PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has begun the final round of what he hopes will be the third leg of the career Grand Slam. He took a four-shot lead into the final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush. Scheffler couldn't have asked for a better start. He hit his approach to 10 inches from the cup for a birdie. Rory McIlroy is in the group ahead of him. He was six shots behind and needs a career closing round to catch Scheffler. But he has all of Northern Ireland on his side, a massive crowd hoping for a dream ending.
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Rory McIlroy has delivered a British Open roller-coaster round of 5-under 66 that he described as “incredible” and an “absolute pleasure” and contained one of the most baffling incidents he's ever seen on a golf course. With one swish of his wedge, McIlroy not only hit his designated ball out of the rough on No. 11 but also dug out another ball that was buried underneath the turf. The second ball popped out of the ground and settled between his feet, much to McIlroy’s surprise. He picked it up and burst out laughing. What's not so funny with one round left of McIlroy's Royal Portrush homecoming is a six-shot gap to leader Scottie Scheffler.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Manny Pacquiao lost by majority draw to Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title. One judge gave Barrios a narrow 115-113 win Saturday. Pacquiao, recently inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame, was attempting to reclaim the title at age 46 after nearly four years out of the ring. The pro-Pacquiao crowd booed the decision. Barrios, now 29-2-2, retained his title despite criticism of his performance. In the co-main event, Sebastian Fundora dominated Tim Tszyu, retaining his WBC super welterweight title after Tszyu didn’t continue past the eighth round.
TORONTO (AP) — Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner, 24-time Grand Slam title winner Novak Djokovic and No. 5-ranked Jack Draper all have withdrawn from the Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto that starts in a week. The No. 1-ranked Sinner cited his injured right elbow. He was hurt in a fall in the fourth round at the All England Club on the way to his first title there and fourth major trophy. He won his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto in 2023. Djokovic blamed a groin injury for his withdrawal from an event he has won four times. Djokovic lost to Sinner in the semifinals at Wimbledon.
ATLANTA (AP) — Trent Grisham hit a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees rallied from five runs down to beat the Atlanta Braves 12-9 before a crowd of 42,530, the largest this season at Truist Park. Anthony Volpe homered twice and finished with four RBIs for the Yankees, including a tying shot in the eighth. Cody Bellinger went deep in the seventh to help New York stop a three-game slide. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, who hadn’t given up a run in 15 appearances, took the loss. Luke Weaver earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.
Some captains are wearing them, some are not. Rainbow armbands at the Women’s European Championship are proving more divisive than perhaps intended for a symbol promoting tolerance and inclusion. UEFA is giving team captains the option of wearing armbands with the bright colors of the rainbow flag or plain monocolored versions with the word “respect” when they play. Both versions have been worn so far at the tournament in Switzerland, with the captains’ choices facing scrutiny for the meaning behind their decisions. The rainbow armband is intended to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, while it also stands for diversity.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Players wore shirts reading “Pay us what you owe us” during warmups for the All-Star game. The message follows failed negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement with the league. Players are seeking higher salaries, improved benefits and revenue sharing. Some players, including All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, have hinted at a potential walkout if no agreement is reached by October.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier sets a scoring record in the WNBA All-Star Game, leading her team to victory over Team Clark. The game, filled with 4-point shots and minimal defense, broke the previous scoring record for an All-Star Game. This year’s event also highlighted ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations, with players wearing shirts demanding fair pay. Caitlin Clark, sidelined by injury, served as an ambassador for the weekend. The game featured unique rules like a 20-second shot clock and live substitutions. Rookies Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen made history as the largest rookie group since 2011. Celebrities and WNBA legends attended.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Max Holloway said he wanted to play spoiler and he did it Saturday night in the main event. Holloway defeated Dustin Poirier in a unanimous decision to retain the UFC BMF Championship in UFC 318. The win for Holloway is the first in three fights against Poirier, who beat him in 2012 and 2019. Holloway (28-8) retained his BMF title after landing 98 more strikes (201-109) and landing 53% of his significant strikes. The loss ends a brilliant career for Poirier, who finishes his career with a 30-10 record. In the co-main event, Paulo Costa (15-4) snapped a three-match losing streak, defeating Roman Kopylov for a middleweight division win by a unanimous decision.
LONDON (AP) — Oleksandr Usyk has scored a fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois to became the undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time. The undefeated southpaw retained his WBA, WBC and WBO belts and regained the IBF belt he relinquished just over a year ago. The Ukrainian dropped Dubois with a heavy left midway through the fifth round to end the bout at a packed Wembley Stadium. The 38-year-old Ukrainian says he’s still a “young guy” and named Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker as possible next foes.