SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — The USGA set up a different course at Shinnecock Hills to handle strong wind Thursday. When the wind subsided later, Wyndham Clark seemed to play a different U.S. Open. He took advantage of the gentler conditions, pulling away to reach 6-under par through 16 holes. He left in darkness with a four-shot lead over seven players, including Ryder Cowan and Dustin Johnson. Rory McIlroy thought he did well to shoot 69 in gusts over 30 mph. Scottie Scheffler battled all day, relying on his short game to salvage a 72. Clark will return Friday morning to complete the round.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Mexico took advantage of a defensive blunder by South Korea to win 1-0 and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup. It marks a major triumph for a team that failed to get out of the group stage in 2022 and now has won twice on home soil in front of jubilant crowds. Luis Romo scored in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and dropped the ball inside the area. Romo easily found the open net after picking up the loose ball. The South Koreans nearly equalized in the 87th minute, but Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel made a superb save.
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal will begin its Premier League title defense at home against newly promoted Coventry, kicking off the league’s 2026-27 season on August 21. Manchester City, in its first season in 10 years without Pep Guardiola as manager, will host Bournemouth in its season opener, and Manchester United will visit promoted Hull. The season’s fixtures were released by the league on Friday. The season starts one week later than the 2025-26 campaign, to allow for player recovery following the World Cup. Chelsea and new coach Xabi Alonso visit Fulham in a west London derby that rounds off the opening weekend Monday, Aug. 24.
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball owners proposed banning high school players from signing with major league teams, raising the age for international amateurs and slashing the money spent on signing bonuses in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday. The amateur draft for players residing in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico would be cut from 20 rounds to 12 beginning in 2027 under the proposal Major League Baseball made during a bargaining session with the players’ association. An identical 12-round draft would be started for international prospects, a proposal the union has rejected in the past.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks celebrated their first NBA championship in 53 years with a ticker-tape parade through Manhattan’s “Canyon of Heroes,” drawing thousands of fans dressed in the team’s blue and orange. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson hoisted the trophy toward the crowd so they could touch it, while teammates rode floats through the streets or got off to interact with cheering fans. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a big Knicks fan, and celebrities including Spike Lee and Alicia Keys joined the party Thursday. The parade marks a historic moment for the franchise and city, which did not hold championship parades after the Knicks’ title wins in the 1970s.
A French appeals court confirms that Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco star player Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case. The defender is currently playing with Morocco at the World Cup. He had appealed a February decision by an investigative judge. Hakimi denied any wrongdoing after facing preliminary charges of rape in March 2023. A 24-year-old woman accused him of raping her at his home in a Paris suburb. The Versailles court's decision was released just hours before Morocco takes on Scotland at the World Cup. A date for the trial has yet to be announced.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan bill top lawmakers and athletic leaders have described as the best chance to stabilize college sports has cleared a major hurdle in the Senate. The Senate Commerce Committee voted 19-9 to advance the bill on Thursday. The Protect College Sports Act would regulate athlete payments, limit players to one unrestricted transfer and stop coaches from changing jobs during a season. The bill has support from several athletic conferences and the NFL, the NFL Players Association and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. But the SEC and the Big Ten have not endorsed it. Support and opposition for the bill crosses party lines.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Jonathan David scored three goals and Canada won its first World Cup match while all but securing a spot in the knockout round with a 6-0 victory over Qatar. Qatar was reduced to nine players because of red cards in the chaotic match. Homan Ahmed was sent off in the first half for a challenge on Tajon Buchanan and Assim Madibo was handed a red early in the second half after a tackle on Ismaël Koné, who was stretchered off with a broken left leg. With the outburst of scoring, Canada tripled its overall World Cup goal total.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Substitute Johan Manzambi scored is first World Cup goal on an outstanding volley in the 74th minute and Switzerland erupted late for a 4-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina to take control of its group. Rubén Vargas scored in the 84th minute for the Swiss shortly after Tarik Muharemovic was sent off for a dangerous tackle, leaving Bosnia with 10 men. Manzambi scored again in the 90th on a pass from Vargas, and captain Granit Xhaka converted from the penalty spot with the final kick of the game. Ermin Mahmic scored in the fourth minute of second-half injury time for Bosnia.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canada's historic first World Cup victory is overshadowed by a gruesome injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné. He injures his left leg after a tackle from Qatar's Assim Madibo, who is sent off. Koné is stretchered off and taken to a hospital for surgery. Canada coach Jesse Marsch confirms Koné is surrounded by family. The injury occurs in the second half, leaving Qatar with nine players. Nathan Saliba, Koné’s replacement, scores Canada’s fourth goal in the 6-0 win. Striker Jonathan David questions the need for the tackle, emphasizing its recklessness. Details of Koné’s injury remain undisclosed.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Cleveland 4 Milwaukee 2
Final Kansas City 14 St. Louis 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Toronto 4 Boston 3
Final Minnesota 9 Texas 3
Final Seattle 3 Baltimore 0
Final Chicago White Sox 5 N.Y. Yankees 1
Final Athletics 5 L.A. Angels 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N.Y. Mets 6 Philadelphia 4