PGA:
The 145th British Open is underway at Royal Troon. The defending champion is Dustin Johnson, who made a 30-foot birdie putt in regulation for a 66 and won the four-hole aggregate playoff over Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman. Jordan Spieth was in contention for his third straight major until he bogeyed the next-to-last hole and came inches from a birdie putt on 18 to miss the playoff by one shot. Americans have won the claret jug the last six times at Royal Troon.
NCAA:
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ban on all non-essential state travel to North Carolina will mean no basketball game this season between the University at Albany and Duke University. Cuomo issued the ban after North Carolina passed a law requiring transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond to their birth gender. A North Carolina newspaper, the Durham Herald Sun, says Duke’s home game on November 12th against UAlbany is now off the Blue Devils schedule.
The College Football Playoff will consider moving future semifinals off New Year's Eve if it can help increase viewership. The TV ratings dropped 36 percent last year, when the games were moved from New Year's Day to the night before. Executive director Bill Hancock says conference commissioners who make up the playoff management committee are open to changing future schedules, starting in 2019 when the semifinals are scheduled for New Year's Eve.
Notre Dame will play Colorado and Texas will meet Northwestern in the semifinals of the 10th annual Legends Classic at Barclays Center. The semifinals will be Nov. 21, with the championship and consolation games the next night.
ESPYS:
LeBron James and fellow NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade opened the ESPY Awards with a plea to address racial profiling and end the nation's spate of gun violence. They stood on stage at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday night and took turns commenting on what Anthony called "the realities of the current state of America."
Paul, nephew of a police officer, recited the names of several black men who have been killed, most by guns. "We all feel helpless and frustrated by the violence," James said.
James urged his fellow professional athletes to return to their communities and invest time and resources in helping rebuild them. He asked them to educate themselves and renounce violence.
"We all have to do better," he said.
MLS:
Connor Lade and Felipe scored and the New York Red Bulls cruised to a 2-0 nil shutout of Orlando City Wednesday night. New York ended a four-game winless streak. Orlando City has gone 0-2-1 in its last three and dropped to 4-5-9 overall.
NHL:
The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward J.T. Miller. Miller was one of two Rangers — and the only forward — who skated in all of the team's 82 regular-season games. Miller was selected by the Rangers in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2011 draft and will also represent Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in September.
The NHL's expansion Las Vegas franchise has hired a general manager, selecting former Capitals GM George McPhee to the post. McPhee ran the Capitals for 16 years and most recently served as special advisor to Islanders GM Garth Snow. Foley said McPhee was one of seven candidates who interviewed for the job and got the nod over two other finalists because of his communication skills.
In other hockey news:
— The Edmonton Oilers have signed Jesse Puljujarvi, the fourth overall pick in last month's NHL draft. He gets a three-year, entry-level contract after scoring 13 goals and 28 points in 50 games for Karpat of the Swedish "A'' league last season.
— The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed forward Teemu Pulkkinen to a one-year, $812,500 contract. The 24-year-old Pulkkinen had six goals and 12 points in 36 games for the Wings last season, missing much of the year after dislocating his right shoulder.
Olympics:
Dunellen, New Jersey teen Sydney McLaughlin is headed home for a short break after three weeks on the road and making the U.S. Olympic team in the 400-meter hurdles. The 16-year-old says she misses her dog Gamble. McLaughlin's parents are also now scrambling to make plans so that they can join her in Rio de Janeiro.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says the absence of many of the top golfers from the Rio Olympics will be taken into account in evaluating the sport's future in the games. Golf is making its first appearance in the Olympics for the first time since 1904, but 20 men have pulled out, many citing concerns over the Zika virus. Among the 20 golfers opting not to compete are the top four ranked men in the world; Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. Just four of the top-10 golfers plan to be in Rio for the Games. Bach added that "very different reasons" not related to Zika have also been cited in golf circles for skipping the Olympics.
MLB:
The game is over, but the All-Star break goes on in Major League Baseball. The American League contenders will head into the resumption of the season knowing Tuesday night's 4-2 win in San Diego has secured the home field advantage in the World Series. The All-Star break ends Friday with a full 15-game schedule. The Cubs and Rangers will kick off the second half with an afternoon interleague showdown of division leaders at Wrigley Field.
NFL:
It appears the New England Patriots will play the first four games of the upcoming NFL season without quarterback Tom Brady. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan issued a one-sentence rejection of requests by the NFL Players Association and Brady to reconsider an April decision that reinstated his suspension for his role in "Deflategate." Brady's remaining hope is to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but any success there is expected to be a longshot.
NBA:
A person with knowledge of the situation has told The Associated Press the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to terms with free agent forward Jordan Hill on a two-year, $8 million contract. Hill averaged 8.8 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Indiana Pacers last season. He joins Cole Aldrich, who signed his three-year, $22 million deal on Wednesday.
A police report released Wednesday says Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green was over the legal limit for alcohol when he struck a Michigan State football player in the jaw during a confrontation near campus last weekend. The report also says Green tried to apologize and then had to sit in jail for a while until he could sober up. Senior cornerback Jermaine Edmondson claimed he was punched by Green early Sunday outside a restaurant in East Lansing, though officers patrolling the area said they saw or heard a loud, open-handed "slap." It was the second alleged incident involving Green and Edmondson, who told police that he and his girlfriend were choked Friday night by men who were with Green at a bar near campus.
WNBA:
In the WNBA, the Liberty beat Atlanta 86-62, Connecticut won against Indiana 86-64, the Sparks defeated Chicago 77-67, and it was Phoenix over Washington 78-74.
Tour de France:
World champion Peter Sagan has won the 11th stage of the Tour de France, for his second stage victory of the year. Defending champ Chris Froome finished second to increase his overall to 28 seconds.
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