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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Spieth began his quest for the career Grand Slam by not making a putt longer than 5 feet. What helped was that Quail Hollow punished just about everyone at some point Thursday in the PGA Championship. Kevin Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark emerged as the top survivors on a course with some of the fastest, scariest putting surfaces the PGA Championship has…

Philippe Coutinho started 31 Premier League games for Liverpool last season, scoring 13 goals Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has submitted a transfer request, hours after the Premier League club released a statement saying he is not for sale. Coutinho stated his desire to leave via email. The club rejected the request. On Wednesday, the Reds rejected a 100 million euros bid (£90m) from Barcelona for the 25-year-old, who is out…

This summer, the athletics World Championships, men’s and women’s cricket, the Lions tour of New Zealand and Wimbledon have shown that the British public has an enduring passion for top level sport. We have the richest football league in the world, more major stadiums per capita than anywhere on Earth, and are widely credited with having staged the greatest Olympic Games of the modern era. Sport is a massive part…

Neftalie Williams was 16 when he met two pro skateboarders outside of a summer camp he wasn’t able to attend. It was after hours, and the pair skated with him. They taught Williams that the sport wasn’t out of reach to anyone. “Even though I didn’t have the chance to attend the camp, they still made sure to provide me the opportunity to skate with them,” Williams told NBC News….

In the last year alone, the nation’s biggest airlines have collected more than $4 billion in fees to check bags and other personal items. So, it may come as a surprise that one airline is giving up at least some of that revenue. Alaska Airlines has cut its fees for checking most sports equipment, such as bicycles and golf clubs, to $25 from $75. To qualify for the discount, the…

Louisa Fyans, an F.A. spokeswoman, said in an email that when the association updated its rules in 2014, it took into account that some owners had significant gambling interests. “These clubs would be materially impaired by the F.A.’s position on betting,” she said, so the association created “provisions whereby those individuals could continue to have both an interest in football clubs and in betting companies/entities but subject to very stringent…

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson and his hometown of Elk Grove get star turns on two networks this weekend – not counting coverage of his next race. Larson, who turned 25 on July 31, currently ranks third in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup standings and will try to win his third consecutive race at Michigan International Speedway in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400, which will be telecast live at noon Sunday on…

We’ve launched a big expansion of our soccer predictions here at FiveThirtyEight. We’re now forecasting 24 club soccer leagues, with two more — Champions League and Europa League — to come in a few weeks. We’ve added leagues from South America (Brasileirão and the Argentine Superliga), along with 14 new European leagues, including five second-tier leagues, such as the English Championship. For the most part, the methodology behind our forecasts…

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” – probably the oldest marketing adage in motorsports – might not work like it once did. If it did, teams in NASCAR’s top series likely would be running SUVs and crossovers – in high demand these days – instead of Toyota Camrys and Ford Fusions. But Chevrolet is clearly hoping its new Sprint Cup Series race car – a Camaro ZL1 it unveiled Thursday…

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Spieth began his quest for the career Grand Slam by not making a putt longer than 5 feet. What helped was that Quail Hollow punished just about everyone at some point Thursday in the PGA Championship. Kevin Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark emerged as the top survivors on a course with some of the fastest, scariest putting surfaces the PGA Championship has…

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” – probably the oldest marketing adage in motorsports – might not work like it once did. If it did, teams in NASCAR’s top series likely would be running SUVs and crossovers – in high demand these days – instead of Toyota Camrys and Ford Fusions. But Chevrolet is clearly hoping its new Sprint Cup Series race car – a Camaro ZL1 it unveiled Thursday…

We’ve launched a big expansion of our soccer predictions here at FiveThirtyEight. We’re now forecasting 24 club soccer leagues, with two more — Champions League and Europa League — to come in a few weeks. We’ve added leagues from South America (Brasileirão and the Argentine Superliga), along with 14 new European leagues, including five second-tier leagues, such as the English Championship. For the most part, the methodology behind our forecasts…

When NASCAR driver Erik Jones returns to his home state of Michigan to race, everything is familiar. He arrived there on Sunday after the race at Watkins Glen and spent the week in the house he grew up in. He visited with old friends, heard everyone call soft drinks “pop” instead of “soda” and saw half the state covered in maize and blue and the other half in green and…

Uniforms of the New York Yankees will be among those getting a personality infusion during Major League Baseball’s Players Weekend later this month. Ron Schwane/AP hide caption toggle caption Ron Schwane/AP Uniforms of the New York Yankees will be among those getting a personality infusion during Major League Baseball’s Players Weekend later this month. Ron Schwane/AP Bryce Harper is getting his wish. At least for one weekend this month. In…

Sport remains key to Sky as tech rivals plot pitch invasion

We’ve launched a big expansion of our soccer predictions here at FiveThirtyEight. We’re now forecasting 24 club soccer leagues, with two more — Champions League and Europa League — to come in a few weeks. We’ve added leagues from South America (Brasileirão and the Argentine Superliga), along with 14 new European leagues, including five second-tier leagues, such as the English Championship. For the most part, the methodology behind our forecasts…

When NASCAR driver Erik Jones returns to his home state of Michigan to race, everything is familiar. He arrived there on Sunday after the race at Watkins Glen and spent the week in the house he grew up in. He visited with old friends, heard everyone call soft drinks “pop” instead of “soda” and saw half the state covered in maize and blue and the other half in green and…

Last year, the Iranian Olympian Alireza Khojasteh withdrew from the judo competition at the Rio Games, citing personal reasons. It is widely thought that he did so to avoid the possibility of facing an Israeli opponent. It took Iranian officials more than a week to announce the suspension of the two soccer players, who both played the full 90 minutes in their team’s 0-1 defeat in the second leg of…

My name is Jason, but for the last weekend in August, I want to be addressed strictly as Booger. That’s right: Booger. “Booger Gay.” So elegant. Like James Bond or John Legend, Booger Gay just rolls timelessly off the tongue. You may have caught the news that from Aug. 25-27, fussy ol’ Major League Baseball will allow its players to replace last names with nicknames on the backs of their…

Chris O’Meara/Associated Press Kevin Kiermaier, CF, Tampa Bay Rays Kevin Kiermaier is one of baseball’s fastest sprinters, and he’s known for having a rocket arm and a glove that can catch anything. Yet he’s not among the leaders in high-difficulty catches in 2017, and his bat has lost thump to boot. He’s a great athlete who’s having a down year.                        …