U.S./World Sports category, Page 107
Jordy Bahl’s 2-hitter helps Oklahoma top Florida State, inch closer to third straight national titleVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Jordy Bahl threw a two-hitter and struck out 10, and Oklahoma defeated Florida State 5-0 on Wednesday night to inch closer to a third consecutive national title. The top-seeded Sooners (60-1) took a 1-0 lead in the Women’s College World Series best-of-three championship series and can clinch...
Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray both have triple-doubles in Nuggets’ win
MIAMI — Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver’s two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat, 109-94, in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Jokic finished with 32 points,...
The Iron Sheik, charismatic former pro wrestling villain and Twitter personality, dies at 81
The Iron Sheik, a former pro wrestler who relished playing a burly, bombastic villain in 1980s battles with some of the sport’s biggest stars and later became a popular Twitter personality, died Wednesday, the WWE said. He was 81. The wrestling organization posted an article confirming his death, and a...
Mark Madden: Money always wins, and the PGA did what was best for golf
Before you moralize about the Saudis buying golf — which is exactly what they did Tuesday — ask yourself this: How would you feel if they bought the Pittsburgh Pirates? If the Saudis bought the Pirates, they would be the best team in MLB within two or three years. No...
Rory McIlroy a strong anti-Saudi voice that now feels like ‘sacrificial lamb’ amid LIV Golf merger
Rory McIlroy, the strongest voice against Saudi-funded LIV Golf that caused so much disruption in golf, said Wednesday he now feels like a “sacrificial lamb” with the stunning reversal of the PGA Tour becoming partners with Saudi Arabia’s enormous wealth fund. It was McIlroy who helped lead a players-only meeting...
Kobayashi to make NASCAR debut as 1st Japanese driver to race with Toyota
LE MANS, France — Left out of the NASCAR celebration at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota used Wednesday at the track to showcase its own stock car program and the upcoming Cup Series debut for one of the top racers in the world. Kamui Kobayashi will make his...
Lionel Messi says he’s joining Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami after exit from Paris Saint-Germain
LONDON — Lionel Messi has pulled off his latest stunning feat: He is headed to Major League Soccer, and joining Inter Miami. After months — years, even — of speculation, Messi finally revealed his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon, David...
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in a youth-vs.-experience clash at the French Open
PARIS — Two weeks ago, before the start of play at the French Open, the brackets were set for the tournament, and one possible semifinal matchup immediately demanded attention: No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the Next Big Thing in men’s tennis, against No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the Current Big Thing in...
Game 3 awaits in NBA Finals, with Heat loose and Nuggets facing adversityVideo
MIAMI — Erik Spoelstra has preached about the value of adversity for months, not shying away from saying it helped the Miami Heat get to these NBA Finals. And now Denver is dealing with a little taste of it as well. Game 3 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday night...
Column: Golf’s meritocracy means no guarantees for rich scheduleVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — One week in Ohio was filled with reminders of how valuable meritocracy is to golf. And that was before Tuesday’s shock announcement of the PGA Tour and European tour going from enemies to business partners with Saudi Arabia. Monday was U.S. Open qualifying across 10 sites in...
Novak Djokovic perfect in key tiebreaker, nearly perfect in next set of French Open win
PARIS — Novak Djokovic has come back after dropping a set for the first time in the tournament to beat Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4, at the French Open on Tuesday to reach his 45th career Grand Slam semifinal. Roger Federer holds the men’s record of 46 appearances...
Novak Djokovic perfect in key tiebreaker at French Open, faces No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz nextVideo
PARIS — Novak Djokovic, in his words, felt “quite sluggish, quite slow” for nearly two full sets against Karen Khachanov in the the French Open quarterfinals Tuesday. Afterward, Djokovic called it his worst stretch of the tournament, a fair assessment. He dropped the opening set, something he hadn’t done at...
PGA, LIV golfers react to merger of rival leagues: ‘Nothing like finding out through Twitter’
It was almost a year ago to the day that Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf teed off for the first time as the PGA Tour’s newest rival, flush with defectors from golf’s top circuit. Morals were questioned. Lawsuits were filed. Golfers doubled down on their affiliations. A merger, it seemed, wasn’t...
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf litigationVideo
The PGA Tour ended its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia’s golf venture and now is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement Tuesday of a merger that creates a commercial operation with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour. As part of the deal, the sides immediately are...
Heat on comeback run like few others in this year’s NBA playoffsVideo
MIAMI — The easiest way to explain what the Miami Heat are doing in the comeback department during these playoffs is simply to put up their numbers against the rest of the league. When facing a deficit of at least 12 points this postseason: • The Heat are 7-6. •...
Column: Penske rolls into Le Mans on top of motor sports seeking evasive 1st winVideo
LE MANS, France — Roger Penske won the Indianapolis 500 on a Sunday and celebrated Josef Newgarden’s thrilling win as if it was the first for Team Penske, not a record-stretching 19th for The Captain. He watched on his cellphone as Ryan Blaney won the Coca-Cola 600 on a Monday,...
Coco Gauff wins to set up French Open rematch vs. Iga Swiatek in quartersVideo
PARIS — Coco Gauff could have hoped for the easy way out. Ever since the French Open bracket determined that the 19-year-old Floridian might end up in a quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek, perhaps it would have been understandable if Gauff wished to avoid that particular matchup. After all, Gauff lost...
NCAA champ Rose Zhang arrives on LPGA Tour with big hopes and leaves with a trophy
The first words from Rose Zhang after the 20-year-old Californian capped off one of the more remarkable 13-day stretches in golf were telling. “What is happening?” she said. More tantalizing is what happens next. Hype rules the day in a society built around social media, and Zhang is one of...
Series tied: Heat roar back in the 4th quarter, beat Nuggets in Game 2 of NBA FinalsVideo
DENVER — Staring down a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, as the visitors in a hostile arena where no road team had prevailed in more than two months, the Miami Heat decided to do what they’ve done throughout the postseason. They found a way. Against all odds. Again. The...
Viktor Hovland delivers clutch putts and wins Memorial in playoffVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Viktor Hovland was happy with his three PGA Tour victories, even if they were at resort courses that were soft and susceptible to firing at flags. He wanted a win on American soil, where par was at a premium, and he got every bit of that Sunday...
Kyle Busch holds off Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Cup Series win outside St. Louis
MADISON, Ill. — Kyle Busch held off Denny Hamlin through a series of late restarts to win the chaotic, caution-filled NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis in overtime Sunday. Bubba Wallace brought out the 11th and final yellow when his brake rotor...
Alex Palou wins Detroit Grand Prix in IndyCar’s return to downtown trackVideo
DETROIT — Alex Palou went from critic to champion in a day. He started and finished first in the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, roughly 24 hours after the IndyCar points leader said the street course was too tight and short for the series. “It was a lot better than...
Carlos Alcaraz likes to watch replays of his best shots, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas at French OpenVideo
PARIS — Some friendly advice, sports fans: If Carlos Alcaraz is playing, do not look away. Even for a moment. Because it’s likely he’ll conjure up some sort of highlight-worthy mix of ability, athleticism and awareness that drops the jaw. Anyone who’s watched him play lately knows this. Anyone who’s...
Las Vegas ballpark pitch revives debate over public funding for sports stadiums
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Gov. Joe Lombardo wants to help build Major League Baseball’s smallest ballpark, arguing that the worst team in baseball can boost Las Vegas, a city striving to call itself a sports mecca. Debate about public funding for private sports clubs has been revived with the Oakland...
Coco Gauff, 19, comes back to beat Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, 16, at the French OpenVideo
PARIS — Not all that long ago, Coco Gauff was always the kid on the court, the unknown underdog, younger and less experienced than every opponent she faced on a big stage. Now, still just 19, Gauff is well-versed in the professional tennis tour, already a Grand Slam runner-up in...
