Koepka withdraws from golf’s U.S. Open with lingering knee injury
Two-time champion Brooks Koepka withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday because of lingering pain in his left knee that has troubled him for most of the year.
Koepka had played eight times in a 10week span, including six in a row, to try to catch up from missing so much time from a knee injury suffered last October. It reached a point where he withdrew before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, ending his season in the hopes that time off would help.
Based on his post on Twitter, it didn’t. “Unfortunately, I have decided to withdraw from next week’s U.S. Open,” Koepka said. “I’m looking forward to getting healthy and competing at 100% again very soon.”
Koepka was replaced in the field by Paul Waring, the first alternate based on the Aug.
23 world ranking.
Koepka now gets at least another month of rest — he has said this isn’t an injury that needs surgery — before contemplating whether he can play the CJ Cup in Las Vegas or the Zozo Championship in California, two big events that would lead into the Masters in November.
Ewan wins Tour’s Stage 11
POITIERS, FRANCE » Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan secured his second stage victory at this year’s Tour de France in a chaotic dash to the finish that saw Peter Sagan penalized for barging a rival.
Sagan, squeezed up against barriers on the right-hand side of the finishing straight, made room for himself by leaning his left shoulder into Belgian rider Wout Van Aert.
The irregular move cost Sagan his second place behind Ewan. The Slovakian was dropped back to 85th place.
Afterward, Van Aert and Sagan had a sharp exchange of words.
“There wasn’t a gap and if you use your elbows to open it up, I think it’s completely against the rules,” said Van Aert, a two-time stage winner this year.
In the race for the overall win, Primoz Roglic stayed safe on the rolling ride to Poitiers to keep the race leader’s yellow jersey.
Johnson teams with Ganassi
CHARLOTTE, N.C. » Jimmie Johnson will transition from NASCAR to IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing in a partnership that could pair two of the most dominant drivers of this generation on one team.
The seven-time NASCAR champion will work with the Ganassi organization to finalize sponsorship on a two-year program for Johnson to run the road and street course races on IndyCar’s schedule. If funding is secured, Johnson would be teammates with five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.
The partnership would also leave room for Johnson to compete in select NASCAR events because Ganassi fields only two cars in the Cup Series. Johnson has spent his entire 20-year Cup career driving for Hendrick
Motorsports, which is currently at the fourcar maximum and would not have room for Johnson after he retires in November.
New York’s public high schools moving football to March
LATHAM, N.Y. » The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced that football, volleyball and competitive cheer fall seasons will be postponed until March to address concerns associated with the novel coronavirus.
“We’ve spent two days speaking with nearly 500 athletic directors across the state and it’s clear that administering highrisk fall sports during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge for our member schools,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA executive director.
As a result of the move, the start date for the spring sports season has been moved from March 15 to April 19.