HOCKEY
Griffin Lunn, Eric Cooley and Sam Hu all scored as the Norfolk Admirals snapped the Maine Mariners seven-game winning streak with a 3-0 win in an ECHL game at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
Maine’s last loss was in a shoot out to Worcester on Jan. 1. Their last loss in regulation was against Reading on Dec. 21.
Francois Brassard had 25 saves for Maine, while Cale Morris had 25 saves for Norfolk.
GOLF
EUROPEAN TOUR: Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed produced big first-round finishes at the Dubai Desert Classic in what could lead to an intriguing showdown as the competition heads to a Monday conclusion.
LIV Golf players Richard Bland and Ian Poulter were tied atop the leaderboard at 8-under overall when second-round play was suspended because of fading light. It was the second straight day of disrupted play at Emirates Golf Club.
McIlroy and Reed, another LIV golfer, both completed their opening rounds at 6-under 66 and have yet to begin the second round.
Bland started his second round with three straight birdies, and Poulter covered his first three holes in 1 under before play was suspended.
PGA: Jon Rahm made an impressive charge up the leaderboard on his favorite course with a 6-under 66, which is now moving day at Torrey Pines, to pull within two shots of leader Sam Ryder after the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.
Rahm, ranked No. 3 in the world, is 18 holes away from potentially winning his third straight start and taking over at No. 1 for the first time since March 20. He began Friday at 4 under and tied for 14th, and moved into sole possession of second place after an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole that capped his second stretch of playing four holes in 5 under in two days.
While Rahm heated up on a gorgeous, calm day on the municipal course overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Ryder parred his last 12 holes for a 72, missing a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th. Ryder was at 12-under 204 through 54 holes while Rahm was 10 under.
Tony Finau, 12 shots back when he started his third round on the back nine, turned in 4-under 32 and then holed his approach from 138 yards on the par-4 first hole for an eagle. He shot an 8-under 64, the best round of the week on the South Course, to move into third place, four shots back.
Sungjae Im eagled No. 18 for a 67 and was five shots back along with Collin Morikawa (70), Max Homa (71) and Sahith Theegala (71).
FIGURE SKATING
U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS: Rising star Ilia Malinin scored a personal-best 110.36 in the men’s short program to kick off the second day of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, California, leading second-place veteran Jason Brown by more than 10 points.
Malinin entered as the favorite to win his first U.S. title and had the most difficult planned technical content of every competitor, executing a clean skate that included a quad lutz-triple toe loop combination that netted him nearly 20 points. The 18-year-old finished second to Olympic champion Nathan Chen in his senior nationals debut last year but was passed over for the Olympic team in favor of the more experienced Brown.
Best known for his artistry and skating skills, Brown rose to the occasion and performed a moving short program set to “Melancholy” by Alexey Kosenko, earning a score of 100.25 and a standing ovation in his first competition since the Beijing Games. Sitting nearly 25 points out of the lead, Tomoki Hiwatashi put down a redemptive performance to earn a score of 85.43, good for third place after the short program.
SOCCER
COPA AMERICA: Next year’s Copa America will be played in the United States and will include six CONCACAF teams.
South American soccer body CONMEBOL said its 10 national teams will play the tournament out of their region after a deal with the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The six guests for the 2024 Copa America will secure their spots according to their performances in the next CONCACAF Nations League.
The agreement also includes placing four of CONMEBOL women’s teams in a CONCACAF tournament, plus the creation of a new club competition.
ENGLAND: Nathan Ake scored the winner as Manchester City beat Arsenal 1-0 to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Ake, a defender, was the unlikely hero after curling a low shot past American goalkeeper Matt Turner in the 64th minute.
TENNIS
DAVIS CUP: Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul and the player who eliminated Rafael Nadal at Melbourne Park, Mackenzie McDonald, are among the players picked by interim captain David Nainkin for the U.S. Davis Cup team’s matches at Uzbekistan next week.
Nainkin’s appointment was announced Friday, three weeks after Mardy Fish’s tenure as captain ended.
The other members of the U.S. roster are Denis Kudla, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
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