AP Sports

Patrick Cantlay reappears in the majors with a 65 for the early lead at the US Open

PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Cantlay has taken the early lead in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. He holed a bunker shot for birdie early and made a couple of birdies late for a 65 to lead by one over Ludvig Aberg among the morning wave. Tiger Woods opened with a 74. Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was playing in the afternoon. Cantlay is ranked within the top 10 in the world, but he hasn’t done much of anything in the majors. The U.S. Open is one month after Cantlay’s best friend in golf, Xander Schauffele, won his first major at the PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods returns to the US Open, shoots an inconsistent opening-round 74 at Pinehurst No. 2

PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — Tiger Woods survived an inconsistent round in his first appearance at the U.S. Open since 2020 on Thursday, shooting a four-over 74 at Pinehurst No. 2. He drove the ball well and made some nice par saves, but he struggled with wayward iron shots at a course where precision is paramount. The big trouble came during a seven-hole stretch in which Woods made five bogeys. Still, he posted a round that puts him in the mix to play the weekend. That’s an improvement over his last time out at the PGA Championship. Woods missed the cut after shooting a second-round 77 at Valhalla.

Atlanta Falcons forfeit fifth-round pick, fined for tampering with Kirk Cousins

The Atlanta Falcons were stripped of a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft on Thursday for violating the NFL’s anti-tampering rules prior to signing quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Falcons and Cousins agreed on a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed shortly after the league’s 52-hour legal tampering window opened. It’s normal for teams and players to reach agreements quickly and there were other players who agreed to deals even before Cousins. But Cousins’ comments at his introductory news conference raised questions that led to the NFL’s investigation.

Analysis: Jerry West and Kobe Bryant were a match from Day 1, and the Lakers reaped the benefits

It was during the NBA Finals in 2010. Kobe Bryant was asked a question about whether he thought he was the greatest Los Angeles Laker ever. The answer was immediate. “No,” Bryant said. He wasn’t being difficult or misleading and the question was fair, especially because Bryant surely would have been on the short list for such a title. But in Bryant’s mind, that distinction — greatest Laker ever — belonged to only one person. To him, the only answer was Jerry West.

Rafael Nadal will skip Wimbledon so he doesn’t have to switch from grass to clay for the Olympics

Rafael Nadal is going to skip Wimbledon, as expected, and instead prepare for the Paris Olympics by entering a clay-court tournament in Bastad, Sweden. The 22-time Grand Slam champion said Thursday he wants to just remain on clay, rather than switching over to grass for the All England Club and then needing to go back to clay. The Summer Games will hold the tennis competition at Roland Garros starting on July 27. That is the site of the French Open, where Nadal has won a record 14 titles. Nadal will play doubles — with Carlos Alcaraz — and singles at the OIympics. Wimbledon runs from July 1-14.

NFL players union could propose trading spring practices for longer training camp

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — NFL teams wrapped up their mandatory minicamps this week leading into about a month-long break before the start of a grueling season that could approach seven months for the teams that make the Super Bowl. The timeline of spring practice followed by a break and then training camp has been a familiar one for years. The NFLPA is contemplating proposing a major upheaval to this schedule, replacing spring practices with a longer training camp. It’s a plan that has not been met with wide acceptance, with several players and coaches decrying the elimination of OTAs and minicamps in May and June.

Tatum, Brown help Celtics hold off huge Dallas rally for 106-99 win, 3-0 lead in NBA Finals

DALLAS (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and the Boston Celtics held off a furious Dallas rally to reach the brink of a record 18th championship with a 106-99 victory over the Mavericks for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals. No team has rallied from 3-0 down in an NBA playoff series. Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Celtics extended their franchise record with a 10th consecutive playoff victory. The Mavs almost pulled off a crazy comeback to avoid the big hole. Boston led 91-70 at the end of a 20-5 run early in the fourth quarter before Dallas answered with a 22-2 spurt to get within a point.

US views Copa America as last big challenge before hosting 2026 World Cup

NEW YORK (AP) — In a region that provides few tests, the United States views the Copa America as its last significant challenge ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Eighteen players from the 2022 World Cup roster were in training camp ahead of the tournament. The U.S. opens against Bolivia on June 23, plays Panama four days later and closes the group stage against Uruguay. The U.S. could meet Brazil in the quarterfinals. Players and staff view this as another step toward June 12, 2026, when the Americans play their World Cup opener in Inglewood, California.

IndyCar moves to Fox Sports in 2025 after 16 seasons with NBC. Fox now has Daytona 500 and Indy 500

Fox Sports has acquired the rights to broadcast IndyCar starting in 2025. The move gives the network two of the biggest races in the world, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Fox Sports already broadcasts the first half of the NASCAR schedule. Terms of the deal between IndyCar and Fox Sports were not revealed but Fox promised all the races would receive network broadcasts, as well as qualifying for the Indy 500. NBC had held the rights to IndyCar since 2009. Fox Sports says all races with be on Fox and the Fox Sports app, while Fox Deportes will carry Spanish-language coverage.

Ukraine arrives at Euro 2024 to a patriotic welcome and vivid reminder of the war at home

WIESBADEN, Germany (AP) — The Ukraine men’s soccer team was made to feel at home for its first practice in Germany for the European Championship. Patriotic songs were broadcast and thousands of exiled Ukrainians watching in the stadium at Wiesbaden on Thursday. There was a vivid reminder of the war at home that is a uniting force for this Ukraine squad. Each player had a ball to give to a fan and Oleksandr Zinchenko presented his to a military veteran who had prosthetic legs below each knee. Near the stadium is the United States military headquarters in Germany that’s coordinating delivery of military aid from Ukraine’s allies.