GULLANE, Scotland (Reuters) – European Ryder Cup player Peter Hanson may have to pull out of this week’s British Open at Muirfield because of a recurring back problem. “I am a 50-50 chance of teeing up on Thursday,” the 35-year-old Swede told reporters. “I tho... More »
GULLANE, Scotland (Reuters) – Nick Faldo is a part-time golfer these days but he showed on Monday the fire still burns as strong as it did in his heyday by saying it would haunt him to mess up a chance to win the 142nd British Open. The six-times major champio... More »
AVIGNON, France (Reuters) – Alberto Contador has already won the Tour de France twice and the Spaniard is not ready to settle for second this time even though he enters the final week of the race trailing overall leader Chris Froome by more than four minutes. ... More »
ORANGE, France (Reuters) – Facing yet another barrage of doping questions after Chris Froome’s awe-inspiring victory up Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France, Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford said he was ready to give the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) all the... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – San Francisco Giants pitcher Chad Gaudin has been charged with lewdness, Las Vegas prosecutors said on Wednesday, in connection with what a local newspaper has described as a groping incident involving a woman lying on a gurney at a N... More »
(Reuters) – Like a connoisseur of fine wines, Steve Stricker prefers quality to quantity and his decision earlier this year to cut back on his PGA Tour schedule seems to have been a master-stroke by the veteran American. He has recorded four top-10s in only se... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York Yankees sound nearly as impatient as Derek Jeter about when the captain will return to their lineup. Although Jeter has played in only three games with Triple A Scranton/Wilkes Barre (Pennsylvania) in his rehab from a fracture... More »
(Reuters) – Searing heat and a hilly course are likely to pose problems for players at this week’s U.S. Senior Open in Omaha, Nebraska where Kenny Perry hopes his power game can help him clinch a second successive major title. The 52-year-old American is one o... More »
(Reuters) – India’s Jeev Milka Singh has shunned the red carpet of Bollywood to concentrate on the greens of Castle Stuart and the defense of his Scottish Open crown this week. In choosing to play the tournament, which starts on Thursday, the 42-year-old will ... More »
(Reuters) – Ferrari have assured Felipe Massa of their support after the Brazilian scored only 12 points from his last four Formula One races. After nine grands prix, Massa has 57 points to team mate Fernando Alonso’s 123. “Felipe is fully aware he can count o... More »
NAIROBI (Reuters) – David Rudisha’s defense of his world 800 metres title in Moscow next month is in doubt because of a knee injury, the Kenyan’s coach said on Wednesday. “He is progressing on well, but I doubt if he will heal early enough to resume training f... More »
(Reuters) – Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright earned his 12th win of the season to tie the National League lead on Tuesday as St. Louis beat Houston 9-5. Wainwright (12-5) struck out nine over seven strong innings, allowing just one run, to join Washington’s J... More »
(Reuters) – The Houston Rockets have been fined $150,000 for prematurely commenting about new acquisition Dwight Howard, the NBA confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday. The league has a moratorium on teams discussing personnel business until players officially sign o... More »
ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts (Reuters) – Police investigating a murder allegedly committed by former National Football League player Aaron Hernandez found a spent shell casing in a car he rented that had been fired from the same pistol as five empty shells found n... More »
(Reuters) – As much as Zach Johnson loves everything about the John Deere Classic, he readily admits that past success will count for nothing when he launches his title defense in Thursday’s opening round at the TPC Deere Run. Johnson triumphed last year with ... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – Chris Chelios and Scott Niedermayer, two defensemen with plenty of offensive flair, and punishing power forward Brendan Shanahan headlined the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2013 announced on Tuesday. Combined Chelios (1,651), Niedermayer (1,... More »
SAINT MALO, France (Reuters) – Mark Cavendish’s Tour de France campaign suffered another setback on Tuesday when the Briton had to settle for third in a sprint after being involved in a crash in a chaotic stage 10 finale won by Marcel Kittel. Omega Pharma-Quic... More »
(Reuters) – Max Scherzer did not add to his undefeated win total but the Detroit Tigers found another way to outlast Cleveland 4-2 in 10 innings and increase their lead in American League Central on Monday. Scherzer tossed seven innings, allowed two runs and s... More »
(Reuters) – The Los Angeles Lakers moved quickly to absorb the loss of Dwight Howard by reaching an agreement to sign free agent center Chris Kaman on Monday. After the NBA’s prized big man Howard chose to leave the Lakers in favor of the Houston Rockets last ... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Olympic long jump silver medalist Mitchell Watt is to miss this year’s world championships in Russia after a season interrupted by injury, the Australian said on Tuesday. Former world number one Watt, who was runner-up to Briton Greg Ruth... More »
(Reuters) – Major League Baseball home run leader Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals Bryce Harper will join celebrated long-ball hitting veterans in the All-Star Home Run Derby lineup announced on Monday. American League Derby captai... More »
(Reuters) – Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard will have surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and is expected to miss six to eight weeks, the National League team said on Monday. Howard was put on the disabled list on Saturday and tests on ... More »
(Reuters) – New York Giants Victor Cruz, who went from an undrafted free agent to an explosive Pro Bowl receiver, signed a multi-year contract extension on Monday to remain with the National Football League (NFL) club through the 2018 season. Terms of the deal... More »
(Reuters) – Formula One pitlane television crews will have to film from the pit wall during races in future after a cameraman was hit and injured by a bouncing wheel in Sunday’s German Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone said on Monday. Mechanics wear helmets during... More »
(Reuters) – Former champion John Daly has withdrawn from next week’s British Open golf through injury, organizers said on Monday. The 47-year-old American, who won the major in 1995, will miss the July 18-21 championship at Muirfield. He wrote on Twitter last ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Andy Murray’s Wimbledon triumph was lauded in Monday’s British newspapers after he beat Novak Djokovic to deliver a long-awaited home success in the men’s singles with The Times calling the Scot ‘The History Boy’. ‘At last’ read the front pa... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The 34th America’s Cup sailing regatta began in San Francisco on Sunday with only one team competing in the first race as Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge sat it out in protest of rule changes it says put it at a disadvantage. In a bizarr... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – When Andy Murray lost his first three grand slam finals without winning a set, it seemed he was destined to join a long line of ‘Brave Brits’ whose career would be defined by near misses. Many predicted that when he finally hung up his racke... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The last few heart-pounding strides towards the summit proved the most precarious for Andy Murray as he beat Novak Djokovic to end a 77-year British jinx at Wimbledon on a Sunday that will forever be etched in the nation’s sporting fabric. T... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic gave a brutally honest assessment of his performance after losing the Wimbledon final 6-4 7-5 6-4 to Andy Murray on Sunday. Top seed Djokovic failed to produce the standard of tennis which has brought him six grand slam titles... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic beat top seeds Bruno Soares and Lisa Raymond 5-7 6-2 8-6 to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title on Sunday. Canadian Nestor and Frenchwoman Mladenovic, the eighth seeds who were runners-up at last month... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The leader of an Islamist insurgency in Russia’s North Caucasus region urged followers on Wednesday to use “maximum force” to prevent President Vladimir Putin staging the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. In a video posted on www.kavkazcen... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – What should have been a dream showdown between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal has turned into the battle of Poland as Lukasz Kubot and Jerzy Janowicz unexpectedly find themselves in Wimbledon’s quarter-final mix along with Novak Djokovic and A... More »
(Reuters) – The Pittsburgh Penguins and their Norris Trophy finalist defenseman Kris Letang have agreed to an eight-year $58 million contract extension, the National Hockey League club said on Tuesday. Letang, who led all NHL defensemen in scoring last season ... More »
(Reuters) – Former world number two Colin Montgomerie blew his chance of taking part in this month’s British Open after a second-round 76 left him three over par in qualifying on Tuesday. The 2010 European Ryder Cup captain was one shot off the lead after an o... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Kirsten Flipkens, a Belgian outsider whose tennis career almost flatlined a year ago after four blood clots were found in her calf, enjoyed a second lease of life as she stormed into her first Wimbledon semi-final on Tuesday. The bespectacle... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The leading ladies have exited stage left but the understudies kept this most volatile of Wimbledon scripts bubbling along on Tuesday to ensure a new name will be engraved on the trophy come Saturday. Emerging from a quarter-final line-up fe... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Olympic champion Usain Bolt believes he is getting back to his best after the Jamaican trials gave him a confidence-boost in the build-up to next month’s world championships in Moscow. The world record holder won the 100 meters at last month’... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The scorecard suggests a routine win for top seed Novak Djokovic but his satisfaction at reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals without dropping a set was mixed with relief after some tricky moments against German veteran Tommy Haas on Monday... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Hammering down serves, bickering with the umpire and even engaging in cheeky banter with his opponent’s support team, livewire Jerzy Janowicz roared into Wimbledon’s last eight on a momentous day for Poland on Monday. The 24th seed came thro... More »
(Reuters) – Paul Casey has suffered his share of trials and tribulations in recent years and it was close friend Justin Rose’s first major victory at last month’s U.S. Open that inspired him to land the Irish Open title on Sunday. The three-shot victory at Cou... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych set up a quarter-final against top seed Novak Djokovic after ending unseeded Bernard Tomic’s run with a 7-6(4) 6-7(5) 6-4 6-4 fourth-round victory on Monday. A tight encounter was dominated by serve fo... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Wimbledon entered the twilight zone on Monday as Serena Williams became the latest high-profile champion to fade into oblivion at a tournament where reputations and star status are counting for nothing. Just when it seemed that this year’s g... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Formula One’s governing body responded to a spate of British Grand Prix blowouts by deciding on Monday to change the rules and allow race drivers to test tires with their current cars at Silverstone this month. “Our priority is to ensure saf... More »
CALVI, France (Reuters) – Two days after getting embarrassing exposure at the Tour de France when their bus caused mayhem, Australian team Orica-GreenEdge were in the limelight for a good reason when Simon Gerrans won the third stage with a well-timed sprint o... More »
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Any doubts that Brazil are serious contenders for next year’s World Cup were swept away by a majestic 3-0 victory over world champions Spain as they won the Confederations Cup in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Maracana Stadium on ... More »
(Reuters) – The Pittsburgh Pirates had to work overtime to improve their Major League-leading record Sunday when they outlasted the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in 14 innings. Pinch-hitter Russell Martin delivered a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 14th to gi... More »
(Reuters) – American Bill Haas broke free with a back nine surge and posted a three-stroke victory at the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland on Sunday. Haas began a muggy final round in a four-way tie atop the leaderboard with fe... More »
(Reuters) – South Korean Park Inbee became only the second LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season when she roared to a four-stroke victory at the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday. The world number one held steady with a final-round two-over-par 74 to... More »
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil humbled world and European Champions Spain when they crushed them 3-0 to win the Confederations Cup final on Sunday and end their opponents’ three-year record run of 29 unbeaten competitive matches Two goals from Fred, one eit... More »
SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) – Mark Webber has tipped fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo to replace him at Formula One champions Red Bull next season. The Toro Rosso driver started fifth and finished eighth in Sunday’s British Grand Prix to set out his stall... More »
(Reuters) – South Korean Park Inbee became only the second LPGA player to win the first three majors in a season when she roared to a four-stroke victory at the U.S. Womens Open on Sunday. The world number one held steady with a final-round two-over-par 74 to ... More »
(Reuters) – Olympic champion Ryan Lochte, who has been appearing in his own reality television show and not fully committed to training since last year’s London Games, showed he had lost none of his drive by winning two titles 90 minutes apart at the U.S. nati... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic will aim to get in the zone to negotiate the dangers of facing a low-ranked player in his second-round match at Wimbledon on Thursday while women’s top seed Serena Williams must improve. The Serb faces America... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – With no consensus sure-fire star as an obvious target, Thursday’s NBA Draft has a sense of suspense about it with numerous candidates for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who own the number one pick. “This draft is really unpredictable,” 7-foot-1 ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – No matter where Sergiy Stakhovsky looks when he walks around the leafy grounds of the All England Club, he cannot escape the image of a beaming Roger Federer holding aloft the pineapple-topped gold Challenge Cup. It is on the results board, ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Wimbledon king Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova endured jolting second-round losses to opponents outside the world top 100 in a freakishly dramatic ‘Wednesday Wipeout’ that saw seven players withdraw injured and the draw shredded. Second se... More »
(Adds telephone call between Rodriguez and Cashman) By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman regrets the language but not the message he delivered to injured third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who violated club policy and co... More »
(Reuters) – Suzann Pettersen has long relished the grueling challenge at the U.S. Women’s Open and once again she is using the psychological ploy of expecting “the worst” in this week’s edition at Southampton in New York. The 32-year-old Norwegian, an 11-times... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Newly-appointed Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers arrived at his team’s practice facility on Wednesday in casual attire that showed just how surprised he was to be there. Rivers, one of the most successful active coaches in the... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Roger Federer received orders from Wimbledon organizers on Wednesday to change his orange-soled shoes that breach an all-white rule although women players will not be pulled up for wearing colored knickers. Wimbledon, the world’s oldest tenn... More »
(Reuters) – Ichiro Suzuki stole the show from dueling Japanese pitchers Yu Darvish and Hiroki Kuroda with a walk-off home run that gave the New York Yankees a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. The Rangers’ Darvish went 5 1/3 innings, giving up thr... More »
(Reuters) – Four-times Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin cruised to victory in the 100 meters freestyle at the U.S. national trials in Indiana on Tuesday, booking her spot at the upcoming World Championships in Barcelona. Franklin, who won four golds at the... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Andy Murray experienced the high of winning Olympic gold in London last year but his second round opponent at Wimbledon on Wednesday inflicted one of his most chastening defeats at the Beijing Games five years ago. Lu Yen-hsun, a Taiwanese c... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – They tend to wounds and provide much-needed mental support all year around, yet the wives and girlfriends of professional riders often feel left out in the sport’s male-dominated world. Cycling WAGS emerged into the public consciousness durin... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Cycling sponsors can enjoy great value for money if they are willing to trust that the sport is finally leaving its dark doping days behind. Before the start of the 100th edition of the Tour de France on Saturday, cycling has been boosted by... More »
BERNE (Reuters) – Brazilian anger against the cost of staging the World Cup could undermine the argument that host countries benefit from sporting mega-events as they become too big for most countries to handle. UEFA’s idea of splitting the Euro 2020 champions... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Like most things French, the Tour de France starts and ends around a lunch or dinner table. In 1903, when Geo Lefevre told Henri Desgrange, his boss at sports newspaper L’Auto about his idea of a cycling Tour de France, Desgrange summoned him... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The specter of Lance Armstrong’s dirty legacy will haunt the 100th edition of the Tour de France even though cycling has already started its much-needed transformation. While riders have been distancing himself from the American and what he h... More »
(Reuters) – The Los Angeles Clippers will formally introduce Doc Rivers as their head coach on Wednesday after the Boston Celtics agreed to release him from his contract in exchange for a future draft pick, the two teams said on Tuesday. Rivers joins the Clipp... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Record crowds lined up for day one of the 2013 Wimbledon tennis championships on Monday as action got underway early on Center Court with pigeon-scarer, Rufus the hawk, clearing away pesky bird life and forecasts for a dry day. With his own ... More »
(Reuters) – The Detroit Tigers took full advantage of a pair of late Boston errors as they topped the Red Sox 7-5 on Sunday in a battle of two first-place teams. With the game tied 4-4 in the eighth inning, Boston outfielder Daniel Nava dropped a fly ball befo... More »
KINGSTON (Reuters) – Olympic bronze medalist Warren Weir ran a scorching 19.79 seconds to win the 200 meters on the final day of the Jamaican trials in the joint 14th fastest time ever on Sunday. On a day that Tyson Gay clocked 19.74 to win the American title,... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Dubbed as Mega Monday, the first day of Wimbledon bursts into life later with defending champion Roger Federer, home crowd favorite Andy Murray and women’s contender Maria Sharapova all in action on Centre Court. Seven-time Wimbledon winner ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A decade on from his debut grand slam success, Roger Federer will begin ‘Mega Monday’ at Wimbledon as the defending champion, the holder of a record 17 grand slam titles and in pursuit of an unprecedented eighth trophy at the All England Clu... More »
BOSTON (Reuters) – With the finish line of a punishing two month playoff marathon in sight, the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks could end the Stanley Cup Finals without their top players as the grind of four best-of-seven series takes its toll. Blackhawks... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – LeBron James realized his dream of winning multiple National Basketball Association (NBA) crowns with the Miami Heat on Thursday with the Finals MVP delivering a magnificent 37-point performance to sink the San Antonio Spurs and defend the ti... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – Miami Heat forward LeBron James won his second successive NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after leading his team to victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday’s championship decider. James, undisputed as the sport’s best curre... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – World shares, bonds and commodities steadied on Friday, a day after a sharp sell-off triggered by plans by the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut back its asset-buying program. Easing fears about a banking crisis in China also made for a calmer ton... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – LeBron James, his legacy as one of the game’s greats now secure, led the Miami Heat to their second straight National Basketball Association (NBA) title on Thursday with a 95-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs. James, the sport’s biggest star ... More »
(Reuters) – Jhonny Peralta belted a two-run walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Detroit Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Boston Red Sox in the battle of American League division leaders on Thursday. Peralta placed an Andrew Bailey slider over the... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – Shane Battier, benched earlier in the playoffs, delivered a masterclass in three-point shooting for the Miami Heat, playing a vital role in their 95-88 win in the NBA Finals on Thursday. Battier made a postseason, career-high six three-point ... More »
MIAMI (Reuters) – The San Antonio Spurs’ worst nightmare became a reality when they lost the decisive game of the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat on Thursday. The agony of their 95-88 defeat in Game Seven of one of the most exciting NBA Finals in years was made a... More »
(Reuters) – Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin cruised through the opening round of the 100 meters at the U.S. trials on Thursday as America’s top sprinters launched their bids for August’s world championships. Former world champion Gay, the year’s fastest man, won h... More »
(Reuters) – Fox Sports has signed a 12-year contract to carry the new Big East basketball conference, the first major sports rights agreement it has entered since announcing its new national cable channel to compete with ESPN. Terms of the deal were not disclo... More »
(Reuters) – Sunday’s close Super Bowl contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers failed to beat last year’s game in total viewers, CBS Corp said on Monday. An average of 108.41 million viewers tuned in, compared with 111.3 million a year ... More »
(Reuters) – Time Warner Cable Inc said on Monday it will carry the new Los Angeles Dodgers television channel, outbidding Fox Sports, which held the rights to show Dodgers games for more than a decade. The Dodgers ownership group will control the channel, beco... More »
His first Bigfoot encounter struck deeply, leaving a humongous, infectious impression on Roger Gauger. He was still in high school when the Evansville native first glimpsed Bigfoot, the original monster truck, smashing cars with its 48-inch tires at Chandler M... More »
Junior Seau, one of the NFL’s best and fiercest players for nearly two decades, had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health told The Associated Press on Thursday. Results of an NIH study of Seau’s brai... More »
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Mirko Jurkovic, a former University of Notre Dame football standout who was part of the 1988 national championship team and later a consensus All-American offensive guard, died of cancer Wednesday evening in Indiana, according to the univers... More »
PITTSBURGH — Pitt football players Ray Graham, Lafayette Pitts and Devin Street have cut a deal to reduce misdemeanor assault and conspiracy charges to disorderly conduct counts. The players were charged in November after police say they surrounded another stu... More »
PARADISE, Ind. — There were differences of opinion on why Bosse trailed Castle 23-22 at halftime on Thursday in the semifinals of the Old National Bank Classic boys’ basketball tournament. Bosse coach Shane Burkhart didn’t think the first half was necessarily ... More »
Piecemeal defense isn’t always a bad thing. Playing with one freshly signed defender (Donnie Harris) and a forward playing out of position (Patrick Kennedy), the Evansville Icemen shut down the Fort Wayne Komets for much of the game and won 4-1 Wednesday night... More »
Two Girl Scouts received high praise Tuesday from Henderson Fiscal Court as they presented their plan for increased safety at the fairgrounds by installing traffic control signs. Brynna Phillips and Lauren Fambrough, fifth-graders with Niagara Girl Scout Troop... More »
NEW YORK — Steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa have been denied entry to baseball’s Hall of Fame with voters failing to elect any candidates for only the second time in four decades. Bonds received just 36.2 percent of the vote, Cle... More »
WASHINGTON — Robert Griffin III is having surgery on a torn ligament and to determine whether there’s any other damage in his ailing right knee. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the procedure was expected to last about two ho... More »
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Notre Dame basketball team is going to auction off game-worn jerseys, tickets to upcoming games and other items to help raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in New Jersey. The school says the online auction will be held through... More »
Purdue coach Matt Painter threw his arms in the air repeatedly Tuesday night. Time after time, he watched the Boilermakers take the ball to the rim. Time after time, he watched in angst as the ball rolled off the rim. On a night Deshaun Thomas scored 22 points... More »
Playing Central for the second time in five days, Bosse’s boys’ basketball rematch against the Bears had a little bit of everything. It had drama. It had the emotion of a sectional final. In the final analysis, the Bulldogs avenged an earlier loss by posting a... More »
MIAMI — Alabama romped to its second consecutive BCS championship, and third in four seasons, beating No. 1 Notre Dame 42-14 in a BCS championship game that was no classic after all. AJ McCarron threw four touchdown passes and Eddie Lacy ran for 140 yards and ... More »
