U.S./World Sports category, Page 112
Hovland endures another near miss at a major at PGA, believes his time is comingVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Viktor Hovland knows his moment on golf’s biggest stage is coming. Of course, he would be fine if it would just hurry up and get here already. For the third straight major, the 25-year-old Norwegian with the incandescent wardrobe and the even more vibrant game found his...
Brooks Koepka delivers another major performance to win PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — All those injuries that made Brooks Koepka wonder if he was still among golf’s elite were put to rest Sunday at Oak Hill when he beat the strongest field of the year and won the PGA Championship for his fifth major title. Determined as ever to restore...
Murrysville’s Jared Smith takes bronze at World Karate Federation event
Pennsylvania Shotokan Karate Club athlete Jared Smith earned a bronze medal in April at the World Karate Federation K1 Series A event in Vancouver, Canada. A Franklin Regional grad and current student at Carnegie Mellon, Smith finished third in the 75-kilogram division for kumite fighting. He competed against martial artists...
Mage’s Triple Crown bid ends after finishing third in PreaknessVideo
BALTIMORE — A half-mile into the Preakness, Mage’s Triple Crown chances were already in serious jeopardy. The Kentucky Derby-winning colt was racing comfortably — and wasn’t that far behind — but the pace was a fairly easy one, and that made the leaders tough to catch. “Not much speed in...
Finally paired at a major, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau play nice and play well at PGA
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau insist they ended their beef long ago. They’ve hugged it out. They’ve made their money. They’ve moved on. They’re at different points in their careers now. Different parts of their lives. As if to prove it once and for all, Koepka and...
Koepka again in position for major title after stellar 66 at soggy PGA ChampionshipVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Brooks Koepka says he thrives in majors because they’re the toughest tests. The PGA Championship was every bit of that on a rainy Saturday at Oak Hill, and so was Koepka. Koepka was at his best even during occasional downpours, and he surged into the 54-hole lead...
National Treasure wins Preakness, ending Triple Crown possibility
BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert choked back tears, and his voice cracked while trying to juggle the feelings of one of his horses winning the Preakness Stakes and another being euthanized on the same track. “This business is twists and turns, the ups and downs,” he said. “To win this —...
NASCAR drivers facing unfamiliar venue with All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — William Byron has driven past North Wilkesboro Speedway on his way to the Blue Ridge Mountains. So has Brad Keselowski and many other North Carolina-based NASCAR drivers. Like most, they’d never been inside the track before this week. And none of the drivers on the NASCAR...
Horse trained by Bob Baffert euthanized on track after racing injury on Preakness undercard
BALTIMORE — A horse trained by Bob Baffert was euthanized on the track after going down with a left front leg injury and unseating his jockey during a race on the Preakness undercard Saturday. Hours before the second leg of the Triple Crown, favorite Havnameltdown buckled forward and threw jockey...
‘One of us’: Club pro Michael Block scores one for working man at PGA Championship
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Michael Block is supposed to work on Monday, just like nearly every other PGA club professional this time of year. The 46-year-old’s daily routine at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Southern California is a mixture of lessons and paperwork. It’s typically followed by an early-evening visit from...
Scheffler tied for lead in PGA Championship as Oak Hill delivers a new challenge
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Oak Hill is delivering a little bit of everything at this PGA Championship. One constant is Scottie Scheffler, who is getting used to chasing majors. A frost delay at the start gave way to warmth and wind Friday morning before rain showers brought out the umbrellas in...
Bob Baffert is back at Preakness, his 1st Triple Crown race in 2 years
BALTIMORE — Bob Baffert is back at the Preakness for his first Triple Crown race in two years, returning from a suspension and looking for a record-breaking win with National Treasure. The white-haired Hall of Fame trainer and one of the faces of horse racing was in a familiar spot...
Takuma Sato, Marcus Ericsson put Ganassi on top in final practice before Indy 500 qualifyingVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Two-time Indy 500 champion Takuma Sato turned the fastest lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 27 years on Friday, and defending winner Marcus Ericsson was close behind him, making Chip Ganassi Racing the team to beat heading into qualifying weekend for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Sato turned...
Mage faces tough challenge in second Triple Crown race at Preakness
BALTIMORE — Mage’s path through Triple Crown season is not an easy one. The Kentucky Derby winner opened as the favorite for this weekend’s Preakness Stakes, but Mage will have to top a field that includes Bob Baffert-trained National Treasure and others to become the first horse to take the...
Wrestling’s ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, the template for Hulk Hogan, dies at 79
“I lift barbell plates. I eat T-bone steaks. I’m sweeter than a German chocolate cake. How much more of me can you take?” When you discuss the hyperbolized figures in pro wrestling history, “Superstar” Billy Graham has to be in the conversation. He was supposed to be a reviled rulebreaker,...
First Mission scratched from Preakness 36 hours before Triple Crown race
BALTIMORE — Brad Cox-trained First Mission has been scratched from the Preakness on the advice of veterinarians, taking one of the top contenders out of the Triple Crown race 36 hours before post time. Godolphin, which owns the horse, announced the scratch early Friday, saying vets identified a left hind...
Katie Taylor’s impact on women’s boxing hits home for young Irish fighters
DUBLIN — Kaci Rock was an elementary school student when she slipped on the gloves at Bray Boxing Club. Problem was, there weren’t many other girls. Katie Taylor was one of them, though. “There was nothing really for girls at that time. I’d have to fight boys when I was...
DeChambeau resurfaces at Oak Hill and leads PGA ChampionshipVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Bryson DeChambeau was back on a major stage Thursday. No longer the incredible bulk, he still lashed away with speed and strength that carried him to a 4-under-par 66 at tough Oak Hill and the early lead in the PGA Championship. DeChambeau kept the ball in play...
Triple Crown hopeful Mage heads to the Preakness with hundreds of owners cheering him onVideo
BALTIMORE — Mage winning the Kentucky Derby gave horse racing a welcome distraction. After seven horses died at Churchill Downs over a span of 10 days, the sport got a winner with a unique story. No conglomerate owners, no big-name trainers. Mage is the first Derby winner with ties to...
Rafael Nadal to miss French Open with hip injury, expects 2024 to be last year of tennis career
For months, Rafael Nadal waited for his body to heal. Waited to be able to push himself around a court at full speed, with full energy, of the sort that has carried him to a record 14 titles at the French Open and a total of 22 at all Grand...
Florida judge rules against Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend
A Florida judge ruled late Wednesday that the ex-girlfriend of Tiger Woods must abide by a nondisclosure agreement she purportedly signed and resolve her lawsuits seeking millions from the golf superstar through private arbitration behind closed doors. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger, in an 11-page opinion, rejected Erica Herman’s attempt to...
Spieth says wrist is feeling good enough to play ‘nasty’ Oak HillVideo
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Jordan Spieth finished nine holes of practice at Oak Hill on Wednesday and said his left wrist felt good enough to play in the PGA Championship and good enough that he’s won’t rule out his chances of a career Grand Slam. That’s a big leap from a...
Marlene Hagge-Vossler, last surviving LPGA founder, dies at 89
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Marlene Hagge-Vossler, a Hall of Fame player and the last surviving founder of the LPGA Tour, died Tuesday morning, her family said. She was 89. Hagge-Vossler won 26 times on the LPGA Tour, including the 1952 LPGA Championship, and she was inducted into the World Golf...
The Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes and draft lottery has a winner: It’s the Spurs
CHICAGO — Victor Wembanyama is now set to begin his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, after they won the NBA Draft lottery and the No. 1 overall pick Tuesday night. The Spurs were one of three teams with the best odds — 14% — to land the No....
76ers fire coach Doc Rivers after 3 seasons
PHILADELPHIA — Doc Rivers’ penchant for playoff collapses and second-round exits cost him his coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers fired Rivers on Tuesday following a third straight exit in the second round of the playoffs, and the second time over that span he lost a series lead...
