AP Sports SummaryBrief at 10:13 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press
Updated: April 11, 2025 - 2:23 AM
Published: April 10, 2025 - 4:00 AM

Justin Rose steals the Masters show and builds 3-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Justin Rose showed there’s more than two players capable of winning a Masters green jacket. With all the attention on Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy he matched his personal best at Augusta National with a 65. That gives Rose a three-shot lead over Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg and Corey Conners. McIlroy took two double bogeys in the closing stretch and was seven shots behind. Rose now has led the opening round five times. That’s a Masters record. But he doesn’t have a green jacket to show for it. Scheffler says he was happy with a bogey-free start.

Scottie Scheffler begins his pursuit of a third green jacket with a 68 at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Defending champion Scottie Scheffler opened with a bogey-free 68 on Thursday to put himself in the mix at the Masters. The world’s top-ranked player made two long birdie putts and a couple of nice sand saves to finish at 4 under on a warm, sunny day that produced some low scores at Augusta National. Scheffler is trying to become the youngest player since Jack Nicklaus in 1966 to win three green jackets. He is winless heading into the week for the first time since 2021. Part of that may have to do with the late start he got on the year after cutting himself on a wine glass while making ravioli in December.

Fred Couples shoots 71 at the Masters. So much for the 65-year-old thinking he no longer belongs

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Fred Couples shot a 1-under 71 in the opening round of the Masters on Thursday, the 65-year-old former champion proving to himself as much as anyone else that he still belongs. Couples had doubts after last year, when his back was bothering him and rounds of 80 and 76 caused him to miss the cut. His first round was highlighted by a chip-in for birdie at the first and a hole-out from 191 yards for eagle at the 14th. Couples became the second-oldest player to shoot a subpar round at the Masters behind Tom Watson, who was a month older when he shot 71 in 2015.

Masters whiz kid: Jose Luis Ballester takes a different kind of relief and does No. 1 at No. 13

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester took a different kind of relief at the Masters. The 21-year-old from Spain had to use the restroom in the worst way on the par-5 13th hole at Augusta National. He wound up turning his back to the grandstand and going in Rae’s Creek. Ballester figured he would be discreet. And then the gallery began to clap for him when it was over. Ballester says it was probably the loudest cheer for him all day. The Arizona State senior opened with a 76. His big mistake? He didn’t notice restrooms by the tee box.

Michaels lifts Western Michigan to 3-2 2OT Frozen Four semifinal win over defending champion Denver

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Owen Michaels scored his second goal 26 seconds into the second overtime and Western Michigan beat defending champion Denver 3-2 on Thursday night to advance to its first Frozen Four title game. Brian Kramer also scored and freshman Hampton Slukynsky stopped 20 shots for a veteran-laden Western Michigan team making its Frozen Four debut in its 10th NCAA tournament appearance. The Broncos (33-7-1) set a season record for victories, extended their winning streak to nine and won after blowing a 2-0 third-period lead. Western Michigan will face the Boston University-Penn State winner in the championship game Saturday night. Jared Wright, with the tying goal with 2:39 left in regulation, and Aidan Thompson scored, and Matt Davis had 44 saves for Denver (31-12-1).

Emaarion Boyd steals 6 bases without a hit, 1st minor league player to do it since at least 2005

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Emaarion Boyd became the first minor league player in at least 20 years to steal six bases in a game without getting a hit when he pulled off the feat for High-A Beloit against Cedar Rapids. Boyd reached on a fielder’s choice, walk and hit by pitch. He stole second and third base each time. Boyd was an 11th-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2022 Major League Baseball amateur draft. He was part of a December trade that sent him to the Miami Marlins. The 21-year-old has 98 steals in 203 minor league games.

Volkanovski hoped for different opponent as he tries to win back featherweight belt at UFC 314

Facing Diego Lopes wasn’t Alexander Volkanovski’s first choice. He hoped to get another shot at Ilia Topuria and avenge his loss from more than a year ago at UFC 298. But Topuria moved up to the lightweight division. That left the featherweight class vacant. In stepped Lopes to take on Volkanovski in UFC 314 on Saturday night in Miami. Volkanovski is competing in his 10th consecutive title fight. Lopes gets his first title shot after winning his five previous bouts.

Former Texas receiver Isaiah Bond surrenders on sexual assault warrant, calls claims ‘false’

DALLAS (AP) — Former Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond, who is projected as a likely second-day pick in this month’s NFL draft, surrendered on a sexual assault warrant Thursday and was released after posting bail, according to published reports. Bond turned himself in Thursday morning on the outstanding warrant, according to the Dallas Morning News, which quoted Grant Cottingham, a police spokesman in Frisco, a city outside Dallas. He has since posted bail at $25,000 and been released from the Collin County jail, jail records show. Bond released a statement on social media that called the claims “patently false.”

TWG Motorsports to race coast-to-coast this weekend from NASCAR at Bristol to IndyCar in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — TWG Motorsports will go coast-to-coast this weekend to showcase its positioning as a powerhouse racing organization. TWG is the group that owns controlling interest in the Cadillac Formula 1 team set to debut next season, Andretti Global in IndyCar, Spire Motorsports in NASCAR, Andretti Formula E and Wayne Taylor Racing’s sports car program. The weekend will begin with NASCAR at Bristol Motor Speedway, continue at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Saturday’s Formula E race and then the IMSA sports car race and the IndyCar race Sunday in Long Beach. The group will also attend Saturday night’s Los Angeles Dodgers game. The Dodgers are majority owned by TWG Global.

The race for promotion to the Premier League has a US flavor and there’s $180M riding on it

Two more American-owned clubs are headed for the Premier League in what is shaping up to be an exciting finale to the second-tier Championship. The top three of Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield United are separated by two points with five rounds remaining. Two of them will be making a quick return to the lucrative Premier League. That will ensure an estimated revenue uplift of around $180 million in projected matchday, broadcast and commercial revenue — and much more if they survive the first season back in the top flight. One of them will drop into the four-team playoffs and all of the end-of-season uncertainty that brings.