Alaphilippe keeps lead after ‘day of folly’
SAINT-MICHEL-DEMAURIENNE, France — One big Alpine stage completed, just two more to go, and Julian Alaphilippe is still in yellow with France another step closer to having a first Tour de France winner since 1985.
Continuing to contribute more than anyone to making this the most exciting Tour in decades, the French rider recovered from a moment of weakness on the lunar-landscaped Galibier pass and sped down treacherous hairpin bends on the other side to preserve his race lead Thursday.
“It was a day of folly,” Alaphilippe said. “I unplugged my brain, and I was on the limit on each bend. I did a crazy descent, where I took risks. I wanted to save my jersey.”
But it wasn’t a perfect day for Alaphilippe. With a decisive, well-placed attack on the slopes of the Galibier — the last of three climbs to above 6,500 feet in Stage 18 — Colombian rider Egan Bernal got away from Alaphilippe and ate into his lead.
Bernal vaulted from fifth to second in the overall standings. Having started the day 2 minutes, 2 seconds behind Alaphilippe, Bernal is now just 90 seconds behind him.
Colombian rider Nairo Quintana won his first stage, flying away from everyone on the Galibier and putting some color back into what so far had been an underwhelming Tour for the former twotime runner-up. Quintana vaulted from 12th overall to seventh, 3:54 behind Alaphilippe.
Creamer shoots 64 to top Evian
Paula Creamer leads a major tournament again after shooting a bogey-free, 7-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead in the first round of the Evian Championship at Evian-lesBains, France.
When Creamer last topped a major leader board, she won the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open by four strokes to get her ninth title on the LPGA tour.
At 6 under were Brittany Altomare, who earned a career-best runner-up finish in the Evian in 2017; seven-time major winner Inbee Park; No. 2-ranked Jin Young Ko and Mi Hyang Lee.
Two shots behind Creamer on 5 under were Jennifer Kupcho and Mel Reid of England, who got the day’s only eagle at the 18th.
In other news:
• Jon Rahm matched his career low with an 8-under 62 in the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, taking advantage of nearly perfect greens to open a threestroke lead in the World Golf Championship event. Rahm rolled in five putts of at least 16 feet for birdies in the bogey-free opening round at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tenn. Bubba Watson, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith and Shugo Imahira shot 65.
• A quartet of Americans — Wes Short Jr., Scott Dunlap, Scott Parel and Ken Duke — topped the Senior British Open leader board, together with England’s Paul Broadhurst, when first-round play was suspended because of fading light. The leaders were a stroke ahead after a 3-under 67 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Parel will need to play a hole and Duke two holes Friday to complete their first round. Weather caused a threehour delay during the day with play suspended twice because of lightning.
Trail Blazers add veteran Gasol
The Portland Trail Blazers added six-time All-Star Pau Gasol to their roster.
Gasol, 39, has averaged 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists over an 18-year career that has included stints with Memphis, the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago, San Antonio and Milwaukee.
In other news:
• The Milwaukee Bucks added veteran guard Kyle Korver to their roster. Korver, 38, was waived July 7 by Phoenix, which acquired him in a trade with Memphis. Korver had been traded to the Grizzlies by Utah, where he played most of last season.
• Washington Wizards forward C.J. Miles will undergo surgery for a stress fracture in his left foot Thursday. Washington acquired Miles from Memphis this summer for center Dwight Howard.
• The ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright agreed to a deal in which she pleaded guilty to facilitation to first-degree murder and received a 30-year prison sentence. Sherra Wright entered the plea during a hearing in Shelby County Criminal Court in Memphis, Tenn. Lorenzen Wright’s body was found in a swampy field in Memphis in July 2010. He had been missing for 10 days before his body was found riddled with bullet wounds. Sherra Wright and co-defendant Billy Turner were charged with first-degree murder and had been scheduled to go to trial Sept. 16.
Phipps’ 2-run HR powers Skeeters
Denis Phipps’ two-run homer in the eighth inning broke a tie and lifted the Sugar Land Skeeters to a 5-3 Atlantic League victory over the Rockers at High Point, N.C. Albert Cordero also had two RBIs for Sugar Land. … The Brazilian soccer confederation said former U.S. national women’s team coach Pia Sundhage, 59, will coach its women’s national team. Sundhage, who won Olympic gold medals as coach of the United States in 2008 and 2012 and silver with Sweden in 2016, will head the team for two years with a possible extension for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. … A 23-yearold boxer from Argentina died five days after collapsing after his fight. The World Boxing Council said Hugo Santillan died from head injuries after the WBC Latino Silver lightweight bout against Uruguayan Eduardo Abreu on Saturday at San Nicolas, Argentina. Santillan passed out when the result was about to be announced and underwent surgery after the fight but never regained consciousness. Russian boxer Maxim Dadashev died Tuesday, four days after suffering a brain injury in a lightwelterweight fight with
Subriel Matias in Maryland. He was 28.