It can be argued that with all the controversy of the most recent Ashes series Down Under, England were in dreamland following their win in Wales. As it turned out, that was likely the case, Australia bringing both players and fans back to reality – at least as far as recent form is concerned – with a merciless display of bat and ball at Lord’s.

England were always behind the eight-ball from the moment Chris Rogers & Steve Smith both made centuries in the first innings, Smith eventually making 215. Not even Mark Wood dismissing Michael Clarke for a single-digit score was enough to take away from the morale boost Australia gained in the days between Cardiff & Lord’s. England  responded with near-centuries from Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes, although Clarke still could’ve used the follow-on had he wanted. The second innings, though, could not have gone any worse for England; their leading batsman turned out to be one of their opening bowlers, Stuart Broad. All-rounders Ben Stokes & Moeen Ali were both dismissed for ducks – Stokes being run out in an unlucky circumstance, to be fair – while Gary Ballance’s struggles continued, prompting serious questions about his Test future. However, although England were that bad at Lord’s, Australia at the same time were that good. To paraphrase one writer, Clarke wanted to give his bowlers five sessions to bowl the hosts out a second time; they only needed one-and-a-half.

The good news for England is now they have more than a week to prepare themselves for the third Test at Edgbaston. Just like 10 years ago, the players will go straight from London to Birmingham for matches, which in 2005 led to arguably the most dramatic Test in history. Of the two squads, only Michael Clarke remains from that thrilling series, likely with vivid memories of how Australia came so close to snatching victory away. With this year’s series neatly poised at 1-1, it’s hard to imagine this Test ending in a draw without some assistance from the elements. Again, the first day (July 29) will prove key to the result.

In golf, there are tournaments, then there are majors, and then there is the Open Championship. Then there is the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Every five years, the best golfers in the world gather at the “home of golf” for arguably the most prestigious title in the sport.

2015 has been the year of Jordan Spieth, who charged his way to a win at the Masters in April, then followed it up with a win at Chambers Bay in the U.S. Open. There is still some debate among golf fans as to whether Spieth “won it,” or Dustin Johnson “lost it,” but the native Texan has earned where he’s at in the world golf conversation. His poise at the John Deere Classic, where he won in a playoff, only added more substance to the hype he’s been given. With Rory McIlroy not competing because of a freak injury, this could be Spieth’s opportunity to go atop the world golf rankings, and complete the third chapter to a potential Grand Slam.

Speaking of Johnson, he’ll be paired with Spieth on Thursday and Friday. Johnson came close on separate occasions to winning majors in 2010, at the U.S. Open & the PGA Championship, but last month’s ending had to be the most heartbreaking finish he’s endured. How he performs in the first two rounds will show if he’s put the Chambers Bay disappointment behind him.

He may no longer be the top-ranked golfer in the world, but most eyes will inevitably be on Tiger Woods. He won at St. Andrews in convincing fashion in 2000 & 2005, and it’s not necessarily a coincidence that he’s paired with Louis Oosthuizen, who won at St. Andrews in 2010. Also in that threesome is Jason Day, one of many golfers (Johnson included) who most agree is due for a major championship soon. Tiger was most recently at the Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia, closing his first round with three straight birdies. Although he admitted he got fortunate with the weather, Woods missed multiple putts on Sunday that could’ve put him in contention, instead finishing -7 for the tournament. Can he make enough shots to be a presence on the leaderboard this week?

There have many magical moments at the Open Championship, especially in the last two decades. It was at this tournament where “Jean Van de Velde” became a verb; where Tiger rediscovered his form after losing his father; where Tom Watson nearly won at age 59; and where last year, Rory McIlroy began his surge through the second half of the season, not long after calling off his engagement to Caroline Wozniacki. It’s the Open Championship, and 2015 will yield more spectacular memories.

It was the match English cricket fans had already been waiting for since Australia finished their whitewash in January 2014. Fans were even more excited for the match from the moment England’s World Cup campaign ended with a disappointing group stage exit. Whatever Alastair Cook said to his team ahead of the first Test in Cardiff, it worked, as England appeared confident and in control, en route to a 169-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the 2015 Ashes series.

There was no real debate for Man of the Match in Wales; Joe Root first displayed his value to the England Test squad in the 2013 Ashes, so it was perhaps fitting that his first-innings century led the way for the hosts, and served as an indicator to viewers that England had forgotten the series prior. Adam Lyth & Moeen Ali, among others, also had solid contributions, while Cook has once again found the level of comfortability he enjoyed two years ago as captain. There were still some drawbacks to the win; Gary Ballance again showed signs of struggling, particularly when he was dismissed for a duck in the second innings. It will be interesting to see how patient the ECB decision makers are with Ballance, or if they’ll replace him with a second option before the series ends at the Oval.

The second Test begins Thursday at Lord’s in London, one of the most famous cricket venues in the world. It was this ground where Root made a century in England’s comprehensive win two years ago, earning a spot on that coveted Honours Board. Will his positive memories from that Test lead to another commanding performance, or has Australia found a bowler who can exploit the infamous slope the way Glenn McGrath did so many times? Even though there will be three more Tests remaining, this could prove to be Australia’s last stand at retaining the urn, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them act out of desperation if the situation turns dire. England are in a good position as it stands, and can now be tagged as slight favorites to not only win at Lord’s, but bring the Ashes back home.

Last week, the PGA Tour came to Southern West Virginia for the 2015 Greenbrier Classic. This marked the first time I was able to watch compete on the top professional golf circuit, with 13 major championship winners in the field.

As a fan, I’ve been avidly following the sport since 2003, with memories of Jim Furyk winning the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields. Despite growing up in Central Ohio, I have yet to attend the Memorial Tournament, but the first professional event I went to was the Nationwide Tour’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational in 2007. Over the years, I went to subsequent events at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course, seeing players like Jason Day, Chris Kirk, Jonas Blixt, and others who played the event before earning their Tour card.

Overall, the week was a success for the resort and for golf fans who came to this area of the country. From Shaquille O’Neal’s appearance at the Pro-Am, to George McNeill & Justin Thomas both acing the Par-3 18th hole on Thursday, it was always going to be a memorable time at the Greenbrier. The highlights for me were covering the actual rounds, and the notable golfers in attendance: Bubba Watson, Davis Love III, Keegan Bradley, Angel Cabrera, and Tiger Woods were just a few I saw in person.

Every professional I spoke with has been very complimentary toward the Greenbrier Resort. With the Classic only starting in 2010, it has quickly developed into one of the more popular events on the PGA Tour, with CBS sportscasters Jim Nantz and Sir Nick Faldo reportedly gushing over returning to West Virginia during the Tour’s stop the previous week in Connecticut.

This tournament has proved to be one of, if not the crown jewel in Jim Justice’s restoration of the historic venue. In addition to the five courses owned by the resort, there is also a world-class tennis stadium on the facility, recently christened by Pete Sampras & Andre Agassi; Sampras, the Greenbrier’s Tennis Pro Emeritus, will return in September for an exhibition also featuring John McEnroe, James Blake, & Jim Courier. But golf seems to be the main sports draw for the resort, and in 2015 it passed its test with flying colors. The care gone into the course was excellent, and it’s very easy to see Justice’s goal – of the Greenbrier hosting a U.S. Open – being fulfilled in the near future.

What’s your favorite course on the PGA Tour? Leave a comment below!

It is arguably the biggest rivalry in international sport. It’s a meeting that draws worldwide attention, as players compete for a tiny urn.

It’s the famous Ashes cricket rivalry between Australia & England, and the latest installment in the series will begin Wednesday.

Although England are hosting this series, they will enter as considerable underdogs. Prior to the most recent meeting with their archrivals, England had won consecutive series in 2009, 2010-11, and 2013. However, instead of waiting at least a year in between meetings, the two sides met Down Under in 2013-14, with Australia making the most of that short break to whitewash the visitors 5-0. Since then England has had mixed results; they’re hardly the worst Test team in the world, but they haven’t shown signs that they’re ready to be regarded as one of the best again. It’s been nearly three years since South Africa won in England to take away that #1 Test ranking, and with the hosts currently sixth, they have the potential to adopt a nothing-to-lose attitude, which combined with home conditions could lead to favorable results.

Australia have been mostly flying high since that whitewash win, occupying top-three rankings in all three formats of the game. Many of the players on this squad were on the side that won the ODI World Cup in March, and want to replicate at the Test level their emphatic win over England in the CWC group stage. For many stalwarts on the team, like Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, and Shane Watson, this could prove to be their last Ashes series abroad. With legends Glenn McGrath & Shane Warne finishing on the losing side of their final series abroad, expect those on their last flight over here to go after a triumphant chapter to their legacy.

As has been the case since the 2006-07 series, Sky Sports will be the sole live television provider in the UK, and their commentary team made this neat preview video several weeks ago. Who knew David “Bumble” Lloyd has a decent singing voice!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOIy4tH1IRo

The first Test begins Wednesday in Cardiff, Wales. Expect that first day to be indicative of how that Test, and how the summer, will unfold. Cricket fans should be ready for another exciting ride!

Extra: With 2015 marking ten years since the epic 2005 Ashes series, I’ll be writing posts on a day-by-day basis of how those incredible five matches played in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, and London (again), as England won the urn for the first time in nearly two decades. The first installment comes July 20.

It’s been several days since the United States won its third FIFA Women’s World Cup title, beating Japan 5-2 in a rematch of the 2011 Final. In case you haven’t been able to view highlights yet, I recommend checking out this video uploaded to FIFA’s YouTube channel.

Ever since the ’99ers beat China on the penalties at the Rose Bowl, they have been the standard to which all later USA WWC squads have been measured by. In 2003, with the tournament moved to America at the last minute because of the SARS outbreak in China, the Americans fell to Germany in the semifinals. In 2007, the United States largely cruised to the last four, before Greg Ryan’s controversial decision to bench goalkeeper Hope Solo. The humiliating 4-0 loss to Brazil was overshadowed by Solo’s post-match comments, and Solo would later say in an interview, “(Ryan) made the worst decision in U.S. Soccer history, and he didn’t have to face up to it, because of my comments.”

Four years ago, the U.S. made the final, before losing to Japan on penalties. Sunday, the two nations met again with the Americans getting that emphatic win.

With that win, the 2015 squad will now have its own place in history, and many veterans of the game finally have that elusive World Cup gold medal. Players like Solo, and Abby Wambach, will relish that newfound status. Carli Lloyd, the one teammate that Solo says publicly supported her during the 2007 fiasco, will be revered for her 16-minute hat trick in the final. This team has made a lot of progress in advancing the sport since the Women’s World Cup began in 1991, and will continue to have more success in the future. It’s not too early to consider the U.S. the heavy favorite to win gold at next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Share your thoughts on the Americans’ victory below!

Every year has its memorable sports moments; often every month has something to offer. But June 2015 has several noteworthy accomplishments from multiple sports, moments that united both diehard and casual fans of the particular sport.

Going into Saturday, June 6th, it had been 37 years since a race horse had won all three legs of the coveted Triple Crown. There have  been several horses since the beginning of the century who took both the Kentucky Derby & Preakness Stakes, but failed to win the Belmont Stakes. That changed this year, with American Pharoah completing the Triple Crown in New York.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctss9h26IqY

Earlier that Saturday, Barcelona met Juventus in Berlin for the UEFA Champions League Final. Fans hoping for a Luis Suarez vs. Giorgio Chiellini reunion would be disappointed, as the Italian defender had to miss the match through injury. Suarez would end up scoring the winning goal as the Blaugrana won their fifth European Cup title, all of them coming since 1992.

In golf, the best players in the world arrived at Chambers Bay for an always-challenging U.S. Open. When all was said and done, it was another major championship heartbreak for Dustin Johnson; the American had an eagle putt to win in regulation, but not only missed that, but the ensuing birdie that would’ve put him in a playoff with Jordan Spieth. Spieth is the first player since Tiger Woods to win the Masters and the U.S. Open. All eyes will be on Spieth to see if he can complete a Grand Slam in a calendar year, but there will be pressure on Johnson to put the Chambers Bay disappointment behind him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HL3U4Y6adc

June 2015 was also a month of historic news for LGBT rights. The Supreme Court ruled on June 26 that gay marriage is legal in all 50 states, ending years of debate between those for and against the issue.

What more newsworthy moments will the rest of 2015 have to offer?