July 19, 2020 7:27 am
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) – The fast greens were to Jon Rahm’s liking Saturday as he took over the Memorial lead at Muirfield Village. Rahm began play one shot back before carding a 68, while previous co-leaders Ryan Palmer and Tony Finau shot 73. Rahm now enjoys a four-shot edge heading into Sunday’s final round. He took control with four straight birdies on the back nine before closing with consecutive pars. Danny Willett is alone in fourth place, six shots back and one ahead of Jason Day and Henrik Norlander. Tiger Woods shot a 71 after barely making Friday’s cut. He’s 10 strokes back.
July 18, 2020 9:23 am
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) – Tiger Woods teetered on the cut line before earning two more rounds at the Memorial. Woods followed Thursday’s 1-under 71 with a 76 that puts him at plus-3 in his first PGA tournament since the coronavirus pandemic. He missed a pair of 3-foot putts and took a double bogey from the fairway before a birdie-par finish left him one over the cut line. Woods is a five-time winner at Muirfield Village, but his current 36-hole total is his worst since his first time playing it 23 years ago. Ryan Palmer fired a 68 to pull into a tie for the lead with Tony Finau at 9 under. Jon Rahm is one stroke back.
July 18, 2020 4:22 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Joe Musgrove will be the opening day starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates when the club opens the 2020 season in St. Louis. First-year manager Derek Shelton credited Musgrove for the way he’s embraced a leadership role in recent months for a rotation missing Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer. While Musgrove is eager to make it the first opening day start of many, the Pirates will likely begin the season without closer Keone Kela and right fielder Gregory Polanco. Polanco has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus while Kela is dealing with an undisclosed health issue.
July 18, 2020 4:25 am
UNDATED (AP) – An ESPN survey finds most of the highest-paid college football coaches have avoided the voluntary salary reductions that have swept Power Five programs. ESPN surveyed the 65 Power Five conference schools along with 10 other prominent basketball programs. At 33 of the 75 schools, at least one of either the football and basketball coach had agreed to have his pay cut to deal with the financial crisis brought on by the pandemic. But eight of the 10 football coaches with the largest salaries during the 2019-20 academic year have not had their salaries reduced, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Alabama’s Nick Saban, the two highest-paid coaches in the the sport. Among basketball coaches half of the 10 highest paid have not taken cuts.
July 18, 2020 4:24 am
UNDATED (AP) – A total of 315 Division I football games have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Associated Press research, 102 Football Bowl Subdivision games are off. That number is 255 for the Football Championship Subdivision. Included in those numbers are 42 matchups between FBS and FCS teams. The Colonial Athletic Association, Ivy League, Patriot League and MEAC have canceled or postponed their seasons. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have canceled non-conference games. The CAA is allowing its members to play as independents this season. A total of 223 Division II games are off.
July 17, 2020 2:26 pm
Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco has tested positive for Coronavirus according to the team on Friday. Polanco will now quarantine for 14 days.
July 17, 2020 2:27 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Several professional, semi-professional, amateur and college sports teams have submitted plans to the Pennsylvania Department of Health to have fans in the stands. The Wolf administration is declining to reveal which organizations, teams or colleges have submitted plans, or whether it has approved any. But the administration said Friday it continues to discourage spectators or fans from attending games to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. Penn State declined to say whether it had submitted a plan but says it’s working with various governing bodies on scenarios “for a possible return this fall consistent with physical distancing, mask wearing and other preventative safety steps.”
July 17, 2020 3:44 am
UNDATED (AP) – The NCAA has released its latest guidance to help member schools navigate competition during the coronavirus pandemic, and they come as the prospects of actually playing look grim. The NCAA says college football players should be tested for COVID-19 at least 72 hours before a game, players with high-risk exposures should be quarantined for 14 days and everybody on the sideline should wear a mask. NCAA President Mark Emmert said that if there is to be college sports in the fall, they need to get a much better handle on the pandemic.
July 17, 2020 3:43 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – The New Orleans Pelicans say top overall draft choice Zion Williamson has left the club to attend to an urgent family medical matter. The Pelicans say Williamson intends to rejoin the team in the Orlando area for the resumption of the season. But the club has not said whether the former Duke star would be able to return or whether he’ll miss any games because of his departure on Thursday. Williamson will have to quarantine again when he returns to Central Florida. Williamson has averaged 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in 19 games this season after missing the New Orleans’ first 44 games while recovering from preseason arthroscopic knee surgery.
July 17, 2020 3:45 am
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) – Tiger Woods got his first taste of playing competitive golf without adoring admirers since the coronavirus pandemic caused the PGA to hold tournaments without spectators.
Woods received near-dead silence as he opened and closed with birdies en route to a 1-under 71 in opening-round play at The Memorial. He’s five strokes behind leader Tony Finau, who birdied seven of his final 10 holes for a 66 that puts him one ahead of Ryan Palmer. Muirfield Village is the first club in 63 years to host back-to-back PGA events. Collin Morikawa won there last weekend at 19-under, beating Justin Thomas in a playoff.
