Over the hump and safely onto the other side of the week. We made it. Now, all eyes are on the weekend. We’re almost there, folks. Hold tight!
And we’ve got a BIG few days ahead of us, too.
US open.
College World Series championship series.
FIFA, if you’re into that sort of thing.
I believe we even have Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark tonight, which means we have to write about it, per the WNBA rulebook.
See? A lot of action for late(ish) June. And hey! The longest day of the year is this Sunday, which means we’ll get to milk this weekend for all it’s truly worth.
What a blessing.
Brooks Koepka and Jena Sims attend the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, N.Y., on Oct. 15, 2024. (John Nacion/WWD)
Welcome to a Thursday Nightcaps — the one where golf WAG Jena Sims gives Brooks Koepka a cheeky send-off before battling the elements at Shinnecock Hills.
What else? I’ve got plenty of early #content from the opening round of the US Open, an all-time meltdown from a minor league manager, and some comforting reader mail on my day-drinking dilemma from earlier this week.
Sound good? Good! Let’s roll.
Grab you a windbreaker just in case you’re in the Southhampton area today, and settle in for a Thursday ‘Cap!
A video board displays a message that play was suspended due to limited visibility during the first round of the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., on June 18, 2026. (Kate McShane/Getty Images)
Jena Sims avoids US Open carnage
Soak it all in, folks. This is the second-to-last golf major of the season. They fly by, don’t they? We’ve got three more rounds of the US Open, and then four rounds of the British Open (yes, it’s the British Open), and then it’s curtains until next April.
Shinnecock Hills, by the way, is electric. I LOVE this place. For those who don’t remember, it last hosted a U.S. Open back in 2018 when Fox (!!!) had the rights.
Naturally, we got one of the all-time hot mic moments in the history of microphones (NSFW!!!!):
Amazing. It’s all amazing. Joe Buck on the call. Tiger and Phil in the field. All was right in the golf world.
Tiger, by the way, missed the cut. Phil finished T-48 at a measly +16. It’s always carnage at this place, and it looks like this weekend will be no different.
Oh yeah! You know who won that event? Brooks Koepka! We’ll get to Brooksie in a minute, but first, let’s check in with wife, Jena Sims, who appears unfazed by the weather in New York:
This seems like a fun round of golf!
What a run right now from Jena Sims. The Sports Illustrated model has been everywhere since Brooks rejoined the PGA Tour, and it’s been quite a scene.
Now, the only thing left is for Brooksie to win another major. It’s been a WHILE since our guy won one of these (2023 PGA), but I feel it coming. I’ve said it all season. I think Brooks is close. What a comeback it would be, too!
Come on, Golf Gods. Play ball with us this weekend.
OK, let’s head back out to Shinnecock and check in on how the course is playing today:
JENA SIMS PICKS OUT HER PGA CHAMPIONSHIP BIKINI, KAY ADAMS SUCKS DOWN SOME FRIES & NFL DRAFT WAGS!
Reader mail and Make Baseball Ejections Great Again!
It’s early (really, really, really early), but as of 12:30 p.m. today, Brooks was leading. I assume by the time this publishes he’ll be a billion strokes back and looking miserable again, but at least we have this moment.
PS: I hate bunker shots. Hate ’em, hate ’em, HATE ’em. If I’m ever lucky enough to get one out, and the ball proceeds to do what it did to Brandon Wu in that last clip, I’d snap my club in half and call it a day. No shot I’m continuing to play after that. None. Zero.
What a beautiful game.
OK, let’s rapid-fire this Thursday class into a big Thursday night. First up? Yesterday, I told everyone about my poor showing earlier this week at lunch with the First Lady. I had two beers and came home and felt like I needed a nap. A NAP. After two lunch beers.
My biggest fear, naturally, was that I’m simply getting too old for lunch beers. Luckily, a couple Nightcaps veterans calmed my nerves.
TALEA Beer Co. developed the Liberty Lager (not pictured here), in imitation of George Washington’s original recipe, to appeal to modern drinkers. (iStock)
From Chris B:
It happens to the best of us. Let’s just call it a bad day What did you do the day/night before? Did you sleep well? Can you blame it on anything? If it’s a pattern then you need to worry, especially if it starts effecting other day drinking activities.
From John J:
I’ll be 53 in less than a month. I think you’re ok, just had an off day. The meal in the middle of the day would put me to sleep through.
And, from Eric P:
The only place day drinking will not affect you at your age and beyond, is Europe. Brats and beer in Munich.. Pizza and Aperol Spritz in Florence.. A couple beers at a local place in the states and your asking for a nap.
Not sure if Eric was taking a shot at me or not, but I do appreciate all the reassurances. Calms me a bit, but I’ll have to (and certainly will) experiment again this weekend to see if this is a pattern or just an off day.
As for Chris B.’s question about how I slept the night before … I have two kids. I haven’t slept well since the early days of the Biden Administration. I assume my body is used to that by now.
Finally, on the way out, let’s do what any great American should be doing this summer and check out the local baseball scene:
“Fris might lose his mind. He wants an explanation. Fris may get tossed … yeah, he’s done.”
I know that ABS and instant replay have both been upgrades to this great game. I fought ABS for a bit, but, obviously, it’s a good thing. But, man, do I miss a good ejection over a blown call.
Gone are the days of Bobby Cox getting tossed in the first inning for the 300th time. You just don’t see it anymore, mainly because there are so few chances for umpires to actually get something wrong. Sure, they still do, because they are generally horrible, but still. This ain’t your daddy’s game.
Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox argues with umpire Jim Evans after Marquis Grissom was called out at second base during the fifth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York on Oct. 26. Umpire Tim Welke ejected Cox from the game. (Henny Ray Abrams/AFP)
We’re lucky if we see one or two real freakouts a year at this point. They used to be a dime a dozen in this league, especially during the glory years when Cox, Lou Piniella and Tony La Russa were all coaching at the same time.
I believe that special era took place from 1990 to 2002, and it was beautiful. Oh well. Thank goodness for James Frisbie. At least someone still has some fire in the belly!
Great execution on the base toss, too. That can be tricky, but Fris nailed it. Absolute pro.
OK, that’s it for today. Good work, everyone.
Here’s 20 minutes of Bobby Cox getting ejected to take us home.
See you tomorrow.
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OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots).
What would you shoot at Shinnecock today? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.