Ukraine's Usyk retains his titles via split decision

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk retained his world heavyweight titles with a split decision win over Anthony Joshua on Saturday in a rematch in Saudi Arabia that was closer than last year’s first fight.

Both fighters held up the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag as the judges’ scores were read out at King Abdullah Sport City arena near Jeddah. When he was declared the winner, Usyk hid his face behind the flag.

Usyk, 35, kept his WBA, WBO and IBF belts six months after serving in the Ukrainian army as part of the country’s defense against Russia’s invasion.

There’s only one heavyweight title that Usyk doesn’t own — the WBC one that was vacated this year by Tyson Fury, who says he is retired.

When asked about Fury, Usyk said: “I am sure Tyson Fury is not retired yet. I am sure Tyson Fury wants to fight me. If I’m not fighting Tyson Fury, I’m not fighting at all.”

Two judges gave it to Usyk, one 115-113 and the other 116-112. The other gave the fight to Joshua, 115-113.

Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion, fell to his third loss in 27 fights and his career appears at a crossroads.

Leader Cantlay eyes repeat at BMW

Patrick Cantlay was part of an All-Star chasing pack until he holed out from 106 yards for eagle and carried that to a 6-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead and a chance to become the first back-to-back winner of the BMW Championship in the FedEx Cup era.

Next up is another round on the South course at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club with a familiar face. Xander Schauffele, his closest friend on the PGA Tour, had a bogey-free 66 and was a shot back, along with Scott Stallings (66).

Cantlay, a UCLA product and Long Beach native, and Schauffele play practice rounds together just about every week when they’re at the same tournament, just never with this much on the line. More than just $2.7 million for the winner, Cantlay or Schauffele could go to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup — that also depends on how Masters champion Scottie Scheffler fares — with a win and start the Tour Championship with a two-shot lead.

Cantlay knows the value of that from experience. After his dynamic playoff win in the BMW Championship last year at Caves Valley, he had the No. 1 seed and a two-shot lead at the start and wound up winning by one shot to claim the $18 million prize.

“My head is not even there right now,” said Cantlay, who was at 12-under 201. “I think the best way to handle this playoff system is to just focus on doing your best in the tournament that you’re in and not worry too much about the points. So that’s what I’m going to do.”

There’s another reason. This is far from a two-man show

Adam Scott, trying to work his way into the top 30 who reach the Tour Championship, held his own with a 69 and was only two shots behind. He started the postseason at No. 77 and is coming off a tie for fifth last week just to make it to the BMW.

Also two back was Scheffler, the world No. 1 who answered consecutive bogeys late in his round with a 4-foot birdie for a 68.

Collin Morikawa (65) and Aaron Wise (67) made it seven players separated by three shots.

Rory McIlroy started slowly and could manage a only 70, leaving him five shots back. Jordan Spieth, who began the weekend just one shot behind, missed par putts of 3 feet and 2 feet and didn’t have much else go right in his round of 74 that took him out of contention.

Will Zalatoris felt pain in his lower back and withdrew after four holes, saying he wanted to be ready for the FedEx Cup finale next week.

Zalatoris is coming off his first PGA Tour victory last week to start the PGA Tour’s postseason. The win moved him to the top of the FedEx Cup standings and to No. 9 in the world.

He was 1 under for the day and 4-under par for the tournament — four shots out of the lead at the time — when he tweaked his lower back on a shot on the third hole. He got treatment on the course, played the next hole and the pain did not subside.

• American Nelly Korda shot a 5-under 67 to make up seven strokes on her sister, Jessica Korda, and win the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour in Sotogrande, Spain.

Nelly Korda had bogeys on her second and final holes but it was still enough for a three-shot victory over her older sister, Spaniard Ana Pelaez Trivino and France’s Pauline Roussin.

Nelly Korda finished with a 13-under total at the La Reserva Club de Sotogrande.

“I haven’t won this year, so it feels nice to get a win under my belt but I’m also very sad as it wasn’t the day Jess was expecting,” Nelly Korda said. “I guess we were hoping for a bit more of a battle going down the stretch, but it’s golf and that sometimes happens.”

Jessica Korda shot a 5-over 77 to relinquish her six-shot lead over Roussin entering the final round.

• Mike Weir shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over fellow major champion Padraig Harrington (67) into the final round of the PGA Tour Champions’ DICK’S Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y.

• Texas A&M senior Sam Bennett won his third straight match against a player from the top 10 in the amateur world ranking, this one getting him into the U.S. Amateur championship match with a 1-up victory over Dylan Menante.

All five of Bennett’s matches at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J., have been against players at No. 27 or better in the amateur ranking.

Bennett, No. 3 in the world amateur ranking, now faces Georgia Southern senior Ben Carr, who is No. 70 and won his semifinal match, 3 and 2, over Derek Hitchner.

Bennett never trailed against Menante, who was part of Pepperdine’s team that won the NCAA title in 2021 but decided to transfer to North Carolina for his senior year.

Malone wins gymnastics nationals

Brody Malone cruised to his second national gymnastics title in Tampa, Fla., to cement his status atop the American men’s program with the Paris Olympics less than two years away. Malone, 22, posted a twoday total of 176.950, more than five points ahead of longtime national team member Donnell Whittenburg in second and teenager Asher Hong in third.

• Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson scored at 3:20 of three-on-three overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory over Finland in Edmonton, Alberta, for its record-extending 19th world junior hockey title.

• Former Florida forward Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed during a game in December 2020 and hasn’t played since, is headed to Kansas State to resume his college career. Johnson, 23, will have one year of eligibility remaining, although he could petition the NCAA for another. Johnson has received medical clearance to play again, something Florida officials said wasn’t going to happen in Gainesville.

• Petra Kvitova outlasted Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3 to reach the Western & Southern Open tennis final. She’ll face France’s Caroline Garcia, the first qualifier to reach the final in Cincinnati. The 28-year-old Garcia won her seventh straight match, beating sixth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

• Dutch fans got a treat as Mike Teunissen took the overall lead in the Spanish Vuelta, and Sam Bennett of Ireland won the sprint finish in the second stage in Utrecht, Netherlands.