Leading Off

TWO PHOTOS

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL DALDER REUTERS

The Pain In Spain When Dutch striker Robin van Persie arced a looping header—as lovely as any at a World Cup—over flat-footed Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas in a 5--1 win last Friday, it wasn't just revenge for the Netherlands' loss in the 2010 final—it was a tone-setter. Through Monday the first 14 matches in Brazil yielded five comebacks (there were three in the entire World Cup in South Africa), 44 goals (23 through the same point in 2010) and just one draw (14 total in '10).

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PHOTOGRAPH BY KOHJIRO KINNO FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Green Party Stewart Cink teed it up on the 6th hole at Pinehurst No. 2 last Saturday during the U.S. Open, as seen from the Goodyear Blimp. Cink didn't fare very well in his third round, failing to break par on the way to a 54th-place finish. But then no one really stacked up to Martin Kaymer, 29, who opened with back-to-back 65s and never led by less than three strokes on the way to an eight-shot, wire-to-wire win, making him the first man from Continental Europe to win the tournament in its 114-year history. The U.S. Women's Open will be played this week on the same landmark North Carolina course.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG MOLENHOUSE FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Tony Gwynn 1960--2014 During a 20-year career with the Padres in which he batted .338, won eight batting titles, earned five Gold Gloves and accumulated 3,141 hits, outfielder Tony Gwynn (left, in 1986) won admiration as much for his upbeat manner as he did for the exceptional control he wielded with an undersized bat. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Gwynn returned to coach at his alma mater, San Diego State, where he had also starred in basketball. He died on Monday, at 54, of salivary gland cancer (POINT AFTER).

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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

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