AP Sports

Scottie Scheffler arrested at PGA Championship for traffic violation, returns in time to tee off

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler was arrested Friday morning on his way to the PGA Championship. Stunning images showed him handcuffed as he was led to a police car. He was arrested for second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and not following police directions. He was booked into jail at 7:28 a.m. He was released and arrived at Valhalla at 9:12 a.m. Police say a pedestrian was hit by a bus on the road leading to Valhalla Golf Club. ESPN says Scheffler drove past a police car and was chased down and cuffed.

Timberwolves force Game 7 by blowing out Nuggets 115-70 behind 27 points from Anthony Edwards

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 27 points to pull the Minnesota Timberwolves out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets to force a Game 7 in this roller-coaster playoff matchup. Jaden McDaniels pitched in 21 points and lockdown defense, and Mike Conley had 13 points in his return from injury. Big men Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid combined for 38 rebounds and a relentless effort to keep NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to a relatively quiet 22 points. The decisive game for a spot in the Western Conference finals is in Denver on Sunday.

Kreider’s 3rd-period hat trick lifts Rangers into Eastern Conference Final with win over Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Chris Kreider had a third-period hat trick to help the New York Rangers erase a two-goal deficit and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 to close out the second-round playoff series in six games and advance to the Eastern Conference Final. Kreider single-handedly erased the Hurricanes’ 3-1 lead entering the final period. He had the winner when he tipped in Ryan Lindgren’s pass to make it 4-3 at the 15:41 mark. Barclay Goodrow added an empty-netter. Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho scored for Carolina, which had won two straight after falling into a 3-0 hole.

Schauffele gets another major scoring record and sets the pace at PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Xander Schauffele has set the PGA Championship record with a 62. He also ties a major championship record that he shared last year in the U.S. Open. Schauffele took advantage of rain-softened conditions at Valhalla. And he’s been playing some good golf. Schauffele was runner-up last week in the Wells Fargo Championship. Schauffele played the back nine in 31. He ran off three birdies in a four-hole stretch on the front nine to get in range of the record. The previous mark at the PGA was a 63. One of those was Jose Maria Olazabal at Valhalla 10 years ago.

A pair of late 3-putts sent Tiger Woods to a sluggish 1-over start at the PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tiger Woods fired a 1-over par 72 during the opening round of the PGA Championship. The 15-time major champion faltered late. He was 1-under heading into his final two holes before a pair of three-putts led to bogeys that pushed him into plus territory. Woods arrived at Valhalla having not played since his last-place finish at the Masters last month. The 48-year-old Woods says it took him a few holes to get the competitive juices flowing. When he arrives at the course for the second round he will try to avoid missing the cut for the fourth time in his last seven visits to the PGA.

NFL distances itself from Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s comments during commencement speech

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL is distancing itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.” Butker served as the commencement speaker at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school, last week and said most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children. The NFL says “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”

Caitlin Clark fever races through Indy to overshadow Pacers and Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark had yet to even be drafted by the Indiana Fever before fans were openly calling for her to be given an honorary role at the Indianapolis 500. She’s been a resident of Indiana for just about a month and is already one of the biggest stars in the city. Her WNBA home debut with the Fever comes Thursday night, deep into preparations for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500. Anticipation to see the No. 1 overall draft was so high that drivers were checking their daily schedules to see if there was room to see Clark play the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Breanna Stewart ruins Caitlin Clark’s home debut by leading Liberty past Fever 102-66

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Breanna Stewart ruined Caitlin Clark’s regular season home debut by scoring 31 points and leading the New York Liberty to a 102-66 victory at Indiana. The Fever rookie struggled with foul trouble for the second straight game, drawing three in the first half and a fourth early in the third quarter. She finished with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists and three turnovers — none after the first quarter. But the Liberty pulled away with a 12-0 second-quarter run and never let the Fever get within single-digits in front of a sellout crowd of 17,274.

Cash takes blame after Rays lose track of mound visits and are forced to change pitchers in 9th

BOSTON (AP) — Rays reliever Jason Adam was forced out of Thursday night’s game at Fenway Park in the ninth inning when pitching coach Kyle Snyder headed to the mound with Tampa Bay out of visits. After a long delay, Erasmo Ramírez entered with two runners on and retired Romy González on a game-ending groundout to save a 7-5 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Rays manager Kevin Cash took full responsibility for the mistake and said he was glad it didn’t cost his team the game.

Simone Biles is stepping into the Olympic spotlight again. She is better prepared for the pressure

SPRING, Texas (AP) — Gymnastics star Simone Biles says she is better equipped to handle the challenges that await as she prepares for a third Olympics. The 27-year-old became a touchstone for the discussion around mental health at the Tokyo Games in 2021 when she pulled herself out of several competitions because of mental trauma that made it difficult for her to compete. Biles says she now works with a therapist regularly, even during meets, to help her deal with whatever may come. The seven-time Olympic medalist begins preparations for Paris at the U.S. Classic in Hartford, Connecticut.