U.S./World Sports category, Page 345

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — William Byron put Hendrick Motorsports in a familiar position: on the pole for the Daytona 500. His bigger goal is to make the starting spot pay dividends for the NASCAR powerhouse. The 21-year-old Byron and 25-year-old teammate Alex Bowman locked in the front row for “The...

NEW YORK — The 143rd Westminster Kennel Club dog show begins judging Monday morning, with Pyrenean shepherds, Pembroke Welsh corgis and pugs among the early arrivals. More than 2,800 dogs are coming in 203 breeds and varieties. Judge Peter J. Green is expected to make his pick for best in...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Paul Casey was far away from all the antics and quietly put together another solid round Saturday for a 5-under-par 67 that gave him a three-shot lead over Phil Mickelson going into the final day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Casey had four birdies over...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chase Elliott took blame for the first crash of NASCAR’s new season on a blustery day at Daytona International Speedway that was shortened by rain. Martin Truex Jr. topped the speed chart in his debut for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Bubba Wallace jumped to the top...

SAN DIEGO — Nearly four decades removed from a stint in the short-lived USFL, Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Polian will preside over the opening weekend of the newest spring league, the Alliance of American Football. “It’s one more challenge at the end of a long career,” said Polian,...

ARE, Sweden — Anyone expecting Lindsey Vonn to take it easy in her last race should think again. Doesn’t matter if she’s still banged up from a crash with a black eye, a sore rib — not to mention the pain in both of her knees that forced her to...

ARE, Sweden — Of all the people flying in to attend Lindsey Vonn’s final race — her dad and two siblings, U.S. Ski Team top brass and even Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark — one very significant other will be missing. P.K. Subban, Vonn’s boyfriend and a defenseman for the NHL’s...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Chad Knaus got his first big break at Hendrick Motorsports when he was picked to build a team from scratch around a rookie driver who had yet to prove he belonged at NASCAR’s top level. The driver was Jimmie Johnson. Once Johnson was paired with Knaus...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Phil Mickelson survived a wild finish without having to deal with the rain. Jordan Spieth endured a wet finish to his day with three tough pars, followed by some unwitting help by a spooked fan. Both were atop the leaderboard Friday in the AT&T Pebble Beach...

Greensburg native Rocco Mediate made a personal revelation. The former PGA pro admitted that he had alcohol problems while on the tour and would even, at times, play while drunk. A story from The Golf Channel, quotes Mediate saying that drinking was a way to self-medicate for his back problems....

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Rick Hendrick worked too hard building NASCAR’s top organization to tolerate mediocrity. If his teams had simply been average last season, he might not rate it as one of the worst in team history. The Hendrick cars were pretty bad — seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Only four American courses have hosted a PGA Tour event and a major championship in the same year, a concept that USGA chief executive Mike Davis does not consider to be ideal. One big exception is Pebble Beach. “I think this is great,” Davis said Wednesday...

ARE, Sweden — One of the hallmarks of Lindsey Vonn’s career has been the way she bounces back from major crashes. So perhaps it’s fitting the most successful female skier of all time will enter her last race before retiring after yet another tumble into the safety netting. Vonn straddled...

SAN DIEGO — When the fledgling Alliance of American Football held four exhibition games recently in San Antonio, something was missing. Kickoffs. “We were all looking around saying, ‘Does anyone miss kickoffs?’ The answer was, no, we did not miss them,” said Mike Pereira, the NFL’s former vice president of...

INDIANAPOLIS — The Lakers have pulled out of conversations aimed at trying to acquire New Orleans All-Star Anthony Davis because of the Pelicans’ “outrageous” trade requests, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Magic Johnson, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told New Orleans general manager Dell Demps...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Standing above a greenside bunker at TPC Scottsdale’s difficult par-4 11th hole, Rickie Fowler turned just in time to see his ball, one he had just placed after penalty, trickle into the water. Fowler had already seen his share of bad luck at the Phoenix Open. Now...

Florida State starting quarterback Deondre Francois has been dismissed from the team after a domestic dispute surfaced on social media Saturday night. The school released a statement from head coach Willie Taggart on Sunday afternoon announcing Francois’ departure. “Last night, I informed Deondre Francois that he is no longer a...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson, one of the most polite and professional athletes in sports, rarely gets rattled. Unless he is being trolled on social media. Johnson’s patience was very much tested last season, the worst of his NASCAR career. He could handle the losing, the internal struggles at Hendrick...

Rickie Fowler had eight birdies in a 7-under-par 64 on Saturday, taking a four-shot lead over Matt Kuchar into the final round of the Phoenix Open. Twice a runner-up at TPC Scottsdale, Fowler navigated a difficult two-putt on the par-4 18th hole to reach 20-under 193. Kuchar shot a bogey-free...

COTTSDALE, Ariz. — After the opening round of the Phoenix Open, Rickie Fowler lamented a missed putt that would have given him the outright lead and household bragging rights. Following an impressive string of birdies to close out his second round, Fowler will get his chance to trash-talk Justin Thomas,...

Lindsey Vonn says she will retire from ski racing after this month’s world championships in Sweden. The women’s all-time leader in World Cup wins had been planning to retire in December but changed her plans because of persistent pain in both of her knees, which she fully realized after failing...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The NCAA handed one-year postseason bans and other penalties to Missouri’s football, baseball and softball programs while placing its entire athletic department on probation Thursday after a two-year investigation revealed academic misconduct involving a former tutor. The penalties mean that the Tigers’ highly regarded football team...

SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods wrapped up his week at Torrey Pines with a 67 to tie for 20th and said it was good to shake off some rust and see what needs work. It was his first competition in seven weeks, and only his second event since the Ryder...