Curry starts slow, rallies for a 74 in pro golf debut

Stephen Curry pumped his right fist on Thursday afternoon on the challenging course at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif., raised his arms in the air with club in hand and gave a firm shoulder bump to caddie Jonnie West, his golf partner on road trips with the Golden State Warriors.

After three bogeys in five holes of his professional golf debut, a birdie was worthy of celebration. There was the animated, confident Steph that NBA fans know so well, the two-time league MVP finally feeling it and making the tough shots while competing in a tournament one step below the PGA Tour. With a bogey on the last hole, he had a respectable 4-over 74.

BOSTON WINS SOX BATTLE

Rafael Devers hit a three-run homer and Rick Porcello ended a four-game losing streak with his first win since June as Boston beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-5.

l Alex Wood allowed one run in six innings to avenge his lone loss of the season, Chris Taylor had three hits, including a two-run homer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Atlanta on the road, 7-4. l Paul Goldschmidt snapped a tie in the ninth with his third long homer of the game, and Arizona pulled out a rain-delayed 10-8 road victory over the Chicago Cubs.

l Keon Broxton drove in the goahead run, Matt Garza made a strong start in his return from the DL, and host Milwaukee beat St. Louis, 2-1. l Chad Kuhl allowed four hits in seven efficient innings, Starling Marte went 3 for 4 and scored three times and Pittsburgh had little trouble with Cincinnati in a 6-0 home victory.

l The Detroit Tigers have placed righthander Michael Fulmer on the 10-day disabled list with an elbow injury. Fulmer, the 2016 AL rookie of the year, had been dealing with elbow discomfort for years before it worsened during his last start.

NEYMAR HITS SNAG

Neymar’s plan to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain on a record-smashing transfer has hit a snag. The Spanish league said that representatives of Neymar tried unsuccessfully to pay the 222 million euro ($262 million) buyout clause that would release the Brazil star from his contract with Barcelona and clear his signing for PSG.

But the league refused to accept the payment and won’t act as an intermediary for the player, an official said.