U.S./World Sports category, Page 296
Mid-American Conference cancels fall football due to virus
The Mid-American Conference on Saturday became the first league competing at college football’s highest level to cancel its fall season because of covid-19 concerns. “I’m heartbroken we are in this place,” MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said. With the MAC’s 12 schools facing a significant financial burden by trying to maintain...
In milestone for China, Li Haotong leads halfway through PGA
Like too many tour pros, the guy leading the PGA Championship after two rounds is not above letting his clubs do the talking. What makes Li Haotong stand out from the crowd is what one of those clubs says about him. “HAOTONG IS THE MOST HANDSOME MAN IN CHINA,” reads...
Long-driving Cameron Champ in contention at PGA ChampionshipVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — John Daly famously won a PGA Championship 29 years ago by swinging as hard as he could every time he got on the tee. Cameron Champ just might do the same thing this weekend at Harding Park. “Usually whenever I swing a little harder, it goes a...
Brad Keselowski still seeking 1st win at home track in MichiganVideo
Ford is on a nice little winning streak at Michigan International Speedway, although it may not feel that way to Brad Keselowski. Keselowski still hasn’t won a Cup race in his home state, and it seems like every year that is a story when NASCAR comes to Michigan. Keselowski will...
2 more top-10 women drop out of U.S. Open
NEW YORK — Two more top-10 women — Elina Svitolina and Kiki Bertens — will miss the U.S. Open, joining No. 1-ranked Ash Barty in skipping the Grand Slam tennis tournament during the coronavirus pandemic. The fifth-ranked Svitolina, a Ukrainian who was a semifinalist at Flushing Meadows a year ago,...
Covid-19 concerns can’t dampen Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s enthusiasmVideo
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney couldn’t hide the wide grin as he talked at last about watching the Tigers workout on the field. “Once we got on the field, it was awesome,” Swinney said Thursday after the opening practice of fall camp. “Just a blessing to be able...
Quiet please: A PGA with no fans and the new normal for golfVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — To those overserved boors who insist on screaming “Mashed Potatoes!” every time Dustin Johnson or Brooks Koepka unloads with their driver, we have a simple request for you: Please come back. For this week at the PGA championship, the same goes for every lunkhead who snapped a...
Riverhounds look to reach next level against New York Red Bulls II
Pittsburgh Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley is looking for his team to reach its highest level. So far through the 2020 season, the Hounds haven’t been able to reach that point, but they’ve been close. Their 3-1 victory against Louisville City FC in their season opener was a good example. They...
Jason Day leads PGA as Brooks Koepka continues to be a major forceVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Jason Day took his first step toward a return to the spotlight in the majors Thursday at the PGA Championship. Brooks Koepka never seems to leave. Day took advantage of a TPC Harding Park that never felt this accommodating during the practice rounds. With only a mild...
Column: Big and booming, Bryson DeChambeau is PGA Tour must-see TVVideo
It’s hard to find a reason to like Bryson DeChambeau. It’s even harder to take your eyes off him. He smashes jaw-dropping drives that seem to defy the physics on which he bases his game. Bulked up on protein shakes and M&M’s, DeChambeau has so far this year been making...
Riverhounds notebook: Passing prowess has Pittsburgh piling up assists
With five games under their belt, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are slowly approaching the midway point of their shortened 2020 season. Through the first part of the season, the Hounds have already suffered a two-game losing streak, they’ve seen players step into big roles, they’ve seen players break records, and they...
NCAA board hands call on fall championships to each division; Division III cancels
The NCAA Board of Governors on Wednesday directed each division of the association to decide independently by Aug. 21 whether it will be able to conduct championship events safely in fall sports such as soccer, volleyball and lower levels of football during the coronavirus pandemic. The association’s highest governing body...
UConn becomes 1st FBS program to cancel football over virus
STORRS, Conn. — UConn canceled its 2020-21 football season Wednesday, becoming the first FBS program to do so because of the coronavirus pandemic, as other schools had taken the Huskies off their schedules and the governor was reluctant to allow UConn to travel to states with high infection rates. “After...
Tiger Woods in better place heading into PGA Championship
SAN FRANCISCO — The course is one Tiger Woods knows well and where he has winning memories. The PGA Championship is a major he has won four times, more than anyone except Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. Woods learned last year that brings no guarantee of playing well. Coming off...
Adam Scott back in PGA chase after long break Down Under
Adam Scott took his own sweet time returning to competitive golf. When he finally showed up at the PGA Championship this week, everyone else ranked inside the top 50 had already revved up for the season’s first major by playing at least one tournament somewhere. But Scott, who checked in...
Jordan Spieth chasing Grand Slam and hardly anyone notices
SAN FRANCISCO — The spotlight on Jordan Spieth should be bright enough to cut through the marine layer blanketing Harding Park this week at the PGA Championship. Win this major and he joins the most exclusive club in golf with the final leg of the career Grand Slam. Only five...
Defending champ Rafael Nadal to miss U.S. Open amid pandemicVideo
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will skip the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic, putting on hold his bid to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record for Grand Slam titles. Nadal explained his decision in a series of tweets sent in Spanish and English on Tuesday. “The situation is very complicated...
TCU football coach Gary Patterson apologizes for repeating racial slurVideo
FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU football coach Gary Patterson apologized Tuesday for repeating a racial slur when telling a player to stop using the slur in team meetings. Patterson’s tweet came a day after school Chancellor Victor Boschini said the nearly 20-year leader of TCU’s program, who is white, had...
Minnesota star WR Rashod Bateman to skip season, turn proVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota star wide receiver Rashod Bateman will pass on a 2020 college football season that has been complicated — and threatened — by the pandemic. Bateman announced Tuesday he has opted out amid concerns about the coronavirus and will forgo his remaining two years of eligibility to enter...
Penske reverses course, closes Indianapolis 500 to fans
Roger Penske has reversed course and decided not to allow fans at the Indianapolis 500 later this month. The 104th running of “The Great American Race” will be the first without spectators, who showed up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway every year, even during the Great Depression. It was a flip...
Madrid Open tennis canceled because of virus spike in Spain
MADRID — The Madrid Open in September was canceled on Tuesday because of a new spike in coronavirus cases in Spain. The joint men’s and women’s tournament was originally scheduled in May, but moved when Spain became a hotbed for the virus. Its new slot in September allowed it again...
Big 12 football teams can play 1 nonconference gameVideo
Big 12 schools agreed Monday night to play one nonconference football game this season to go along with their nine league contests as plans for the pandemic-altered season continued to fall into place. The Big 12’s university presidents signed off on a 10-game schedule, adjusted to deal with potential disruptions...
Public schools in Maryland to cancel all sports for fall and winter
The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association announced Monday the cancellation of fall and winter high school sports for 2020 because of coronavirus concerns. The covid crisis forced the cancellation of all spring sports last school year. The MPSSAA said high school athletic competitions will be postponed until the start...
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, investor group to buy XFL
Former WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and an investor group have agreed to buy the XFL for approximately $15 million, according to a Monday news release. The second iteration of the XFL lasted five weeks before the coronavirus pandemic shut down operations in March. The next month, the league...
Brooks Koepka’s biggest challenge is history in bid for 3 in a row
Peter Thomson might have been up to his old tricks. He once described the Americans as the “greatest collection of golfers in the world” right before he captained an International team that annihilated the U.S. in the 1998 Presidents Cup. So what to make of his prediction at Carnoustie nine...
