Column: Tiger has big voice, just not as much visibility
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Tiger Woods is showing how powerful his voice is in golf. His criticism of Saudi-funded LIV Golf was among his most passionate answers at the British Open. Woods says players who have taken the money are turning their backs on the tour that put them in that position. He questions the incentive of players working on their games with so much guaranteed money. But that big voice is missing a big stage, says AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. Woods can only play a limited schedule because of injuries. What the tour wouldn't give to have its biggest star showing up more than a few times a year.
Tiger Woods unsure how many Opens he has left at St. Andrews
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Tiger Woods will be crossing the Swilcan Bridge for the last time at some point this week at St. Andrews. He just doesn't know if it will be the last time this year or forever. Woods doesn't know how many British Opens he has left at the home of golf. All that matters is playing this one. That explains why he has walked more holes ahead of the opening round than the previous two majors combined. Woods is a two-time Open champion at St. Andrews. Winning another is a tall order. He has played only seven competitive rounds this year.
Malkin re-ups with Pens; Evander Kane stays put in Edmonton
Evgeni Malkin is returning to the Pittsburgh Penguins after all. He re-signed on $24.4 million, four-year contract that counts $6.1 million against the salary cap through 2026. Evander Kane is staying put in Edmonton after announcing on social media that he agreed to a $20.5 million, four-year contract with the Oilers less than 12 hours before the NHL's free agency period opened. The Minnesota Wild added another shift to the offseason goalie shuffle by trading Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators for Filip Gustavsson. The Senators had an opening after dealing Matt Murray to Toronto. The Wild intended to bring back Talbot in the same timeshare with Marc-Andre Fleury.
UK Olympic great Mo Farah says he was trafficked as a child
LONDON (AP) — Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah says he was illegally brought to the U.K. as a young boy and forced to care for other children before he escaped a life of servitude through running. In a new documentary, Farah says his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin and that he was from taken from the East African nation of Djibouti. The film was produced by the BBC and Red Bull Studios, and is scheduled for broadcast Wednesday. Farah says he was 8 or 9 when a woman he didn’t know brought him to Britain using fake travel documents that included his picture alongside the name Mohammed Farah.
NBA stiffens take foul penalty, will keep play-in tournament
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA has completed the process of changing the transition take foul rule, ending years of discussion about what to do with the long-maligned tactic. And the play-in tournament is going to be around for the foreseeable future. The league’s board of governors finalized those two matters Tuesday by approving a plan to award one free throw when teams are disadvantaged by the take foul. They also removed the “experimental” designation from the play-in element to the postseason.
Urías stars as Orioles beat Cubs 4-2 for 9th straight win
CHICAGO (AP) — Ramón Urías hit a two-run homer and made a big defensive play, and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 for their ninth straight victory. Jorge Mateo also homered as Baltimore reached .500 for the first time this season. It’s the longest win streak for the Orioles since the franchise won 13 straight in September 1999. Baltimore right-hander Jordan Lyles pitched seven innings of two-run ball in his second straight win. All-Star Ian Happ homered for Chicago, which dropped its fifth in a row.
Mayfield: 'No animosity' toward Browns, awaits fresh start
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Baker Mayfield said he was “shocked” to learn that he was not in the Cleveland Browns’ future plans earlier this offseason. But the 2018 No. 1 overall NFL draft pick has had a few months now to digest the Browns’ decision to replace him with Deshaun Watson and is eager to take advantage of a fresh start with his new team, the Carolina Panthers. Mayfield said he's had to learn to roll with the punches and that the trade to Carolina will test how he handles adversity. Mayfield will compete with Sam Darnold for the starting quarterback spot when the Panthers get to training camp.
Gaudreau leaving Flames, joins deep NHL free agent class
Johnny Gaudreau told the Calgary Flames he's leaving to test NHL free agency. He's likely to receive the biggest contract handed out when the market opens Wednesday. Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup champions Nazem Kadri and Darcy Kuemper, and Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg are also part of a deep class with the most high-end talent available in several years. Evgeni Malkin is not after re-signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins for $24.4 million over four years. There's significant money to spend with the salary cap going up slightly in the first increase in three years. And some teams have already made moves to free up more cap space to go shopping.
LeBron critical on his show of US efforts to get Griner home
LeBron James is publicly criticizing the United States’ handling of WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner’s case in a trailer for an upcoming episode of his television show: “The Shop: Uninterrupted.” Griner is on trial in Russia for drug possession. She pleaded guilty last week and will appear again in court on Thursday. James tweeted Tuesday night that his comments in the trailer weren’t intended to be critical of the U.S. efforts to get Griner back. It’s unclear when the show was filmed, although in the trailer it's mentioned she had been in Russia for over 110 days which would be roughly five weeks ago.
Newlyweds team up for week of their lives at St. Andrews
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Newlyweds Alex Wrigley and Johanna Gustavsson had wide smiles as they posed for photos on the Swilcan Bridge under bright sunshine near the end of a practice round on the Old Course at St. Andrews. It's the start of a pinch-yourself summer for the couple because no other husband and wife is believed to have played in the men’s and women’s British Opens in the same year. Gustavsson is the more established of the couple as one the leading player on the Ladies European Tour this season. Wrigley is playing in his first major after coming through final qualifying. He coaches Gustavsson, but she'll be his caddy this week.