AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:25 a.m. EST

By The Associated Press

USGA and LPGA to require female at birth or changing gender before puberty under new policies

The LPGA and the USGA have updated their gender policies that will require players to be assigned female at birth or to have transitioned to female before going through male puberty. The policies begin in 2025 and follow more than a year of study involving medicine, science, sport physiology and gender policy law. The groups concluded that going through male puberty allows for competitive advantages in golf. The USGA has seven championships for females next year. The new policy rules out eligibility for Hailey Davidson. She missed U.S. Women’s Open qualifying by one shot this year and tried LPGA Q-school.

Miami’s playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings

Miami’s playoff hopes took a nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost in the last rankings before the College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes moved down six spots to No. 12 after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide, who won won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11. Alabama is projected as the last team in and the fourth from the Southeastern Conference. Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday’s Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football.

High school recruiting isn’t the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal

Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal.

Juan Soto starting to eliminate teams from negotiations, agent Scott Boras says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball’s winter meetings next week. Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, says the outfielder has “begun the process of eliminating teams” but he doesn’t think a decision is “imminent” in the near future. A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks.

The draw for the FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup is coming up. Here’s what to know

GENEVA (AP) — Soccer’s biggest ever global club tournament comes to the United States next year and the 32-team group stage is drawn Thursday. FIFA relaunched the Club World Cup to be played every four years. A new generation of stars plays in the 11 U.S. cities from June 15 to July 13. One year later they plan to return for the 2026 World Cup. Real Madrid has Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham. Manchester City has Erling Haaland. Missing out are superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski because Al-Nassr and Barcelona failed to qualify. FIFA ensured an entry for Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.

College football picks: ‘Let’s play two’ a theme for handful of conference championship games

No football coach would tell you he’s excited about the prospect of having to beat the same team twice in the same season. That will be the task for four teams in Football Bowl Subdivision conference championship games. The FCS-level Southwestern Athletic Conference game also is a rematch. Western Kentucky, Boise State, Miami and Georgia will be going for sweeps. Sportradar reports there have been 78 same-season rematches in the FBS since 2000. There have been 43 sweeps and 35 splits.

New motorsports leadership executives introduced as Andretti Global moves on without Andretti

The Associated Press has learned that two longtime NASCAR executives have been introduced at Andretti Global as part of the restructuring now that Michael Andretti has stepped aside. Doug Duchardt, who has served multiple roles with race teams and with General Motors, was named chief performance officer of motorsports at TWG Group. TWG now oversees all of the former Andretti properties. Jill Gregory, a former NASCAR vice president and marketing officer who was also ran Sonoma Raceway, was named chief operating officer of a subsidiary of TWG and president of Andretti Global.

Signing with Dodgers was really easy decision for 2-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell says it was a really easy decision to sign with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Joining a team that includes two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani influenced the left-hander too. Snell was introduced Tuesday at Dodger Stadium after signing a $182 million, five-year deal last weekend. Snell has known Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman since he was 18. Friedman says all conversations the front office has had since the World Series ended last month involved Snell, who was 2-2 against the Dodgers during his career.

Flames honor the late Johnny Gaudreau and welcome his family back to Calgary

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — The Calgary Flames paid tribute to longtime star Johnny Gaudreau before their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, months after the All-Star was killed while biking on a New Jersey road this summer. Known as “Johnny Hockey,” Gaudreau played the first eight of his 10 full seasons with Calgary, where he developed into one of the NHL’s top players. He spent his last two seasons with the Blue Jackets. Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver. Calgary hosted several members of the Gaudreau family on Tuesday night, including Johnny’s father, his wife Meredith and their two children, and his sisters.

Iowa State and SMU athletic directors in a ‘stay off my lawn’ moment regarding latest rankings

Athletic directors at Iowa State and SMU are in a turf war over the latest College Football Playoff rankings, leading to a “stay off my lawn” moment on social media. Cyclones AD Jamie Pollard tweeted at his SMU counterpart Rick Hart suggesting the Mustangs’ eighth ranking was inflated because of its less-than-brutal schedule and said, “looks like your lawn may be artificial.” Hart responded by saying Iowa State’s schedule wasn’t so hot either. And, he said, “stay off my lawn.”