Sports

Scottie Scheffler hit an impressive 62-foot putt to earn a birdie on No. 4 at the Masters, giving him at least one career birdie on every single hole at the tournament. (Watch Video)

➤ Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby drilled a football throw for $1 million during Pat McAfee’s Big Night AHT variety show on Wednesday night. (Watch Video)

➤ The NFL has relegated three officials to college football—the first time the league has ever reassigned officials to another level instead of outright firing them. (More)

Joe Flacco is returning to the Cleveland Browns on a 1-year deal

CLEVELAND (AP) — Joe Flacco is heading back to Cleveland. The veteran NFL quarterback agreed to terms with the Browns on a one-year deal. Flacco won the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023 after leading an inspiring late-season surge that carried the Browns to the playoffs. He spent last season in Indianapolis, throwing for 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games, including a 2-4 mark as a starter. The 40-year-old Flacco joins a quarterback room that includes Kenny Pickett. Cleveland acquired the former first-round draft pick in a deal with Philadelphia in March.

Justin Rose is in the lead at the Masters and hopeful of staying there this time

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Justin Rose is in the Masters record book with his fifth time being atop the leaderboard after the opening round. That’s not the objective at Augusta National. It’s still a start he wouldn’t trade. Rose sets out to try to build on his three-shot lead on a course ever so slightly softened by some overnight rain. The previous four times Rose had at least a share of the 18-hole lead he broke par only once. Rory McIlroy had a sloppy finish to his first round and shot 72. He also plays in the morning. Scottie Scheffler plays in the afternoon.

Morant changes 3-point celebration to pretend grenade toss in light of league fines and warnings

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant got in trouble again for aiming an imaginary gun to celebrate 3-pointers, so he has gone to a different make-believe violent way to mark a long-distance shot. The Memphis Grizzlies leading scorer, who was fined $75,000 recently for mimicking pointing a long gun after a basket from outside the arc, acted like he was pulling the pin and tossing a grenade in Thursday night’s 141-125 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Morant, who was 5 of 13 from 3-point range, in some cases even covered his ears after the windmill-like hurl of the invisible explosive. Morant says that’s his new celebration until someone has a problem with it.

Caitlin Clark and the Fever vs. Angel Reese and the Sky will tip off new WNBA Rivals Week in August

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA will have its inaugural Rivals Week in August tipping off with Caitlin Clark and Indiana facing Angel Reese and Chicago in prime time. Other games include two between New York and Minnesota in a WNBA Finals rematch, an expected matchup of projected No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers and Dallas against Clark’s Fever and Atlanta’s Brittney Griner facing her old Phoenix squad. The week will be sponsored by Ally Financial, a new partner for the league this season. The NBA has had a Rivals Week for three years.

Salah stays: Egypt star signs 2-year deal at Liverpool and sets sights on more trophies

Mohamed Salah’s trophy-laden spell with Liverpool is set to extend to a decade after the prolific Egypt forward signed a new contract with the Premier League leader after months of uncertainty over his future. The 32-year-old Salah was one of three key senior players with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk due to be out of contract at the end of this season. He is the first to extend his stay having already established himself as a club great with 243 goals in 394 appearances. That places him third in the list of Liverpool’s all-time top scorers. Liverpool manager Arne Slot says Salah signed a two-year deal.

Capitals are the top team in the East after getting Alex Ovechkin the NHL career goals record

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record, and the Washington Capitals clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference the following game. Getting that done finishes their regular-season checklist with four games to go and no real desire to win the Presidents’ Trophy. The Capitals won that three times between 2010 and 2017 and lost in the first or second round each time before not doing so and hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2018. They have not won a playoff series since.

Scottie Scheffler begins his pursuit of a third green jacket with a 68 at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Defending champion Scottie Scheffler opened with a bogey-free 68 on Thursday to put himself in the mix at the Masters. The world’s top-ranked player made two long birdie putts and a couple of nice sand saves to finish at 4 under on a warm, sunny day that produced some low scores at Augusta National. Scheffler is trying to become the youngest player since Jack Nicklaus in 1966 to win three green jackets. He is winless heading into the week for the first time since 2021. Part of that may have to do with the late start he got on the year after cutting himself on a wine glass while making ravioli in December.

Fred Couples shoots 71 at the Masters. So much for the 65-year-old thinking he no longer belongs

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Fred Couples shot a 1-under 71 in the opening round of the Masters on Thursday, the 65-year-old former champion proving to himself as much as anyone else that he still belongs. Couples had doubts after last year, when his back was bothering him and rounds of 80 and 76 caused him to miss the cut. His first round was highlighted by a chip-in for birdie at the first and a hole-out from 191 yards for eagle at the 14th. Couples became the second-oldest player to shoot a subpar round at the Masters behind Tom Watson, who was a month older when he shot 71 in 2015.

Kelsie Whitmore is feeling ‘awesome’ as she tries out in Mexican Baseball League and learns Spanish

MEXICO CITY (AP) — When El Aguila de Veracruz called with an opportunity to tryout for a spot on their roster ahead of the start of the Mexican Baseball League, Kelsie Whitmore accepted but knew she needed to learn Spanish. Pronto. The 26-year-old Whitmore is a pitcher and an outfielder who was the first female player in an MLB-partnered league while suiting up for the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League in 2022. A week ago, the American arrived at Veracruz, a port located on the Gulf of Mexico coast. She’s trying to become the first woman to play in the Mexican Baseball League.

The NBA’s playoff chase has hit the final weekend. Here’s a look at what’s happening

There’s 15 games on Friday. There’s 15 more on Sunday. And there’s a whole lot of things left for those last 30 games of the NBA regular season to decide. Among them: 15 of the 20 postseason seeds (Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Boston, Houston and Orlando are locked into their spots), along with three of the four initial play-in tournament matchups. Of the 15 games on Friday’s schedule, 12 will have at least some level of postseason implications. And it’s possible that as many as 12 of the 15 games on Sunday’s schedule will affect the final standings as well.