Gee wins Tri-State

Oakmont’s Devin Gee wins Tri-State Open with late birdie binge.

Oakmont professional Devin Gee birdied two of the final five holes Tuesday in a final-round 67 to hold off John Aber of Allegheny Country Club and win the Tri-State Open at Williams Country Club in Weirton, W.Va., for the first time.

Gee, a former two-time section match-play champion, birdied Nos. 14 and 16 to finish at 8-under 136, one shot ahead of Aber, who was trying to win the event for the third time

After opening the tournament with back-to-back bogeys, Aber played the final 34 holes without a bogey to finish at 137.

First-round leader Rocco Salvitti, a sophomore at Central Catholic High School, got off to a fast start with birdies on three of the first four holes, but ended with a fourth-place finish at 140.

Auto racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join his late father in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame next year as the feature attraction in the class of 2021. NASCAR’s longtime fan favorite received the sport’s biggest honor Tuesday, being selected to join his father in the series’ Hall of Fame. Earnhardt will be inducted along with the late Mike Stefanik and 87year-old Red Farmer, who is planning to race on Talladega’s dirt track this weekend. Ralph Seagraves was named the Landmark Award winner for his contributions to the sport.

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett announced he has tested positive for COVID-19 and now is in quarantine. Jarrett, 63, broke the news during

NASCAR’s Hall of Fame announcement.

Hockey

Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula fired general manager Jason Botterill as part of a drastic cost-cutting purge of front-office staff and scouts on a team preparing to sit idle for the remainder of the calendar year. The Pegulas cited a lack of communication and philosophical differences in announcing the decision to fire Botterill, three weeks after saying the GM would be retained.

Track and field

Reigning world champion Christian Coleman insists a simple phone call from drug testers while he was out Christmas shopping could’ve prevented the latest misunderstanding about his whereabouts — one he fears could lead to a suspension. The 24year-old American sprinter detailed his latest missed drug test in a long post on his Twitter account. He said the Dec. 9 test was his third infraction in a 12-month period, which could result in a suspension.

Harness racing

The Meadows Racetrack in Washington, Pa., rescheduled the Currier & Ives 3-year-old Filly Trot and the Currier & Ives 3year-old Open Trot for July 4. Both had been postponed because of the pandemic.

Baseball

Longtime Giants pitcher Mike McCormick, who won the Cy Young Award in 1967, has died. He was 81.