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Great Scottie! Scheffler pulls away to win PGA Championship for 3rd major title

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has won the PGA Championship for his third major title. He won by five shots but this one was a nail-biter until the final hour. Jon Rahm made a furious charge and tied Scheffler for the lead on the back nine. But then golf’s No. 1 player was mistake-free and left the blunders to everyone else. Scheffler shot a 71 and picked up the Wanamaker Trophy. That puts him halfway home to the career Grand Slam and leaves no doubt about his status in the game. Bryson DeChambeau was among three players who tied for second.

‘Embarrassed’ Jon Rahm struggles to keep final-round collapse at PGA Championship in perspective

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jon Rahm appeared on the verge of potentially doing what few thought possible — overcoming a five-shot deficit on the final day of the PGA Championship to beat Scottie Scheffler. And then came the collapse. After battling back to tie Scheffler with a birdie on the 11th hole, Rahm turned what seemed like a foregone conclusion of a Scheffler victory into an entertaining back nine — at least for a while. But the two-time major champion missed key birdie putts and played the final five holes in 5 over to tie for eighth — seven shots behind Scheffler. The Spanish star said he was embarrassed a little bit by the finish, but encouraged with the week overall.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder roll into West finals with 125-93 rout of Nuggets in Game 7

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points, Jalen Williams added 24 and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled into the Western Conference finals, beating the Denver Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7. The top-seeded Thunder will host the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves starting Tuesday. It’s Oklahoma City’s first trip to the conference finals since 2016. Oklahoma City won a league-best 68 games in the regular season. The Thunder lost to Dallas in the conference semifinals last year as the No. 1 seed in the West. This time, the Thunder had to get past three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and a Denver squad that won the NBA title in 2023.

The NBA’s final 4 is set: Thunder, Knicks, Wolves and Pacers remain, and parity reigns again

There will be a new NBA champion. A lot of them, actually, considering almost all of the players left in these playoffs have not even played in the NBA Finals. The New York Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973. The Indiana Pacers won their most recent title that year — in the ABA. The Oklahoma City Thunder franchise has one title in its history, that coming in 1979 when the team called Seattle home. And the Minnesota Timberwolves have never even been to the NBA Finals.

WNBA investigating racial slurs by fans made at Angel Reese during Indiana game, AP source says

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is investigating racial comments directed toward Angel Reese by fans during the Chicago Sky’s loss to the Fever at Indiana on Saturday, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly identified who the taunts were directed toward or who made the allegations. The league says “the WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society.” The league also says it is “looking into the matter.”

Carson Hocevar wins All-Star Open; Nemechek, Gragson also advance to All-Star Race main event

Capitalizing on pit strategy, Carson Hocevar led the final 46 laps to win the All-Star Open and advance into the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Runner-up John Hunter Nemechek also advanced to the main event by finishing second in the 100-lap warmup race. Noah Gragson earned the final transfer spot to the All-Star Race by winning an online fan vote. Hocevar took the lead on a two-tire stop during the yellow flag for a halfway break. The Spire Motorsports driver cruised to a 0.697-second win over Nemechek, who charged from sixth to second over the final seven laps.

Team Penske has miserable Indy 500 qualifying day with 1 crashed car and 2 failed inspections

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Qualifying day for the Indianapolis 500 turned into a Team Penske disaster when all three of its cars were denied a chance to run for the pole. It comes a year after the same three drivers swept the front row at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The day got off to a horrible start when Scott McLaughlin crashed in morning practice and the team decided to just accept the 12th starting spot in the field. Then, moments before the shootout began, the cars for two-time defending race winner Josef Newgarden and Will Power returned to the garage. IndyCar announced the cars had failed inspection and would not be allowed to qualify.

Scott McLaughlin destroys car in huge crash ahead of Indianapolis 500 qualifying

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Scott McLaughlin crashed his Team Penske car in afternoon practice and ruined his chance to repeat last year’s Indianapolis 500 pole-winning run. McLaughlin qualified inside the top 12 and was eligible to run for the pole later Sunday. But he spun at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and immediately braced for impact with the Turn 2 wall. His car was destroyed and Team Penske said they’d slot him at 12th and not even attempt a qualifying run Sunday. The car the team was working on for McLaughlin is Penske’s backup speedway car and had been earmarked for teammate Josef Newgarden to use in next week’s pit crew competition.

Israeli-born, Russia-raised Indy 500 pole winner Robert Shwartzman calls for peace around the world

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Israeli-born IndyCar driver Robert Shwartzman won the pole for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, then used his platform to ask for peace in both the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Shwartzman was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, a nation that is currently at war with Hamas-led Palestinian groups. And he was largely raised in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the nation under whose flag he drove until its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Shwartzman said that “we’re all human beings, and we just have to support each other. We have to find ways to, let’s say, negotiate things. Find way to agree on things.” The Indy 500 is May 25.

Struggling Sergio Garcia says he’d decline playing for European Ryder Cup team right now if invited

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sergio Garcia has appeared in 10 Ryder Cups and amassed more points than any other European player. But the 45-year-old Spaniard says he would decline an invitation to play for Team Europe if he chosen by captain Luke Donald because of how poorly he is playing. Garcia says his feelings could change if he begins to play better. He made the cut at the PGA Championship but was never a factor and finished well down the leaderboard at 7-over 291. Garcia won the LIV Golf Hong Kong event in March but missed the cut in the Masters and is currently not eligible for the U.S. Open or British Open.