Off the wire

GOLF

Todd finishes off victory

Brendon Todd got up-anddown for par on the final hole Monday morning to close with a 3-under 68 and win the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Playa del Carmen, Mexico, his second consecutive victory. Todd was tied with Vaughn Taylor when they were among 12 players who had to return to El Camaleon to complete the rain-delayed tournament. Todd holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole and looked to stretch his lead to two shots until he missed a 3-foot par putt on the 16th. He made par on the last two holes. Taylor had a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that stopped one turn short of falling. Taylor shot 68 and tied for second with Carlos Ortiz and Adam Long.

TENNIS New Davis Cup underway

The revamped Davis Cup began a new era Monday in Madrid. As the 18-team Davis Cup Finals got underway in its new weeklong World Cup-style format, Russia defeated defending champion Croatia after Andrey Rublev beat Borna Gojo 6-3, 6-3, and Karen Khachanov edged Borna Coric 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4. Belgium got the best of Colombia thanks to Steve Darcis’ 6-3, 6-2 win over Santiago Giraldo, and David Goffin’s 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Daniel Elahi Galan. Canada edged Italy after Vasek Pospisil topped Fabio Fognini 7-6 (5), 7-5, and Denis Shapovalov outlasted Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5) after nearly three hours. The teams are playing only two singles and a doubles in each tie, with the group winners advancing to the knockout stage later in the week.

FOOTBALL Nagy explains QB move

Chicago Bears Coach Matt Nagy insisted he pulled Mitchell Trubisky near the end of Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams because of pain in his right hip and not because he’s ready to bench his struggling quarterback. Nagy said Monday the decision to have Chase Daniel work Chicago’s final drive was based solely on Trubisky’s injury. He wasn’t sure about his quarterback’s status, with Chicago (4-6) hosting the New York Giants this week. But he made it clear Trubisky “absolutely” remains the starting quarterback as long as he’s healthy. Nagy said Trubisky suffered a right hip pointer when he took a knee from Michael Brockers as Troy Hill sacked him near the end of the second quarter. Nagy said he was aware of the injury, but it was not “significant enough” to remove him from the game at first. Trubisky got treatment at halftime and led the Bears on an 80-yard touchdown drive early in the third quarter. His hip tightened as the game wore on, and Nagy started noticing that his quarterback was struggling to generate power from his lower body. He was all arm on his throws and the offense stalled after the TD, punting on the next four possessions.

Mayfield fine rescinded

Baker Mayfield doesn’t have to put up money for his mouth. The Cleveland Browns quarterback won his appeal and won’t have to pay a $12,500 fine he received from the NFL last month for criticizing officials. After Cleveland’s 32-28 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 13, Mayfield called the officiating “pretty bad.” He was particularly critical of a blindside block penalty called against Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Mayfield knew he would probably be fined for the comments, and the league handed down its penalty a few days later. The second-year QB didn’t back down from his initial criticism of the officials, saying, “People have to be held accountable for their job. When it affects my job, it sucks because it’s not in my control.” The Browns (46) have been one of the league’s most penalized teams this season.

They’ve been flagged 87 times.

BASKETBALL Leonard out again

Kawhi Leonard missed his third consecutive game for the Los Angeles Clippers, again delaying his on-court pairing with new teammate Paul George. George was in the lineup Monday night against his former team, Oklahoma City, which traded him to the Clippers in the offseason. Leonard bruised his left knee in a loss at Houston on Wednesday and didn’t play at New Orleans or against Atlanta last week. Leonard has missed five of the Clippers’ 14 games. When he’s been in the lineup, he’s averaging 26.8 points.

Kicked ball draws fine

Sacramento guard Buddy Hield has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for kicking the ball into the stands after the Kings’ victory over Boston. The ball bounced toward midcourt after Marcus Smart’s potential winning shot bounced off the rim Sunday. Hield chased it down and kicked it into the crowd. The penalty was announced Monday by Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations. Hield scored a season-high 35 points in Sacramento’s 100-99 victory that snapped the Celtics’ 10-game winning streak.