KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands began Saturday by cheering the Dutch past Sweden in Houston.
The monarchs ended the day by watching Curacao make some history against Ecuador in Kansas City.
The small island nation of Curacao is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and that makes King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima the heads of state. So, after a quick flight north Saturday, the royal couple dutifully swapped out their bright orange scarves of Het Oranje Legioen they wore to their earlier match with bright blue ones for The Blue Wave.
Curacao, the smallest World Cup team in population and size, made its tournament debut last Sunday in a 7-1 loss to Germany. But it bounced back from that defeat to earn a 0-0 draw with La Tri and earn its first-ever point in the tournament.
“It is an extra-special World Cup because we have both the Netherlands and Curacao,” Willem-Alexander told RTL-TV. “So we have twice as many teams to cheer for. A great opportunity to cheer on both the Blues and the Oranges. All in all, it will be a special World Cup for me with two teams, and I naturally hope they go extremely far.”
The Netherlands moved one step closer to the knockout round after a 5-1 win over Sweden.
Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo scored two goals apiece to help coach Ronald Koeman's team bounce back from a disappointing draw in its opener and move atop Group F. The Netherlands concludes group play against Tunisia on Thursday in Kansas City.
Curacao is still alive, too, after Eloy Room made 15 saves — one off the World Cup record — to earn a draw with Ecuador. It concludes Group E play on Thursday against the Ivory Coast in Philadelphia at the same time Ecuador is playing Germany in New York.
It is quite rare for sitting monarchs to come through the area. Queen Ann of Romania attended the dedication of the Liberty Memorial, which is where Kansas City is holding its World Cup FanFest, in the 1920s, while King Gustav XVI of Sweden made a stop in the small Kansas town of Lindsborg when he was passing through the Midwest in the 1970s.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Ariane of the Netherlands applaud on the tribune during the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Sweden in Houston, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
In this combo image, from left, Netherlands King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and Princess Ariane, top image, attend the World Cup soccer match between the Netherlands and Sweden in Houston; and the World Cup soccer match between Ecuador and Curacao in Kansas City, Mo., bottom image, both on Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, top; Ed Zurga, bottom)
Netherlands King Willem-Alexander, left, Queen Máxima and Princess Ariane, right, watch the World Cup Group E soccer match between Ecuador y Curacao in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Xander Schauffele entered Saturday with a chance at the U.S. Open lead, but poor putting and a pair of double bogeys left him seven strokes behind leader Wyndham Clark.
Now, tied for sixth place at even par, the two-time major winner and career U.S. Open scoring leader was among the chorus of chasers at Shinnecock Hills saying it was Clark’s tournament to lose.
Only Arnold Palmer in 1960 has overcome a seven-stroke deficit to win a U.S. Open.
“It’s all in Wyndham’s hands, really,” Schauffele said. “If he plays a really solid round of golf tomorrow, if he shoots even par or 1 over or 2 over, he’s going to win the golf tournament. That’s how I think it’s going to pan out.”
Schauffele followed a near-flawless 66 on Friday with a 73 on Saturday. He started the third round at 3 under and was only three behind after Clark bogeyed the first hole.
But Schauffele soon went backward, with bogeys on the third and sixth holes bookending a birdie on five. Things got worse on the back nine, with two double bogeys in a three-hole stretch.
On 10, Schauffele put his tee shot in the rough, his approach in the sand and rolled his bunker shot off the back of the elevated green. On 12, he three-putted after stops in the rough and a bunker short of the green.
After sinking a combined 126 feet of putts on Friday, Schauffele made just 47 feet of putts Saturday. His longest was just 6 1/2 feet.
Schauffele ranks 48th on the PGA Tour this season in strokes gained putting, 101st in putts per round and 115th in putting average.
Birdies on 13 and 15 and a sand save for par on 11 salvaged Schauffele’s day. Or, as he described it to reporters afterward, “kind of a long day, U.S. Open day."
“It was kind of a little bit of everything, to be honest,” Schauffele said. “Kind of a slow start. Then had a bad stretch of golf there 10 through 12. I hit a great bunker shot on 11, but could have been worse, I guess.”
“Then I was just trying to get back into touch. Wyndham is playing great ... and kind of the rest of the herd is trailing by a lot, and I’m one of them.”
Schauffele plays exceptionally well in the U.S. Open, but hasn't won the tournament.
He finished in the top 10 in seven of his nine previous appearances, including a tie for third in 2019, and owns the best scoring average among players with at least 20 rounds. His worst finish was a tie for 14th in 2022.
“The way this tournament is panning out, if I can — in my mind, if I can get to 4 or 5 under, that would be all-world,” Schauffele said. “I’m not even sure if that’s possible tomorrow.”
Xander Schauffele waves after his putt on the fourth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Xander Schauffele hits from the bunker on the second hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Xander Schauffele watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Xander Schauffele hits from the bunker on the sixth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Xander Schauffele watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., Saturday, June 20, 2026.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
