Sports

GUIDONIA, Italy (AP) — Australia’s Min Woo Lee opened up a two-shot lead after the second round of the Italian Open, while Tommy Fleetwood remained in contention for a sixth European Tour title despite a late stumble. Lee shot a 3-under 68 at Marco Simone Golf Club, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2023.

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says he has “grave concerns” about FIFA’s plans to stage World Cups every two years and is astonished by the lack of consultation by Gianni Infantino’s governing body. The comments were made in a letter to Football Supporters Europe. Ceferin says he backed the

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Three-time Super Bowl champion David Patten Jr. has died in a motorcycle accident. The Richland County (South Carolina) Coroner identified the victim of a Thursday night crash as the 47-year-old Patten, who is from Columbia. Patten played four seasons for the New England Patriots and won the Super Bowl with the

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The NFC East nearly crowned a 6-10 champion last year. With Dak Prescott back from injury in Dallas, there’s hope at least one team will having a winning record. The Cowboys lead the division in offensive firepower with Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have acquired defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon from Seattle in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft. The Steelers made the move to bolster a secondary that has struggled to find a replacement for Mike Hilton, who left in free agency during the offseason. Witherspoon had four interceptions

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Three-time world champion Nathan Chen will begin his preparation for the Winter Olympics at Skate America in late October in Las Vegas. Chen, who has won the last five U.S. titles and is undefeated internationally since not medaling at the 2018 Olympics, is considered a strong favorite for the Beijing Games.

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A capsule look at the American team for the Solheim Cup. The three major champions on the team include Nelly Korda. She’s also the No. 1 player in the world who won her first major and the Olympic gold medal this year. Nelly and Jessica Korda were dominant as foursomes partners

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Bumpy field, outdated stadiums. They are part of playing on the road in CONCACAF, which allows conditions elite leagues don’t tolerate. The U.S. men returned to World Cup qualifying 1,424 days after the infamous defeat in Trinidad ended a streak of seven appearances

By The Associated Press The New York Giants are going to retire the No. 92 jersey of Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan this season. The ceremony will take place on Nov. 28 at MetLife Stadium at a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Strahan spent his entire 15-year career with the Giants and was

By JAY COHEN AP Baseball Writer CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs manager David Ross and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer have tested positive for COVID-19. A spokesman for the team says Ross and Hoyer are feeling fine and isolating. Both of them are vaccinated. Bench coach Andy Green will run the team while Ross

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. AP Pro Football Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills stormed to the top of the AFC East and kept going last season. Nearly all the way to the Super Bowl. Now comes the encore, and the expectations remain just as lofty. The first step in that

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A capsule look at the 12 players on the European team for the Solheim Cup. The matches start Saturday at Inverness Club. Europe is going for its second straight victory. The team features four rookies. It also has the last two Women’s British Open champions.

MONFORTE DE LEMOS, Spain (AP) — Magnus Cort Nielsen has won his third stage of the Spanish Vuelta after winning a bunch sprint on stage 19. The Danish rider had already prevailed in stages 6 and 12. Nielsen was part of an early breakaway group that collaborated well to keep the peloton from reeling them

By TERESA M. WALKER AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Derrick Henry is a man of few words, preferring to work hard with a tunnel-vision focus and let his play do all the talking. Henry has been almost shouting the way he keeps running into the NFL record books. Now the NFL’s back-to-back

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — An 11th-century castle. A grove of olive trees. The remains of an ancient Roman villa. Views of St. Peter’s Basilica on the horizon. The terrain surrounding and comprising the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Rome’s outskirts that will host the 2023 Ryder

By STEPHEN WHYNO and JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writers NHL players are going back to the Olympics. The league has reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee and International Ice Hockey Federation to participate in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Under the agreement, the league or players are able to withdraw if coronavirus

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer Alabama is hoping its search for receiver help to complement John Metchie III pays immediate dividends. The top-ranked Crimson Tide brought in four highly rated recruits and landed Ohio State transfer Jameson Williams. They don’t know if the additions have solved the problem, though their is extreme confidence in

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer The NHL plans to punish unvaccinated players more harshly if they test positive for the coronavirus as part of protocols for the upcoming season. Teams will be able to suspend unvaccinated players without pay if they cannot participate in hockey activities. Those who are fully vaccinated will have any