Welcome back to Keeping Score, our Friday column that highlights the personalities, teams and games that sports fans are talking about — by the numbers.
The best stories in sports often come from the clubhouse. Lee Trevino, Charles Barkley, Peyton Manning and John McEnroe were incredible athletes, but they were also fun and engaging characters off the field. The history of sports overflows with lovable misfits, space cadets, rogues and practical jokers, and that spirit lived on this week, thanks to two memorable golfers.
At the AIG Women's Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, golfer Charley Hull decided to play a prank on her longtime caddie Adam Woodward. She bought some fake scratch tickets at a joke shop in the nearby resort town of Blackpool and gave one to Woodward.
The caddie scratched off his ticket and believed he had won £100,000. Hull filmed Woodward's joyous celebration before breaking the bad news. And she wasn't interested in any feedback from social-media critics. Hull thought the fake scratch card was a hoot, and she'll look for opportunities to prank Woodward again, if he doesn't get her back first.
“He thought it was funny after, he is not uptight," she said. "It’s a joke. If people don’t like it, they can lump it, do you know what I mean?"
Meanwhile on the PGA Tour, Korean golfer Si Woo Kim almost caused an international incident when he went out to get some bulgogi while staying in Detroit for the Rocket Classic.
Kim had made plans to meet his friend and fellow Tour player Michael Kim for dinner at Daebak Korean BBQ. When he got in his courtesy car, he typed the restaurant name into Google Maps and it was just 1.5 miles from his hotel. Unfortunately for Si Woo Kim, Google was directing him to Daebak Jib Restaurant in downtown Windsor.
He got suspicious after paying a $9 toll and when he was in the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, it hit him: "Oh, this is Canada." Without a passport, Si Woo Kim explained the situation to Canadian immigration officers, who searched his car and then sent him back through the tunnel toward Detroit. He arrived at the correct restaurant, which was 20 miles from his hotel, about 90 minutes later.
Michael Kim recounted the story to his 3.7 million followers on X: "Never a dull moment with Si Woo. Thanks for the content my guy."
The Week in Numbers
55
Countries that have threatened to boycott the 2030 World Cup if FIFA follows through on plans to raise as much as $4.2 billion by selling stakes in a new commercial entity to investors. FIFA has 211 voting nations.
9
International games that the NFL will play this year, including the season opener on Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia, between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. Other games will be in London, Paris, Munich, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid. New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft asked the NFL for a Patriots game in Glasgow in 2027 after visiting Scotland fans charmed Bostonians during the World Cup.
75
Years since Mayo won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Mayo overcame a supposed curse placed on the 1951 championship team to beat Kerry in the final on Sunday and win the Sam Maguire Trophy. Former US President Joe Biden sent his congratulations, as did Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Gallagher brothers of Oasis, all of whom have ancestral roots in County Mayo.
0.43
Batters hit per game in Major League Baseball in 2026, the highest total ever (not including the Covid-shortened 2020 season).
11
Weeks after giving birth to daughter Sophie that Scottish golfer Catriona Matthew won the Women's Open Championship in 2009 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. She is the last mom to win a major championship. Five moms are in the field at the AIG Women's Open this week at Royal Lytham.
174
Pot bunkers at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.
$48,750,000
Pay cut that LeBron James is taking this season to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. He made $52.63 million last year with the Los Angeles Lakers. He will make $3.88 million this year for Philadelphia.
143
Speed in miles per hour of French tennis player Térence Atmane’s serve at last week's Atlanta Open. According to Guinness, the fastest serve ever clocked in competition was 163 mph, delivered by Australian Samuel Groth during an ATP Challenger event in Busan, South Korea, in May 2012. It was an ace.
13
Years since the character Ted Lasso first appeared in an NBC Sports promotional video for the Premier League. Season 4 of Ted Lasso starts Aug. 5 on Apple TV. ⚽
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