AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – A Rose looked very good amid the azaleas at Augusta national. Justin Rose opened with a 5-under 65 to grab a four-stroke lead in The Masters. He played the last 11 holes at 9 under and shot 30 on the back side, one off the tournament record shared by Mark Calcaveccia and David Toms. Rose’s 65 looked even better on a day so tough only 12 players broke par, and the average score was 74.5. He tied a Masters record by taking at least a share of first-round lead for the fourth time. Rose has a pair of runner-up finishes at Augusta, including a playoff loss to Sergio Garcia four years ago. Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama share second, one ahead of Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson, Will Zalatoris, Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Harman was the last player to get into the 88-man field. Defending champion Dustin Johnson struggled after setting the record last year at 20-under 268. He failed to break par at Augusta for the first time since the opening round in 2018, closing with a three-putt for double bogey on the 18th to complete a 74.
UNDATED (AP) – The Vancouver Canucks say 25 players and coaches have tested positive in a COVID-19 outbreak involving a variant of the virus. All players and staff are in quarantine, and 19 of the 22 players on Vancouver’s active roster were listed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list Wednesday. The Canucks say the team has confirmed that a variant is involved in the outbreak, and full genome sequencing is being conducted by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control to determine which specific variant.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) – Don’t expect a repeat of Dustin Johnson’s record-shattering 20-under win as the Masters tees off. The pandemic that forced tournament officials to move last year’s event to November produced softer-than-usual conditions that just about every golfer in the field pounced on. Club Chairman Fred Ridley practically vowed that won’t be the case this time around. “I think we have the golf course where we want it,” he said. What’s that mean? “They’re not concrete yet,” former champion Fred Couples chuckled, referring to the greens, “but they’re brown and they’re going to get there fast.”
NEW YORK (AP) – Artemi Panarin had a goal and three assists, Adam Fox had a goal and two assists and the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-4. Colin Blackwell, Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Alexis Lafreniere, Kaapo Kakko and Pavel Buchnevich also scored for New York, which extended its point streak to four games. It was the first time in 11 years that different Rangers scored in a game. Igor Shesterkin made 42 saves for New York. Jared McCann, Mike Matheson, Jake Guentzel and Brian Dumoulin scored for Pittsburgh, which lost for the second time in seven games.
UNDATED (AP) – The Baylor men’s basketball program was in shambles when Scott Drew took over 18 years ago, ridden with scandal following the murder of a player by a teammate. On Monday, Drew was cutting down the nets after the Bears earned the first NCAA championship in program history. Baylor opened with an 11-1 run and led 29-10 midway through the first half before celebrating an 86-70 pounding of previously-unbeaten Gonzaga. Jared Butler poured in 22 points and had seven assists for the Bears, who shot 10-for-23 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 38-22. Mark Vital led Baylor’s board dominance by grabbing 11. MaCio Teague Teague chipped in 19 points and Davion Mitchell added 15 while trying to keep Jalen Suggs in check. The Zags were attempting to become the first team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers to go undefeated in Division I men’s hoops. Instead, they are the first team to end a perfect run in a title game since Larry Bird’s Indiana State team against Magic Johnson and Michigan State in 1979. Suggs had a team-high 22 points for the Bulldogs, but Drew Timme scored just two of his 12 points after halftime. Corey Kispert also had a quiet night with 12 points.
CINCINNATI (AP) – Nick Castellanos hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning hours after deciding to appeal a two-game suspension for his part in a brawl, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3. Jose De Leon tied a career high with nine strikeouts and allowed two runs, three hits and two walks over five innings to help the Reds secure a third straight win. Mike Moustakas tied it at 2 in the fifth with his first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field off Luis Oviedo. Moustakas also doubled and scored in the eighth.
NEW YORK (AP) – The major league All-Star game is coming back to Coors Field. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that MLB will relocate the All-Star Game to Denver’s Coors Field after pulling the Midsummer Classic from Atlanta over objections to sweeping changes to Georgia’s voting laws. The league is expected to announce Tuesday that the Rockies will host the game. Coors Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1998, the fourth season for the stadium and sixth for the Rockies franchise.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Stanford held off Arizona to win the women’s NCAA title Sunday night. Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford beat Arizona 54-53, giving the Cardinal and coach Tara VanDerveer their first national championship in 29 years. It wasn’t a masterpiece by any stretch with both teams struggling to score and missing easy layups and shots, but Stanford did just enough to pull off the win surviving a miss by Aari McDonald that bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
You can hear the Men’s title game Monday on WJPA-AM (1450) and online Listen Here! From the first tip to the final whistle, we’re you home for NCAA March Madness!
Men’s National Championship (Monday):
7:00 pm #1 Baylor vs. #1 Gonzaga
CHICAGO (AP) – Zach Davies pitched into the sixth inning in his Chicago Cubs debut, leading his new team to a 4-3 victory over the short-handed Pittsburgh Pirates. Ian Happ homered and Kris Bryant reached three times as Chicago earned its second straight win after losing on opening day. Joc Pederson also drove in a run with a groundout. Davies, who was acquired in the December trade that sent Yu Darvish to San Diego, permitted two runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.
CHICAGO (AP) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day injured list with a strained left wrist. One of the preseason favorites for NL Rookie of the Year, Hayes got hurt on a swing during Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. He also used his left hand diving back to first on a pickoff attempt. Manager Derek Shelton says X-rays were negative, but an MRI showed some inflammation.
