6:47 PM ET Associated Press OCALA, Fla. — Nelly Korda didn’t miss a beat four days after her first LPGA Tour title on U.S. soil, outplaying her sister and the world’s No. 1 player for a 5-under 67 to share the lead at the Drive On Championship. Former NCAA champion Jennifer Kupcho managed a 67
7:09 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Bay Hill was bustling Thursday, just like golf before the pandemic. The fans were limited in numbers but they all wanted the same dose of entertainment provided by Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. First it was McIlroy, slowly feeling better about his game, and with good reason.
7:30 AM ET The UFC is increasing its presence in the sports betting industry in a big way, partnering with DraftKings on a deal that president Dana White says is one of the most important his MMA organization has ever done. The UFC on Thursday named DraftKings as its first official sportsbook and daily fantasy
6:32 PM ET LAS VEGAS – The UFC has not done a show in the United States outside its home of Las Vegas in more than a year. That could be changing soon, according to UFC president Dana White. White said Thursday at the UFC 259 prefight press conference that as soon as he heard
4:49 PM ET Associated Press Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder will step down this summer after 16 years and will be replaced by deputy AD Chad Weiberg. Oklahoma State said Thursday the moves will be effective July 1. Holder, 72, took over in 2005. During his tenure, significant upgrades to T. Boone Pickens Stadium
3:15 PM ET Georgia State athletic director Charlie Cobb will serve a one-year term on the College Football Playoff selection committee in place of Terry Mohajir, who is no longer on the committee after leaving Arkansas State to become the athletic director at UCF. Because Mohajir was nominated by the Sun Belt conference but is
1:45 PM ET Associated Press DOHA, Qatar — The top two seeded players at the Qatar Open were eliminated in the quarterfinals as Victoria Azarenka played through pain to win against Elina Svitolina and Jessica Pegula defeated Karolina Pliskova on Thursday. Azarenka held off a late comeback from top-seeded Svitolina, her doubles partner this week,
1:50 PM ET Associated Press Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas held off a stubborn challenge from Hubert Hurkacz to reach the quarterfinals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win on Thursday. Hurkacz saved a match point 5-4 in the decider and then came within two points of forcing a
6:00 AM ET FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There have been a few notable years in coach Bill Belichick’s two-decade tenure when the New England Patriots have spent big at the start of NFL free agency. Linebacker Rosevelt Colvin (2003), linebacker Adalius Thomas (2007) and cornerback Stephon Gilmore (2017) immediately come to mind. It wouldn’t be a
1:55 PM ET Defending champion Simona Halep has withdrawn from next week’s Dubai Tennis Championships with a lower back complaint, organisers of the WTA 1000 tournament said on Thursday. World No. 3 Halep, who also pulled out of this week’s Qatar Open in Doha, has not played a competitive match since losing in straight sets
Temba Bavuma was appointed skipper of the South Africa limited-overs sides while Dean Elgar has been named the new Test captain. Bavuma, 30, will captain the one-day international and Twenty20 teams through to the 2023 Cricket World Cup, while Elgar, 33, will lead the Test side into the next cycle of the World Test Championship.
1:11 PM GMT Wales scrum-half Kieran Hardy has been ruled out of their Six Nations clash with Italy on March 13 as he recovers from a hamstring injury sustained in Saturday’s 40-24 win over England. Hardy scored a fine solo try with a quick “tap-and-go” from a penalty that caught the English side unawares, but
8:14 AM ET Amanda Nunes will defend her featherweight title at UFC 259 on Saturday, marking her first competition since she and her wife Nina Ansaroff — a UFC strawweight — gave birth to their daughter, Raegan Ann Nunes, on Sept. 24, 2020. Nunes, who is also the bantamweight champ and considered the women’s MMA
12:29 PM ET WBO featherweight world titlist Emanuel Navarrete will make the first defense of his belt on Saturday, April 24, against former title challenger Christopher Diaz, in the main event of a Top Rank card on ESPN at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Knockout artist Edgar
Formula 1 teams have gone back to the drawing board over the winter and are now unveiling their new designs for the 2021 season, due to start in Bahrain on 26 March. Hot or not – which cars win the F1 looks race? F1 teams still to launch their cars for 2021 include Williams, on
11:43 AM ET Five of 789 professional athletes infected with COVID-19 were later found to have suffered inflammatory heart disease in the largest study to date on the cardiac impact of the virus in sports. In data published Thursday in JAMA Cardiology, doctors affiliated with six U.S.-based leagues followed the 789 infected players last year
IND vs ENG: Wasim Jaffer’s humour game came to the fore yet again.© Wasim Jaffer/Twitter Wasim Jaffer’s knack for humour has been well-established by now and when the former India cricketer was asked for a meme on Sunil Gavaskar’s no-holds-barred reaction to criticism of Indian pitches, Jaffer came up with a gem. Gavaskar lashed out
8:05 AM ET Michael Rothstein Close ESPN Staff Writer Previously covered University of Michigan for ESPN.com and AnnArbor.com Also covered Notre Dame for Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show