In brief: Rory McIlroy off to slow start in PGA playoffs
Golf: Rory McIlroy took a week to celebrate his blockbuster summer and paid for it in The Barclays with his worst start in two months.
He could afford a day off.
That wasn’t the case for players like Bo Van Pelt and Paul Casey, and they picked a good time to produce good scores.
With no guarantee of playing beyond this week, Van Pelt opened with three straight birdies Thursday and chipped in for eagle late in his round for a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead in the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Van Pelt is No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 advance to the next tournament.
Casey, No. 118, played bogey-free at Ridgewood in Paramus, New Jersey to join seven other players at 66. That group included Brendon Todd, who is trying to get Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson’s attention as a possible wild-card pick; and Hunter Mahan, who at No. 62 is in danger of missing the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007.
• Ryu sets course record: So Yeon Ryu set a course record with a 9-under 63 to take the lead at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after one round.
Ryu finished with nine birdies at the London (Ontario) Hunt and Country Club to take a one-stroke lead over fellow South Korean Na Yeon Choi, who chipped in three times during an impressive round.
Swede Anna Nordqvist, who was playing with Ryu, was alone in third at 7 under.
Chicago eliminates Davis, Philadelphia
Baseball: Joshua Houston had a clutch two-run single, reliever Cameron Bufford pitched a tense scoreless sixth inning, and Chicago held off gritty Philadelphia 6-5 in a matchup of inner-city teams at the Little League World Series.
The loss eliminated Philadelphia and prevented star pitcher Mo’ne Davis from getting one last shot to put another stamp on what had become her personal playground.
Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West is making its first appearance in 31 years in the Little League World Series. The victory sends the Great Lakes champs into the U.S. title game on Saturday against Las Vegas.
• Japan thumps Mexico: Suguru Kanamori homered twice, Ren Takeuchi had a big day and Japan beat Mexico 12-1 to advance to the international championship of the Little League World Series.
Takeuchi allowed one hit, Juan Garza’s leadoff homer in the first, in 3 2/3 innings. He also went 2 for 3 with three RBIs in the five-inning game.
Hayato Ueshima had a leadoff drive to answer Garza’s blast for Japan’s first homer of the tournament, and Kanamori also went deep in the first. Kanamori added a three-run shot in the fifth, giving Japan the mercy-rule victory.
Young final piece of blockbuster trade
NBA: A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the Minnesota Timberwolves will receive Philadelphia 76ers power forward Thaddeus Young as part of the deal that will send Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The person requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made.
Further, trades cannot be made official prior to a deadline that has been set for Saturday.
Keselowski gets first Truck Series win
Miscellany: Brad Keselowski earned his first NASCAR Truck Series victory, becoming the first father-son duo to do so.
Keselowski, in his 62nd Truck Series start, passed defending champion Kyle Busch with 75 laps to go and held off Busch’s teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. in the UNOH 200 at Bristol (Tennessee) Motor Speedway.
Bob Keselowski won a Truck Series race at Richmond, Virginia, in 1997 after joining the series three years earlier during its inaugural season.
Wallace closed to Keselowski’s back bumper with two laps left, but drifted high in turn one and Keselowski pulled away to a 0.776 second victory. Four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. finished third.
• Goalie Giguere retires: Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere announced his retirement after 16 NHL seasons in which he won 262 games, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup championship.
The 37-year-old is best known for his time with the Anaheim Ducks. He led the team to two appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy in defeat in 2003 and hoisting the Cup in 2007.
Giguere served as Semyon Varlamov’s backup for the Colorado Avalanche last season.
• America’s Cup starts with 5: Five challengers have signed up for the chance to take on software billionaire Larry Ellison’s Oracle Team USA in the 2017 America’s Cup.
Organizers announced that Emirates Team New Zealand, Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge, Britain’s Ben Ainslie Racing, Sweden’s Artemis Racing and Team France have passed muster and paid the $1 million first installment of the $2 million entry fee. That’s an increase of two challengers from the last regatta in 2013.
• Carter wins 100 at Stockholm: Nesta Carter of Jamaica was the only sprinter to dip below 10 seconds as he won the men’s 100 meters at the DN Galan Diamond League meet.
Carter clocked 9.96 to beat Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Tobago, who finished in 10.09. Britain’s Chijindu Ujah was third in 10.10 on a chilly track in Stockholm.
Olympic champion Allyson Felix beat U.S. teammates Tori Bowie and Joanna Atkins to win the women’s 200 in 22.85 seconds.
• Viviani takes Stage 4: Italian racer Elia Viviani used a powerful surge near the finish to capture Stage 4 at the USA Pro Challenge.
Jens Voigt attacked midway through the stage and had the lead but was caught by the pack with the finish line almost in sight. Viviani finished the 70-mile circuit race around Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 52 seconds.
• U.S. Open draw set: Two-time defending champion Serena Williams will face American teen Taylor Townsend in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Williams could potentially play Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals. Second-seeded Simona Halep and fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska are in the other half. Halep could meet five-time major champ Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals.
Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic and Australian Open champ Stan Wawrinka could meet in one semifinal on the men’s side. Second-seeded Roger Federer and fourth-seeded David Ferrer are in the other half. Djokovic could face Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.