Naomi Osaka is "launching a media company" in partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company. Osaka and her longtime agent and business partner Stuart Duguid are "behind the production banner," which is called Hana Kuma. The company said it “will produce stories that are culturally specific but universal to all audiences" and "tackle important issues of society." Hana Kuma already has "multiple projects lined up," including a "documentary series set at Epix with Osaka, James and Carter serving as executive producers." The first project under the Hana Kuma banner will be "MINK!," an upcoming N.Y. Times Op-Doc about Patsy Mink, the "first woman of color elected to Congress, and the author and sponsor of Title IX" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 6/21).

NBC averaged 5.41 million viewers for the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday from The Country Club at Brookline, which saw Matthew Fitzpatrick beat out Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler. That’s down from 5.67 million viewers for Jon Rahm’s one-stroke win over Louis Oosthuizen last year, which aired in primetime from Torrey Pines. However, this year is the best East Coast finale to a U.S. Open since ’13 from Merion, when Justin Rose’s win over Phil Mickelson and Jason Day averaged 8.4 million.

Two years ago, Bryson DeChambeau’s win at Winged Foot over Matthew Wolff averaged 3.21 million viewers (the event was held in September due to COVID). Back in ’19 from Pebble Beach (also a primetime finish), Fox averaged 7.31 million for Gary Woodland’s win over Brooks Koepka. Sunday’s telecast peaked at 9.2 million viewers from 6:30-6:45pm ET during the final holes. Host market Boston led the way with a 5.3 local rating, followed by West Palm Beach (4.9), Jacksonville (4.2), Minneapolis-St. Paul (4.1) and Providence (4.2).

The purse for the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, which begins Thursday at Congressional Country Club's newly restored Blue Course, will be doubled to $9M. The PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA announced the purse increase this afternoon. The $9M purse is double the $4.5M total awarded last year and represents a 300% increase since '14 ($2.25M), the year before the PGA of America and KPMG began their collaboration. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship includes 99 of the top 100 players on the LPGA's Official Money List. PGA of America President Jim Richerson in a statement said, "When the PGA of America partnered with KPMG and the LPGA Tour in 2015, we promised to elevate this event by increasing the purse, conducting it at venues with a history of hosting men’s major championships such as Congressional Country Club, and delivering broadcast network coverage with NBC Sports. As part of our shared commitment to inclusion, we have delivered on those promises.”

The PGA Tour and Bet365 reached a three-year content and marketing agreement through '24 that includes designation as an official betting operator of the Tour. U.K.-based Bet365 becomes the Tour’s first OBO outside of North America. In the U.K., Ireland and Australia, Bet365 will be the exclusive source for odds on the leaderboard and player pages on PGATour.com and on the TourCast platform. Bet365 will have a brand presence across PGA Tour media properties. The betting brand also will have rights in the U.K., Ireland, Australia and Canada to use PGA Tour marks, rights to advertise within Tour media and Tour partner platforms (PGA Tour).

The official final price tag for last year’s COVID-delayed Tokyo Games was US$13B, the organizing committee said in its "final act before it is dissolved at the end of the month." The cost was "twice what was forecast in 2013 when Tokyo was awarded the Games," but still lower than the $15.4B that they "predicted when the Olympics ended just under 11 months ago." Committee CEO Toshiro Muto said that there were "savings because of the absence of fans, which cut down on security costs and venue maintenance." But organizers lost at least $800M in "income from ticket sales because fans were banned." Muro also "talked vaguely about 'squeezing' costs and 'simplifying' operations to reach the reductions" (AP, 6/21).

Valvoline and Hendrick Motorsports have extended their partnership through '27. The motor oil brand "will continue as sponsor of Kyle Larson (three races) and William Byron (two races), along with maintaining its status as the Official Lubricants Partner of Hendrick Motorsports and as a major associate sponsor for the team’s cars." The five annual primary sponsorships in NASCAR Cup races "represents an increase of three over the previous three seasons." For '22, the company also "added a sixth primary race and will be featured on Byron’s car for Sunday’s Cup race" at Nashville Superspeedway (NBCSPORTS.com, 6/21).

SportTechie offers daily updates and analysis on all the latest happenings that crossover between the sports and technology industries. Here are some of today's top headlines:

• How Topgolf Is Helping to Modernize the Game of Golf With New Technology

• Altis Launches First AI Personal Trainer to Fix Form in Real Time

• Shift4 Becomes Tennessee Titans Official Payment Processor at Nissan Stadium

• SweatWorks Partners With Feed Music Group to Add Curated Music to Connected Fitness Products

Former NFLer Ryan Fitzpatrick will be joining Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage this coming season. Fitzpatrick will join Tony Gonzalez and Richard Sherman on the streamer’s wraparound coverage of each "TNF" game (Amazon). Fitzpatrick will be the "Big Get" on this week's edition of the Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, which drops tomorrow (SBJ).

Chuck Menke has been named CMO for USA Pickleball. Menke spent a decade as CMO of USA Triathlon before leaving the organization in 2020, and prior to that role held communications positions with USA Hockey, the Blues and Quinnipiac Univ. He will now oversee the revenue, marketing and communications verticals for USA Pickleball, including the national governing body’s sponsorship sales and membership acquisition strategies (Chris Smith, SBJ).

Austin FC will partner with Austin skate shop No-Comply for a collaboration connecting the soccer and skateboarding communities in the city through a series of initiatives, including a product collaboration and launch event (Austin FC).

The Pac-12 named Sprouts Farmers Market the Official Grocer of the Pac-12 Conference. The multiyear partnership establishes Sprouts as the first-ever presenting partner of the Pac-12 Women’s Gymnastics Championships, as well as an official sponsor of the football championship game, the men’s & women’s basketball tournaments and Olympic sports championships (Pac-12).

“Watson has said every time he’s talked publicly that he wants to go to court and clear his name, and now in at least 20 of those cases that won’t be case” -- ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, on Browns QB Deshaun Watson  settling 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits against him ( “SportsCenter,” ESPN, 6/21).

“The male football establishment, which was very rich, was reaching out to their legislators to gut Title IX, to basically remove revenue-producing sports from that equation. We had battles all the way along. So as the first president of the Women’s Sports Foundation, one of my initiatives was to make sure every year, we went to Capital Hill and we educated our legislators on the role of sports” -- Donna de Varona, on efforts to get Title IX passed ( “We Need to Talk,” CBSSN, 6/20).

“It was world-changing for me. I probably would not be here right now with you had it not been for Title IX because my family didn’t have a lot of money, didn’t have a lot of opportunity. But with Title IX, I was able to get the opportunity to play soccer in school” -- Former USWNT G Briana Scurry ( “GMA,” ABC, 6/21).

“This push against media is because our generation is not only having our own platforms, but because we can’t escape it” -- ESPN’s JJ Redick, on the attitude today’s pro athletes have toward mainstream and social media ( “First Take,” ESPN, 6/21).

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Chipotle partnered with three NBA Draft prospects -- Jaden Ivey, AJ Griffin and Ochai Agbaji-- for a series of interviews before Thursday's draft. Former NBAer Cuttino Mobley hosts the interviews. The three athletes for a limited time also will have their go-to order featured as a digital menu item on the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com.

17 -- Number of "aspiring executives from the NFL and NCAA," along with 48 "up-and-coming coaches," taking part in the NFL and the Black College Football HOF's annual Quarterback Coaching Summit and Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum, which kicked off today. NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent writes the participants are "getting set to take a step forward in their careers," and "they're capable" (NFL.com, 6/21).