FOOTBALL
Saints’ QB held out again
New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston had said “I’ll be out there” for practice on Thursday. He wasn’t. Winston was held out of a second consecutive practice because of a back injury, raising questions about whether he’ll be able to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. A day earlier, Coach Dennis Allen said he anticipated Winston would return to the practice field, and the quarterback insisted he was preparing to start in the NFL’s first international game of the season. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael wouldn’t address if Winston’s status had changed but said the plan was to “see where he was at day to day and then see if we could get him out there.”
Ravens’ NG on injured list
The Baltimore Ravens put nose tackle Michael Pierce on injured reserve. The Ravens announced the move Thursday, a day after Coach John Harbaugh said that Pierce had a torn biceps. The question at that point was whether he would try to play through the injury or have surgery. Pierce signed a three-year deal with the Ravens in March after being released by Minnesota. He started the first three games of this season. Pierce also played his first four NFL seasons with Baltimore from 2016-19 before going to the Vikings.
Air Force on probation
The Air Force football program received two years of probation from the NCAA and had its squad size reduced by 10 for four years as part of its sanctions for recruiting violations. The penalties were announced Thursday after Air Force and four individuals reached an agreement with NCAA enforcement staff on recruiting violations. A fifth individual in the case has contested their role and will be heard by the committee on infractions. The sanctions also include a fine and a reduction of 46 total official visits for the football program in the 2022-23 and ‘23-24 academic years. In addition, there’s a prohibition on unofficial visits in football from Sept. 1 through Oct. 12, 2022, and a reduced number of evaluation days this fall.
GOLF
Lin leads in Texas
Xiyu Lin of China made a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th hole Thursday that sent her to a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead in The Ascendant LPGA in The Colony, Texas. The late eagle from Lin, twice a runner-up on the LPGA Tour this season, took attention away from Atthaya Thitikul and her bid to reach No. 1 in the women’s world ranking. Thitikul won in Arkansas last week for her second LPGA title this season, and now the 19-year-old Thai can replace Jin Young Ko at the top of the ranking with another win. She opened with a 66, along with Lizette Salas. Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) is tied for 11th at 2-under 69. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) turned in a 1-under 70 and is tied for 19th. Alana Uriell (Razorbacks) is tied for 75th after a 3-over 74. Brooke Matthews (Rogers, Razorbacks) shot a 4-over
75. Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) struggled with a 7-over 78.
Career low for Langasque
With nasty weather on the horizon, golfers at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship were looking to get in a good early score on the storied Scottish courses staging the European tour event. No one did better than Romain Langasque on the most famous course of all. The 27-year-old Frenchman tied the course record on the Old Course at St. Andrews by shooting 11-under 61 in the first round Thursday, including a second-nine 28 that contained five birdies and an eagle on his last six holes at the home of golf. “I never thought I would have the course record at St. Andrews,” the No. 272-ranked Langasque said. “But now my name is on the board.” It was a career-low round for Langasque — his previous best on the European tour was a 63 — that gave him a one-stroke lead from his compatriot, Frederic Lacroix, and put him in a good position to contend for a second title, after the Wales Open in 2020.
TENNIS
Top seed reaches semifinals
Top-seeded Maria Sakkari rallied past 97th-ranked Maryna Zanevska 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday at the Parma (Italy) Ladies Open to reach her first semifinal since the grass-court season. Sakkari, who has gone three sets in all three of her matches this week, will face Danka Kovinic for a spot in the final of the clay-court event after Kovinic beat Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-4. In her previous semifinal, Sakkari lost to Belinda Bencic in Berlin in June. In the bottom half of the draw, Mayar Sherif of Egypt beat American opponent Lauren Davis 7-6 (2), 6-3 to reach her second career semifinal. Sherif next faces Ana Bogdan, who defeated fellow Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu 6-2, 7-6 (6).