August 9, 2020 7:49 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Dustin Johnson shot a 5-under 65 in the third round at TPC Harding Park to enter the final round as the PGA Championship leader at minus-9. He had eight birdies in the round, which helped him forget a bogey on No. 6 and a double three holes later. Both times, he birdied the next hole. Johnson’s only major victory was the 2016 U.S. Open. Eleven other players will be three shots back heading into Sunday’s round. Scottie Scheffler also fired a 65 that leaves him tied with Cameron Champ at 8 under. Two shots back are Brooks Koepka, Paul Carey and Collin Morikawa, who fired a 65.
August 8, 2020 3:41 am
TORONTO (AP) – Artturi Lehkonen flipped a shot past Tristan Jarry with 4:11 remaining to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a stunning 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins that clinched their first playoff berth in three years. Paul Byron took advantage of a Pittsburgh turnover, darted behind the Penguins net and slipped a pass to Lehkonen in front. The 25-year-old Lehkonen found enough space between four Pittsburgh players to slip the puck into the open net. The Penguins mustered little down the stretch and Shea Weber added an empty-net goal in the final seconds as the 12th-seeded Canadiens captured the best-of-five qualifying round over fifth-seeded Pittsburgh in four games.
August 8, 2020 3:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Niko Goodrum drove in five runs, two on a double in a big 11th inning that sent the Detroit Tigers over the Pittsburgh Pirates 17-13 in a startling slugfest. Both teams finished with 16 hits, surprising since each club had four players in the starting lineup batting under .190. Those numbers soon changed as Detroit played its first game in five days. Erik Gonzalez, batting ninth for the Pirates, drove in six runs. He homered, doubled and singled twice as Pittsburgh lost for the eighth time in nine games and fell to 3-11, the worst record in the majors.
August 8, 2020 3:34 am
(AP)-Li Haotong was surprised to find himself atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the PGA Championship, golf’s first major of the COVID-19 era. The fun-loving 25-year-old is the first Chinese golfer to lead any round at a major championship, thanks to a bogey-free 65 at TPC Harding Park. Going low in a big event is nothing new – he shot a final-round 63 at the 2017 British Open to finish third at a similarly cool, windy Royal Birkdale layout. The question is whether he can hold off Brooks Koepka, Jason Day and a pack of seasoned pursuers.
August 8, 2020 3:39 am
(AP)-The Washington Football Team has released running back Derrius Guice after he was charged in multiple domestic violence incidents. The Loudoun County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Department said Guice was arrested on one count of strangulation, three counts of assault and battery and one count of destruction of property. The Sheriff’s Department said it became aware in July of incidents in February, March and April. The 23-year-old Guice turned himself in and was released on $10,000 bond. The team says it learned of one incident Thursday, alerted the NFL and released him after learning of the multiple charges Friday.
August 7, 2020 3:09 pm
In a statement released this afternoon, the PIAA Board of Directors has asked for consultation with Governor Wolf, the Departments of Health and Education and the General Assembly regarding the “strong recommendation” that high school/recreational sports be shutdown until January, 2021. PIAA’s statement follows:
The PIAA Board of Directors met this afternoon to review Governor Wolf’s statement strongly recommending no interscholastic and recreational sports until January 1st. As we have noted, our member schools have worked diligently to develop health and safety plans in accordance witht he Department of Health and Department of Education recommendations to allow students to safely return to interscholastic sports.
The PIAA Board of Directors has heard the thousands of voice of student-athletes, parents, coaches, and community leaders that have contacted us. The Board believes that the Governor’s strong recommendation to delay sports to January 1, 2021 has a potential negative impact on the students’ physical, social, emotional, and mental health. These issues along with the financial inability of many students to participate in any other form of non-school based athletic programs affects all students directly or indirectly.
PIAA is asking the Governor, along with the Departments of Health and Education, to partner with us and work collaboratively to further discuss fall sports. We are also seeking insight and discussion from the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
It is clear to PIAA, the unintended consequences of cancelling fall sports need to be further reviewed. PIAA has worked diligently with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and developed the following general policy statement: Based on currently known information, the Committee believes that STRICT ADHERENCE by schools and teams to their school-adopted plans and the Governor’s School Sports Guidance should provide a reasonably safe environment for student athletes to participate in interscholastic athletics as currently scheduled.
Consistent with the advice of the PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, PIAA continues to believe it can safely sponsor fall sports. On August 21st the Board will reconvene. Between now and then, voluntary workouts, per the Governor’s Guidance for All Sports, and with local approval, may continue. Mandatory fall sports activities are paused for the two week period. PIAA remains committed to providing a season for each of the sports during the 2020-2021 school year.
August 7, 2020 3:51 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Kevin Newman’s pinch-hit two-run single with one out in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Newman ended Pittsburgh’s seven-game losing streak when he took a pitch from Minnesota closer Taylor Rogers (1-1) and laced it up the middle against a drawn-in infield to score Cole Tucker and Bryan Reynolds. Gregory Polanco added a three-run home run for the Pirates. Miguel Sano hit a three-run shot for the Twins. Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario also went deep but the bullpen faltered late to snap Minnesota’s seven-game winning streak.
August 7, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – A total of 66 players have opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the coronavirus pandemic, nearly half of them linemen. Twenty offensive linemen and 11 on defense opted out before Thursday’s deadline. Players with a medical opt out will receive a $350,000 stipend, whole those voluntarily opting out receive $150,000 as an advance against future salaries. No team has come close to New England in losing players for the upcoming season, which begins Sept. 10 with Houston at Super Bowl champion Kansas City. The Patriots, already minus several stars who left in free agency – including, of course, Tom Brady to Tampa Bay – saw eight opt outs: running back Brandon Bolden, offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, safety Patrick Chung, linebacker Dont’a Hightower, tight end Matt LaCosse, wide receiver Marqise Lee, offensive lineman Najee Toran and fullback Dan Vitale. Hightower, Cannon and Chung were key contributors in recent seasons.
August 7, 2020 3:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is wary of what lies ahead as his team prepares for the 2020 season. The Steelers did not have a single player opt out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Tomlin says there are still many challenges ahead. Tomlin said he’s not sure he’s “extremely confident” that the NFL won’t hit some bumps along the way. Tomlin added the team is proceeding with caution, and it will require players being responsible away from the field to help prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in locker rooms around the league.
August 7, 2020 3:53 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Jason Day’s name hasn’t been on the leaderboard lately in the majors. Brooks Koepka’s is there all the time. Day opened the the PGA Championship with a bogey-free round of 5-under 65 at the TPC Harding Park. Right behind was Koepka, going after a third straight PGA Championship title. No one has ever won this major three straight times in stroke play. And only six players in history have won the same major three straight times. Koepka had six birdies and was among those at 66. Tiger Woods had a new putter and opened with a 68. Bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau, the longest driver on tour, broke his driver, which he has nicknamed “the Kraken.” It cracked when he bent over to pick up his tee, the club snapped under him. His support team fetched another shaft.
