BRITISH OPEN
McIlroy off to shaky start in 3rd round; Woods birdies first two holes
HOYLAKE, England (AP) β Rory McIlroy is off to a shaky start in the third round of the British Open, which switched to an unprecedented two-tee start because of the threat of nasty weather.
McIlroy bogeyed the first hole this morning, unable to get up and down from one of those treacherous pot bunkers. Dustin Johnson, playing in the final group with the leader, stuck his approach to about 5 feet and made the birdie.
Just like that, McIlroy’s four-stroke lead at the start of the round was halved.
Early on, there are plenty of low scores on a damp day at Royal Liverpool, which was defenseless with only light rain and little wind.
Tiger Woods started on the 10th hole and birdied his first two holes. Darren Clarke reeled off four straight birdies.
F1-GERMAN GRAND PRIX
Hamilton crashes in German GP qualifying
HOCKENHEIM, Germany (AP) β Qualifying for the German Grand Prix was briefly halted Saturday when Lewis Hamilton spun off the track and crashed into barriers at Turn 13.
The British driver appeared to be unhurt but he ripped the nose off his Mercedes and will take no further part in qualifying.
Hamilton told his team that his brakes failed coming into the very sharp corner. Replays showed the back of the car coming unsettled as he applied the brakes.
Hamilton was taken for medical checks. His accident means he will finish no higher than 16th from qualifying.
Williams’ Valtteri Bottas was leading with a time of 1 minute, 18.215 seconds at the time of the crash. Qualifying resumed after a seven-minute delay.
TOUR DE FRANCE
Stage 14 underway
GRENOBLE, France (AP) β The Tour de France riders have set off on a second day of punishing Alpine climbs that will see them ride up and over the highest point on this year’s race.
Stage 14 is a 110-mile rollercoaster that takes in two infamous climbs, including one of more than 7,700 feet), and ends with a 7.8-mile ascent.
Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali retains his tight grip on the leader’s yellow jersey, 3 minutes, 37 seconds ahead of Spain’s Alejandro Valverde. Frenchman Romain Bardet is third, 4:24 behind.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Brewers stay in first…Braves pull ahead of Nats
UNDATED (AP) β The Milwaukee Brewers were able to keep their lead in the National League Central while helping the Atlanta Braves grab sole possession of first place in the NL East.
Scooter Gennett and Khris Davis slammed solo homers off Stephen Strasburg while Milwaukee was building a 4-0 lead in the first three innings of a 4-2 win at Washington. Aramis (ah-RAH’-mihs) Ramirez added a two-run single to back Kyle Lohse (lohsh), who surrendered 10 hits but just one run in seven innings.
The Brewers have won two in a row since a seven-game skid.
The Braves top the East by one game over the Nationals. Jason Heyward hit a solo homer and had two RBIs in a 6-4 triumph against Philadelphia. Andrelton (AN’-drul-tuhn) Simmons added a two-run single and Ervin Santana gave up three earned runs over six innings as Atlanta picked up its third straight win.
Elsewhere in the majors:
β St. Louis stayed one game behind the Brewers as Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer and had three RBIs in the Cardinals’ 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lance Lynn limited the Dodgers to two runs and four hits while striking out nine over six-plus innings.
β The Giants now share the NL West lead with Los Angeles after Pablo Sandoval hit a three-run homer in a five-run fifth that highlighted San Francisco’s 9-1 pounding of Miami. Madison Bumgarner improved to 11-7, allowing one run in six innings to send the Marlins to their fifth straight loss.
β Travis Snider snapped a 2-2 tie with a pinch-hit, RBI double in the eighth inning of Pittsburgh’s 4-2 verdict over Colorado. Pirates outfielder Starling Marte tripled and drove in two runs before leaving in the eighth an inning after taking a fastball to the head.
β The New York Mets blew a 4-0 lead in the fifth before beating San Diego 5-4 on Travis d’Arnaud’s (dahr-NOHZ’) two-out, RBI single in the ninth. D’Arnaud had three hits and two RBIs in the Mets’ fourth straight win.
β Paul Goldschmidt socked a solo homer to spark Arizona’s three-run sixth in a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs. Didi Gregorius put the Diamondbacks ahead with his second RBI single of the night.
β Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to give the New York Yankees a 4-2 lead in a 4-3 win over Cincinnati. David Phelps allowed two earned runs in 6 1/3 and was able to withstand a pair of solo homers by Bryan (BRY’-an) Pena to earn the victory.
β Oakland beat Baltimore 5-4 on Josh Donaldson’s walkoff, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth. The outcome keeps the Athletics 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Angels in the AL West and puts Toronto and New York within four games of the AL East-leading Orioles.
β Los Angeles also earned a walkoff win as Efren Navarro doubled home Mike Trout in the bottom of the 16th to end the Angels’ 3-2 triumph against Seattle. Trout had three hits for the Angels, whose bullpen tossed 10 shutout innings after Jered Weaver gave up a 2-0 lead in the seventh.
β Jason Kipnis hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer and Asdrubal (as-DROO’-bul) Cabrera added a solo shot on the next pitch to cap a seven-run seventh in Cleveland’s 9-3 romp in Detroit. Kipnis added a solo blast in the ninth as the Indians prevented the AL Central leaders to pad their 6 1/2-game lead.
β Yu Darvish struck out 12 while allowing a run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings to pitch Texas past Toronto 5-1. J.P. Arencibia (ar-ehn-SEE’-bee-uh) hit a three-run homer and Adrian Beltre (BEHL’-tray) added a solo shot to help the Rangers deal the Blue Jays their ninth loss in 11 games.
βEvan Longoria laced a three-run double and Ben Zobrist added a two-run homer to lead Tampa Bay’s offense in a 6-2 victory at Minnesota. Alex Cobb held the Twins’ offense in check for 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs in the Rays’ third straight win.
β Xander Bogaerts (ZAN’-dur BOH’-gahrts) and pinch-hitter Jonny Gomes (gohmz) each smacked two-run homers in the sixth inning of Boston’s 5-4 win over Kansas City. The Red Sox trailed 4-1 in the sixth before winning for the fifth time in six games.
β Tyler Flowers drove in the go-ahead run with a seventh-inning double and four White Sox pitchers retired the final 22 Astros batters in a 3-2 triumph against Houston. The Astros led 2-0 until Dayan Viciedo (dy-AHN’ vih-see-EH’-doh) belted a two-run homer in the sixth.
MLB-NEWS
Sabathia done for season
UNDATED (AP) β Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says pitcher CC Sabathia (sah-BATH’-ee-uh) will have season-ending surgery on his right knee Wednesday.
Cashman says indications are the left-hander will be ready for spring training next year, but there are no guarantees. One positive is that Sabathia will not have microfracture surgery, which would require a longer recovery.
Sabathia made just eight starts this season, going 3-4 with a career-worst 5.28 ERA.
In other major league news:
β Atlanta has requested unconditional release waivers for struggling second baseman Dan Uggla (UG’-lah), who was hitting .162 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 48 games. The Braves still owe Uggla $18 million through next season.
β Cliff Lee says he’s ready to reclaim his spot in Philadelphia’s starting rotation after missing the past nine weeks with a strained left elbow. Lee was 4-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 10 starts before landing on the disabled list. He’ll start Monday against San Francisco, but it’s less certain how long he’ll remain with the team given his huge contract and the Phillies’ position at the bottom of the National League East.
β The Houston Astros have failed to sign high school pitcher Brady Aiken before Friday’s deadline. Talks broke down once the Astros lowered their offer after concerns about Aiken’s pitching elbow. The lefty from San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic was just the third prep pitcher to be selected first overall when he was taken last month.
β San Francisco Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti is expected to miss their seven-game trip after experiencing a case of vertigo. The illness prompted the team’s plane to make an unscheduled landing in Las Vegas so he could receive medical attention. Righetti had been battling a virus and was hospitalized overnight.
LPGA-MARATHON CLASSIC
Diaz keeps lead
SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) β Laura Diaz remains the leader through two rounds of the Marathon Classic in Ohio, three shots ahead of Lydia Ko and Lee-Anne Pace.
Diaz had four birdies down the stretch for a 2-under 69 and an 11-under total. She is seeking her first LPGA victory since 2002.
The 17-year-old Ko shot her second straight 67 as she bids for a second LPGA Tour title as a pro to go with the two she won as an amateur.
NBA-HEAT/HASLEM
Vet Haslem returning to Heat
UNDATED (AP) β Udonis Haslem (yoo-DAH’-nihs HAZ’-lehm) has signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract with the Miami Heat. Haslem has spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Heat and is the franchise’s all-time rebounds leader. He and Dwyane (dwayn) Wade are the only players to appear on all three of Miami’s championship teams.
In other NBA news:
β The New York Knicks have signed veteran center Jason Smith, who averaged 9.7 points and a career-high 5.8 rebounds in 31 games for New Orleans last season.
β Cleveland forward LeBron James is asking fans to help him decide whether to wear No. 6 or No. 23 for his second go-round with the Cavaliers. James wore No. 6 during his four seasons with Miami and used No. 23 in high school and during seven seasons in Cleveland.
β The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to contract terms with guard Jimmer Fredette and forward Darius Miller, people familiar with the moves say. The acquisitions provide the Pelicans perimeter shooters they needed after Anthony Morrow’s departure in free agency for Oklahoma City.
NFL-UNDERCLASSMEN RESTRICTIONS
NFL adopts new rules for underclassmen
NEW YORK (AP) β The NFL will limit the number of underclassmen who can receive evaluations for the draft to five from a single school. However, special exceptions will be allowed.
Concerned about the record 107 underclassmen who applied for this year’s draft, the league’s College Advisory Committee developed new guidelines for players considering forfeiting their final years of eligibility.
Thirty-seven of those that applied for the draft were not selected.
Players will now be advised of their prospects for selection in the first two rounds, down from the first three rounds previously.
NFL-NFLPA LAWSUIT
Ex-players sue union over concussions
NEW YORK (AP) β Former NFL players Christian Ballard and Gregory Westbrooks are suing the union for not providing accurate information about the risk of head injuries.
Both claim the NFL Players Association withheld information about the risks of head injuries.
The union says the suit has no merit.
NFL-LAWSUIT
Painkiller suit takes new twist
UNDATED (AP) β Dozens of former players joining a lawsuit against the NFL say teams kept handing out powerful painkillers and other drugs with few – if any- safeguards as recently as 2012.
That extends by four years the time frame for similar claims made in the original complaint and could open the door to a criminal investigation. Legal experts say the new allegations could dramatically expand the scope of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s investigation.
NHL-PANTHERS
Defenseman Kulikov signs 3-year deal
UNDATED (AP) β The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Dmitri Kulikov to a three-year deal, reportedly worth $13 million. The Panthers former first round pick logged the second-most minutes for the Panthers this past season and was a regular on Florida’s power-play and penalty-kill units.
