Taylor forces playoff, then wins in Phoenix

Nick Taylor made an 11-foot birdie putt to beat Charley Hoffman on the second hole of a playoff after birdieing three of the last four in regulation Sunday, capping another wild week at the Phoenix Open with his second memorable victory.

Taylor closed with a 6-under 65 to reach 21-under 263, with the 35-yearold Canadian forcing the playoff with a 9-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th. Last year, he took the Canadian Open with a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth playoff hole to become the first Canadian in 69 years to win his national open.

Both players birdied the extra hole and hit the green on No. 18 a second time — Taylor from the right rough, Hoffman from the left fairway bunker. Hoffman left his birdie putt short and Taylor birdied the hole for the third time in less than an hour as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Taylor won his fifth PGA Tour title to end a chaotic week of weather delays and the rare decision to close the gates — and, gulp, cut off liquor sales — when things started to get out of hand Saturday.

Taking advantage of the first pleasant day of the week in the desert, Hoffman moved into contention by finishing off a 64 on TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium in the morning to complete his weather-delayed third round. He was 4 under in a three-hole stretch on the back nine and had a three-shot lead when he finished.

Taylor shot a course-record 60 in the opening round. He finished off a third-round 68 in Sunday morning.

Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler shot a 66 to tie Sam Burns for third at 18 under.

BASEBALL Profar set to return to Padres

Free agent Jurickson Profar and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract that gives the 30-year-old outfielder the chance to make another $1.5 million in perftrmance bonuses based on plate appearances, two people familiar with the deal said Monday.

The two people spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal is contingent on Profar passing a physical. Profar is currently in his native Curaçao working to obtain a visa and isn’t expected to arrive at spring training in Peoria, Arizona, until later in the week, according to one of the people.

The deal will give the Padres a full complement of outfielders. They currently have only two outfielders on their active roster, Platinum Glove Award-winning right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar.

Profar primarily played left field with the Padres from 2020-22 and again when he rejoined them late last season, although he played some at the other outfield positions as well as in the infield and as the designated hitter.

• Jen Pawol is on the verge of becoming Major League Baseball’s first female umpire.

The 47-year-old from New Jersey was selected to work a full-time big league spring training schedule this year, people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. That put her on track to become the first woman to umpire a regular-season big league baseball game.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL Sycamores return to Top 25

Indiana State’s balanced scoring, free-flowing offense and its gogglewearing big man have the program off to one of its best starts in years.

Now the Sycamores have something that hasn’t happened since Larry Bird played in Terre Haute: a spot in the AP Top 25.

Riding a nine-game winning streak, Indiana State debuted at No. 23 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll Monday, the Sycamores’ first ranking since reaching No. 1 in 1978-79.

“It’s a group that the community can really wrap their arms around and I think they have. That’s just great to see,” Indiana State coach Josh Schertz told reporters recently. “I know Terre Haute. They love basketball. I know there’s a great history and tradition, from Larry Bird to John Wooden to Clarence Walker.”

Connecticut and Purdue kept the top two spots in the AP Top 25. The defending national champion Huskies

received 45 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel and the Boilermakers had 16.

Schertz took over the Indiana State program during the pandemic, inheriting a depleted roster with no chance to get players to visit campus. Schertz cobbled together a team that won 11 games his first season and the Sycamores improved to 23-13 last season.

Indiana State (22-3) has been on a roll in Schertz’s third season, winning all 11 home games while taking a twogame lead over Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference at 11-1.

The Sycamores have five players scoring in double figures, led by dynamic 5-foot-10 guard Isaiah Swope’s 17.7 points per game. Big man Robbie Avila has become a fan favorite with his goggles, averaging 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Indiana State, which hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011, is fifth nationally in scoring at 85.6 points per game, ninth in 3-point percentage (39%) and is No. 1 in adjusted field goal percentage, per Kenpom.

• In the women’s poll, Ohio State (21-3) moved up to No. 2, behind undefeated South Carolina (23-0). Stanford (22-3) jumped to No. 3 with Iowa (22-3) slipping after losing Sunday at Nebraska. UCLA (19-4), which swept its games in the Bay Area while welcoming back 6-foot-7 sophomore Lauren Betts, is at No. 9 with USC (17-4) next at No. 10.

PRO BASKETBALL Kupchak stepping down as GM of the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets will begin a search for a new president of basketball operations after longtime NBA executive Mitch Kupchak stepped down on Monday.

The 69-year-old Kupchak, who has served as the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager since 2018, will transition into an advisory role once the new hire joins the organization.

Kupchak was a 10-time NBA champion as a player and executive with the Lakers but never could find that success in Charlotte. The Hornets are 176-259 since Kupchak took over, with only one winning season and never reaching the postseason.