SPORTS HEADLINES

Aaron Rai runs away with the PGA Championship, first English-born winner in more than a century

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rai has become the first English-born player in more than a century to capture the PGA Championship. Rai, who dreamed of being a Formula 1 driver until he turned to golf, was three shots behind and approaching the turn at Aronimink Golf Club when he delivered a performance worthy of a major champion. He made a 40-foot eagle putt on the par-5 ninth during a stretch when he one-putted seven straight greens. Then he holed a birdie putt of some 70 feet across the 17th green for the clincher. The 31-year-old Rai is the first player of Indian heritage to win a major. He closed with a 5-under 65.

Aaron Rai leans on humble roots and hard work to become a major champion

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Aaron Rai recalls watching VHS tapes of Tiger Woods when he was a boy growing up in England. So it was incredible for him to see his name on the Wanamaker Trophy after his astonishing charge to win the PGA Championship. Rai played the final 10 holes in 6 under. The only player who did better than that to win a major was Jack Nicklaus in the 1986 Masters. Rai zoomed past some of golf’s best players. He says everyone in golf has an amazing journey to become a major champion. But his stands out for humility and hard work.

Mitchell scores 26 and the Cavaliers rout the Pistons 125-94 in Game 7 to reach the East finals

DETROIT (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points, Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill each added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Detroit Pistons 125-94 on Sunday night in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers ousted the East’s top seed and will face the third-seeded New York Knicks. Game 1 of that series tips off Tuesday in New York. Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018 and the ninth time in team history.

McIlroy has angry exchange with fan at PGA. Rahm, Smith, Schauffele also fade

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Rory McIlroy’s frustrating final round at the PGA Championship boiled over with an angry exchange with a fan after a “U-S-A!” shout from the gallery at Aronimink Golf Club. The costly errant shot out of heavy rough at the 16th hole derailed McIlroy’s come-from-behind bid Sunday, and he appeared to respond to the shout by using an expletive while telling the fan to “shut up.” The exchange summarized the two-time PGA and six-time major winner’s confounding final round. He was not alone, as Jon Rahm, Cam Smith and Xander Schauffele had their chances and failed to catch Aaron Rai.

Bobby Witt Jr. is scorching. Why can’t the Royals turn it into wins?

A couple years ago, the Kansas City Royals were in the playoffs as a wild card and won a round. With Bobby Witt Jr. signed to a lengthy contract, their future looked pretty interesting.Then the Royals slid back in 2025 — but only slightly, to 82 wins. The start to this year is more concerning. Witt remains an MVP-caliber player. In fact, he’s hit .395 with four homers over his last 10 games. Problem is, Kansas City lost seven of them. With the AL Central looking as winnable as ever, the Royals still can’t get any traction. They’re tied with Detroit for last place.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder becomes the 14th player to win back-to-back NBA MVPs

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — He’s the best player on the best team. And the voters say he’s the best player in the league, too. Again. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder — the reigning NBA champion and the team with the best record this year — won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player on Sunday for the second consecutive year. He becomes the 18th player to win at least two MVP awards and the 14th to win them in back-to-back fashion.

The 64-win Thunder, the 62-win Spurs, and the possibility of an epic matchup in the West finals

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — This is not a one-of-a-kind matchup in the Western Conference finals. And it’s not the NBA Finals, either. It may just seem that way. In one corner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, winners of 64 games this season. In the other corner, Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, winners of 62 games this season — and four wins against the Thunder. That’s the West finals matchup, with Game 1 on Monday in Oklahoma City.

Alex Palou starts his Indianapolis 500 title from the pole after taking the top spot in qualifying

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Alex Palou had his best qualifying attempt on his final four-lap run Sunday and took his second career Indianapolis 500 pole with an average speed of 232.248 mph. He’s the first defending champion to claim the No. 1 starting spot since 2010. Palou also is the only starter on this year’s traditional 33-car starting grid with a qualifying average topping 232 mph. Alexander Rossi will start a career-best second after going 231.990. He’ll start between Palou and Team Penske driver David Malukas on the front row. Malukas went 231.877. Felix Rosenqvist was in position to become Indy’s first pole-winner from Sweden after he posted the fastest averages in the first two rounds of qualifying. But he finished the final round of qualifying at 231.375 and will start fourth.

Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood fall out of the pole mix early during Indianapolis 500 Pole Day

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josef Newgarden found some solace in his inexplicable qualifying run. At least he has a better starting position in this year’s Indianapolis 500 than last year. Kyle Kirkwood endured a much rougher day. His car was slow, his team was shut out of Indy’s 12-car pole shootout, making it even less likely he can cut into Alex Palou’s 27-point lead during next Sunday’s race. Yes, it was an abysmal afternoon for the two American drivers and others on a challenging day that had the hottest air temperatures of the week, soaring track temps and some of the windiest qualifying conditions Kirkwood could remember at the Brickyard’s 2.5-mile oval. Newgarden qualified 24th and Kirkwood will start 26th.

Munetaka Murakami looks right at home with young Chicago White Sox

CHICAGO (AP) — Munetaka Murakami wasn’t supposed to end up with the Chicago White Sox. But it’s working out quite well at the moment. Murakami has fit right in with a promising group of young position players in Chicago, and they have been mashing the ball so far this season. Murakami has an AL-leading 17 homers and a team-high 32 RBIs through Sunday’s action, and the surprising White Sox are tied for second in the majors with 66 homers overall. Murakami entered MLB’s posting system in November. When the market was lighter than expected, the White Sox signed the slugger to a $34 million, two-year contract in December.