Update on the latest sports
APGOLF-BRITISH OPEN
Oosthuizen takes 1-shot lead into final round
SANDWICH, England (AP) — Louis Oosthuizen (OOST’-hay-zehn) is the 54-hole leader of the British Open after hanging on over the back nine at Royal St. George’s.
Oosthuizen made an 8-foot birdie on the 16th hole and a long two-putt par on the closing hole for a 69. That gives him a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa going into the final round.
Morikawa started poorly with two bogeys in the opening five holes. He was bogey-free the rest of the way and shot 68.
Jordan Spieth (speeth) was tied for the lead until he hit a poor wedge into the 17th for bogey and then shockingly missed a 2-foot par putt on the 18th. He had to settle for a 69 and now is three shots behind.
Eight players are separated by five shots. That includes U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm. He made a 15-foot par putt on the last hole for a 68 and was five behind.
Oosthuizen has been runner-up in the last two majors and will be trying to win his first major since the 2010 British Open at St. Andrews.
NBA FINALS
Series a tossup heading into Game 5
PHOENIX (AP) — The NBA Finals seemed very much in the Suns’ control when they left Phoenix a week ago. Then the Bucks won their two games in Milwaukee and the Suns return to Arizona for Game 5 Saturday with the series tied.
The Bucks overcame a 2-0 deficit in the second round against Brooklyn and now are trying to become the fifth club to do it in the NBA Finals.
Suns point guard Chris Paul is looking to bounce back from a rough Game 4 when he finished with 10 points, seven assists and five costly turnovers, including a crucial one in the final minute that led to a 109-103 loss.
NBA NEWS
Wizards draw on storied name, hire Wes Unseld Jr as coach
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Wizards have hired Wes Unseld Jr. as their coach. The Denver Nuggets associate coach is the son of Washington basketball legend Wes Unseld, whose number is retired and hangs in the rafters.
Unseld Jr. replaces Scott Brooks, who was fired after three playoff appearances in five seasons. Unseld spent six seasons as a Wizards assistant from 2005-11, then one season with the Golden State Warriors and two with the Orlando Magic. He then moved on to the Nuggets for six seasons and was promoted to associate coach under Michael Malone last year.
NHL-NEWS
Stars sign Miro Heiskanen to $67.6M, 8-year contract
UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Stars have signed standout young defenseman Miro Heiskanen (MEER’-oh HYS’-kah-nehn) to an eight-year contract worth $67.6 million. The deal is among the most expensive for a defenseman with an annual salary cap hit of $8.45 million through 2028-29.
The Stars also traded forward Jason Dickinson to Vancouver for a 2021 third-round pick before rosters had to be set for the Seattle expansion draft.
Heiskanen had 27 points last season and ranked ninth in the league in ice time at just under 25 minutes a game. The deal comes a day before the Finn’s 22nd birthday.
In other NHL news:
— The San Jose Sharks have acquired Adin Hill from the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes sent Hill and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Sharks for younger goalie Josef Kolenar and a 2022 second-rounder. The move came minutes before the NHL trade freeze for the Seattle expansion draft. The Coyotes traded Hill because they could not protect the 25-year-old and starter Darcy Kuemper from the Kraken. Hill is a restricted free agent with 49 games of NHL experience. Kolenar is 23. Protected lists for the expansion draft are due Saturday afternoon.
— Nashville revamped its roster some more Saturday, trading defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick. This is the second member of the Predators’ 2017 Stanley Cup Final roster Nashville has traded away. Nashville sent forward Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, while Philadelphia gets a defenseman in Ellis that can play on the top pairing. The Predators quickly traded Patrick to Vegas for Cody Glass. The Golden Knights also made a deal with the Rangers.
— The New York Rangers acquired the rights to pending free agent forward Barclay Goodrow from back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay for a 2022 seventh-round pick and sent Brett Howden to Vegas for a 2022 fourth-rounder and Nick DeSimone. The Rangers now have exclusive negotiating rights with Goodrow until the free agent market opens July 28.
— The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired forward Jared McCann from the Pittsburgh Penguins for prospect Filip Hallander and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft. The trade Saturday came shortly before the NHL froze rosters for Wednesday’s expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken. McCann had 14 goals and 18 assists in 43 regular-season games for Pittsburgh last season. He also had an assist in six playoff games.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Robbie Grossman homers as Tigers blank Twins 1-0
UNDATED (AP) — Robbie Grossman hit a leadoff homer and four Detroit pitchers combined on a two-hitter, leading the Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a split doubleheader.
José Ureña started for the Tigers and pitched three innings of two-hit ball before departing due right groin tightness. Daniel Norris then got six outs, Kyle Funkhouser struck out the side in the sixth and Gregory Soto worked the seventh for his eighth save.
The Twins were shut out for the fourth time this season.
MLB-NEWS
White Sox, RHP Lance Lynn agree to 2-year contract
UNDATED (AP) — The Chicago White Sox and All-Star right-hander Lance Lynn have agreed to a $38 million, two-year contract extension.
The 34-year-old Lynn is 9-3 with an AL-best 1.99 ERA in 16 starts in his first season with Chicago. He was acquired in a December trade with Texas for right-hander Dane Dunning and lefty Avery Weems.
With Lynn helping anchor the rotation, the White Sox had an eight-game lead in the AL Central heading into their game against Houston.
In other MLB news:
— The New York Mets have placed star shortstop Francisco Lindor on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique. Lindor got hurt during Friday night’s 4-1 loss at Pittsburgh, wincing after he bounced out to second base in the fifth inning. The four-time All-Star took a few steps out of the batter’s box but then peeled off toward the Mets’ dugout on the first base side. The Mets recalled infielder Travis Blankenhorn from Triple-A Syracuse to take Lindor’s roster spot.
— The Atlanta Braves have acquired veteran catcher Stephen Vogt from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league first baseman Mason Berne. The 36-year-old Vogt, a two-time All-Star with Oakland, batted .212 with five homers and 17 RBIs in 52 games for the major league-worst Diamondbacks this season. He has thrown out 10 of 30 runners attempting to steal. The move came one night after the depleted Braves obtained Joc Pederson in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, bolstering their outfield after recently losing star slugger Ronald Acuña Jr. to a season-ending knee injury.
— Shohei Ohtani (SHOH’-hay oh-TAH’-nee) has donated his earnings from this week’s Home Run Derby to members of the Los Angeles Angels’ support staff. That’s according to a person with knowledge of the situation, who says Ohtani donated the $150,000 he received to more than a couple dozen people, including clubhouse staff, trainers and members of the media relations department. The two-way Japanese sensation handed out the checks before last night’s game against the Seattle Mariners, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press. Ohtani hasn’t commented on it.
OLYMPICS-NEWS
First positive COVID-19 test in Olympic Village
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo Olympic organizers say the first resident of the Olympic Village has tested positive for COVID-19. Officials say it was not an athlete.
Tokyo officials including the president of the organizing committee confirmed the case. They said the positive test was Friday, one week before the Olympics open.
The person is identified simply as a “games-concerned personnel.” The person is also listed as a non-resident of Japan. Tokyo officials said the person was placed in a 14-day quarantine.
In other Olympics news:
— Japan’s massive security apparatus for the Olympics is raising complaints that the nation will look more like authoritarian North Korea or China than one of the world’s most powerful, vibrant democracies. The worry for many Japanese, however, isn’t too much Big Brother. It’s that all the increased precautions won’t be nearly enough to stop the estimated 85,000 athletes, officials, journalists and other workers coming into Japan from introducing fast-spreading coronavirus variants to a largely unvaccinated population struggling with mounting cases. So far, the majority of athletes and others are exempted from typical quarantine requirements.
— Germany’s Olympic soccer team walked off the field Saturday during a preparation match for the Tokyo Games in response to alleged racist abuse from an opposing Honduras player toward German defender Jordan Torunarigha. The German soccer federation says Torunarigha “was racially insulted” and that the players walked off with five minutes remaining in the game. Germany coach Stefan Kuntz says Torunarigha was “terribly upset” and that the Honduras team later apologized. The friendly game in Wakayama, Japan was Germany’s last preparation match before it plays Brazil in Yokohama on Thursday.
— South Korea’s Olympic committee says it has removed banners at the athletes’ village in Tokyo that referred to a 16th-century war between Korea and Japan. It followed an intervention from the International Olympic Committee, which saw the banners as provocative. In agreeing to take down the banners, the South Koreans said they received a promise from the IOC that the displaying of the Japanese “rising sun” flag will be banned at stadiums and other Olympic venues. The flag is resented by many people in South Korea and other parts of Asia who see it as a symbol of Japan’s wartime past.
CYCLING-TOUR DE FRANCE
Pogacar poised to win 2nd Tour de France title
SAINT-EMILION, France (AP) — Tadej Pogacar (TAH’-day pah-GAH’-char) is all but guaranteed to win a second straight Tour de France after completing the second-last stage unscathed. The Slovenian cyclist has an unsurmountable lead of more than five minutes heading into Sunday’s final ride into the heart of Paris.
Saturday’s Stage 20 time trial marked the last serious test after nearly three exhausting weeks. Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the 31-kilometer stage while Pogacar played it safe and finished eighth.
F1-BRITISH GP
Verstappen wins sprint race to take pole for Sunday’s British GP
SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Max Verstappen out-dragged Lewis Hamilton at the start of Formula One’s experimental first sprint qualifying race to take the pole for the British Grand Prix.
It was a disappointing outcome for Hamilton at his home track. Verstappen stretched his lead over Hamilton by winning the sprint and now takes a 33-point advantage over the beloved local driver into Sunday. Verstappen will be seeking his fourth consecutive win from the pole.
F1 leaders tried a new format at Silverstone by setting the starting field with a 70-lap race.
NFL-BUCCANEERS-WHITE HOUSE
Official: Super Bowl champs to visit White House Tuesday
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will celebrate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl title when the team visits the White House on Tuesday.
No other details about the visit were provided by a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the event has not been formally announced.
Biden has resumed the tradition of opening the White House to championship sports teams after an uneven record of such visits under the Trump administration. Biden welcomed the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month.
Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl in February by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9.
NFL players report to training camp for the 2021 season later in July.
