DeChambeau joins Saudi golf series; Schwartzel leads in UK
Former U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau became the latest big name to sign on with the Saudi-funded breakaway series LIV Golf, and Charl Schwartzel remained on course Friday to win the maximum prize of $4.75 million at its inaugural event outside London.
That kind of big money has already convinced a long line of leading golfers — although none from the top 10 so far — to accept offers from the series bankrolled by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. DeChambeau is yet to explain why he made an about-turn to join that list, having previously said he would continue playing on the PGA Tour. That may not be possible now, as the PGA Tour announced Thursday that players who defect to the renegade series will face banishment from future tour events.
DeChambeau will be joining a series that already features Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, who are also among the golfers to have spent the week facing questions about the decision to sign up given Saudi Arabia’s human rights violations. CLARK TAKES CANADIAN OPEN LEAD INTO WEEKEND AT ST. GEORGE’S » Wyndham Clark closed with an unlikely par save to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Rory McIlroy and four other players into the weekend in the RBC Canadian Open.
After bogeying Nos. 15 and 16 in windy conditions at St. George’s, Clark got upand-down from about 50 feet from a semi-plugged lie on the downslope in a greenside bunker on the par-4 18th. He was 7 under after an even-par 70.
McIlroy (68) was tied with Matt Fitzpatrick (70), Alex Smalley (67), Keith Mitchell (67) and Jim Knous (67). McIlroy had to wait three years to defend his 2019 title because of the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled golf’s fourth-oldest championship the last two years. AUSTRALIA’S KYRIACOU LEADS SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC » Australian rookie Stephanie Kyriacou shot a 6-under 65 to take the firstround lead in the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
The 21-year-old Kyriacou, a two-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, teed off at 7:15 a.m. in the first group of the day off No. 1 on the Bay Course, before the tricky wind began to blow off Reeds Bay. At 6,197 yards, the course is among the shortest on tour, but the stiff breeze and small, undulating greens help provide a stiff challenge.
Top-ranked Jin Young Ko was at 67 with Brooke Henderson, Dottie Ardina and New Jersey player Marina Alex. Alex won the Palos Verdes Championship in early May in California for her second tour title. FLESCH SHOOTS 65, TAKES CHAMPIONS LEAD IN WISCONSIN » Steve Flesch shot a 7-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ American Family Insurance Championship.
Flesch chipped in for eagle on the par-5 11th and had six birdies and a bogey at University Ridge.
The 55-year-old lefthander won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic a month ago in Georgia for his second victory on the 50-andover tour after winning four times on the PGA Tour. He also won the Georgia event in 2018.
NFL
CHARGERS OWNER ACCUSED BY SISTER OF FIDUCIARY MISMANAGEMENT » Los Angeles Chargers controlling owner Dean Spanos has been accused of repeated breaches of fiduciary duty and misogynistic behavior in a lawsuit filed by his sister.
The filing escalates the ongoing battle among the four Spanos siblings over control of the franchise.
Dea Spanos Berberian filed a petition Thursday in San Joaquin County Superior Court seeking sole control of the family trust that has a 36% stake in the ownership of the Chargers. The lawsuit also asks the court to suspend and remove Dean Spanos as a co-trustee in the trust and for the disqualification of Michael Spanos as successor co-trustee.
DEL RIO FINED $100K FOR COMMENTS ABOUT CAPITOL RIOT » Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has been fined $100,000 by the team for his comments about protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd
and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Coach Ron Rivera announced the fine in a statement Friday after meeting with Del Rio earlier in the day. He said Del Rio’s statements were hurtful to members of the local community and did not reflect the views of the organization.
Asked Wednesday about a social media post he made earlier in the week, Del Rio downplayed the deadly insurrection and questioned why the protests in the summer of 2020 after Floyd’s death were not receiving the same scrutiny. Del Rio called the Jan. 6, 2021, riot “a dustup at the Capitol,” which he later apologized for. RAIDERS AGREE TO 2-YEAR EXTENSION WITH RENFROW » The Las Vegas Raiders have locked up another key player with a new contract, agreeing to a two-year, $32 million extension with Pro Bowl slot receiver Hunter Renfrow.
Renfrow was entering the final season of his rookie contract after being a fifthround pick in 2019 and he
got a big pay raise based on his breakthrough 2021 season.
Renfrow had 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine TDs as he became quarterback Derek Carr’s most reliable target. The 103 catches were the third most in franchise history, trailing only Darren Waller’s 107 in 2020 and Hall of Famer Tim Brown’s 104 in 1997.
Colleges AAC DEAL LETS UCF, CINCINNATI, HOUSTON JOIN BIG 12 IN ‘23 »
The American Athletic Conference announced an agreement with Cincinnati, Houston and UCF that paves the way for the schools to join the Big 12 in 2023.
The three schools announced in September they had accepted invitations to join the Big 12, which moved quickly to a rebuild its membership after Texas and Oklahoma revealed they planned to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025.
Boxing
CROWDED DAIS AS BOXING
HALL OF FAME INDUCTS THREE CLASSES » The International Boxing Hall of Fame might have to build a new wing to host all the inductees after this weekend’s ceremonies.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. alone makes Sunday’s event one of the most anticipated in years. Add in fighters like Roy Jones Jr., Andre Ward and Bernard Hopkins — as well as some pioneering women — and the boxing hall in tiny Canastota, New York, figures to fill up quickly.
Tennis
MURRAY BEATS TSITSIPAS FOR 1ST TOP 5 WIN SINCE 2016 » Andy Murray claimed his biggest win more than five years on when he defeated the top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6 (4), 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open.
The 35-year-old Murray saved a set point in the first set against the fifth-ranked Tsitsipas and powered on to claim his first win over an opponent ranked in the top five since beating Novak Djokovic at the World Tour Finals in London in November 2016.
SWIATEK PULLS OUT OF BERLIN WITH SHOULDER PROBLEM » Top-ranked Iga Swiatek has pulled out of next week’s grass-court tournament in Berlin because of a shoulder problem, saying she needs to rest up ahead of Wimbledon.
Swiatek is coming off her second French Open title after beating American teenager Coco Gauff in the final at Roland Garros on Saturday. She had been set to open her grass-court season in Berlin but joined No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, No. 3 Paula Badosa and former No. 1 Naomi Osaka in pulling out of the event.