Sports

British Open champion Scottie Scheffler says comparisons to Tiger Woods ‘a bit silly’

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The more Scottie Scheffler keeps winning, the more comparisons there are to Tiger Woods. Scheffler thinks they’re a little silly. He notes Woods has 15 majors. Scheffler won the British Open at Royal Portrush and now has four. But the comparisons come from numbers like winning majors by comfortable margins. And being No. 1 in the world. There also was a moment at Royal Portrush that drew another comparison. Scheffler was playing against par because the competition couldn’t catch him. That’s how Woods was when he won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2000.

White House says Donald Trump is serious about wanting the Commanders to revert to Redskins

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump is serious about wanting the NFL’s Washington Commanders to go back to the name Redskins. Leavitt said Monday that Trump’s threats to hold up a stadium deal for the team were not a joke. Trump posted on social media on Sunday that he wanted to see the Commanders and Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians return to Native American names that each team abandoned years ago. Leavitt called Trump a “nontraditional president” whose opinion she said is supported by many sports fans.

The history of Native American sports name changes, from the Obama era to Trump’s latest comments

President Donald Trump’s social media posts about the NFL’s Washington Commanders and Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians going back to their old names has revived the conversation about Native American imagery in sports. Those teams abandoned their old names years ago, while others have steadfastly maintained names and logos. Washington owner Josh Harris said earlier this year the Commanders name is here to stay, while the Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti made it clear after Trump’s comments that there are no organizational plans to revisit the change.

USOPC asks for tweak of college sports bill to set minimum spending limits for Olympic programs

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee leaders are pushing lawmakers for tweaks to legislation that would regulate college sports by adding guarantees that schools will spend the same percentage on Olympic programs in the future as they do now. USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland told The Associated Press that a letter she and chair Gene Sykes sent to members of Congress last week was intended to restart a conversation about the SCORE Act, which currently calls for schools to sponsor at least 16 teams. That’s a number that conforms with current NCAA rules for Power Four schools.

Titans QB Will Levis will have season-ending shoulder surgery

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee quarterback Will Levis will have season-ending shoulder surgery, keeping him from competing for playing time in his third season with the Titans. The Titans announced Monday that Levis made his decision after consulting with doctors and his representatives. The Titans report Tuesday for training camp. The Titans said in a statement they support Levis’ decision to focus on his long-term health. Tennessee opens the preseason until Aug. 9 at Tampa Bay with the regular-season opener Sept. 7 at Denver. The Titans used the No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Cam Ward in April after going 3-14 with Levis struggling as a starter.

Uncertainty continues for Fever and Caitlin Clark as her healthy teammates carry their playoff hopes

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Fever thought Caitlin Clark’s return might solve their wild first-half ride. They were getting healthy, beating good teams and starting to meet expectations. Then the two-time All-Star got hurt again in the final minute of last Tuesday’s game at Connecticut. Indiana lost by double digits the next night to defending champion New York. Clark missed last weekend’s All-Star festivities in Indianapolis and is likely to sit out Tuesday night when the Fever again play the Liberty. It’s all creating uncertainty about Clark and Indiana’s championship aspirations.

Emma Meesseman will join the Liberty in her return to the WNBA, AP source says

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the decision says 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman is joining the New York Liberty. The 32-year-old forward last played in the league in 2022 and has been focused on leading the Belgium national team. The timing of Meesseman’s arrival in the U.S. will be determined by how long it takes to get her visa, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. The two-time All-Star led the Washington Mystics win the 2019 title. She helped Belgium win the EuroBasket title last month to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

Denny Hamlin continues climb in NASCAR’s career wins list. With 60 in sight, how far can he go?

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin won his 58th career NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway. The victory moved him two away from cracking the top 10 in NASCAR’s career wins list. Hamlin has stood his ground through the years that race wins matter more to his legacy than winning his first career championship. Hamlin is the first Cup driver with four wins this season. He won eight times in 2010, six times in 2019 and seven in 2020, all totals that would get him to 60 this year.

Call it a comeback! Hutchinson, McCaffrey, Prescott, McCarthy aiming to bounce back from injuries

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson appeared to practice without any limitiations on Sunday morning, when Detroit kicked off training camp with its first practice. The only difference was a black sleeve that covered and supported much of his surgically repaired left leg. Hutchinson says he doesn’t think anybody in the game of football will ever be as grateful when I come back in that first game. San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy may beg to differ.

Detroit’s Skubal making a bid for a Cy Young repeat. He’d be the first in AL to do that since 2000

Tarik Skubal has strengthened his case for a second straight AL Cy Young Award. On Sunday night, he struck out 11 batters with no walks in Detroit’s 2-1 win over Texas. If Skubal wins, he’ll be the first American League pitcher to claim back-to-back Cy Youngs since Pedro Martinez for the Red Sox in 1999 and 2000. The Tigers snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory and still hold the best record in baseball. Skubal now leads the AL in ERA at at 2.1854.