PGA has strong field and big surprise: Jhonattan Vegas leads at 64 as stars fail to shine
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The PGA Championship has the strongest field of the majors. It was just hard to find them at Quail Hollow. Jhonattan Vegas birdied five of his last six holes for a 64. That gives the Venezuelan a two-shot lead over PGA Tour rookie Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis of Australia. Masters champion Rory McIlroy shot 74. Scottie Scheffler had a 69 and Xander Schauffele a 72. For the first time in at least 30 years, no one from the top 10 in the world was in the top 10 on the leaderboard after one round of a major.
Mud balls! Schauffele and Scheffler have rounds muddied by double bogeys at PGA Championship
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Mud balls are dominating the conversation at the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele both made double bogey from the middle of the 16th fairway with mud splotches on their golf balls. The PGA of America chose to play the ball as it lies despite several days of rain that led to balls picking up mud when they landed in the fairway. Scheffler was proud of his 69. He wasn’t so happy with the decision. He says he practices to learn how to control his golf ball and mud makes it a guessing game.
Svechnikov breaks late tie as Hurricanes beat Capitals 3-1 to reach Eastern Conference final
WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrei Svechnikov scored the go-ahead goal with just under two minutes left and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals 3-1 in Game 5 on Thursday night, winning the second-round series and advancing to the Eastern Conference final for a second time in three years. Captain Jordan Staal got his first goal of the playoffs, and Frederik Andersen stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced, including several on Alex Ovechkin. After a give and go with defenseman Sean Walker, Svechnikov’s shot got through Logan Thompson from a bad angle with 1:59 remaining, and that was the difference in a game that was back and forth. Seth Jarvis sealed it with an empty-net goal with 26.1 seconds remaining.
Caleb Williams and his dad looked for ways to avoid him getting drafted by Bears, according to book
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams wanted nothing to do with the team as last year’s NFL draft approached. A forthcoming book describes how the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and his father explored options that would allow him to have a hand in which team selected him. In “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” author and ESPN reporter Seth Wicksham wrote about how the Williamses sought a workaround to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. The book says they also explored signing with the UFL and considered publicly ripping Chicago and the Bears to create an untenable situation for the team.
Uncertainty about Aaron Rodgers played a factor in the making of the NFL schedule
Pittsburgh Steelers executives aren’t the only ones eagerly awaiting a decision from Aaron Rodgers on whether he plans to play football this season. The NFL schedule makers also were following the Rodgers saga very closely. Rodgers has had talks about signing with Pittsburgh but hasn’t made a final decision if he wants to play in 2025, leaving the Steelers with Mason Rudolph and rookie Will Howard currently at the top of the depth chart. The league still gave the Steelers four prime-time games, banking that the team’s strong following and history of success under coach Mike Tomlin will make them an attractive team for networks no matter what Rodgers decides.
Another Kentucky Derby winner not in the Preakness reignites debate about Triple Crown changes
BALTIMORE (AP) — To spread out the three Triple Crown races? Switch the order of them? Let horses run on a two-week turnaround? The absence of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty from the Preakness Stakes has trainers and other industry leaders debating what changes, if any, are necessary to maintain sport’s traditions and go back to drawing the best horses to a race that used to always start with a shot at a Triple Crown. There are strong opinions all around horse racing about what to do when tradition and modernization of the sport clash.
Colts apologize to Tyreek Hill and Microsoft for schedule release video
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts have apologized to Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and Microsoft for a video released on social media during the NFL schedule release. The video was a spoof of the video game Minecraft, which is owned by Microsoft. It poked some fun at Hill with a dolphin wearing a No. 10 jersey with Hill’s name being stopped by a U.S. Coast Guard board with a blaring siren. The post was quickly deleted. The team apologized to Microsoft, saying the clip exceeded its rights, and to Hill for what it described as a “insensitive” clip. Hill was dragged from his vehicle by Miami-Dade deputies last September, forced to the ground and handcuffed after arriving at the Dolphins’ stadium. Indy opens its season Sept. 7 against the Dolphins.
With ‘basketball mortality’ in mind, Stephen Curry looks to the near future for another title chance
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Stephen Curry expressed sadness at how Golden State’s season ended, with him on the bench unable to help because of a hamstring injury. The Warriors were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 121-110 Game 5 loss Wednesday night in the Western Conference semifinals — Golden State’s fourth straight game without Curry because of a strained left hamstring since he was hurt in the second quarter of Game 1 last week. At 37 and with 16 NBA seasons to his name, Curry realizes NBA titles and postseason berths are no longer guaranteed.
Barcelona clinches its 28th La Liga title as Yamal’s stunning strike seals domestic treble
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona has clinched its 28th Spanish league title after Lamine Yamal starred in its 2-0 win at crosstown rival Espanyol. Yamal scored in the 53rd minute when the teenage phenom slid past two defenders along the edge of the area before he whipped one of his now trademark left-footed curlers into the corner of the net. Fermín López scored in stoppage time after Espanyol was reduced to 10 men in the 80th when Leandro Cabrera saw a direct red for hitting Yamal in the stomach while disputing a ball. Barcelona won the title on Thursday with two rounds remaining. It completed a domestic double with the Copa del Rey title and reached the Champions League semifinals in an excellent first season for coach Hansi Flick.