U.S./World Sports category, Page 345
Denny Hamlin wins at Bristol to spoil Matt DiBenedetto’s upset bid
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Denny Hamlin spoiled Matt DiBenedetto’s shot at his first career victory — just days after DiBenedetto learned he had been fired — with a late pass Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hamlin was the first Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing driver to start from the pole...
Pittsburgh woman wins grueling bike race up highest peak in Northeastern U.S.
PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. — A Massachusetts man and a Pittsburgh woman won the grueling bicycle race up Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Erik Levinsohn, of Boston, and Stefanie Sydlik, 34, beat the competition in the men’s and women’s divisions of the 7.6-mile Mount Washington Auto...
NASCAR Cup drivers eyeing playoff spots, job security at Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. — There is very little wiggle room in the race to make NASCAR’s playoffs, and as free agency hits full steam drivers are trying to secure their futures as fast as possible. Among those on the bubble is Clint Bowyer, in the 16th and final qualifying spot and...
Nick Kyrgios fined more than $100,000 for vulgar conductVideo
MASON, Ohio — Nick Kyrgios was fined $113,000 by the ATP for expletive-filled outbursts in which he smashed rackets, insulted a chair umpire and refused to get ready to return serve during a second-round match at the Western & Southern Open. The tour announced the penalties Thursday, a day after...
Justin Thomas turns it around, shares lead at Medinah
MEDINAH, Ill. — On the range, Justin Thomas had no idea where the ball was going. Some five hours later, he had a share of the course record at Medinah. Ultimately, all that mattered Thursday in the BMW Championship was taking a good step toward an important goal. Thomas already...
Dale Earnhardt Jr., family ‘safe’ from fiery plane crash in TennesseeVideo
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is safe and in a hospital for evaluation after his plane crashed in east Tennessee, the NASCAR television analyst and retired driver’s sister tweeted. Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, tweeted that the driver’s wife, Amy, and 15-month-old daughter, Isla, also were on the plane along with two...
USA Football pilots program to spark youth interest
USA Football is piloting the game’s first long-term development program in the hopes of growing the game and catching up to other sports around the world. The sport’s governing body launched its Football Development Model on Thursday, announcing six youth leagues will team up with USA Football in the hopes...
Iowa becomes 11th state to allow sports gambling
DES MOINES, Iowa — Six Iowa casinos began accepting bets on sporting events Thursday, making the state the 11th in the nation and first in the Midwest to allow such wagering. Casinos in Altoona, Bettendorf, Osceola and Waterloo offered betting on-site and through a mobile app, while casinos in Burlington...
Franklin Regional grad Palmer Jackson advances at USGA Amateur
Palmer Jackson had his troubles on Pinehurst No. 2 during the second round of stroke play qualifying at the United States Golf Association’s Amateur on Tuesday. He shot a 6-over 76 and saw his consecutive rounds in the 60s end at nine. It was a different story for the 2019...
Tiger Woods needs good week, good health to reach Tour Championship
MEDINAH, Ill. — The course is familiar to Tiger Woods. The circumstances are not. Medinah is where Woods buried that 8-foot par putt on the 17th hole in 1999 to win the PGA Championship for the first time by holding off teenage Sergio Garcia. He returned to Medinah in 2006...
Little League World Series features 1st girl in 5 years
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT — Maddy Freking’s left foot points back toward home plate as she assumes her stance inside a mesh batting cage on the grounds of Little League headquarters. The bat head swivels slightly as she stands tall, with that angled left foot helping her stay square to the pitch...
Ohio State seeks to trademark ‘The’ for its merchandise
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University wants to trademark the word “The” when used as part of the school’s name on university merchandise. The Columbus Dispatch reports OSU submitted a trademark application this month to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington. The application requests a standard character...
John Daly pushes back against claims that Trump cheats at golf
Professional golfer John Daly played a round on Monday with President Donald Trump and pushed back against claims that he cheats at the game. Daly went on to say that another president, Bill Clinton, was a golf cheat. Daly and Trump played a round against another group at Trump National...
Jackson’s 60s streak ends, but he advances to Match Play at U.S. Amateur
Palmer Jackson’s consecutive streak of rounds in the 60s ended on Tuesday at the 119th U.S. Amateur. But the 2019 Franklin Regional graduate and Notre Dame commit was safely in the field of 64 that will advance to Match Play competition beginning Wednesday at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in...
Oklahoma, Texas still tops in new-look big 12
Red River rivals Oklahoma and Texas met twice last season for the first time in 115 years, when the Sooners won their fourth consecutive Big 12 championship by avenging their only regular-season loss. Oklahoma has another transfer quarterback — former national championship winner Jalen Hurts — after their transfer QBs...
Michigan, Nebraska primed to become best of Big Ten
The power structure in the Big Ten could be in for a shakeup. Jim Harbaugh enters his fifth year at Michigan overdue for a breakthrough, and two-time defending conference champion Ohio State is transitioning from Urban Meyer to Ryan Day and replacing a first-round NFL Draft pick at quarterback. Momentum...
Franklin Regional grad Palmer Jackson stays hot at USGA Amateur
Murrysville native Palmer Jackson continued his hot playing, this time in the opening round of the U.S. Amateur on Monday at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C. Playing the opening round on course No. 4, Jackson fired a 4-under-par 66 and is tied for second place with Trevor...
6 pack; Simone Biles soars to 6th U.S. gymnastics titleVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Simone Biles messed around and got a triple-double. And just about everything else too on her way to a sixth U.S. women’s gymnastics title. The Olympic champion began her preparation for the 2020 Games by drilling her boundary pushing triple-twisting, double-flip (aka the “triple-double”) at the...
Patrick Reed delivers clutch putts to win FedEx Cup opener
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The harder he worked, the farther Patrick Reed felt he was falling behind. That’s when the people around him sought drastic measures by making him leave his golf clubs alone for 10 whole days. Recharged from his pre-summer break, Reed finally found the result he was...
Harvick wins NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Kevin Harvick won a NASCAR Cup race at Michigan International Speedway for the second straight year, giving him two victories this year and 47 in his career. With just three races before the playoffs, Harvick is hopeful the timing of his strong performance helps him win a...
Tensions heat up as NASCAR regular season heads into home stretch
BROOKLYN, Mich. — NASCAR Cup Series drivers are pushing limits on the track and pointing fingers off it as tensions rise with four races left before the playoffs. Kyle Busch was summoned to the NASCAR hauler at Michigan International Speedway to talk with officials along with William Byron and Bubba...
Georgia Southern quarterback cleared after S.C. cops mistake bird poop for cocaine
Charges of cocaine possession were dropped against Georgia Southern University’s starting quarterback Shai Werts this week after lab results show what police thought was drugs more than likely was bird poop, according to the Savannah Morning News. Officers in Clinton, S.C. mistook bird poop on the hood of Werts’ 2016...
Tennessee receivers say they want to follow Tee Martin’s example
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s wide receivers savor the opportunity to play for their new position coach because they appreciate what Tee Martin accomplished during his playing career. Martin was the starting quarterback on Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team and is back at his alma mater coaching wideouts as the Volunteers...
Rosie Ruiz, infamous Boston Marathon course-cutter, dies at 66
BOSTON — Rosie Ruiz, the Boston Marathon course-cutter who was stripped of her victory in the 1980 race and went on to become an enduring symbol of cheating in sports, has died. She was 66. Ruiz, who was also known as Rosie Vivas, died in Florida of cancer on July...
Veteran quarterbacks abound in SEC, led by Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — It is the year of the veteran quarterback in the SEC. Tua Tagovailoa and Jake Fromm are the headliners, but the league is loaded with experienced passers with double-digit starts under their belts at their current school or elsewhere. The SEC has eight returning starters at quarterback...
