Weekend Sports In Brief

GOLF

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) Francesco Molinari played a steady hand amid another crazy ending at Carnoustie and won the British Open to become Italy’s first major champion.

Tiger Woods took the lead in the final round at a major for the first time in nine years and lost it with one bad swing. Jordan Spieth cost himself another chance in a major by failing to make a single birdie.

Seven players had a share of the lead at some point. Six were still tied on the back nine.

Through all that suspense, Molinari never flinched.

He closed with a 2-under 69, playing the final 37 holes on the toughest links in golf without a bogey. The clincher was a bold drive on the 18th hole that flirted with edge of a pot bunker, a wedge to 5 feet and a birdie putt that made him a major champion.

Molinari, who finished at 8-under 276, raised his fist and shook it lightly before slamming it for emphasis.

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A thunderstorm suspended the fourth round of the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship until Monday morning.

The third stoppage of play Sunday at Champions Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club came with the four leaders – Hunter Mahan, Robert Streb, Tom Lovelady and Troy Merritt at 18-under par – and four other contenders waiting to begin the round.

The tournament will resume at 7:30 a.m. Monday. Lightning caused one delay, and play also was stopped to clear water that accumulated on the course following a morning of steady and sometimes-heavy rain.

Inclement weather has plagued the tournament throughout the weekend. The second round was completed Saturday morning after being suspended by thunderstorms late Friday afternoon.

The resumption will mark the PGA Tour’s second Monday finish this season. Jason Day won the Farmers Insurance Open in January after darkness delayed the sixth playoff hole.

FOOTBALL

MONTREAL (AP) – Johnny Manziel is headed to the Montreal Alouettes in a reunion with the coach who recruited him to Texas A&M.

The Canadian Football League team acquired the former Heisman Trophy from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a blockbuster trade Sunday that reunites him wifh first-year Montreal coach Mike Sherman.

Montreal also got offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice from the Tiger-Cats for defensive end Jamaal Westerman, wide receiver Chris Williams and first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.

The Alouettes made the move a day after starting quarterback Drew Willy sustained his second injury of the season. Montreal backup Jeff Mathews also is out with a foot injury, leaving third-stringer Matt Shiltz to play the final three quarters Saturday night in a 25-8 loss at Calgary.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – The New York Giants have signed rookie first-round pick running back Saquon Barkley to a contract.

The No. 2 overall selection from Penn State rushed for 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns and caught 102 passes, eight for scores, in three seasons with the Nittany Lions. He had 5,538 total yards on 791 touches for averages of 7.0 yards per play and 145.7 yards per game.

Barkley joins four draft choices who had previously signed: guard Will Hernandez of UTEP (second round), outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter of Georgia (third round), defensive tackle B.J. Hill of North Carolina State (third round), and quarterback Kyle Lauletta of Richmond (fourth round).

Defensive tackle RJ McIntosh, a fifth-rounder, also signed later in the day, completing the team’s draft class.

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano died Sunday at the age of 56.

The team announced Sparano’s death in a statement that did not provide a cause. Sparano had been the Vikings’ offensive line coach since 2016.

Sparano began his NFL coaching career in 1999 and had stints as a head coach with the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders. He was the Dolphins’ head coach from 2008-11 and went 29-32. He went 11-5 and won the AFC East in his first season with Miami.

Sparano also spent time with the Browns, Redskins, Jaguars, Cowboys and 49ers.

TOUR DE FRANCE

CARCASSONNE, France (AP) – Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark sprinted away from two other challengers to win Stage 15 of the Tour de France, while Geraint Thomas had no trouble holding the overall lead for a fourth consecutive day

Cort Nielseen claimed his first career win at the Tour after staying ahead of Ion Izagirre and Bauke Mollema in a sprint over the final 200 meters. The Astana rider finished the hilly 181.5-kilometer (112.7-mile) leg from Millau that ended in a long descent to Carcassonne in 4 hours, 25 minutes.

Thomas in the yellow jersey, second-placed Chris Froome, and the rest of the overall contenders arrived at Carcassonne and its medieval city walls 13 minutes after the stage winner.

Thomas kept his advantage of 1 minute, 39 seconds over teammate and defending champion Froome before the race’s second rest day on Monday.

BASEBALL

NEW YORK (AP) – In the latest bizarre medical development for the baffling New York Mets, ace pitcher Noah Syndergaard is headed back to the disabled list after contracting hand-foot-and-mouth disease.

The team figures it’s likely Syndergaard caught the contagious virus when he made an appearance at a baseball camp for kids last Thursday during the All-Star break. Mets manager Mickey Callaway said that probably explains why Syndergaard weakened and his velocity decreased during Friday night’s victory at Yankee Stadium.

According to WebMD.com, hand-foot-and-mouth disease is an infectious disease that ”most often occurs in children under 10 and is characterized by a rash of small blister-like sores on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and in the mouth. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, and headache.”

The disease can spread from one person to another through saliva or fluid from blisters, among other things, and the infection normally passes in a week.

AUTO RACING

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) – Kevin Harvick used a bump-and-run on Kyle Busch with seven laps left to win a thrilling battle of two of NASCAR’s dominant drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Harvick aimed his Ford bumper at the right side of Busch’s Toyota and nudged the leader out of the way for the move of the race in another stellar showing for the leader of the Big Three.

Harvick raced to his sixth victory of the season and went 1-2 in some order with Busch for the ninth time this year. Busch has five wins and Martin Truex Jr., fourth Sunday, has four.

MORRISON, Colo. (AP) – John Force raced to his first victory of the season and record-extending 149th career Funny Car win in the Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals.

The 69-year-old Force ended a frustrating crash-filled drought to win for the eighth time at Bandimere Speedway, edging Ron Capps in the final with a 4.075-second run at 315.42 mph.

Force drove the John Force Racing Camaro past Matt Hagan in the first round, Cruz Pedregon in the quarterfinals and daughter Courtney Force in the semifinals en route to his first victory since the Gatornationals in March 2017.

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