Johnson back in form at Northern Trust Last blast for NCAA’s Great Alaska Shootout
Dustin Johnson hasn’t felt this good about his game since he was winning every tournament he played. Johnson overcame a shaky start with a switch to his old putter to post a 5-under 65, leaving him one shot behind Russell Henley after the opening round of the Northern Trust. The 65 was his lowest round since February. Mackenzie Hughes of Hamilton was the low Canadian after shooting an even-par 70. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., fired a 71 while Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., was 4 over. Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford, shot a 76. The Northern Trust is the first of four FedEx Cup playoff events that lead to the Tour Championship.
Froome holds lead in crash-marred Vuelta
Chris Froome maintained his Spanish Vuelta lead after Tejay van Garderen crashed twice during the sixth stage Thursday. Van Garderen entered the stage in second place, 10 seconds behind Froome. But the American slipped to fourth, 30 seconds back, after his error-prone day. Esteban Chaves relieved van Garderen as Froome’s closest chaser at 11 seconds behind followed by Nicolas Roche at 13 seconds back. Poland’s Tomasz Marczynski claimed the stage after beating two other breakaway riders to the finish line of the 204-kilometre run from Vila-real to Sagunto that included four Category 3 and one Category 2 climbs.
Ronaldo adds to UEFA top player award haul
Cristiano Ronaldo won his third UEFA men’s player of the year award in four seasons, beating out Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Buffon. Each of Ronaldo’s honours as the best player in Europe followed Real Madrid winning the Champions League. The Madrid and Portugal star is strongly favoured to get a fifth FIFA world player prize in October. The UEFA vote by journalists from 55 member federations was announced Thursday at the Champions League group-stage draw. The women’s award was won by Lieke Martens of the European champion Netherlands. The other nominees were Pernille Harder of Denmark, and Dzsenifer Marozsan of Germany.
Ginobili signing spurs return to San Antonio
Manu Ginobili is returning for his 16th season with the San Antonio Spurs after they re-signed the 40-year-old Thursday. Terms weren’t disclosed. Ginobili will become the eighth player in NBA history to spend his entire career with one team and play at least 16 seasons, joining Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, John Stockton, Reggie Miller and John Havlicek. Ginobili averaged 7.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 69 games last season. In 992 career regular-season games, he has averaged 13.6 points, 3.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds. In 213 playoff games, the four-time NBA champion has averaged 14.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Zeke to suit up before NFL suspension starts
Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott is likely to make his preseason debut against Oakland in what figures to be the 2016 NFL rushing leader’s only game until after his suspension over an alleged domestic violence incident. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Thursday he was leaning toward Elliott playing against the Raiders Saturday night. He said the plan would be similar to Elliott’s only exhibition appearance as a rookie, when he had seven carries for 48 yards on 14 snaps at Seattle last year. Elliott faces a six-game suspension after the NFL concluded he used physical force against his girlfriend last summer in Columbus, Ohio, where Elliott starred for Ohio State. An appeal is set for next week.
Canadian women fall in Universiade quarter
Carla Jessica Pereira Nunes scored on a penalty shot as Brazil beat Canada 1-0 Thursday in the women’s soccer quarter-finals at the Summer Universiade in Taiwan. A handball in the penalty area in the 68th minute set up the Brazilian winner. Meanwhile, Connor Wood scored 19 points as Canada’s men’s basketball team defeated Japan 84-71 in preliminary round play. The win improves their record to 3-1. On the track, Aiyanna Stiverne and Benjamin Ayesu Attah qualified for Friday’s 400-metre final. Stiverne won her semifinal while Ayesu Attah was second in his semi. James Turner is in third place through five events after the first day of the decathlon. Argentina got the better of the Canadian men’s volleyball team with a straight-sets victory (11-25, 17-25, 15-25). Cam Branch led Canada with eight kills. The University of Alaska Anchorage says the 40th Great Alaska Shootout will be the last edition of the long-running college basketball tournament. Chancellor Sam Gingerich said Thursday the NCAA university can no longer sustain funding for the annual Thanksgiving week tournament. The shootout began in 1978 and is the longest-running regularseason college basketball tournament. The 2017 GCI Great Alaska Shootout begins Nov. 21 with the four-team women’s tournament. The field includes Binghamton, Tulsa, Maryland Eastern Shore and host Alaska-Anchorage. The men’s tournament begins Nov. 22 with Cal Poly, Central Michigan, College of Charleston, CSU Bakersfield, Idaho, Sam Houston State, Santa Clara and host Alaska-Anchorage.