Keselowski puts drought to rest
Brad Keselowski moved to the front when leaders Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick hit battling for first with nine laps left and held on to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Sunday for his first NASCAR win in three years.
It was Keselowski’s 36th career victory, his second at Darlington and his first since reconnecting with magnate Jack Roush and becoming a co-owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
“Hell of an effort by everyone,” said Keselowski, who had not won since April 25, 2021 at Talladega.
It appeared Keselowski’s employee at RFK, Buescher, would get the win after he passed his boss and Reddick with 29 laps to go. But Buescher and Reddick then hit and fell back, opening the door for Keselowski’s satisfying victory.
“What a heck of a day,” he said. “That battle out there with my teammate and Tyler Reddick, we just laid it all on the line.”
Ty Gibbs was second, Josh Berry third and Denny Hamlin fourth.
Zhang ends Korda’s streak
Rose Zhang won the Cognizant Founders Cup to end Nelly Korda’s record-tying LPGA Tour winning streak, rallying to beat Madelene Sagstrom by two strokes. Zhang birdied four of the final five holes to overcome a three-shot deficit in a thrilling final-round duel with Sagstrom after the two broke away from the field Saturday.
Zhang shot a six-under 66, birdieing Nos. 14, 15, 17 and 18 at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J. Sagstrom bogeyed the 16th in a 69.
Korda, who struggled the final two days after playing magnificently in winning the five straight events she entered, had a second straight 73 and tied for seventh.
Chris Gotterup won the inaugural Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Classic for his first PGA Tour title, closing with a four-under 67 for a sixstroke victory . ... Rory McIlroy shot a six-under 65 as he won the Wells Fargo Championship for a record fourth time with another dominating performance at Quail Hollow, easily overcoming a two-stroke deficit to beat Xander Schauffele by five shots.
In Prague, Connor Bedard scored twice again and added an assist as Canada eased past Denmark 5-1 for its second straight victory at the ice hockey world championship. Earlier, Finland shut out newcomer Great Britain 8-0 for its first victory. Other Sunday winners were Latvia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Miguel Berry scored on the last touch of the match and the host Galaxy rallied for a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake on Saturday night, overcoming a pair of goals by Cristian Arango . ... At BMO
Stadium, Cristian Olivera scored two goals, the 22year-old’s first multigoal game in MLS, Denis Bouanga added three assists and LAFC beat the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 Saturday night.
Novak Djokovic put on one of his worst performances at one of his favorite tournaments as he was upset by 29th-seeded Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Italian Open. It was Djokovic’s first match since accidentally getting knocked on the head by a water bottle while signing autographs after his opening win Friday.
The Chargers continued to add to their depth by signing to edge rusher Bud Dupree, the team announced Saturday. A veteran entering his 10th season, Dupree gives the Chargers another option along with Tuli Tuipulotu behind starters Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
— Jeff Miller
A.J. Smith, the former longtime San Diego Chargers general manager, died Sunday after a seven-year battle with prostate cancer, his family said. He was 75. Smith served as GM from 2003 to 2012 and is the winningest GM in Chargers history.
Pac-12 tournament champion UCLA (37-10) and Big West champion Cal State Fullerton (36-17) earned bids into the NCAA softball tournament with the Bruins hosting a regional this weekend at Easton Stadium. The Bruins, the No. 6 overall seed, will open against Grand Canyon on Friday night at 5:30 on ESPN+. San Diego State and Virginia Tech play in the early game. The Titans travel to the Stanford Regional where they will take on Mississippi State on Friday at 4:30 on ESPN+.
In Naples, Dutch cyclist Olav Kooij won a bunch sprint for a stage victory on his grand tour debut while Tadej Pogacar maintained his considerable lead after the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia.