U.S./World Sports category, Page 165
Horschel’s big eagle secures a big win at the MemorialVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Billy Horschel had a five-shot lead and a good gameplan for the Memorial that he had learned by watching tournament host Jack Nicklaus and five-time winner Tiger Woods. There was no need to try anything special on a course playing as tough as Muirfield Village. And when...
Ukraine misses out on World Cup after losing to Wales
CARDIFF, Wales — Ukraine missed out on qualifying for the World Cup on Sunday after the war-disrupted team was beaten 1-0 by Wales in the European playoff final for the FIFA soccer showpiece. Andriy Yarmolenko inadvertently headed the ball into his own net while trying to clear Wales captain Gareth...
Champ at 19, champ at 36: Nadal earns 14th French Open title
Rafael Nadal’s painful left foot was numbed by multiple injections to two nerves throughout the French Open, the only way he has found to deal with a chronic condition he acknowledges puts his tennis future in doubt. At any other tournament, Nadal said, he would not have persisted through what...
Billy Horschel plays bogey-free, builds 5-shot lead at PGA MemorialVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Billy Horschel is more concerned with the way he is playing than the size of his lead in the Memorial. Either way, he’s in good shape going into the final round. On a Muirfield Village course that is getting increasingly firmer, Horschel hasn’t made a bogey since...
Minjee Lee shoots 67, opens 3-shot lead in U.S. Women’s OpenVideo
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Minjee Lee appears to be on mission. The 26-year-old Australian shot a 4-under-par 67 on Saturday to take a three-stroke lead over American Mina Harigae into the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open. “My approach (Sunday) is going to be the same as the last...
Warriors remain loose, Celtics stay focused entering Game 2
SAN FRANCISCO — A peek at practice Saturday wouldn’t have suggested the Golden State Warriors are trailing the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Stephen Curry was making most of his shots, as usual. Klay Thompson was bobbing his head in time with the music in between his own shot...
Celtics add their voices to those asking for Brittney Griner’s return
SAN FRANCISCO — Brittney Griner hasn’t been forgotten at the NBA Finals. The WNBA star has been detained in Russia for more than 100 days — wrongfully so, U.S. officials insist — and some members of the Boston Celtics are using their platform at the NBA’s title series to add...
IndyCar looks to close out Belle Isle’s run with a bang
DETROIT — Helio Castroneves won his first race on Belle Isle, in his seventh start for Team Penske, and basically in boss Roger Penske’s backyard. Castroneves celebrated that victory by exiting his car and climbing one of the fences surrounding the temporary street course. The Spider-Man climb became his signature,...
Backed from frontlines, Ukraine tries to seal World Cup spot
CARDIFF, Wales — Far from battlefields and Russian invaders, the Ukrainian footballers exempted from military service are trying to complete the mission to lead their country to the World Cup. When they prepare to face Wales on Sunday in a playoff final, they will have a little extra inspiration in...
Gateway offers some NASCAR Cup Series playoff outsiders opportunityVideo
MADISON, Ill. — Kevin Harvick takes a pragmatic approach to NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, considering he has yet to win to qualify and is just 31 points above the cutoff heading into the Cup Series’ debut at World Wide Technology Raceway. “Just tell me where I am at the...
13-time French Open champ Rafael Nadal meets newcomer Casper Ruud in finalVideo
PARIS — Rafael Nadal truly has nothing more to do to make clear his greatness on a tennis court. The 21 Grand Slam titles. The 13 championships on the red clay of the French Open alone. That’s not to say he doesn’t want to achieve more, of course. Still, it’s...
Iga Swiatek beats Coco Gauff for 2nd French Open title, adds to dominant run
PARIS — Iga Swiatek’s winning streak began to feel like a burden, she said, with all of the attention it gained as it grew, all of the pressure to keep it going, especially with a Grand Slam title in the offing. As good as her forehand is, as skilled as...
Busy summer for Palmer Jackson starts with U.S. Open sectional qualifier
Palmer Jackson was on the Hannastown Golf Club course June 2 playing against his good friend, Mark Goetz. No offense to Goetz, but Jackson would have rather been in Phoenix playing in the NCAA Division I Championship. But Jackson wasn’t pouting. He was preparing to play in the United States...
Big 12 record $426M revenue, new commish expected mid-July
IRVING, Texas — The Big 12 will distribute a record $426 million of revenue to its 10 schools for the 2021-22 school year, a nearly 25% increase over last year and 10% higher than its peak before the pandemic. “We find ourselves in a very strong position today,” Texas Tech...
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko surges, 3 shots back at U.S. Women’s OpenVideo
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. (AP) — Jin Young Ko never seems to stress. Nor does she let up. The world’s No. 1 player vaulted into contention for a third major championship Friday, playing the final five holes in 3-under-par to pull within three shots of second-round Minjee Lee and Mina Harigae...
New track, new test: NASCAR’s top series heads to St. Louis
MADISON, Ill. — Kyle Larson is willing to drive just about anything with four wheels and an engine, and his ability to jump between NASCAR’s highest level and small-town late model races on dirt should come in handy this weekend. You see, Larson showed up to World Wide Technology Raceway...
Rafael Nadal advances to another French Open final after opponent’s injuryVideo
PARIS — Rafael Nadal was locked in a tight, compelling and lengthy French Open semifinal Friday when his opponent, third-seeded Alexander Zverev, ran to chase a shot and twisted his right ankle. Zverev crumpled to the ground, wailing in agony and clutching at his lower leg. His black outfit, arms...
Women’s golf youth movement includes rising stars Ko, Korda
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Women’s golf is on the rise, a momentum swing not lost on fans and sponsors. With an abundance of emerging stars gaining notoriety, the sport is drawing more attention — and sponsorships — in the post-covid era. Tickets sales for this week’s U.S. Women’s Open are...
Can Gauff top Swiatek? At Surprise Slam, anything can happen
PARIS — Even Coco Gauff looked ahead to her French Open final against Iga Swiatek and concluded: “She’s definitely the favorite going into the match, on paper.” In an interview last weekend, Swiatek’s sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, saw the way the bracket was developing and spoke of her client “being...
Celtics have huge 4th, beat Warriors in Game 1 of NBA FinalsVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Once Boston’s balanced roster of NBA Finals first-timers found a groove from long range, the determined Celtics delivered a memorable comeback and rallied past Stephen Curry and the Golden State old guard. Jaylen Brown fueled the late charge and scored 24 points, Al Horford hit six 3-pointers...
Idaho State assistant football coach charged with 2017 Arizona murderVideo
POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho State assistant football coach DaVonte’ Neal was arrested on suspicion of killing a man in Arizona, and the school intends to terminate his contract. Neal was charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of drive-by-shooting and one count of discharging a firearm at a...
Sweden’s Ingrid Lindblad sets U.S. Women’s Open amateur mark with 6-under-par 65Video
SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Ingrid Lindblad decided months ago that she wanted to stay in college instead of turning professional. That might be a financial decision she comes to regret. The 22-year-old Swede shot the lowest round by an amateur in the 77-year history of the U.S. Women’s Open, a...
Former Masters champ Hideki Matsuyama disqualified from Memorial for club violationVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified Thursday when officials determined he had too much paint on the face of his 3-wood that he was using for alignment. It was the first time Matsuyama, who won the Memorial in 2014 for his first PGA Tour victory, was...
Transformative year: Black coaches now lead 50% of NBA teamsVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — It’s an annual occurrence in the NBA. Teams change head coaches, and the roster of candidates who should get those jobs starts getting bandied about, and especially in recent years those lists almost always included Black candidates. Case in point: Ime Udoka, who is of Nigerian descent....
Coco Gauff, 18, to face No. 1 Iga Swiatek in final at French Open
PARIS — Coco Gauff sat plain-faced in her French Open changeover chair after moving one set away from her first Grand Slam final at 18 and calmly snacked on some cut-up pieces of pineapple and other fruit, seemingly without a care in the world. Her opponent in Thursday’s semifinals at...
