U.S./World Sports category, Page 162
Mo Donegal finishes 1st at Belmont, another Todd Pletcher win
NEW YORK — Triple Crown veteran Todd Pletcher had simple advice Saturday for jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. before the Belmont Stakes. “Be patient,” Pletcher said. “I think you have the best last quarter of any horse in the race.” Mo Donegal pulled away down the home stretch and held off...
Tony Finau, defending champ Rory McIlroy share lead at Canadian OpenVideo
TORONTO — Tony Finau birdied the final hole Saturday for an 8-under-par 62 and a share of the RBC Canadian Open lead with defending champion Rory McIlroy. “I didn’t finish the way I wanted to yesterday, and I think all it did was kind of light a fire in my...
Former Masters champ Charl Schwartzel wins richest golf event amid Saudi outcryVideo
ST. ALBANS, England — Former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel banked $4.75 million Saturday by winning the richest tournament in golf history, while the event’s Saudi backers faced renewed backlash after a 9/11 victims’ group called for American players to withdraw from the rebel series. Schwartzel held on for a one-shot...
Celtics’ Jayson Tatum star vows to bounce back in NBA FinalsVideo
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum knows he has taken his game to a new level in his fifth NBA season, pushing his way into the league’s top echelon of playmakers as the Boston Celtics’ go-to scorer. The three-time All-Star also knows at times he hasn’t been good enough against the Golden...
IndyCar’s depth creating plenty of unpredictable outcomes, opportunitiesVideo
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Competitive balance has defined the opening portion of this IndyCar season. Road America’s history suggests that trend will continue Sunday. The first seven IndyCar races have featured six different winners. The points lead has changed hands six times. There’s been different pole winners, the most since...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Rival leagues are good for any sport
I don’t watch golf. It’s slow and boring. Golf is a participatory sport, not one for spectators. But I like LIV golf. I won’t watch it. But it stirs the pot. Rival leagues have long been catalysts for improving sports. The American Football League (1960-70) was the best rival league....
Steph Curry scores 43 to beat Boston, Warriors tie NBA Finals 2-2
BOSTON — He stomped his feet, waved his arms, flexed his muscles and talked back to the crowd. And Stephen Curry also made baskets. Plenty of those, too. In a demonstrative and dominating performance that was one of the best of his postseason career, Curry scored 43 points to lead...
World Series finalists Oklahoma, Texas to make SEC softball even more formidableVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma and Texas — the two Women’s College World Series finalists — are set to join the SEC in 2025 and likely will make the powerhouse conference even more formidable. Oklahoma just won its fifth national title in the past nine World Series under coach Patty Gasso,...
Clark takes Canadian Open lead into weekend at St. George’sVideo
TORONTO — Wyndham Clark closed with an unlikely par save Friday to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Rory McIlroy and four other players into the weekend in the RBC Canadian Open. After bogeying Nos. 15 and 16 in windy conditions at St. George’s, Clark got up-and-down from about...
Derby winner Rich Strike faces another stiff test in BelmontVideo
After so many things went right for Rich Strike to win the Kentucky Derby, he’ll likely need even more good fortune at the Belmont Stakes with so much stacked against him. Rich Strike won’t go off at odds of more than 80-1 this time, but even after bypassing the Preakness...
DeChambeau confirmed as latest signing for Saudi golf seriesVideo
ST. ALBANS, England — Former U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau became the latest big name to sign on with the Saudi-funded breakaway series LIV Golf, and Charl Schwartzel remained on course Friday to win the maximum prize of $4.75 million at its inaugural event outside London. That kind of big...
Crowded dais as boxing hall of fame inducts 3 classes
The International Boxing Hall of Fame might have to build a new wing to host all the inductees after this weekend’s ceremonies. Floyd Mayweather Jr. alone makes Sunday’s event one of the most anticipated in years. Add in fighters like Roy Jones Jr., Andre Ward and Bernard Hopkins — as...
AAC deal lets UCF, Cincinnati, Houston join Big 12 in ’23
The American Athletic Conference announced an agreement Friday with Cincinnati, Houston and UCF that paves the way for the schools to join the Big 12 in 2023. The three schools announced in September they had accepted invitations to join the Big 12, which moved quickly to a rebuild its membership...
U.S. Open heads to Boston amid revolutionary battle in golf
The U.S. Open returns to its roots at The Country Club, a location steeped in history. It is one of the five founding clubs of the U.S. Golf Association. Its first U.S. Open in 1913 is what first put golf on the front pages of American newspapers when 20-year-old amateur...
Oklahoma beats Texas, repeats as softball national champsVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons hit three-run homers, Jayda Coleman made two spectacular defensive plays and No. 1 seed Oklahoma beat unseeded Texas 10-5 on Thursday night to win its second straight Women’s College World Series title. The Sooners (59-3) won the best-of-three series 2-0 after winning...
Wyndham Clark stays hot and takes 1st-round lead in Canada
TORONTO — Wyndham Clark started the week with a late charge to play his way into the U.S. Open in a qualifier, and then he stayed hot Thursday in the RBC Canadian Open for a 7-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead. Clark opened with five birdies in nine holes...
Rich Strike highlights horse racing’s lack of diversity
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When Rich Strike bolted into horse racing’s spotlight in a little over two minutes with his upset Kentucky Derby victory, he shared the stage with his handler, who long has toiled in the shadows constantly tending to the champion colt. Rich Strike’s attention stems from winning as...
PGA Tour says Saudi-paid players no longer eligible for tour
Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson launched tee shots in the Saudi-funded golf league Thursday, and it wasn’t long before the PGA Tour said its players who took part were no longer welcome, even if they already had resigned. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan held a hard line on his pledge...
Oklahoma drubs Texas in WCWS championship series openerVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings fueled Oklahoma’s record-setting offensive burst to help the Sooners move a victory away from successfully defending their Women’s College World Series title. Alo and Jennings each hit two home runs and top-seeded Oklahoma rolled past unseeded Texas 16-1 on Wednesday night in...
Celtics beat Warriors to take 2-1 lead in NBA FinalsVideo
BOSTON — Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Boston Celtics beat back another third-quarter onslaught by the Golden State Warriors in a 116-100 victory Wednesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped lead a...
California native Jill Gregory ready to host full NASCAR show at SonomaVideo
Kyle Larson took a swig of the winner’s wine, tilted his head back and spit it in the air. He couldn’t have predicted the wind catching hold of the vino and blowing it all over new track general manager Jill Gregory. Some homecoming, eh? Gregory, a Modesto native and graduate...
Dirty money: Tony Stewart to award $1 million prize at Eldora SpeedwayVideo
Tony Stewart went to bed at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday after pulling an all-nighter at Eldora Speedway. Stewart has $1 million to give away Thursday night and is determined that his track in Rossburg, Ohio, will be in the best condition possible for the return of The Eldora Million. “I’m just...
Report: DeChambeau, Reed to join Saudi-funded league in U.S.Video
Major champions Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed plan to sign up with the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational series in time for the rival circuit to start playing in U.S. cities, a British newspaper reported Wednesday. The Daily Telegraph said Greg Norman and his staff that runs LIV Golf Investments plan...
Saudi-funded golf series puts new scrutiny on MickelsonVideo
ST. ALBANS, England — Out of public view for four months, Phil Mickelson returns to golf under severe scrutiny because of where he’s playing and who is paying him. Mickelson is a six-time major champion, the most popular golfer this side of Tiger Woods. And now he is being referred...
AEW continues to thrive after celebrating 3rd anniversary
LOS ANGELES — All Elite Wrestling continues to thrive with compelling matches while attracting new fans three years after making its debut. The upstart professional wrestling circuit kicked off a busy summer schedule by returning to Las Vegas for its “Double or Nothing” pay-per-view for the first time since its...
