AP National Sports

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Three-time champion Bernhard Langer shot his age Friday to take the first-round lead in the Chubb Classic. Langer, the 64-year-old German star who has six Charles Schwab Cup season titles and 42 victories on the 50-and-over tour, had five straight birdies on the back nine in a bogey-free 8-under 64. He

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Dan Morgan is among a handful of candidates who have interviewed with the Pittsburgh Steelers to replace outgoing general manager Kevin Colbert. The Steelers announced Morgan, Green Bay co-director of player personnel John Wojciechowski, Indianapolis Colts director of college scouting Morocco Brown and Tampa Bay vice president

LILLE, France (AP) — Lille has been held 0-0 at relegation candidate Metz in the French league, showing little to worry Chelsea before they meet in the Champions League. The game ended on a sour note with Lille substitute Edon Zhegrova sent off in injury time with his second yellow card and Metz coach Frederic

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer The College Football Playoff is set to stick with a four-team format through the 2025 season. The administrators who manage the postseason failed to agree on a plan to expand before the current contracts run out. The CFP management committee met by video conference earlier this week.

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Andretti has filed an application with the FIA to field a Formula One team starting in 2024. The filing was revealed on Twitter by Andretti’s father, Mario, who posted Friday that “Andretti Global has the resources and checks every box. He is

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins announced the hiring of three former players as part of new coach Mike McDaniel’s first coaching staff with the team. Among the hires, many of which had already been revealed but were finalized Friday: Wes Welker as wide receivers coach, Sam Madison as a cornerbacks and pass

MADRID (AP) — Elche has scored two late goals to fight back for a 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano at home in the Spanish league. The loss kept Rayo winless in six games as it tumbled down the standings following a fantastic first three months of the season. Fran García put Rayo ahead in the

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s Balearic Islands have canceled lower-division soccer games this weekend to protest against violence toward referees. The regional soccer federation for the Mediterranean archipelago says it is suspending all games this weekend for the soccer competitions under its control, which includes third- and fourth-division matches and futsal. The decision comes after referees

By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Major League Soccer has engaged an outside law firm to review the Portland Timbers’ handling of domestic abuse allegations involving former midfielder Andy Polo. The Timbers terminated Polo’s contract last week after his former partner accused him of abuse. Polo was initially suspended by

TURIN, Italy (AP) — Torino captain Andrea Belotti scored to give his team a 1-1 draw at Juventus in a hard-fought Turin derby in Serie A. The Italy forward threw himself at Josip Brekalo’s cross from the left and equalized with a volley in the 62nd minute to cancel Matthijs de Ligt’s first-half goal for

By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — Patrik Schick’s 20th Bundesliga goal of the season wasn’t enough to stop Bayer Leverkusen slumping to a 3-2 loss at Mainz. The home team was wearing a special colorful jersey for the local carnival celebrations and it twice came from behind to ended Leverkusen’s high-scoring run.

MONTREAL (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens have added Nick Bobrov and former NHL star Vincent Lecavalier to their front office. Bobrov will serve as co-director of amateur scouting while Lecavalier becomes a special adviser to hockey operations. Bobrov will share the scouting position with Martin Lapointe. He joins the Canadiens after six seasons as the

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn coach Bryan Harsin has promoted wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau to offensive coordinator. Harsin announced the promotion Friday and Kiesay is replacing Austin Davis. Davis left for personal reasons after replacing Mike Bobo, who Harsin fired after the regular season. Harsin also promoted defensive analyst Roc Bellatoni to edge linebackers

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The NASCAR season opens with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, where more than 120,000 spectators are expected to watch reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson lead the field to green. Larson will start from the pole next to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman. Starting

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Division I college basketball committees say there won’t be a combined men’s and women’s Final Four in the near future. The unanimous decision announced Friday was made during a joint meeting of the committees that concluded several months of exploring the concept of one city hosting a joint Final Four.  The

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The inaugural Legacy Bowl in New Orleans is giving top football players from historically Black colleges and universities a new level of exposure to pro scouts and executives. South Carolina State defensive back Zafir Kelly says the event evens the field for HBCU players who’ve

By CLIFF BRUNT AP Sports Writer The Oklahoma softball program is the gold standard after winning four of the past eight national championships under coach Patty Gasso. The Sooners are the defending Women’s College World Series champions. Many of that team’s top players return. Those include reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Jocelyn