Scheffler looks to make No. 1 in world
NASSAU, BAHAMAS >> The degree Masters champion Scottie Scheffler earned from the McCombs School of Business at Texas did not equip him with the skills to figure out the new formula for the Official World Golf Ranking.
He is No. 2 in the world. He can go back to No. 1 if he wins the Hero World Challenge, simple as that.
“I don’t like being No. 2,” he said. “I don’t like finishing second.”
Scheffler took a step in that direction in the relentless wind at Albany. He ran off four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine for a 4-under 68, leaving him in the group one shot behind defending champion Viktor Hovland.
Hovland made eagle for the second straight day — the other 19 players have combined for one eagle this week — had three straight birdies on the back nine and had a 70. He was at 5-under 139.
Soccer
LA GALAXY PRESIDENT SUSPENDED >> LA Galaxy President Chris Klein was suspended and the team fined $1 million by Major League
Soccer on Friday for undisclosed payments involving Argentine winger Cristian Pavón in 2019.
MLS stripped the team of $1 million in future general allocation money and said the Galaxy will not be allowed to acquire players coming to MLS internationally during next summer’s transfer window. MLS also said former general manager Dennis te Kloese must submit an application to the league office if he wants to be hired by any MLS team.
The league said that
Pavón should have been classified a designated player who counts only partly against the salary cap.
MLB RANGERS INK DEGROM TO 5-YEAR DEAL >>
Free-agent ace Jacob deGrom and the Texas Rangers agreed to a five-year contract.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner leaves the New York Mets after nine seasons — the past two shortened by injuries.
After making his first start last season in early
August, deGrom went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA. He helped the Mets reach the playoffs, then opted out of his contract to become a free agent.
Texas announced the signing Friday night after the 34-year-old deGrom passed his physical. DODGERS SIGN MILLER >> The Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year deal with pitcher Shelby Miller for 2023.
The 32-year-old righthander was 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in four games as a reliever with the San Francisco Giants last season. Miller spent most of the season with Triple-A Sacramento and Scranton-Wilkes Barre, where he was a combined 2-4 with a 2.87 ERA and 69 strikeouts.
The longtime starter has come out of the bullpen the last two seasons.
Basketball
CHINA FINES LIN >> Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, who plays for a Chinese team, was fined $1,400 for criticizing quarantine facilities and China’s professional league, as the government tries to stop protests against anti-virus controls that are among the world’s most stringent.