After crashing his SUV last week in Florida, Tiger Woods took out his phone and told a deputy, “I was just talking to the president." That's according to newly released body camera footage that also shows that Woods appeared astonished as he was handcuffed. It's not clear if Woods was referring to President Donald Trump. Woods said he was looking at his phone when his speeding Land Rover clipped a truck and rolled onto its side. The video also shows that deputies found painkiller pills in Woods’ pocket after the crash. Woods entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday to suspicion of driving under the influence.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic injured his left hamstring in a loss to Oklahoma City and coach JJ Redick said the league’s scoring leader will have an MRI on Friday. On his final play of the game Thursday night, Doncic spun before trying to go up for a shot against Jalen Williams. There was no contact before he stopped, then lay down on the baseline. He left the game for good with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. Doncic had posted at least 40 points in five of his previous seven games. He was held to 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Masters will not include Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods for the first time in 32 years. Mickelson says he is not going to play this year while his family attends to a personal health matter. He has not shared further details. But it has kept him out of all but one of the five events this year on LIV Golf. Woods said on Tuesday he was taking an indefinite leave after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence during a March 27 car crash. The last time neither Masters champion was in the field was in 1994.
PHOENIX (AP) — Sarah Strong of UConn is The Associated Press women’s basketball Player of the Year. Strong is averaging 18.6 pints, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks a game while helping UConn go 38-0 heading into this week's Final Four. Strong became just the fifth player to win the award in her sophomore year. The AP started giving out the award in 1995. It’s the 13th time that a Huskies player has won the award; Paige Bueckers was the last to do it before Strong in 2021.
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Kirk Cousins has agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. His agent announced the agreement on Thursday morning. Cousins gives them a veteran quarterback to help ease the expected selection of Fernando Mendoza with the top draft pick. Cousins posted “The Autumn Wind...” in a nod to the Raiders’ theme that is played before every home game and was made famous by NFL Films. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak and general manager John Spytek telegraphed this kind of move, saying they wouldn’t want to throw a rookie quarterback into the starting lineup.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Mark Hubbard is leading the Valero Texas Open after a big run of birdied that ended in darkness. Hubbard was in the middle of the pack when he birdied six of his last eight holes. The last one was bold as he took on a winding creek in front of the par-5 18th. He pitched up to 3 feet and made the putt in near darkness. The start was delayed by 90 minutes by dangerous weather. Hubbard broke out of a six-way tie. Tony Finau and Robert MacIntyre were among those one back. Will Zalatoris was two shots behind.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Big men and bigger lineups have been standout factors for the teams that have reached the Final Four. Illinois is the nation's tallest team. Michigan, Arizona and UConn have joined them in Indianapolis. Those teams have the biggest average roster height of any Final Four quartet going back to the start of KenPom's data in 2007. UConn's 6-11 center Tarris Reed Jr. has been dominant through four tournament wins. Illinois' size starts with the 7-foot Ivisic twins. Michigan has 7-3 big man Aday Mara. Arizona can pair 7-2 junior Motiejus Krivas with 6-8 freshman Koa Peat up front.
NCAA anti-doping policies are under criticism after a protest at the Division III 5,000-meter championship race. When Seth Clevenger's name was announced as the winner, other top finishers walked off the podium because of unproven doping allegations against the Rowan athlete who transferred after being suspended by Iowa State. The NCAA claims to have a rigorous drug-testing policy, but many believe it lacks effective investigatory tools.
PHOENIX (AP) — Cheryl Miller’s impact on women’s basketball spans generations, from dominating on the court at Southern California in the 1980s to making her mark in the broadcast booth. Miller’s legacy was recognized along with UConn star Breanna Stewart on Thursday. The two women’s hoops game-changers were honored by The Associated Press as the greatest players of the women’s college basketball poll era, selected by a 13-member panel. Miller accepted the honor at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience." Delta State was also recognized as the first No. 1 team when the women’s basketball poll debuted 50 years ago.
PHOENIX (AP) — This year’s Final Four at the women’s NCAA Tournament features a quartet of powerhouse programs, teams that have overwhelmed almost all of their opponents with superior talent and veteran coaching. They have size. They are athletic. They have pedigree. But they haven’t faced a ton of on-court adversity — particularly in March. That could change on Friday night when UConn faces South Carolina and Texas meets UCLA in the national semifinals at Mortgage Matchup Center. After beating up on inferior adversaries for the majority of March, it’s time for the game’s elite to pick on someone their own size.
Finals
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 5 Kansas City 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final San Francisco 7 N.Y. Mets 2
Final Atlanta 17 Arizona 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Charlotte 127 Phoenix 107
Final Detroit 113 Minnesota 108
Final Oklahoma City 139 L.A. Lakers 96
Final Portland 118 New Orleans 106
Final Cleveland 118 Golden State 111
Final San Antonio 118 L.A. Clippers 99
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Carolina 5 Columbus 1
Final Montreal 3 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Florida 2 Boston 1
Final Ottawa 4 Buffalo 1
Final Detroit 4 Philadelphia 2
Final Tampa Bay 6 Pittsburgh 3
Final New Jersey 7 Washington 3
Final Dallas 3 Winnipeg 0
Final Minnesota 5 Vancouver 2
Final Edmonton 3 Chicago 1
Final San Jose 4 Toronto 1
Final Utah 6 Seattle 2
Final Vegas 6 Calgary 3
Final SO Nashville 5 Los Angeles 4