PGA Tour set for busy year
ATLANTA — Not since 1962 has the PGA Tour had 50 official tournaments in one season, much less six majors. On Wednesday, when the tour announced its 2020-21 schedule — a packed slate that includes two Masters in a span of five months, two U.S. Opens on opposite ends of the country and a tournament in the Dominican Republic that will be played twice in the same season — commissioner Jay Monahan called it “a dream season.” It starts a week from today in Napa, California, and ends Sept. 4 in Atlanta, which is where the PGA Tour is this week for the 30-player Tour Championship that concludes the 2019-20 season. That tournament, which tees off Friday at East Lake Golf Club, includes Baylor School graduate Harris English in the top quarter of the points standings. The 50 events offering official money next season do not include the tournament at the Olympics, which were postponed until 2021 in Tokyo and will be held two weeks after the British Open and the week before a World Golf Championship — the FedEx St. Jude Invitational at TPC Southwind in Memphis. None of this would have happened if not for the PGA Tour going dark from mid-March to mid-June as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports around the world and led to three tournaments being rescheduled for after the FedEx Cup playoffs.
CYCLING
› PRIVAS, France — Julian Alaphilippe’s latest ride in the yellow jersey is over, and his rivals had nothing to do with it. The 28-year-old French cyclist was stripped of the Tour de France’s coveted overall leader’s shirt Wednesday after being handed a time penalty for illegally receiving provisions near the end of the race’s fifth stage, which had been largely uneventful until then. British rider Adam Yates was moved up to first place in the revised general classification standings after Alaphilippe was docked 20 seconds. Only minutes after versatile Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the stage in a sprint finish, television footage showed Alaphilippe grabbing a bottle from a staff member of his Deceuninck-Quick Step squad about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the finish. Riders are not allowed to receive food or drinks during the final 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) of a stage. Alaphilippe’s team did not immediately explain why the staff member was posted inside that zone and handed the bottle over. Yates now tops the standings with a three-second advantage over Primoz Roglic. Alaphilippe dropped to 16th overall, 16 seconds behind the new leader.
HORSE RACING
› The Preakness Stakes will be run Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore without fans, making it a spectator-free sweep of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After all three races in the series were postponed and then rescheduled out of their traditional order, the Belmont Stakes took place without fans June 20 in Elmont, New York. Churchill Downs originally moved the Kentucky Derby to this Saturday hoping fans could attend, then adjusted to limited attendance and ultimately none at the Louisville track. Pimlico’s announcement was made Wednesday.
FOOTBALL
› FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons announced Wednesday that they had signed quarterback Kyle Lauletta, a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants in 2018. The former University of Richmond player could be an option behind starter Matt Ryan and veteran backup Matt Schaub, though Atlanta has been pleased with the development of Kurt Benkert. The Falcons also are seeking another quarterback for the expanded practice squad after waiving Danny Etling. Released by the Giants in August 2019, Lauletta spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad.