Update on the latest sports
APGOLF-BRITISH OPEN
Oosthuizen sets 36-hole Open record; stellar cast behind him
SANDWICH, England (AP) — Louis Oosthuizen (OOST’-hay-zehn) has set a 36-hole record at the British Open and is halfway to ending that run of near misses at major championships.
He’ll have to hold off a stellar cast of chasers on the weekend at Royal St. George’s.
On a day of pleasant summer weather that took the fear out of the links off Sandwich Bay, Oosthuizen broke away from a three-way tie with a birdie-birdie-eagle run from the 12th hole. He shrugged off his first bogey of the week for a 5-under 65 and a two-stroke lead. His 11-under 129 was one shot off the major championship 36-hole record that Brooks Koepka (KEHP’-kuh) set during the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.
Former PGA champion Collin Morikawa had a 64 and was two shots behind. Another shot back was Jordan Spieth (speeth) at 67, going after his fourth major. Also lurking was two-time major champion Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, who shot 65.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy made the cut. He shot back-to-back even-par rounds, leaving him 11 strokes behind Oosthuizen.
MLB-NEWS
Red Sox-Yankees to play Friday night afte COVID postponement
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Red Sox and Yankees will play Friday night after a game scheduled for Thursday was postponed following positive coronavirus tests by three New York pitchers.
Jonathan Loaisiga (loh-AY’-see-gah), Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta have all been added to the COVID-19 injured list by the Yankees. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that all three were fully vaccinated, as are most of the players on the team.
Three other players were awaiting lab results and were in quarantine as of Thursday. Cashman did not say whether they included any of the team’s All-Stars who were in Denver this week: Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Aroldis Chapman.
In other MLB news:
— Washington Nationals infielder Starlin Castro has been placed on administrative leave. Major League Baseball says Castro’s leave is part of the domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He can be on paid administrative leave for up to seven days barring an extension. Washington faces San Diego this weekend in the first series out of the All-Star break. Castro is hitting .283 with three home runs and 38 RBIs in 87 games so far this season. He’s in his second season with the Nationals after stints with the Cubs, Yankees and Marlins.
— The Chicago White Sox have reinstated reliever Aaron Bummer from the 10-day injured list and recalled right-hander Reynaldo López from Triple-A Charlotte. The AL Central leaders also optioned relievers Matt Foster and Jace Fry to their top farm club. The 27-year-old Bummer had been sidelined by a strained right hamstring. The left-hander is 1-4 with a 3.26 ERA and two saves in 32 games heading into the team’s series opener against Houston.
— Talks between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Canadian government have accelerated and it’s possible that an exemption on border restrictions could allow them to play in Canada starting July 30. That’s according to an official familiar with the talks, who told The Associated Press that the Blue Jays hoped to get an answer from the Canadian government Friday. Canada hasn’t allowed the team to play in Toronto during the pandemic because of concern about the amount of travel required during the baseball season. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo, New York, and started this season in Dunedin (duhn-EE’-dihn), Florida, before moving to Buffalo.
— The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins’ doubleheader has been postponed due to rain. The first game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Saturday, with the second game being made up as an afternoon game on Monday, Aug. 30.
NFL-NEWS
Saints’ Onyemata suspended 6 games for banned substance
UNDATED (AP) — New Orleans Saints starting defensive tackle David Onyemata has been given a six-game suspension after being notified by the NFL he tested positive for a banned substance.
In a statement from the NFL Friday, the league said Onyemata had been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2021 regular season for violating the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances. Onyemata says in a post on a verified social media account that he suspects the test result stemmed from his use of a supplement that he mistakenly believed was permissible.
Onyemata posted a career-best 6 1/2 sacks last season.
In other NFL news:
— Prosecutors in Washington state have charged former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers star Richard Sherman after police said he drunkenly crashed his SUV in a construction zone and tried to break into his in-laws’ home. Sherman was expected to appear in court Friday for his arraignment on five criminal charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, criminal trespassing and resisting arrest. During a court hearing Thursday, his attorney noted Sherman’s good works in the community, including founding a charity that provides low-income students with school supplies and clothes. Sherman was released from jail Thursday.
— Two NFL teams remain under 50% vaccinated less than two weeks from the start of training camp, according to a person familiar with the vaccination rates. Washington and Indianapolis had the four lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the league as of Friday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league hasn’t released the numbers, which change daily. Pittsburgh, Miami, Carolina and Denver have the highest vaccination rates and are among 10 teams that have achieved at least 85%. About 73% of players have been vaccinated.
OLYMPICS-NEWS
Love is latest to withdraw from Olympics
UNDATED (AP) — Kevin Love has withdrawn from the Olympics because of a calf injury, forcing the U.S. men’s basketball team to replace two players on its roster.
A person with knowledge of the details says veteran center JaVale McGee and Spurs guard Keldon Johnson will be added to the 12-man roster.
Love’s withdrawal comes a day after the Americans announced that Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal would miss the Olympics because he was in health and safety protocols.
The Americans canceled their exhibition against Australia scheduled for Friday night in Las Vegas because of health and safety concerns. They are still slated to play Spain on Sunday.
Friday’s women’s game between the US and Australia will be played as scheduled.
In other Olympics news:
— WNBA star Liz Cambage has withdrawn from Australia’s Olympic women’s basketball team because of the anxiety she’s been feeling about living and competing inside the restrictive bubble in place for the Tokyo Games. Cambage says the prospect of having no friends, no family, no fans and no support system outside of the squad during the Games is “terrifying for me.” The 29-year-old two-time Olympian says the decision breaks her heart but she thinks it’s best for the team and for herself. The absence of the star center is a major setback to Australia’s medal chances in Tokyo.
— Nneka Ogwumike (ah-GWOO’-mih-kay) and Elizabeth Williams have filed appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a last-ditch effort to play for Nigeria in the upcoming Olympics, according to two people familiar with the situation. The players were notified earlier this week by FIBA (FEE’-bah) that their petition to play for the African nation had been denied because they played for the U.S. national program for too long. They would need to have FIBA’s decision overturned by Sunday’s registration deadline for the Olympics or have the Court of Arbitration for Sport grant them a provisional allowance and add them to the roster until a hearing can occur.
— Officials are searching for a Ugandan athlete who went missing in western Japan. The case is raising questions over Japanese organizers’ oversight of Olympic participants amid local coronavirus concerns. The missing 20-year-old, Julius Ssekitoleko, was training as part of the nine-member Ugandan team. Teammates realized he was absent Friday when his saliva test sample wasn’t delivered and they found his hotel room empty. The pandemic-delayed Olympics begin on July 23 despite mounting concern about Tokyo’s upsurge of infections. The host city on Friday reported 1,271 cases.
— IOC President Thomas Bach got a mixed reception in his visit to Hiroshima to mark the first day of the so-called Olympic Truce. Such a visit would ordinarily be routine. But the Olympics are set to open next week with Tokyo under a state of emergency and with much of the population opposed to the Games being held during the pandemic. Bach placed a wreath and observed a minute of silence in the rain in front of the Peace Memorial Park cenotaph. Faint voices of protesters who were kept at a distance could be heard shouting “go home Bach” and “you’re not welcome here.” Protesters were seen near the Atomic Bomb Dome with signs that read “Cancel The Olympics.”
— The so-called playbook for athletes at the Tokyo Olympics provides a guide to a “safe and successful Games.” It’s filled with “cannots” and “do nots,” meaning a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will be a whole lot less fun. Athletes are taking the restrictions in stride, with some even treating the competition as a business trip. To pass the time between events, they’re planning to watch Netflix shows, catch up on studies, read, play some virtual golf and whatever else comes to mind. The silver lining is that it beats the alternative of not competing.
