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MacIntyre shoots 66 to share lead at British Masters

By
The Associated Press
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SUTTON COLDFIELD, England — Robert MacIntyre started with five straight birdies and finished with another two to shoot a 6-under 66 Thursday and take a share of the lead after the second round of the British Masters.

MacIntyre was level with fellow Scotsman Calum Hill (70) and English veteran Richard Bland (69) on 7-under 137, with three players a shot behind — including 2018 winner Eddie Pepperell.

MacIntyre’s run of birdies ended with a bogey on the sixth hole at The Belfry after hitting his tee shot into the water. He finished with eight birdies and two bogeys.

“I was in free flow,” MacIntyre said of his flying start. “I hit a couple close but the putter was working. For me it felt beautiful.”

At 48, Bland is twice MacIntyre’s age but still looking for his first European Tour title at the 478th attempt.

“It would mean everything, especially at my age,” Bland said. “Of course we’re all here to win and if I could do that at such an iconic event as the British Masters, that would be all your Christmases coming at once I think.”

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Vavic gets ready for Tokyo in water polo as dad awaits trial

By
The Associated Press
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LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Marko Vavic was in Mexico when it happened. He had just flown to Cabo San Lucas to spend spring break with a group of friends.

When Vavic woke up, there were several text messages on his phone. That was how Operation Varsity Blues barreled into his life.

Vavic’s father, Jovan, who coached Southern California’s vaunted water polo programs to a combined 16 national championships, had been indicted in a college admissions bribery scandal that ensnared TV stars, businesspeople and athletic coaches across the U.S.

It was a massive earthquake at the center of American water polo in California.

“Everyone was texting me like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ And I don’t know what’s going on,” Marko Vavic said. “Basically found out, I called my mom and my brother and sister and checked the internet. That’s pretty much how I found out.”

Two years later, Jovan Vavic is awaiting a November trial after pleading not guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges, and Marko Vavic is pushing for a spot on the U.S. team for the Tokyo Olympics.

They barely talk about the legal cloud hovering over Jovan.

“We’re a family. We stick together,” Marko Vavic, 22, told The Associated Press in his first public comments about his father’s legal situation. “It’s not like, ‘Forget about me.’ We’re fighting through it together.”

Jovan Vavic was in Hawaii with the Trojans’ women’s team when he was arrested on March 12, 2019. Reaction was swift to the federal investigation dubbed Operation Varsity Blues.

Jovan Vavic was fired by USC that same day. Fresh off winning the national title, Marko Vavic was told by the school he was ineligible to play pending an investigation into a possible infraction.

“I can’t play college water polo, but other than that, it’s been a little funky not having my dad around at school,” Marko Vavic said. “I mean, I grew up with him there. But other than that, it hasn’t really affected me so much. Obviously it’s a frustrating situation to have, and it’s just taking forever to go through the process with court.”

Stephen Larson, one of Jovan Vavic’s attorneys, declined to make his client available for an interview. Larson said in an email that Vavic “is innocent of these convoluted charges,” and he is looking forward to being vindicated at trial.

According to a superseding indictment, filed in federal court in Boston in October 2019, Jovan Vavic is accused of accepting $250,000 in bribes in exchange for designating two prospective students as water polo recruits, facilitating their admission to USC. Prosecutors say neither student played the sport competitively.

The indictment also alleges that Rick Singer, the admissions consultant at the center of the scheme, made private school tuition payments for Vavic’s children in exchange for the coach’s commitment to designate Singer’s clients as recruits in the future.

The accusations have put Marko and his younger brother, Stefan, in a precarious position with USC. Marko is playing professionally for Roma Nuoto in Italy, but he is forgoing a salary in order to protect the possibility of returning to the Trojans. Stefan, 20, has yet to play for the school.

Marko said they are in contact with USC and have spoken with the NCAA, but basically nothing has changed since his father was first indicted.

“I would like to know more about what’s going on,” he said. “I would like to know that they’re digging into it at least so that I can play. Not that I just have my hopes for nothing or at least, if it’s a no, tell me it’s a no, not just a maybe for (two) years.”

Marko and Stefan share a page in the school’s most recent media guide and are listed on the roster on the USC website. Next season’s schedule likely will begin in September.

Asked about the brothers’ eligibility and when there might be a resolution, a spokeswoman for the school declined to comment, citing student privacy laws. An NCAA spokeswoman told the AP it “cannot comment on current, pending or potential investigations.”

Water polo has bonded the Vavic family for years. Jovan Vavic played professionally in his native Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia before moving to Southern California in 1984. Marko Vavic grew up going to his father’s USC games, watching and playing around with Stefan.

Their older brother, Nikola, and sister, Monica, also played for the Trojans, with Nikola scoring 254 times on his way to four national championships, and Monica collecting a program-record 291 goals and winning the 2013 NCAA title.

Jovan Vavic was known for his hard-nosed approach with his players, and Marko Vavic said he benefited from his father’s experience with his older siblings.

“I was Round 3, so he had it down by the time he got to me,” Marko said. “My brother, definitely it was harder for him, and sister. I think by the time he got to me he knew what he was doing.

“He was really, really hard on me, but it definitely made me a better player. Definitely understood the difference between being a coach and being a dad.”

Marko Vavic scored 108 times over his first two seasons at USC, but the 6-foot-5 attacker is known more for his defensive ability. He has been playing on the right side with the national team, so he is working on shooting from a different position after spending much of his time on the left growing up.

The family influence, U.S. coach Dejan Udovicic said, is unmistakable.

“You know Jovan is a warrior and he’ll do everything to win for his team, for his program, and Marko has that line, that warrior line, never give up, which is great,” he said.

Asked if Marko has been weighed down at all by Jovan’s legal situation, Udovicic said he is doing “more than fine.”

“If he’s my son, I would be proud of how he’s handling the situation,” he said. “It’s not easy. I understand that. It’s not easy at all. But he (finds) a way to motivate himself and I am seeing a good vibration from his side. Not just last couple months, I am seeing that a year and a half, three years.”

Even after everything that has happened, Marko wants to go back to USC. He wants to play again with his friends on the team, and he wants to win another NCAA title.

That’s only the beginning. He wants to make multiple trips to the Olympics and play at the top level of water polo in Europe. He thinks he is only getting started.

“I have some big tournaments and games I want to win,” he said.

Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

US to play at Kansas City, Kansas, in CONCACAF Gold Cup

By
The Associated Press
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MIAMI — The United States will play its three group stage matches of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

The Americans open Group B play July 11 against the qualifying winner from among Haiti, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guatemala and Guyana, the Confederation of North and Central American and Caribbean Football said Thursday.

The U.S. plays Martinique on July 15 and closes the first round against Canada on July 18.

U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter says he will allow top players to skip the tournament and will go with what is in effect his junior varsity roster.

If the U.S. wins Group B, it would play a quarterfinal at Arlington, Texas, on July 25

The semifinals will be in Austin, Texas, and Houston on July 29 and the final at Las Vegas on Aug. 1.

CONCACAF said it will announce after the group stage which pairing will be at each semifinal site.

Berhalter will use his top players for the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Honduras at Denver on June 3 and the championship or third-place place on June 6, against Mexico or Costa Rica. Top players will return for the start of World Cup qualifying on Sept. 2.

Defending champion Mexico opens Group A at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 10 against the winner of qualifying among Trinidad and Tobago, Monserrat, Cuba and French Guyana. Mexico plays Curaçao on July 14 and El Salvador on July 18, both at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Acuña leaves Braves game with apparent left ankle injury

By
The Associated Press
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ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has left Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays with an apparent left ankle injury.

Acuña, who led off the game with his 12th homer, the most in the major leagues, suffered the injury when trying to beat out a grounder to third base in the seventh.

Acuña was initially called safe before a review overturned the call. He hopped down the right field line before collapsing onto the outfield grass. After being checked by a trainer on the field, Acuña was able to walk back to the dugout.

Acuña was the second Braves outfielder to leave the game. Cristian Pache left the game with right hamstring tightness. Pache also was hurt trying to run out a grounder in the second inning.

The Braves had no immediate announcement on Acuña’s injury.

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Devils see bright future despite missing playoffs yet again

By
The Associated Press
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The New Jersey Devils were one of the NHL’s youngest teams this past season, and many times they played like it.

Using 11 rookies at times over the course of Lindy Ruff’s first season as coach, the Devils made mistakes and showed their inexperience in missing the playoffs for the third straight year and eighth time in nine seasons.

While the 19-30-7 record was disappointing, the Devils showed promise. They grew from hockey infancy in general manager’s Tom Fitzgerald’s rebuilding effort to walking, although it was unsteady at times. The goal for next season will be to run. There are signs they can.

A stronger Jack Hughes, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019, took major steps in his second season. Rookie Ty Smith showed the potential to be a top defenseman. Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha had career seasons with 17 goals apiece and Yegor Sharangovich had a surprising 16 as a rookie. Mackenzie Blackwood showed flashes of being a No. 1 goaltender, but his game (14-17-4) suffered after a COVID-19 outbreak sidelined the team for two weeks in late January.

The really encouraging sign was the team played hard almost every game despite having contests almost every other night after returning from its pandemic pause.

Hughes, who had 11 goals goals and 20 assists in the 56-game season, said Devils fans should be excited about next season.

“I’m not saying we’re going to make the playoffs or anything, but I’m going to say we need to start to win games and play meaningful hockey down the stretch,” he said. “Next year we’re going to really focus throughout the year so in Games 80, 81 and 82, we want to be playing meaningful hockey and trying to get into the playoffs.”

Blackwood understands some Devils fans might be skeptical after seeing the franchise come up short most of the past decade.

“Even when we were losing, we’re in close games with the best teams,” Blackwood said of being in the tough East Division. “Give the young players a year or two of developing and growing and it’s going to be scary team.”

The Devils should also benefit if center Nico Hischier, the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, can stay healthy. The new captain had six goals and five assists in a season where he was limited to 21 games because of a broken leg in the preseason and a fractured sinus in a game.

With its playoff hopes ended early, New Jersey traded forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac and defensemen Sami Vatanen and Dmity Kulikov at the deadline.

“You’ve got to learn from your struggles and you can’t repeat the struggles,” Ruff said Wednesday. “So let’s learn from some of those big mistakes. Let’s get better at the areas in the game that we really feel can push us into a place where we want to be, competing for the playoffs by the end of the year.”

BACKUP GOALTENDING

The Devils thought they would go into the season with two top goaltenders in Blackwood and Corey Crawford, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason from Chicago. However, Crawford announced his retirement before the start of the season.

The backup job fell to Scott Wedgewood, Aaron Dell and Evan Cormier. While they have some good games, they combined for a 5-13-3 record.

FREE AGENCY

The Devils don’t have any big decisions to make in protecting free agents. Defenseman Ryan Murray might be the best of the bunch. He was one of two regulars who finished the season on the plus side at plus-4 in 48 games. Fellow defense Connor Carrick and Matt Tennyson also are unrestricted.

SALARY CAP

New Jersey has roughly $11 million of salary-cap space available. They need a goal scorer, a solid defenseman and a backup goaltender. The only had four goal scorers in double figures.

EXPANSION DRAFT

New Jersey might lose one of its young, fast players in the draft to Seattle or Fitzgerald might expose defensemen Will Butcher and/or P.K. Subban and his $8 million salary.

More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Rock legend Alice Cooper to auction off Andy Warhol artwork

By
The Associated Press
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — An Andy Warhol canvas found years ago in the garage of rocker Alice Cooper could become the highest selling artwork ever in Arizona.

The music legend, who has a home in metro Phoenix, announced Thursday that he would auction off “Little Electric Chair.”

It will be up for bidding on Oct. 23 at an auction organized by the Larsen Gallery in Scottsdale. The gallery estimates it could fetch anywhere from $2.5 million to $4.5 million.

The red acrylic and silkscreen on canvas was part of Warhol’s “Death and Disaster” series between 1964 and 1965. The pop artist often collected images from newspapers and magazines to use as inspiration for his work. Among them were images of the electric chair.

According to Cooper, the artwork was a birthday gift in the ’70s from a girlfriend who was friends with Warhol.

Cooper also plans to make the canvas available for public viewing.

The gallery owners say they will donate part of any commission to Cooper’s nonprofit, Solid Rock, which works to bring music, dance and other forms of art to teens.

Cooper is known for outrageous makeup and performances and such hits as “School’s Out.”

Texas forward Greg Brown turning pro after one season

By
The Associated Press
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas forward Greg Brown announced Thursday he is turning pro and won’t return to the Longhorns for his sophomore season under new coach Chris Beard.

Brown was a top-10 recruit when he signed with Texas and former coach Shaka Smart. He was projected as a first-round draft pick and few expected him to stay with the Longhorns more than one season.

Brown started 24 games last season and averaged 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds, but his minutes diminished late in the season. He abruptly left the court after being taken out in the first game of the Big 12 tournament, and played just 12 total minutes in the league championship game and Texas’ first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.

Brown announced his decision on Instagram and said he had already signed with an agent.

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

Biden inauguration priest resigns California university post

By
The Associated Press
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Jesuit priest who presided over an inaugural Mass for President Joe Biden has resigned his position as president of Santa Clara University in Northern California, college officials said, after an investigation found he engaged in inappropriate, alcohol-fueled conversations with graduate students.

The Rev. Kevin O’Brien, at the direction of Jesuit officials, has begun a therapeutic outpatient program to address personal issues, including alcohol and stress counseling. He had been president of Santa Clara University since July 2019 and was placed on leave in March.

The university announced O’Brien’s departure in a statement to the campus community on Wednesday that included messages from acting President Lisa Kloppenberg and board of trustees Chair John M. Sobrato. O’Brien had notified the board of his resignation Sunday and the trustees accepted it the next day.

The private Jesuit institution in the Silicon Valley, founded in 1851 as the first Jesuit university in the West, is ranked as one of the top 25 schools for undergraduate teaching nationwide. California Govs. Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown are among its alumni.

O’Brien has known the Bidens for about 15 years; they met when he was serving at Georgetown University, another Jesuit college.

O’Brien gave the service at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, one of the most prominent Catholic churches in Washington, in January for Biden, who is the nation’s second Catholic president, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, their families and elected officials before the inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. He also presided over services for Biden’s inaugurations as vice president.

“This is a challenging time for Santa Clara, but Fr. O’Brien has shown both generosity and freedom in wanting to do what is best for the university,” said the Rev. Scott Santarosa, head of the Jesuits West Province that conducted the investigation, in a statement. “With care for the faculty, staff, students and entire Santa Clara community, he has decided to step down.”

Sobrato’s statement said the investigation found that O’Brien “engaged in behaviors, consisting primarily of conversations, during a series of informal dinners with Jesuit graduate students that were inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries.”

The dinners involved alcohol, Sobrato wrote, but no inappropriate behavior was discovered outside of these events.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, on Wednesday called for the Jesuits to broaden the investigation to other places O’Brien previously worked, including Georgetown University, to see if other students would come forward.

“SNAP is alarmed with the limited amount of information that has been provided about the case and wants to see the probe expanded,” the statement said.

Unique, exhausting season reaches finale with FCS title game

By
The Associated Press
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The longest college football season in history comes to a close this weekend after a grueling, haphazard stretch that saw the Football Championship Subdivision push the majority of its games into the spring for the first time because of the pandemic.

While Bowl Subdivision teams staged a shortened season last fall, the FCS took the unusual step of putting off its games until spring even though some teams had been preparing since last summer. Players and coaches alike say the constant specter of a sudden shutdown for coronovirus protocols made for a mentally exhausting season and one that athletic directors said only slightly mitigated the revenue lost.

But, they add, at least they got to play the games.

South Dakota State and Sam Houston will play for the FCS championship Sunday in Frisco, Texas, capping an abbreviated season marked by high level football and some historic performances, but also dozens of games lost to COVID-19 outbreaks.

The day will also start a countdown that has raised concerns: Many programs will be idle for less than two months before reconvening to prepare for fall football. Coaches have tried to adjust.

South Dakota State played as many as 10 true freshmen, coach John Stiegmeier said, and made concessions on physical contact in practice.

“Our staff decided to really limit the amount of contact we have during practice,” he said.

So, too, did Sam Houston, though coach K.C. Keeler said the toll on his players has been far from just physical.

“We came back in June thinking we were going to be playing in September and then, all of a sudden, that was not on the table,” Keeler said. “And then we’re kind of getting ready for a spring season but now there’s a lot of questions: Are we going to get to a spring season? Are there going to be spikes? It’s been physically and mentally exhausting going through all those ups and downs from June.”

Daily or three-times-a-week testing for the coronavirus provided a constant threat to players hoping they could play and coaches hoping they could field a team. Many programs didn’t play at all and those that did became familiar with postponements or cancellations.

For James Madison, ranked No. 1 for most of the season, a period of five weeks toward the end of the regular season resulted in four cancellations because of the virus. A twice-postponed game with Richmond rescheduled for the final day of the regular season allowed the Dukes to qualify for the Colonial Athletic Association’s automatic berth in a truncated 16-team playoffs. The Dukes won 23-6 on April 17, the day before the playoff field was set.

The cost of the pandemic won’t be known until fiscal years end in June, several athletic directors said, but the Dukes’ Jeff Bourne had a dire guess at what the coronavirus has cost his program.

“Suffice it to say, the revenue was down 90%-95%, so that’s a tremendous hit,” Bourne said. James Madison not only lost a $600,000 guarantee for a game at North Carolina in the fall, but they were allowed only 250 fans for their first two home games.

They averaged 3,616 fans for five home dates, nearly 22,000 below capacity.

Joe D’Antonio, commissioner of the CAA, said the cost to the league just for COVID-19 testing during the playoff rounds of the CAA’s winter and spring sports was at least $500,000. Schools had to pay for the mandatory testing during the season.

One bonus for spring football: exposure. With no Power Five games to compete with, the FCS got more time on television, providing “a real showcase for FCS football,” Richmond AD John Hardt said.

And it rewarded the players who stuck with it. Hardt recalled attending Richmond’s first practice in the spring.

“The joy that I saw behind those masks on players’ faces and then in their eyes and coaches, the spring in their step being able to do what they love and they enjoy so much, I think it was a real, real valuable experience.” he said.

And a respite from the relentless uncertainty.

“We’ve been going at it mentally since last March when we all got sent home for COVID when our school got pushed online,” SDSU senior linebacker Logan Backhaus said. “Then we ramped it up in the summer when we came back, were doing COVID checks every single day. We were about ready to start fall camp and then our season gets canceled.”

With the Jackrabbits one win away from their first national title, they’ve also heard talk that the championship will carry an asterisk because some leagues and teams opted out of competing altogether.

“We’ve proven that we can win on the road, we’ve proven that we can win from behind, so the people that are saying there’s an asterisk behind this championship … they don’t know the mental and physical work we’ve been putting in for over a year now,” Backhaus said.

On Sunday, that struggle will have all been worth it for a first-time national champion.

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Ukraine opposition leader and Putin ally under house arrest

By
The Associated Press
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KYIV, Ukraine — A top Ukrainian opposition politician with close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin was placed under house arrest Thursday, days after being charged with treason.

Viktor Medvedchuk, who heads the Opposition Platform for Life party, the largest opposition force in parliament, denies the charges brought against him last week and says they’re politically motivated. Medvedchuk, who has close personal ties with Putin, the godfather of Medvedchuk’s daughter, could face 15 years in prison if tried and convicted.

Prosecutors had asked a court in Kyiv to put Medvedchuk in jail, but a judge ordered house arrest instead.

Medvedchuk, 66 is accused of transferring oil and gas production licenses from one of the fields in Crimea to Russian authorities. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula in 2014, weeks after Ukraine’s former Moscow-friendly president was ousted by protesters.

Medvedchuk is also charged with allegedly disclosing secret data on the deployment of Ukrainian military units last year.

The new accusations are part of a broader campaign against Medvedchuk launched by Ukrainian authorities in February, when his financial assets were frozen for three years. In February, authorities also shut down three pro-Russian TV channels, 112, Zik and NewsOne, which Medvedchuk controlled.

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