The hole shooting match? crossword clue
17 Down · WSJ Crossword, June 8, 2026 · 4 letters
Explanation
The answer to “The hole shooting match?” is GOLF. It appears as 17 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of June 8, 2026, a Monday puzzle titled “Sad to Say” by Lynn Lempel, and it fills 4 squares running top to bottom from row 3, column 6 of the 15×15 grid.
The question mark at the end of the clue signals wordplay: the surface reading is a misdirection, and the answer fits a punning or figurative sense of the words. The entry begins with G and ends with F, and contains 1 vowel and 3 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Monday puzzles are the most approachable of the week, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
GOLF has not appeared as an answer in any other WSJ puzzle in our index, which runs from May 2026 onward. It will be listed here the next time it turns up.