U.S./World Sports category, Page 348
Francesco Molinari faces long odds of repeat at British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Golf’s oldest championship is all about tradition, and this is one Francesco Molinari could have done without. Fifty-one weeks after he won the British Open and gazed at his name etched on the silver claret jug, he had to return it. Getting it back won’t be...
Jenna Fryer: Kurt Busch still wheelman 20 years into rocky career
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kurt Busch has been called many things during his tumultuous 20 seasons at NASCAR’s top level. He is ornery, easily unhinged and has lost control of his temper enough times that it nearly derailed his career. But the most important descriptor for Busch often is overlooked. He...
Old Nets think Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving can succeed where they didn’tVideo
NEW YORK — Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving gave the Brooklyn Nets two big victories in one night. “They hit the Mega Millions and the Powerball,” former NBA star Charles Oakley said. In the first hours of free agency, the Nets added two of the best players available to a...
Paul Spadafora recalls training with world champion boxer Pernell Whitaker
Paul Spadafora couldn’t stop crying when he heard the news that Pernell Whitaker had died, a loss of not only one of his boxing idols but his former trainer. The Hall of Fame fighter known as Sweet Pea won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games and who was...
Pernell Whitaker, boxing champ and ex-trainer of McKees Rocks’ Paul Spadafora, fatally struck by car
Pernell Whitaker, an Olympic gold medalist and four division champion who was regarded as one of the greatest defensive fighters ever, has died after being hit by a car in Virginia. He was 55. Police in Virginia Beach said the former fighter was hit by a car Sunday night. The...
First Call: Antonio Brown mad at Madden video game; competitive-eating scandal
In Monday’s “First Call,” Antonio Brown doing what Antonio Brown does. Perhaps the most impressive point Wimbledon has ever seen. Ranking the Steelers offensive trio. And a competitive-eating scandal. A.B. on brand This is right from the Mr. Big Chest playbook. Antonio Brown is mad that he didn’t get a...
Simon Pagenaud wins IndyCar race in Toronto, his third victory of season
TORONTO — Simon Pagenaud won his third race of the season, and Alexander Rossi tightened the championship race with Josef Newgarden in IndyCar’s Sunday race through the streets of Toronto. The win on the streets around Exhibition Place is the first for Pagenaud this year away from Indianapolis Motor Speedway....
Former NFL QB Ryan Leaf heading to ESPN broadcast booth
Ryan Leaf has been hired by ESPN to be a college football analyst, another step in the remarkable comeback of the former Washington State star who has battled drug addiction and served time in prison. Leaf will be paired with play-by-play announcer Clay Matvick and mostly will call games on...
South Korea’s Sei Young Kim wins LPGA Marathon Classic
SYLVANIA, Ohio — Sei Young Kim won the Marathon Classic on Sunday for her second LPGA Tour victory of the season, making five straight birdies in a mid-round burst and shooting a 6-under-par 65 for a two-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson. Kim began the birdie run on No. 7 and...
Retief Goosen wins Bridgestone Senior Players for 1st Champions title
AKRON, Ohio — Retief Goosen birdied the final two holes to win the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship on Sunday at Firestone Country Club for his first PGA Tour Champions title. The 50-year-old Hall of Famer from South Africa broke a tie for the lead with a 15-foot putt on the...
Dylan Frittelli earns 1st PGA win at John Deere Classic
SILVIS, Ill. — While the rest of the leaders faltered, Dylan Frittelli surged to his first PGA Tour title. Frittelli won the John Deere Classic on Sunday, closing with a 7-under-par 64 for a two-stroke victory over Russell Henley. The South African earned a spot next week in the British...
After a Tour de France on TV, Thibaut Pinot looms large in picture
BRIOUDE, France — Like a lost love, the Tour de France gains in value for riders who can’t race in it. That was the lesson Thibaut Pinot learned last year when the French rider, who’d fallen sick at the Giro d’Italia in May, then missed the Tour and watched on...
Lewis Hamilton wins record 6th British GP, extends F1 leadVideo
SILVERSTONE, England — A day of dramatic English sporting glory began with a far more fortuitous — but still record-breaking — victory for Lewis Hamilton on the nation’s Formula One track. A sixth British Grand Prix success was sealed not with a thrilling overtaking move but by a canny pit...
Federer dominates Djokovic in every stat except final score in Wimbledon loss
WIMBLEDON, England — Roger Federer won more points than Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Federer was the first of the pair to come within a point of taking the championship Sunday, too. Had two such chances in the fifth set. Indeed, Federer dominated the historic match in nearly every...
Adam Scott among players perusing Royal Portrush ahead of British Open
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Adam Scott already has spent seven days at Royal Portrush, three of them with Darren Clarke, and the advice was invaluable to the end. They stood off the 18th green Sunday as Scott listened intently to a British Open champion whose game was forged on these...
Novak Djokovic edges Roger Federer in 5 sets for 5th Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England — For nearly five tight, tense and terrific hours, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer traded the lead, playing on and on and on until an unprecedented fifth-set tiebreaker was required to settle their memorable Wimbledon final. In the end, it was Djokovic who emerged victorious, coming back to...
Kurt Busch outduels little brother to win at Kentucky
SPARTA, Ky. — Kurt Busch did everything possible to get the upper hand on his little brother in a door-to-door overtime battle at Kentucky Speedway. Busch was the victor in a Saturday night showdown between the brothers that gave him his first victory with Chip Ganassi Racing and a spot...
Ratief Goosen’s woes suit Scott Parel fine at Senior Players Championship
AKRON, Ohio — Scott Parel took advantage of Retief Goosen’s problems Saturday to take the third-round lead in the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship, the fourth of the PGA Tour Champions’ five major tournaments. Seven strokes behind Goosen at the start of the day, Parel birdied two of the last three...
Cameron Tringale, Andrew Landry atop crowded leaderboard at John Deere ClassicVideo
SILVIS, Ill. — Cameron Tringale and Andrew Landry topped the John Deere Classic leaderboard Saturday, with a half-dozen guys right behind them. Winless on the PGA Tour, Tringale shot a 6-under-par 65 to match Landy at 16-under 197 at TPC Deere Run. Landry had a 67. He won the Valero...
Roger Federer takes aim at record 9th Wimbledon title
WIMBLEDON, England — If Roger Federer’s going to win a record ninth championship at Wimbledon, he will need to follow up a victory over Rafael Nadal with one over defending champion Novak Djokovic. Federer has played both at the same Grand Slam tournament only once: the 2011 French Open. He...
AD3: Anthony Davis joins Lakers with championship plansVideo
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Anthony Davis’ year of uncertainty finally felt finished when he stood in the Los Angeles Lakers’ training complex and proudly held up his new gold jersey while LeBron James looked on approvingly. After months of upheaval around his departure from New Orleans, the superstar forward is...
Simona Halep wins Wimbledon, stops Serena Williams’ bid for 24th SlamVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — Clutching her trophy 20 minutes after becoming Wimbledon’s champion, Simona Halep checked out the board inside Centre Court that lists tournament winners. Below all of the mentions of Serena Williams, her opponent in Saturday’s final, there already was inscribed: “Miss S. Halep.” Halep was not concerned with...
Robert Wickens to drive IndyCar parade lap with hand controls
TORONTO — Robert Wickens has attacked his rehabilitation from a spinal cord injury with aggressive goals. The Canadian wants to dance at his upcoming wedding, one day walk again with zero evidence his legs once did not work and, of course, Wickens hopes to return to racing cars. Nearly a...
Analysis: Rockets’ Russell Westbrook, James Harden must change games
LAS VEGAS — Everyone knows Russell Westbrook and James Harden played together before, which automatically makes their reunion in Houston seem like the right fit. It won’t be that easy. They’ve both changed since those days. But here they are, together again after the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to trade...
As Wimbledon final approaches, Serena Williams never forgets lossVideo
WIMBLEDON, England — There are many reasons why Serena Williams has been as successful as she has been, for as long as she’s been. The serve. The returns. The groundstrokes. The court coverage. And more. A little insight into one aspect of the way she approaches matches arrived via her...
