Second pro golfer records positive coronavirus test
Cameron Champ tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday when he arrived for the Travelers Championship, becoming the second PGA Tour player in five days to have a positive test.
Nick Watney tested positive Friday at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina last week.
Champ tied for 14th at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. He did not play last week at Harbour Town and was tested upon arrival at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
He withdrew from the tournament and must selfisolate for at least 10 days. He can end his self-isolation after 10 days provided he has no subsequent symptoms or has two negative test results 24 hours apart or more.
“I feel great physically and I was obviously surprised and disappointed to learn of the test result,” Champ said in a statement released by the tour. “It’s important now to take the necessary steps and measures to protect others, including my loved ones.”
The tour is expected to release full test results today after the pre-tournament testing is done. REPORT: RYDER CUP WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL 2021 >> The Ryder Cup matches scheduled to be held Sept. 25-27 in Wisconsin will be postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Guardian of London reported Monday.
According to the newspaper, the official announcement regarding the event at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, is expected to come next week.
The move also would have a permanent effect on the Ryder Cup schedule, per the Guardian, with the biennial matches moved to odd-numbered years moving forward.
NBA
JOKIC DELAYED IN SERBIA FOLLOWING POSITIVE COVID-19 TEST >> All-Star forward Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has tested positive for the coronavirus and is quarantining in his native Serbia, The Associated Press reported.
Jokic is expected to be back in Denver long before the team leaves for the Disney complex for the restart of the NBA season next month.
ESPN and The Denver
Post previously reported Jokic’s positive test. COUSINS TO FOCUS ON REHABILITATION, NOT RESTART >> DeMarcus Cousins is expected to sit out and continue his rehabilitation from injury despite drawing interest from multiple teams ahead of the NBA’s planned restart next month, according to published reports.
Cousins, who turns 30 in August, was waived by the Lakers in February. He is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee sustained in August 2019 and has not played since the 2018-19 season.
The NBA will open a oneweek transaction window Tuesday in which teams can make roster moves, including signing free agents.
NFL
BRADY, TEAMMATES STILL WORKING OUT DESPITE NFLPA RECOMMENDATION >> Tom Brady continues to prepare for his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, working out with teammates at a private school despite a union recommendation that players not conduct any more group practices before training camp.
The six-time Super Bowl champion was joined on the field Tuesday by a group of teammates that included tight end Rob Gronkowski, quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin, center Ryan Jensen, cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Mike Edwards.
The latest session came just three days after the Bucs confirmed an unspecified number of “individuals” tested positive for COVID-19 at the team’s training center.
The same day, NFL Players Association medial director Dr. Thom Mayer, recommended all NFL players refrain from working out in group settings until training camp begins next month.
LIONS OWNER FIRESTONE FORD STEPS DOWN, DAUGHTER TAKES OVER >> The Detroit Lions announced that Martha Firestone Ford has stepped down from her role as principal owner and chairman of the team and will hand the reins over to her daughter Sheila Ford Hamp.
Firestone Ford took over the long-struggling team after her husband William Clay Ford Sr., who purchased the Lions in 1963, died in 2014.
TOMLIN: TWO STEELERS HAD COVID-19, NOW HEALTHY >> Two Pittsburgh Steelers players tested positive for COVID-19 but have since recovered and are healthy, head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday.
“We have had two positive tests,” Tomlin said on a Zoom call with the media. “It’s guys that are not in our facility. They have gone through the appropriate protocol and are back to work.”
Baseball
UNIVERSITY REMOVES MARGE SCHOTT’S NAME FROM STADIUM >> The University of Cincinnati is removing Marge Schott’s name from its baseball stadium and a library archive in light of her racist comments while owner of the Cincinnati Reds.
The school’s board of trustees unanimously approved the move. Over the years, UC students, faculty at alumni have objected to Schott’s name on school facilities, but no changes were made.
“Marge Schott’s record of racism and bigotry stands at stark odds with our university’s core commitment to dignity, equity and inclusion,” said school President Neville G. Pinto, who recommended the change.
Soccer
RAPINOE, PRESS AMONG PLAYERS OPTING OUT OF NWSL TOURNAMENT >> U.S. national team players Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have opted out of the National Women’s Soccer League tournament kicking off this weekend in Utah.
Heath and Press, who played with Rapinoe on the champion World Cup team last summer in France, cited concerns about the coronavirus.
The Challenge Cup opens Saturday with a game between the Portland Thorns and the defending champion North Carolina Courage. The league’s teams announced their rosters on Tuesday.
Among the national team players taking part in the tournament are Chicago’s Julie Ertz, U.S. Soccer’s Player of the Year from Santa Clara, teammate Alyssa Naeher, North Carolina’s Crystal Dunn and Portland’s Becky Sauerbrunn.
Rapinoe’s team, OL Reign, did not provide a reason for her decision to sit out.