BETTMAN SAYS NHL SEASON COULD START LATER THAN DEC. 1 Furyk falters, 2 behind Els going into Pebble Beach finale.
EDMONTON, ALBERTA » NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman raised the possibility of next season beginning after the tentatively planned Dec. 1 start date, even while the plan remains for each team to play 82 games and the league hold a full playoffs.
Much like its plan to resume this season, the league hopes to adapt to the pandemic circumstances in the U. S., Canada and worldwide and is open to adjusting on the fly as the situation evolves. Acknowledging there are factors like the U. S.- Canada border and local jurisdictions out of his control that could affect travel and attendance, Bettman indicated Saturday he wouldn’t be surprised if the season begins later in December or in January but would like to avoid playing deep into next summer.
Florida State coach tests positive.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell has tested positive for COVID- 19 and will not coach the Seminoles in- person this week as they prepare for Miami. Norvell released a statement Saturday saying he tested positive a day earlier but is feeling fine. He said his wife and daughter tested negative.
Mel Reid takes 2- shot lead in Cambia Portland Classic.
PORTLAND,
ORE. » Mel Reid shot a 7- under 65 on her 33rd birthday Saturday to take a two- stroke lead over defending champion Hannah Green into the final round of the Cambia Portland Classic. Reid closed her bogey- free afternoon round with a birdie on the par- 4 18th at Columbia Edgewater. Winless on the LPGA Tour, the English player had a 12- under 132 total in the event reduced to 54 holes because of poor air quality caused by wildfires.
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF. » Jim Furyk wasted a fast morning start with a dismal finish Saturday at Pebble Beach in the second round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Pure Insurance Championship. Ernie Els then missed a chance to build a big lead in the afternoon, giving Furyk a reprieve and letting Fred Couples and many others get into contention.
Trying to join Arnold Palmer and Bruce Fleisher as the only players to win their first two starts on the senior tour, Furyk followed his opening 8- under 64 with a 73 to drop two strokes behind leader Els.
K. C. fan with COVID- 19 was in box without being tested. KANSAS CITY, MO. » A Kansas City Chiefs fan who tested positive for COVID- 19 one day after attending the season opener was allowed into an open- air field box in the stadium’s lower level without a negative test through a lapse in protocol, health officials say.
Bale back at Tottenham. Seven years after leaving for a world- record fee to Real Madrid, Gareth Bale is back at Tottenham in a bid to reignite his career.
Tottenham confirmed the seasonlong loan signing of Bale on Saturday in one of the most high- profile moves of the transfer window, minutes after announcing left back Sergio Reguilón is also joining from the Spanish champions.
Djokovic loses temper again. ROME » Less than two weeks after getting defaulted from the U. S. Open, Novak Djokovic lost his cool again midway through a 6- 3, 4- 6, 6- 3 win over German qualifier Dominik Koepfer in the Italian Open quarterfinals. When Djokovic was broken at love to even the second set at 3- 3, he slammed his racket to the red clay in anger.
Nadal loses. ROME » Rafael Nadal’s first tournament in seven months ended with a 6- 2, 7- 5 loss to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Saturday.
Iditarod plans to race in 2021.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA » Alaska race officials say the 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will continue as scheduled.