year.

"The club's got a lot of work to do to catch up with the other clubs off the pitch, but hopefully we can do that and start being the giant club that we are."

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said he told club president Joan Laporta that he would like to have Lionel Messi back next season and said he speaks to his former teammate regularly about a possible return to the team.

Messi, 35, left Barca two years ago at the end of his contract, but he will be available as a free agent this summer when his deal with Paris Saint-Germain expires.

"In terms of what I am in charge of, the football side of things, there are no doubts that if Messi comes back he is going to help us," Xavi told Diario Sport when asked if Messi returning would make sense.

"I have made that clear to the president. I don't have a single doubt about that because he is still a difference-maker, he is still hungry, he's a winner and he is a leader.

"We don't have a team with the talent of 2010, for example, and what does Messi bring? He brings talent. He is capable of providing the final pass, taking free kicks, scoring goals. He is a differential player in the final third.

"For that reason, and for how I want to play, for me there is no doubt that he would add a lot. But it depends on him."

Xavi said that despite talking to Messi, whom he played alongside during a trophy-laden spell at Barcelona, he does not know what his former teammate is thinking regarding his future at the moment.

ESPN previously revealed he will leave PSG when his contract expires in June, while, in addition to Barca, there is also interest from Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer.

"It's difficult to put yourself in the shoes of a player who has won it all," Xavi added. "I don't know what doubts he might have about coming back this summer.

"Maybe [he could have doubts] because it's another project now and because important players who he had a good relationship with, like Busi [Sergio Busquets] and Jordi [Alba], are leaving. I don't know, I am not in his head.

"With the relationship I have with him, I think I have been very clear. The door is open for him here. It depends on his personal decision.

"It would be the same idea and model of play with Messi. Leo could play in various positions: as a false nine, a winger, a midfielder, even at the base [of the midfield] arriving to make the final pass.

"He has almost become a midfielder, he has that capacity. Maybe he has lost that explosiveness [he had when he was younger], but we saw an extraordinary Messi at the World Cup. I still think he has years ahead of him at the top level."

In addition to Messi having to agree to come back, Barca also have financial hurdles to clear to be able to re-sign a player they could not afford to keep when he was forced to leave in 2021.

To be able to register new contracts already handed to current first-team players and make signings ahead of next season while complying with LaLiga's financial fair play rules, they need to make savings of over €150 million first.

However, with the departures of Busquets and Alba, two of the biggest earners at the club, they have started to make cutbacks on wages, while they will also look to bring in transfer fees for players in the squad who have not featured regularly this season.

Ever since the U.S. men's national team exited the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the round of 16, off-field matters have garnered most of the attention. The ugly spat between U.S. World Cup manager Gregg Berhalter and the family of winger Gio Reyna -- one that resulted in a decades-old domestic violence incident involving Berhalter coming to light -- took center stage. The departures of sporting director Earnie Stewart and GM Brian McBride added to the sense of upheaval.

The hiring of Matt Crocker as Stewart's replacement has created optimism that things are coming back together, but Anthony Hudson remains the interim manager after Berhalter's contract wasn't renewed. The four matches since his appointment -- a pair of friendlies and the final two matches of the Concacaf Nations League group stage -- have revealed little beyond the addition of Club America's Alejandro Zendejas to an already deep winger pool.

So on June 15, when the U.S. squares off against Mexico in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals, we'll get a clearer sense of whether the USMNT has progressed or regressed -- or at least moved beyond a tumultuous winter. With that in mind, in this edition of the Big Board we examine the current state of the roster ahead of the competition semifinals.

This Big Board represents the best players available in the USMNT pool right now. This is a depth chart, not a roster prediction, but we should see the USMNT's best available players in the Nations League fixture.

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However, this period is one when the roster has a bit more fluidity than it might have at other times during the cycle. Players who just missed out on Qatar can find themselves back in contention, and a new generation of players -- including a certain forward -- is ready to make an impression. Injured players -- including usual locks to start such as Tim Ream and Tyler Adams -- will be shunted to a different category from their usual status.

Meanwhile, for those who don't make it for the Nations League, the Concacaf Gold Cup later in June could provide an opportunity. Most Europe-based players will be given some time off after long club seasons, which means Hudson will not be picking his best available squad for the Gold Cup, but he has stated that there will likely be around six players who will take part in both tournaments.

How we're doing this

As we have in the past, we're going position by position, from goalkeeper to attacker, and sorting the player pool in four tiers based on recent form and Hudson's perceived preferences since he took over in January. (Not the biggest sample size, we know.) Those tiers:

• Tier 1: Projected starter. Roster locks and players who are clear starters at their positions.

• Tier 2: Contributor. Expected to be on the roster and contribute on the field, either as a sub or as a possible starter.

• Tier 3: On the bubble. In contention to be on the 26-man squad and provide roster depth.

• Tier 4: Out of the picture. Whether they are locks who are injured and thus unavailable, or they are players who have been around the team but likely won't receive much of a look for inclusion, this group is not in consideration right now.

Goalkeepers

• Tier 1: Matt Turner (Arsenal)

• Tier 2: Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough), Ethan Horvath (Luton Town, on loan from Nottingham Forest)

• Tier 3: None

• Tier 4: Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire FC), Sean Johnson (Toronto FC)

Turner is listed as the starter, but picking the No. 1 goalkeeper is a trickier decision for Hudson than one might think. Turner has been on top of the U.S. goalkeeping depth chart since the middle of 2022, but after a season in which he made just seven first-team appearances -- and none in league play -- there is legitimate concern about rust.

That didn't stop Hudson from starting Turner in both of the Nations League games in March, but it could leave the door open for one of Horvath or Steffen. Both have been ever-present for their respective club sides, Luton Town and Middlesbrough, with each making over 40 appearances and both teams reaching the promotion playoffs. Horvath's Luton Town has won promotion to the Premier League, and Steffen looks to have put his World Cup snub behind him.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, among goalkeepers who logged more than 1,000 minutes in the English Championship, both Horvath and Steffen were in the middle third of the league in terms of goals prevented, recording marks of -0.96 and -2.03, respectively. While neither mark is impressive, both players improved in that stat since Jan. 1, with Horvath recording 1.67 goals prevented in that time and Steffen 0.65. If Turner shows even a hint of having lost form, then Hudson might feel compelled to look at either Horvath or Steffen.

Slonina is considered the USMNT's goalkeeper of the future, but he wasn't included in the 60-player provisional roster that Hudson submitted to Concacaf for the Nations League. That said, he could end up featuring in the Gold Cup. Meanwhile, Johnson is on standby for the Nations League should the injury bug strike.

Selections right now: Turner, Steffen, Horvath

Full-backs

• Tier 1: Sergiño Dest (AC Milan), Antonee Robinson (Fulham)

• Tier 2: Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach), Reggie Cannon (Boavista), Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo, on loan from Roma)

• Tier 3: Shaq Moore (Nashville SC), DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF)

• Tier 4: George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld), Sam Vines (Antwerp) , Jonathan Gomez (Real Sociedad), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United), Marlon Fossey (Standard Liege), Julian Gressel (Vancouver Whitecaps), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls)

Dest and Robinson were the starters at the World Cup, and nothing has changed since then. Such is Dest's skill going forward that not even his lack of minutes with AC Milan will be enough to dislodge him. Robinson meanwhile has been a consistent presence on the left side for Fulham, and continues to fill a position for the U.S. that was long a trouble spot.

Scally's steady season for Gladbach, not to mention his versatility, has made him a near certainty to be called up. Scally's ability to play on the left could open the door for both Cannon and Reynolds to be called in.

If one of that trio falters, that could leave room for Moore or Yedlin. There is often a desire to have some wise old heads on the roster, but with the bulk of this squad now having been part of a World Cup, there figures to be plenty of experience already. Besides, winger Tim Weah spent considerable time in wide defending roles this season with Lille, and in a pinch could fill in at that position.

Selections right now: Dest, Robinson, Scally, Reynolds, Cannon

Center-backs

• Tier 1: None

• Tier 2: Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Auston Trusty (Birmingham City, on loan from Arsenal), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United)

• Tier 3: Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes), John Brooks (Hoffenheim)

• Tier 4: Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati), Aaron Long (LAFC), Tim Ream (Fulham), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy)

The USMNT's center-back depth has decreased over the past six weeks. Ream's broken arm and knee surgery for Carter-Vickers have ruled both players out, leaving a quartet of contenders vying for two starting spots.

Zimmerman has been his usual steady self for Nashville SC, though he has missed time of late with a "lower body" injury. Miles Robinson's comeback from an Achilles injury has been one of the feel-good stories of the MLS season. But the center-backs who have helped themselves the most over the European club campaign are McKenzie and Trusty, with the latter named Birmingham City's Player of the Year.

Tier 3 contains some talented players, albeit with question marks. Richards seems to perpetually be "the center-back of the future" -- but after just 10 first-team appearances for Crystal Palace this season, he seems to be stagnating in terms of the U.S. depth chart. Erik Palmer-Brown was ever-present for Troyes in 2022-23, but how much does the fact that his team was relegated count against him?

Then there is Brooks. The Hoffenheim defender was surplus to requirements for the bulk of Berhalter's tenure, but the center-back has looked sharp since moving back to the Bundesliga in January, and with Ream out he could provide some additional quality and experience in the back. The fact that Berhalter isn't the manager could see him work his way back into the side.

Selections right now: Zimmerman, McKenzie, Trusty, Brooks, M. Robinson

Midfielders

• Tier 1: Weston McKennie (Leeds United, on loan from Juventus), Yunus Musah (Valencia)

• Tier 2: Kellyn Acosta (LAFC), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo)

• Tier 3: Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ Alkmaar)

• Tier 4: Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC), Alan Soñora (FC Juarez), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew), Tyler Adams (Leeds United), Richie Ledezma (NYCFC, on loan from PSV Eindhoven), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas), James Sands (NYCFC), Timothy Tillman (LAFC), Jackson Yueill (San Jose Earthquakes)

Make no mistake: the absence of Adams due to injury looms large, with his range and tackling almost impossible to replicate. The result has been a two-pronged solution in terms of Adams' replacement. De la Torre has gotten the nod in games in which the U.S. has more of the ball, while Acosta features when more defensive mettle is required. The latter is expected to feature against El Tri, though he has been hobbled by a leg injury of late as well.

It's an imperfect solution, which is why Hudson has started looking at other options like Cardoso, Morris and Soñora, though that isn't near a big enough sample size. Mihailovic could get a look as well if Hudson decides he needs more attacking options, but reading the tea leaves, Cardoso figures to get the nod.

One intriguing option is Tessmann. He has been a mainstay for Venezia this season, a team that at one point looked headed for relegation only to rally and make the promotion playoffs. Tessmann is getting married later this summer, so the Gold Cup seems unlikely. That means if he's to get a look from Hudson it will have to be in the Nations League.

The other spots pick themselves, with Musah and McKennie still penciled in as starters despite uneven club seasons. There is always the possibility that Reyna or Brenden Aaronson could be deployed in midfield, but in this side, both have more value further upfield.

The likes of Tillman, Morris, Soñora and Roldan (assuming he's recovered from the concussion that has sidelined him since April) look set to contend for spots on the Gold Cup roster.

Selections right now: McKennie, Musah, Acosta, De la Torre, Cardoso

Wingers

• Tier 1: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea),Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)

• Tier 2: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America), Timothy Weah (Lille)

• Tier 3: Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht), Kevin Paredes (Vfl Wolfsburg), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders)

• Tier 4: Paul Arriola (FC Dallas), Matthew Hoppe (Middlesbrough), Malik Tillman (Rangers), Tyler Boyd (LA Galaxy)

The deepest spot on the roster became even more competitive with the addition of Zendejas, who has been electric at times for Club America this season. Given the inconsistent form that the other contenders showed at club level during the just-completed campaign, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Zendejas get considerable playing time on the right.

That said, Pulisic remains a shoo-in to start despite his difficult season. Weah got the nod at the World Cup but hasn't really taken the next step in terms of becoming a more critical player at Lille, hence his playing time in more defensive roles. Aaronson encountered difficulty in his first Premier League season, but his high energy level makes him a perfect impact sub.

That leaves Reyna as the other likely starter, though he could see time in a central midfield role. Tillman's successful loan stint with Rangers ended with a hamstring injury, so he is out. Booth and Paredes enjoyed solid seasons as well, and Jordan Morris had a red-hot start before cooling off. Booth's creativity should get him the nod here.

Selections right now: Pulisic, Reyna, Aaronson, Zendejas, Weah, Booth

Strikers

• Tier 1: Folarin Balogun (Stade Reims)

• Tier 2: Ricardo Pepi (FC Groningen), Josh Sargent (Norwich City)

• Tier 3: Brandon Vazquez (FC Cincinnati), Haji Wright (Antalyaspor), Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas)

• Tier 4: Jordan Pefok (Union Berlin), Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion)

The center-forward spot has long been a weakness for the U.S., and the just-concluded European club season did little to provide more clarity. The campaign witnessed impressive seasons from the likes of Pepi (13 goals in all competitions), Sargent (13 goals) and Wright (16 goals).

But then the long pursuit of Balogun paid off with the New York-born forward, who scored 20 goals for Reims, pledging his international future to the USMNT. On paper he offers an immediate upgrade with his pace and finishing, not to mention his work rate in helping his team win the ball back. Barring injury, he'll be given every opportunity to win a starting spot.

Were it not for Balogun's arrival, Pepi would probably have gotten the nod given the way he came through for the U.S. in the 1-0 win over El Salvador that clinched the USMNT's spot in the Nations League semifinals. Sargent's foraging for Norwich City is a valuable wrinkle to his game, and he provides a bigger body if that's what the game requires.

Rightly or wrongly, the World Cup performances of Wright and Ferreira still stick in the memory, and not in a good way. So does Hudson make room for the mobility of Ferreira or the better finishing from Wright? Or does FC Cincinnati's Brandon Vazquez get the nod? It probably doesn't matter for this two-game stretch. If Hudson goes with four forwards, Wright probably is the pick.

The oft-injured Dike, who last month went down with an Achilles injury that will sideline him for at least six months, cannot catch a break.

Selections right now: Balogun, Pepi, Sargent