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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NASCAR star Kyle Larson looked like an Indianapolis 500 veteran Sunday, reaching the final round of pole qualifying and putting his No. 17 Arrow McLaren on the second row for his debut in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" next weekend.Larson's four-lap average of 232.846 mph was fifth in the six-car shootout. He'll start behind an all-Team Penske front row of Scott McLaughlin, who set a pole qualifying record at 234.220 mph, Will Power and defending race winner Josef Newgarden.Larson's teammate, Alexander Rossi, will be on his inside with Santino Ferrucci of A.J. Foyt Racing on his outside."Qualifying went a lot better than I ever could have hoped or anticipated," said Larson, who will try to become the second driver to complete "The Double" on May 26 by running every lap of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day."Just a great team, really," he added, "and they prepared an awesome race car that stuck to the race track that also has speed."By making the pole shootout, Larson was able to give his whirlwind Memorial Day weekend trip a practice run. He was due in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, about three hours after climbing from his car for the start of NASCAR's All-Star Race.Larson quickly walked through Gasoline Alley and climbed into a waiting SUV, which whisked him to a nearby helicopter. That was taking him to a nearby airfield, where Larson would climb into a private jet headed for Wilkes County Airport.Another helicopter was there, waiting to give Larson the final 15-minute lift to North Wilkesboro in time for the green flag."We'll switch the mindset over to the heavy stock car," Larson said, "and excited to get there and chase a million bucks."NASCAR and TV broadcaster FOX worked with Hendrick Motorsports to provide him a bit of a buffer, announcing shortly before Larson's final qualifying run that they had pushed back the start of the All-Star Race by 16 minutes to 8:30 p.m. EDT.Chad Knaus, the vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports, said there was no backup plan if Larson did not make it in time, which may have played a part in the decision. Larson drives TV ratings as one of NASCAR's biggest stars."The car would just sit there and look pretty. We would save it for another event," Knaus said from North Wilkesboro. "The way things are working out, all of our cards are in getting Kyle here. That's the plan."After rain limited his practice time early in the week, Larson had a nervy first day of qualifying Saturday. An engine issue that Chevrolet struggled with all weekend caused him to scrap his initial attempt. But he returned to the track later and laid down a 232.563 mph four-lap average, putting him sixth quickest among the 34 entries and into the pole mix.Things were a little dicey again during an hour-long practice Sunday, too. Larson had to abort his first qualifying simulation because of traffic ahead of him on the track. He backed out of his second after experiencing some understeer. But eventually, he put together a quality run that gave him confidence of making the final six going for the pole.When he ultimately did it, thousands of fans along the front stretch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway stood and cheered."We were just sitting up there in the transport of the 48 (car) and watching him run and we were like, 'My gosh, I can't believe he is P1.' And I was like, 'My goodness, how did that happen?'" Knaus said. "Very limited track time, did a couple of tests (and) was able to go up there, and he holds a pretty good wheel. ... He is a phenomenal talent."It will take more than just talent to match the might of Team Penske on race day.McLaughlin ripped around Indianapolis Motor Speedway shortly after Larson's qualifying run, breaking the four-lap record set by Alex Palou just last year. That also knocked Power and Newgarden down a spot and gave Team Penske the front row.Larson will start right behind, though. And he long ago convinced those around him that he is capable of nearly anything."People used to say to me, 'Can you believe Kyle Larson?'" said Jeff Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, which is working with Arrow McLaren to field the No. 17 car and clapped from the timing stand when his qualifying run ended."I used to think the same way but I don't anymore," Gordon said. "He always steps up. He's just fun to watch."___AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, contributed to this report.___AP auto racing: https://apnews/hub/auto-racing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The putt that barely fell into the 18th hole on the very last rotation. The tee shot that hit a tree on No. 16 but careened back into the fairway.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The sentence seemed unthinkable at the beginning of the PGA Championship. Or any other time for that matter.And yet there Scottie Scheffler was late Sunday afternoon, talking matter-of-factly about a week in which his burgeoning celebrity crossed over into notoriety in a way the world's top-ranked golfer never imagined.Asked if a so-so third-round Saturday that cost him a legitimate shot at a third career major title was the ripple effect of all the chaos that came a day earlier, Scheffler offered a response that seemed absurd — except for the part where it also happened to be true.“I got arrested Friday morning and I showed up here and played a good round of golf, as well,” he explained.Scheffler played another one Sunday, a 6-under 65 that vaulted him into a tie for eighth and featured all the hallmarks of a vintage Scheffler performance: a couple of laser-guided approaches, a handful of birdie putts and the relentlessness that has become his trademark.Here's what the weekend also featured: members of the gallery wearing hastily made T-shirts with Scheffler's mug shot and yelling “Free Scottie!” over and over (and over).Oh, and questions afterward about his schedule, including whether he planned to stick around for his scheduled Tuesday morning arraignment on multiple charges stemming from an incident outside Valhalla Golf Club in the predawn hours before Friday's second round or head home to his wife Meredith and newborn son Bennett back home in Dallas.“I think it’s all up in the air,” Scheffler said. “I’m not really sure what the next days have in store. I think I’m able to get home ... but we’ll see when I leave here. I haven't really had much chance to assess the situation off the course.”Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said Sunday his office had made no decisions on Scheffler's case and is continuing to gather information.Scheffler's weeklong stay in Kentucky may have made the affable 27-year-old Texan more well-known than if he had finished the tournament by raising the Wannamaker Trophy in triumph.Rather than become a PGA champion this weekend, Scheffler became a meme.And while he thanked nearly everyone who came across his path outside Kentucky's largest city for their support, the guys he plays with every week couldn't help but have his back and have a little fun about the bizarreness of it all at the same time.“Frustrating week in KY. Lost to a guy who was literally in jail Friday morning,” fellow PGA Tour pro Max Homa posted on Instagram after finishing five shots behind Scheffler. “Tough look for me.”Homa was kidding, of course. Yet the attention has put Scheffler in the uncomfortable position of trying to balance very disparate things at the same time.Yes, he really was placed in handcuffs and taken to jail for allegedly disobeying the orders of a police officer tending to the scene of an accident where a vendor working the tournament was struck and killed by a bus. Yes, he really did get fingerprinted. Yes, he really did still make it back to the course in time to fire a 4-under 67 that put him in contention.At the same time, all of this was taking place against the backdrop of a tragedy that wasn't far from Scheffler's mind. He extended his sympathies to John Mills' family on Friday while adding his arrest a “big misunderstanding" and that his situation would “get handled.”It's a lot to take in. Yet Scheffler was able — for two of the final three hours anyway — to somehow tune out all of it. “I’ve gotten better throughout my career of leaving the off-course distractions at home and kind of keeping a pretty quiet personal life," he said. “And this week obviously that was not the case.”No, it was not. Much of what was happening around Scheffler — in particular the way fans had fun with the image of a player whose idea of a good time is staying in and playing board games — was out of his control.Sunday, with caddie Ted Scott back on the bag a day after Scott went home to attend his daughter's high school graduation, Scheffler put together a charge fueled by seven birdies against one bogey that looked — inside the ropes anyway — an awful lot like business as usual.Except, it wasn't. Scheffler admitted he nearly fell asleep while signing his scorecard and his thoughts immediately began racing toward the opportunity to get back to Texas and fatherhood. He is scheduled to play at Colonial in Fort Worth next week. He intends on keeping that commitment, but only after having a chance to get back to Meredith and Bennett and put a little distance between himself and three “hectic” days he never saw coming.“I’m just kind of just wondering what time bedtime is,” Scheffler said. “I’m trying to figure out how quickly I can get home from here and, yeah, that’s pretty much it.”___AP golf: https://apnews/hub/golf

The Vancouver Canucks will likely be without Brock Boeser for Game 7 of their second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night, reports Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman

Scottie Scheffler went to jail, Bryson DeChambeau won the crowds over, and Xander Schauffele will leave Kentucky with his first career major title.A memorable week from the PGA Championship is complete with no shortage of drama from the season's second major - both on and off the course.Here are five quotes that tell the story from an incredible stretch at Valhalla.Xander Schauffele"I just kept telling myself I need to prove this to myself."Schauffele's inability to close out tournaments has been well-documented over the years - he lost despite holding a 54-hole lead just seven days ago. However, the 30-year-old flipped the script on Sunday, making back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to grab the lead and set himself up well down the stretch. After DeChambeau birdied the 72nd hole to match Schauffele's 20-under total, the World No. 3 knew he also needed a birdie to win his first major.That's exactly what he did: He drove a pitch from 36 yards to six feet and poured in the putt for the victory to become the first man to hit 21-under for a major championship. The 30-year-old is just the 11th man to go wire-to-wire in winning the PGA Championship.If Schauffele can now combine a closer's mentality with his elite all-around game, it's likely Sunday will be the first of many major championship wins.Viktor Hovland"I was almost considering pulling out of this event because I wasn't playing good at all." Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyAfter leaving 2023 as the hottest golfer on the planet, the start of 2024 was a mess for Viktor Hovland. He had yet to post a top-15 finish on the schedule and missed the cut after an 81 at Augusta National. That poor result forced him to skip next week's RBC Heritage to try and get his game in order.The Norwegian actually told Jason Sobel of Sirius XM that he considered pulling out of the PGA Championship before it began because of his struggles. Instead, he stayed in the field and finished solo third at 18-under. So what changed for Hovland? A reunion with his former coach, Joe Mayo.Hovland made the puzzling decision to part ways with Mayo over the winter despite experiencing more success than ever before. After not meshing well with several coaches through the beginning of 2024, Hovland linked up with Mayo leading into Valhalla, creating instant results.Hovland appears to be back on track and should be considered a real threat to win at Pinehurst next month.Scottie Scheffler"I did spend some time stretching in a jail cell. That was a first for me." The golfing world awoke on Friday morning to breaking news that Scottie Scheffler was on his way to jail after being arrested just outside Valhalla. The World No. 1 was detained for a traffic-related incident while attempting to bypass a backup caused by a fatal accident earlier in the morning.Soon, images and video of Scheffler being handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car were all over the television and social media. He ended up at the station, dressed in an orange jumpsuit top for a mug shot, and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer and three misdemeanors. Eyewitness accounts and the police report painted different pictures, and Scheffler is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday morning.From that point on, it became a race for Scheffler to make his tee time, and the owner of Valhalla supplied the golfer with a ride from the station back to the course. He arrived with 50 minutes to spare, zipped through a quick warmup and proceeded to birdie his first hole en route to an incredible 5-under 66.Afterwards, Scheffler detailed his experience and admitted to the media that he did his pre-round stretching in the jail cell.Schauffele may have won the 2024 PGA Championship, but the week in Louisville will forever be remembered for Scottie's trip to jail.Bryson DeChambeau"YouTube has helped me understand that a little bit more." Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport / GettyIt feels odd to use the iconic "Gladiator" quote "You win the crowd, you win your freedom" when describing Bryson DeChambeau, but there's very little conventionality when talking about LIV Golf's brawny superstar. The 30-year-old undoubtedly won the massive crowds in Louisville with his incredibly entertaining style of play.The massive distance off the tee catches eyeballs, but DeChambeau's short game brought the pop this week - three separate hole-outs from off the green sent the galleries into hysterics. He saved his best for Sunday's final hole, getting up-and-down for a birdie to force Schauffele to match to win.DeChambeau credited his ever-growing YouTube channel for helping him understand the combo of golfer and entertainer."Yeah, it's actually funny. YouTube has helped me understand that a little bit more," he said, according to ASAP Sports. "When the moment comes, knowing what to do, what to say, how to act is really important."It's back to the lab - and LIV Golf - for the sport's foremost scientist before he returns to the major stage at Pinehurst next month.Shane Lowry"When you go out in 29, you think, wow, I have a good day going here." Your eyes aren't deceiving you - Shane Lowry actually went out in 29 over his opening nine on Saturday at a major championship. What's crazier is that his round of 62 matched the lowest round ever at a major championship, but was only good enough to tie for best round of the week. That's how easy pillow-soft conditions made the Valhalla course - a layout that yielded a 62 to both Schauffele and Lowry. The final combined score was the lowest in the PGA Championship's history - by a lot. Lowest combined score to par by field, PGA Championship history2024 Valhalla, -2141995 Riviera, +402018 Bellerive, +59— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 19, 2024 The biggest challenge at Valhalla is driving the ball long and straight. If that happens, the lack of complex greens and shallow bunkers make the course very gettable. The combo of skill and equipment makes driving the ball easier than ever, so the Louisville course no longer presents a challenge worthy of major championship golf.

Anderson Silva will face off against Chael Sonnen in a boxing match on June 15 in São Paulo, Brazil, Spaten Fight Night announced Sunday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a 15-point halftime deficit for a thrilling 98-90 Game 7 victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

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Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray is ready for a busy offseason.After the defending champions lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA playoffs, Murray told Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette that he would represent Canada at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.The Kitchener, Ontario native has represented both the junior and senior Canadian men's national teams. Murray was a key figure on the 2015 Pan American Games silver medal-winning squad, averaging 16 points per game when he was only 18 years old.Murray was unable to play on the bronze-winning 2023 FIBA World Cup team, pulling out of his commitment to focus on recovery after a long playoff run that ended with the Nuggets lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.The Raptors duo of Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett; Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker; Mavericks forward Dwight Powell; Houston's Dillon Brooks; as well as the Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort were all members of the 2023 World Cup squad and are likely to return.That team's head coach, Jordi Fernandez, will return to coach Canada in Paris after recently being named the Brooklyn Nets' next bench boss.Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin is reportedly interested in joining the Canadian team at this summer's games.The Olympic games begin on July 24. Canada will be in Group A alongside Spain, Australia, and Greece.