Hamlin wins pole as Toyota dominates in qualifying
AVONDALE, ARIZ. >> Denny Hamlin will start on the pole for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event at Phoenix Raceway, capping a stellar qualifying session for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota on Saturday.
Toyota grabbed four of the top six spots after Hamlin ran his lap in 132.655 miles per hour. Ty Gibbs will start on the outside of Row 1 — making it an allJGR front row — while Erik Jones will start fourth and Tyler Reddick sixth.
It is the 150th pole for Toyota in the Cup Series. Hamlin now has 41 career poles, including 36 with Toyota. The 43-year-old won his first career pole in Phoenix back in 2005.
Hamlin also had one of the fastest lap times in practice on Friday, though his longer run speed was a little slower.
Chase Elliott qualified third and William Byron, the Daytona 500 winner, will start fifth. VERSTAPPEN CRUISES >> Max Verstappen stayed firmly on course for another season of dominance in Formula 1 by winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Even after just two races, and despite turmoil at Red Bull, Verstappen seems in
near-total control on the track as he aims for a fourth consecutive title this year. Still, he had to share the attention with 18-year-old Oliver Bearman, who was a surprise seventh in his first F1 race as a Ferrari standin.
Golf
PAIR SHARE LEAD >> Scottie Scheffler was six shots behind, losing ground and nearly losing his mind on another tough day at Bay Hill. What saved him was his putter — yes, his putter — that allowed him to end with a share of the lead with Shane Lowry.
Scheffler, the No. 1 player
in the world, one-putted his final seven greens, four of them for birdie, for a 2-under 70. Lowry also bounced back with two late birdies, one from just outside 30 feet on the par-3 17th, for a 70.
They were at 9-under 207, one shot ahead of U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark.
ANCER TAKES LEAD >> Firstround co-leader Abraham Ancer birdied five of his final eight holes for an 8-under 62 and a five-stroke lead after two rounds of the inaugural LIV Golf tournament in Hong Kong.
Ancer had a two-round total of 15-under 125 on the Hong Kong Golf Club course.
Harold Varner III and Eugenio Chacarra, who shot second-round 66s, were tied for second.
KOHLES SURGES >> Ben Kohles had four birdies over his last five holes for a 9-under 63 and a two-shot lead in the Puerto Rico Open as he chases his first PGA Tour title.
Kohles was tied for the lead with fellow Virginia alum Jimmy Stanger when he hit wedge to about 6 feet for birdie on the 17th, and then recovered from two shots in the rough by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 closing hole at Grand Reserve.
THREE TOP LEADERBOARD >> Lydia Ko and Bailey Tardy each shot 6-under 66s and joined Sarah Schmelzel, who finished with a 69, to top the leaderboard after the third round of the Blue Bay LPGA on China's southern island of Hainan.
Ruixin Liu was two shots behind the three leaders after a 69.
Tennis
GAUFF RALLIES >> Coco Gauff rallied just in time to avoid an early exit from the BNP Paribas Open, edging Clara Burel 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
The U.S. Open women's champion trailed 4-0 and then 5-2 in her opening match in the tournament, leaving her a game away from becoming the second top American upset by Burel this year. The No. 47-ranked player from France beat No. 5 Jessica Pegula in the second round of the Australian Open.
NFL
BRONCOS TRADING JEUDY >> The Denver Broncos have agreed to send wide receiver and former firstround pick Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns for a pair of 2024 draft picks, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press.
The people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the impending deal wasn't immediately announced by either team, said the Broncos would receive fifth- and sixth-round picks in next month's NFL draft when the trade becomes official next week.
EAGLES KEEP GRAHAM >> The Philadelphia Eagles agreed on a one-year contract with veteran Brandon Graham, the club announced, meaning the defensive end will be back for a franchise-record 15th season.
Graham has 73 sacks in a record 195 career games with the Eagles, including three sacks last season.
The 35-year-old is a popular player in the locker room and in the Philadelphia community.
NBA
PACERS GUARD OUT FOR SEASON >> Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season.
The Pacers said that the procedure will be performed next week in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Mathurin was averaging 14.5 points in his second NBA season. He was the MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend in Indianapolis.
Skiing
BRIGNONE WINS >> Federica Brignone keeps hanging on to her slim chance of winning the women's World Cup giant slalom title this season.
But the Italian skier prefers not to think about it.
Brignone reduced the gap to GS standings leader Lara Gut-Behrami to 95 points by winning the penultimate race, but she still needs something extraordinary to happen at next week's World Cup finals in Saalbach, Austria if she is to overtake the Swiss star.