Week Ahead

SI PICK OF THE WEEK
THURSDAY 6/15

Open Season
With Michelle Wie failing to qualify for the field at Winged Foot, the spotlight can shine fully on heavyweights like Tiger Woods , Phil Mickelson ... and Retief Goosen . The 37-year-old South African (above) has a lower profile than Tiger and Lefty, but don't forget: In last year's Open he led heading into the final round. (He finished 11th.) A win in Mamaroneck , N.Y., would be his third Open title in six years. Says Woods , "Come major championship time, he's always there."
Thursday and Friday ESPN 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 5-7 p.m., NBC 3-5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday NBC 12:30-7 p.m.

SATURDAY 6/17

Winky Wright vs. Jermain Taylor
The 25-0 Taylor (above) is the undisputed middleweight champion. So why is Wright (50--3) getting all the attention before their showdown in Memphis ? Maybe because the 34-year-old is regarded as one of the world's best pound-for-pound fighters and has wins over Shane Mosley (twice) and Felix Trinidad. "I'm the world champion, remember?" says the 27-year-old Taylor . "I'm Number 1. Remember that."
PPV 9:30 p.m.

Intercontinental Poker Championship
It's like the World Cup, only you must use your hands. Twenty-one of the world's top rounders compete under the flags of their homelands in a $500,000 Texas hold 'em tournament. The competitors include Johnny Chan ( China ) and Doyle Brunson ( U.S. ), the only two living players to have won the World Series of Poker twice.
CBS 5 p.m.

SUNDAY 6/18

Australia vs. Brazil
A tip for any Brazilian who wants his son to grow up to be a soccer star: Name him a variant of Ronald. Brazil 's quest for a record sixth World Cup title hinges on the play of three-time FIFA player of the year Ronaldo (left) and the reigning world's best, Ronaldinho (SI, June 5). Australians' giddiness over the Socceroos ' first World Cup appearance since 1974 is tempered slightly by this match. Referring to Ronaldinho , one Aussie newspaper blog asked readers, "Got any ideas how we're going to stop this guy?"
ABC 11:30 a.m.

Monarchs at Sparks
Defending WNBA champion Sacramento has been mediocre so far this season (4--3); perhaps the Monarchs were distracted by coach John Whisenant 's campaigning (in vain) for an NBA job with the Kings. They had better be focused against Los Angeles: Two-time MVP Lisa Leslie (below) leads the league in rebounding and has the Sparks in second place in the Western Conference.
Check listings 9:30 p.m.

24 Hours of Le Mans
About 50 drivers tear through French country roads in the world's most famous sports car endurance race. They'll try to unseat Denmark 's Tom Kristensen (above), whose Audi team has won six straight Le Mans . (Event begins Saturday; final laps air on Sunday.)
SPEED 6 a.m.