Nelly Korda wins Chevron Championship for 3rd major and returns to No. 1
HOUSTON (AP) — Nelly Korda is a major champion for the third time and back to No. 1 in women's golf. Korda put on a masterclass at The Chevron Championship. She polished off her wire-to-wire win at Memorial Park with a five-shot victory. The victory was enough for her to return to the top of the women's world ranking for the first time since August. Korda started with a five-shot lead and no one got closer than four shots all day. She played conservatively down the stretch and missed out on a chance to set the tournament's 72-hole scoring record.
Brotherly boost: A dramatic Zurich Classic win by the Fitzpatricks puts Alex on the PGA Tour
AVONDALE, La. (AP) — Matt Fitzpatrick and younger brother Alex combined for a 1-under 71 in alternate-shot play Sunday to pull out a dramatic, single-stroke victory in the Zurich Classic and usher the younger Fitzpatrick onto the PGA Tour through 2028. After the Englishmen had lost a four-stroke lead on the back nine, Matt Fitzpatrick, the third-ranked player in the world, stuck a bunker shot on the par-5 18th a foot from the hole to set up his brother's winning putt for a tournament-record 31-under 257 total. Until then, the teams of Alex Smalley-Hayden Springer and Kristoffer Reitan-Kris Ventura had been tied for the lead at 258. Matt Fitzpatrick has three wins since March, including last weekend at Harbour Town.
Carson Hocevar earns 1st NASCAR Cup victory with last-lap pass at Talladega Superspeedway
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) — Carson Hocevar has earned the first victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career, outdueling Chris Buescher with a last-lap pass at Talladega Superspeedway. Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, joined Ty Gibbs on Sunday as the second first-time winner this season. Hocevar has made headlines for angering veterans with aggressive moves. He won in his 91st start in NASCAR’s premier series. The 23-year-old from Portage, Michigan, used a drafting push from Alex Bowman to edge past Buescher.
Embiid’s gutsy return after appendectomy falls flat as Celtics rout 76ers for 3-1 series lead
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid's surprise return after an appendectomy doesn't help the 76ers against Boston. Embiid scores 26 points and grabs 10 rebounds in 34 minutes, but the Celtics win 128-96 on Sunday night, taking a 3-1 lead in their playoff series. Embiid, who hadn't played since April 6, starts strong but struggles later, missing seven straight shots. He was doubtful to play but cleared 40 minutes before the game. Despite his efforts, the Sixers can't overcome the Celtics' dominance. Embiid's return highlights his ongoing battle with injuries during crucial playoff moments.
Kevin Durant sits again as Rockets face elimination entering Game 4 against Lakers
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston’s Kevin Durant won’t play in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers as the Rockets try to avoid being swept in the first-round Western Conference playoff series. Durant missed Game 3 with a sprained left ankle on Friday night, when the Rockets blew a six-point lead with less than 30 seconds to go in regulation of an eventual 112-108 overtime loss to fall to 0-3 in the first-round series. This will be the third game of the series that Durant has missed after he sat out the opener with a bruised right knee. He returned for Game 2, scoring 23 points in 41 minutes of the 101-94 loss, during which he injured his ankle late in the game.
Spurs star Wembanyama returns, says he's disappointed with the way his concussion was handled
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — After San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama returned from a concussion to play in Game 4 of the team’s first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, he said he was disappointed with how the process was handled. The Spurs announced about an hour before tipoff that Wembanyama could play after clearing the league’s concussion protocol. He went on to score 27 points with 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a 114-93 San Antonio win. Wembanyama, the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, was ruled out of Game 3 on Friday in Portland because of the concussion.
Lakers’ Deandre Ayton ejected after 'unnecessary and excessive' elbow to Alperen Sengun
HOUSTON (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was ejected in the third quarter of Game 4 against the Houston Rockets after receiving a flagrant foul 2 for hitting Alperen Sengun in the face with his elbow and forearm. A foul was called after Ayton hit Sengun when he had the ball and was heading toward the basket with about 5½ minutes left in the third quarter. The play was reviewed and upgraded to a flagrant foul 2 and Ayton was ejected. The referee announcing the foul called the contact “unnecessary and excessive.”
Hagel scores twice in 3rd, Lightning beat Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 to tie series
MONTREAL (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored his NHL playoffs-leading fifth and sixth goals in the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Sunday night in Game 4 to tie the series. After the first three games in the first-round series went to overtime, Tampa Bay overcame a two-goal deficit to end this one in regulation. Hagel gave the Lightning the lead with 4:43 left, deflecting Nikita Kucherov’s shot past Jakub Dobes. Jake Guentzel had a goal and assist, and Kucherov added two assists on the top line with Hagel. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 16 saves. Game 5 is Wednesday night in Tampa. Zachary Bolduc and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal in 3:23 span in the second.
MacKinnon leads Avalanche to 5-1 win and 1st-round sweep of LA Kings, ending Anze Kopitar's career
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had two goals and an assist, Nicolas Roy and Devon Toews scored in the third period, and the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche swept the Los Angeles Kings out of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 5-1 victory. Cale Makar also scored and Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avs ended the 20-year career of Kings captain Anze Kopitar, who announced his pending retirement in September. With a masterful four-game demonstration of the roster-wide talent on a team ready to win it all, Colorado advanced to face the winner of the heavyweight first-round series between Dallas and Minnesota.
Barnes, Ingram score 23 points apiece as Raptors beat Cavaliers 93-89 and tie series at 2-all
TORONTO (AP) — Scottie Barnes hit the go-ahead free throws in the final minute and finished with 23 points, Brandon Ingram also scored 23 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-89, tying the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at two games apiece. The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday. RJ Barrett scored 18 points and Collin Murray-Boyles had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won despite shooting 4 for 30 from 3-point range. Donovan Mitchell scored 12 of his 20 in the fourth quarter and James Harden added 19, but the Cavaliers couldn’t overcome an 18-turnover performance.
