JOHN DEERE CLASSIC
Site: Silvis, Illinois.
Course: TPC Deere Run. Yardage: 7,289. Par: 71.
Prize money: $8 million. Winner's share: $1.44 million.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).
Defending champion: Sepp Straka.
FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.
Last week: Cam Davis won the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Notes: Jordan Spieth is playing the John Deere Classic for the first time since he won in 2015. He did not defend the following year because of a change in the schedule brought on by the Olympics, and then he did not return because it preceded the British Open. ... Spieth has fallen to No. 53 in the FedEx Cup. ... The field does not have anyone from the top 20 in the world ranking. But it has 15 players from the top 50 in the FedEx Cup last year, a 50% increase from the previous year. ... The leading two players not already exempt will earn a spot in the British Open. ... Among those receiving a sponsor exemption is Neal Shipley, who was low amateur at the Masters and the U.S. Open. ... Florida State's Luke Clanton is in the field. He tied for 10th last week in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. ... Tom Kim is not playing after having played the last nine weeks on the PGA Tour.
Next week: Genesis Scottish Open and ISCO Championship.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/
BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN
Site: Munich.
Course: Golfclub Munchen Eichenried. Yardage: 7,347. Par: 72.
Prize money: $2.5 million. Winner's share: $416,667.
Television: Thursday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel); Sunday, 7 a.m. to noon (Golf Channel).
Defending champion: Thriston Lawrence.
Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.
Last week: Marcel Siem won the Italian Open.
Notes: This is the second stop in Germany in six weeks and features Germany's greatest player, Bernhard Langer. ... The leading five players from among the top 20 in the Race to Dubai after this week will be exempt for the British Open. Among those trying to play their way in is Matteo Manassero of Italy. ... LIV Golf players in the field include Thomas Pieters, German star Martin Kaymer and Patrick Reed. ... Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is playing this week. ... The lone player from the top 50 in the world is Ryan Fox. ... The field feature eight Olympic-bound players. ... Joost Luiten and Darius van Driel, who qualified for the Olympics but were not approved by Dutch Olympic officials, are playing. Van Driel is among those who have a chance to earn a British Open exemption. ... Kaymer is the last German to win the tournament. ... Former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger won the tournament twice.
Next week: Genesis Scottish Open and ISCO Championship.
Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/
Last week: Ruoning Yin and Atthaya Thitikul won the Down Championship.
Next week: Amundi Evian Championship on July 11-14.
Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.
Online: https://www.lpga.com/
Last week: Richard Bland won the U.S. Senior Open.
Next week: Kaulig Companies Championship.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stephen Ames.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions
Last tournament: Tyrrell Hatton won LIV Golf Nashville.
Next week: LIV Golf Andalucia.
Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.
Online: https://www.livgolf.com/
Last week: Max McGreevy won the Memorial Health Championship.
Next week: The Ascendant.
Points leader: Steven Fisk.
Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour
Asian Tour: International Series Morocco, Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Red), Rabat, Morocco. Defending champion: Jazz Janewattananond. Online: https://asiantour.com/
Japan Golf Tour: Japan PGA Championship, Fuji Country Kani Club Kani GC, Gifu, Japan. Defending champion: Kensei Hirata. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/
Ladies European Tour: Aramco Team Series-London, Centurion GC, Hemel Hempstead, England. Defending champion: Nelly Korda. Online: https://ladieseuropeantour.com/
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Jordan Spieth walks on the first green during the second round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands, Friday, June 21, 2024, in Cromwell, Conn. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago gobbled down 58 hot dogs to win his first men’s title Thursday at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.
Bertoletti won in a tight, 10-minute race where the leader bounced back and forth. The 39-year-old Bertoletti defeated 13 competitors from around the world in a test to see who can wolf down the most hot dogs in 10 minutes.
“I wasn’t going to stop eating until the job was done,” Bertoletti said.
Bertoletti bested his prior record of 55 hot dogs at the event, held every Independence Day on New York's Coney Island.
The reigning men’s champion, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, didn’t attend the competition this year over a sponsorship tiff. Instead, Chestnut will compete against soldiers at a U.S. Army base in El Paso later in the day. Chestnut won 16 out of 17 previous competitions.
Earlier Thursday, defending champion Miki Sudo of Florida won her 10th title in the women’s division.
Sudo consumed 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes — and set a new world record for women.
“I’m just happy to call this mine for another year," Sudo said after winning her 10th pink belt.
The 38-year-old dental hygiene student won last year after forcing down 39 1/2 hot dogs.
Sudo also defeated 13 competitors, including 28-year-old rival Mayoi Ebihara of Japan. Ebihara came in second after eating 37 hot dogs in 10 minutes. She was also the runner-up in 2023.
Bertoletti's victory marks the first time the famed mustard belt has gone to someone besides Chestnut since 2015.
Thousands of fans flock each year to the event held outside the original Nathan’s location in Brooklyn's Coney Island, a beachfront destination with amusement parks and a carnivalesque summer culture.
Competitors came from over a dozen states and five continents, with prospects from Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Australia and the Czech Republic vying for the coveted title and $10,000 prize money.
Last year Chestnut, of Indiana, chewed his way to the title by downing 62 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. The record, which he set in 2021, is 76.
Chestnut was initially disinvited from the event over a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a company that specializes in plant-based meat substitutes.
Major League Eating, which organizes the Nathan’s Famous contest, has since said it walked back the ban, but Chestnut decided to spend the holiday with the troops anyway.
Chestnut said he wouldn’t return to the Coney Island contest without an apology.
The event at the Fort Bliss army base in El Paso, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, will use traditional franks, with Chestnut attempting to out-eat four soldiers in five minutes.
Even though he won't be eating their vegan products, Impossible Foods is promoting Chestnut's YouTube livestream of the exhibition by flying airplanes with banners over Los Angeles and Miami. The company will also donate to an organization supporting military families based on the number of hot dogs eaten at the event, a spokesperson said.
Miki Sudo, top left, arrives at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York.. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Mayoi Ebihara competes in the women's division of Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
A girl holds her hot dog hat at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Nathan's Frankster mascot looks on during Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
A firefighter, watching from a window, eats a hot dog during Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Competitive eaters participate in the women's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
People watch Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Competitive eaters participate in the women's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo, right, reacts after winning the women's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Mary Bowers wears a hot dog headband during Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
People dressed as hot dogs react during Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo, second from right, reacts after winning the women's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Competitive eaters participate in the men's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Patrick Bertoletti, center, reacts after winning the men's division in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Bertoletti ate 58 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo arrives at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo, right, and Mayoi Ebihara, left, compete in the women's division of Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo won by eating a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo competes in the women's division of the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo reacts after winning the women's of the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo competes in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo, center, hugs Mayoi Ebihara, left, and Michelle Lesco, right, after winning the women's division of the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo, right, reacts after winning the women's division in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo competes in the women's division of Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Miki Sudo, right, reacts after winning the women's division in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024, at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Sudo ate a record 51 hot dogs. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
People wait for the start of Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Thursday, July 4, 2024 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
A woman wears a Nathan's hot dog hat at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest Thursday, July 4, 2024 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
People wait for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest to start, Thursday, July 4, 2024 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
FILE - Geoffrey Esper, left, and Joey Chestnut, right, compete during the men's competition of Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest, July 4, 2019, in New York's Coney Island. The annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest will see a slate of competitive eaters wolf down as many franks as they can in New York City on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Sarah Stier, File)
FILE - Competitive eater Miki Sudo eats a hot dog during the 2023 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York, July 4, 2023. The annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest will see a slate of competitive eaters wolf down as many franks as they can in New York City on Thursday, July 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
FILE - Five-time reigning champion Joey Chestnut competes in the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating World Championship, July 4, 2012, in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York. The annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest will see a slate of competitive eaters wolf down as many franks as they can in New York City on Thursday, July 4, 2024 — but this year, the event’s biggest star, Chestnut, will be chowing down 1,900 miles (3,000 km) away. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
