FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Even though he’s in a hole at the Ryder Cup, American captain Keegan Bradley is sticking with the same lineup, with only one tweak. And European captain Luke Donald isn’t changing a thing. The Americans will play seven of the same eight players for Saturday’s opening foursomes matches as played in the morning on Day 1, when they walked off the course with a 3-1 deficit. The leadoff man again is Bryson DeChambeau, who will pair with Cameron Young against Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. The Europeans will run it back with all four of their teams, hoping to build on their 5 1/2-2 1/2 lead.
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Europe's top stars are playing like it in the Ryder Cup and the result was to be expected. Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy led the way at Bethpage Black as Team Europe won both sessions Friday to build a 5 1/2-1 1/2 lead. Rahm was unstoppable with the putter. Europe silenced the notoriously loud crowd at Bethpage Black. Bryson DeChambeau brought the energy. He just forgot to bring the points. He lost both his matches. Scottie Scheffler also lost both his matches. It was the first time since Tiger Woods in 2002 that a No. 1 player started 0-2.
PHOENIX (AP) — Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve lost her cool during during the Lynx's 84-76 loss to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA playoff semifinals. The Lynx, down 2-1 in the series, face Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix. Reeve was ejected Friday night after receiving her second technical foul in the final minute. It occurred when Alyssa Thomas stole the ball from Napheesa Collier, leading to Collier's leg injury. Reeve criticized the officiating, calling for changes at the league level. She expressed frustration with the officiating crew, describing their selection as "malpractice."
West Ham fired manager Graham Potter and hired Nuno Espirito Santo as his replacement on Saturday, just five games into the new Premier League season and two days before the struggling London team’s next match at Everton. Potter paid the price for West Ham slumping to next-to-last place after losing four of its league games so far. The team is also already out of the English League Cup. Nuno left Nottingham Forest on September 9 after a deterioration in his working relationship with the club’s hierarchy but has secured a rapid return for his fourth stint in England’s top division, having previously coached Wolverhampton and Tottenham.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Chandler Morris scored on a 4-yard run in the second overtime and Virginia beat No. 8 Florida State 46-38 on Friday night for its first home victory over a Top 10 team since also beating the Seminoles in 2005. Morris ran for three scores and had two touchdown passes for the Cavaliers (4-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). After the go-ahead TD run, he completed a pass to Trell Harris for the 2-point conversion. Florida State (3-1, 0-1) had a chance to tie, but Duce Robinson bobbled a pass going out the back of the end zone on third down. On fourth-and-12 at the 27, Tommy Castellanos’ heave into the end zone was intercepted by Ja’Son Prevard, with Cavaliers fans instantly storming the field.
Bruno Fernandes has failed to score a penalty for the second time this season as Manchester United lost 2-1 at Brentford for a third defeat from six matches in the Premier League. Fernandes’ spot kick was saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 76th minute, denying what would have been an equalizer for United. The Portugal midfielder also missed a penalty at Fulham last month. United couldn’t fully recover from an early double from Brazilian striker Igor Thiago. Benjamin Sesko reduced the deficit for United in the 26th. Mathias Jensen scored a stoppage-time third for Brentford. There are six more matches in the Premier League later. They include leader Liverpool at Crystal Palace.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatís Jr. says he fell ill with the COVID-19 virus several days ago, which meant he had to watch the party from his couch when the San Diego Padres clinched a playoff spot Monday. He returned to the Padres’ lineup on Friday after missing three games, and Tatís made sure the baseball world knows he’s healthy and ready for October. Tatís blasted a grand slam in the fourth inning of the Padres’ 7-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, swinging the momentum in a win that kept San Diego in contention for a home playoff series.
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox streamed out of the dugout to greet Romy Gonzalez at the plate when he scored the winning run that clinched the team's first playoff berth since 2021. The Red Sox celebrated their return to the postseason on Friday night after a 4-3, walk-off victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was the first time in at least a century that the Red Sox clinched a postseason berth with a walk-off win. The Red Sox will play the best-of-three wild-card round on the road.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds have put themselves in position to earn their first playoff berth since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season while keeping the free-spending New York Mets out of the postseason. Cincinnati’s 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and New York’s 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday enabled the Reds to tie the Mets for the National League’s third and final wild-card playoff berth. The Reds own the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York. The Mets' $322.6 million payroll at the start of the season led all MLB teams.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout hit two home runs, including a tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning, Kenley Jansen got his 29th save, and the Los Angeles Angels pushed the Houston Astros to the brink of playoff elimination with a 4-3 victory. Trout snapped a 3-3 tie with a leadoff homer to right-center field off Astros reliever Bryan King (5-4) in the eighth. Jansen struck out the side in the ninth. The Astros, who blew 3-0 lead, are one game behind Cleveland and Detroit for the final AL wild card. The Astros’ Christian Walker sparked a three-run fourth-inning rally with a solo homer.
INTERLEAGUE
Final Philadelphia 3 Minnesota 1
Final Chicago White Sox 10 Washington 9
Final L.A. Dodgers 3 Seattle 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Toronto 4 Tampa Bay 2
Final Boston 4 Detroit 3
Final Texas 7 Cleveland 3
Final N.Y. Yankees 8 Baltimore 4
Final L.A. Angels 4 Houston 3
Final Athletics 4 Kansas City 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chicago Cubs 12 St. Louis 1
Final Miami 6 N.Y. Mets 2
Final Pittsburgh 9 Atlanta 3
Final Cincinnati 3 Milwaukee 1
Final San Francisco 6 Colorado 3
Final San Diego 7 Arizona 4
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final Virginia 46 (8) Florida St. 38
Final Arizona St. 27 (24) TCU 24