Sports
Scott Hend, Brian Gay share lead at Senior PGA Championship
Scott Hend from Australia watches his tee shot on the 10th hole. The first round of the 2026 Senior PGA Championship was held Thursday, April 16, 2026 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Scott Hend has won everywhere from Asia to Canada to his native Australia in his long, workmanlike golf career. Now he is in position to contend for his first major championship.
Hend posted a 7-under-par 65 on Friday, the lowest round through two days of the Senior PGA Championship, to share the 36-hole lead with Brian Gay at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.
Hend was 2 under for his day when he made the turn, but climbed the leaderboard quickly when he got birdies to fall at Nos. 11, 12 and 13. Hend added back-to-back birdies at Nos. 16-17 to shoot 5-under 31 coming in.
He and Gay sit at 10-under 134 at Concession — the new host of the major through 2028 – though both believed they could have been even better.
“I was disappointed in yesterday’s two double bogeys on the back nine, so I wanted to play that nine a bit smarter and a bit better today,” Gay said. “So I didn’t short-side myself as much as what I did yesterday, and it seemed to work out quite well.”
Hend has traveled Asia, collecting 10 wins on the Asian Tour from 2008-19. He has won three times since joining the European Senior Tour. He knows that the leaderboard is packed with challengers who have experience under the brightest lights.
“I haven’t got any majors in my back pockets, so the guys who have majors should be the ones that are favorites,” Hend said.
That includes Stewart Cink and South Africa’s Retief Goosen, who share third place at 8 under par with Ben Crane. Cink shot a 67 Friday while Crane and Goosen posted 69s.
Cink made an impressive eagle at the par-5 17th on a long, uphill putt. That pushed him to 9 under, but he bogeyed his final hole.
“Two bogeys today. You know, obviously you’d like to clean those up,” said Cink, who has won six times since joining the PGA Tour Champions and twice this year but is searching for his first senior major.
“But you know, all in all it was pretty good golf, and I would take days like today pretty much every day for the rest of my career and be happy, because there’s going to be some days that yield some low scores on days like this, and there’s not going to be too many over-par rounds.”
As for Gay, he is in the same bucket as Hend, seeking his first career major of any kind. An eagle at the par-5 seventh was counteracted by his double-bogey 7 at the 17th.
“Another pretty good day. A little volatile. Pretty similar to yesterday, except I butchered a couple of par-5s. Two of them with one bad tee ball, two good tee balls, but other than that, I putted well again.”
Argentina’s Angel Cabrera, the defending champion, went 9 over through 36 holes and missed the cut by seven strokes.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Early offense sparks Nationals to another win over Giants
Jun 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (2) celebrates with Washington Nationals right fielder James Wood (29) after hitting a two run home run during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Luis Garcia Jr. hit the 11th pitch of the game for a two-run homer, James Wood had three hits and scored twice, and the visiting Washington Nationals made it two straight wins over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday with a front-running 6-3 victory.
Andrew Alvarez and four relievers overcame nine hits and seven walks to limit the Giants to three runs, helping the Nationals improve to 4-1 on a six-game Western swing.
Garcia’s homer, his eighth, came off Adrian Houser (2-6) following a game-opening single by Wood. The blast gave the Nationals a lead they never relinquished.
Washington tacked on a run in the fifth when Jacob Young tripled and scored on a single by Wood. The Nationals benefitted from the Giants’ generosity to create a three-run margin in the seventh on a run-scoring wild pitch thrown by Erik Miller and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Daylen Lile.
Alvarez labored through four-plus innings in which he allowed five hits and five walks, throwing 90 pitches. He was pulled with a shutout but with two runners on base, and Jung Hoo Lee lashed a two-run double off reliever Brad Lord to get the hosts within 3-2.
The runs were charged to Alvarez, who struck out four.
Lord (4-0) pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam to end the fifth and retain the one-run lead. He then teamed with Richard Lovelady, Clayton Beeter and Orlando Ribalta to shut out the Giants the rest of the way until Bryce Eldridge launched his third home run of the season, a solo shot, with two outs in the ninth.
The Nationals completed their scoring in the top of the ninth when Lile smacked the game’s fourth triple to score CJ Abrams, who had reached base on a two-out error.
Houser worked 4 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and four hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk.
Young finished with two hits and two runs while Lile drove in a pair of runs for the Nationals, who began their trip by taking two of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lee, Eldridge and Luis Arraez each had a pair of hits for the Giants, who dropped their fifth straight home game. Eldridge added a double and two walks to his homer.
The Giants out-hit the visitors 9-8 but stranded 13 baserunners.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Victor Wembanyama won't get flagrant-1 for Game 3 shove
Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) passes the ball to San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images NEW YORK — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama won’t receive a retroactive flagrant foul for a play in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, league officials told multiple media outlets Tuesday night.
Wembanyama shoved New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in the first quarter of the Spurs’ 115-111 win on Monday. The NBA admitted referees missed a foul call on the incident, but the league won’t step in to assess Wembanyama a flagrant-1 foul.
Without a whistle on Wembanyama, play continued with San Antonio on offense.
A replay review appeared to show Brunson, who was on defense and working through a screen on the play, making initial contact with his left hand and grabbing a fistful of Wembanyama’s jersey, prompting the retaliatory push. With his own left hand, Wembanyama aggressively shoved Brunson in the upper back and neck area, sending him toward the floor.
The NBA rulebook deems “unnecessary contact” a flagrant-1 foul, because it goes beyond the actions warranting a common foul.
Had Wembanyama been given a flagrant-1 for the play, he would not have been subject to a suspension. However, the Spurs big man would have been skating into Game 4 on thin ice.
Wembanyama has already received two penalty points for a flagrant-2 foul in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
All players can accumulate a total of three penalty points in the playoffs — one point for a flagrant-1, two for a flagrant-2. Four penalty points in the postseason prompt an automatic one-game suspension.
A flagrant-2, defined in the rulebook as “unnecessary and excessive or reckless contact … committed by a player against an opponent,” triggers an automatic ejection.
In the third quarter on Monday, Brunson was called for a flagrant-1 foul while closing out on a 3-pointer by Julian Champagnie. Officials said he did not provide ample landing space for the Spurs’ deep threat.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sal Stewart bashes go-ahead homer in 11th as Reds top Padres
Jun 9, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart (27) is congratulated by center fielder Blake Dunn (59) after hitting a two-run home run during the 11th inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Sal Stewart clouted a two-run homer in the 11th inning Tuesday night and the visiting Cincinnati Reds snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Yuki Matsui (0-1) retired leadoff man JJ Bleday on a fly ball to right that advanced automatic runner Blake Dunn to third. Stewart then drilled a hanging splitter over the center field wall for his 13th homer of the year.
Tejay Antone (1-0) picked up the win despite allowing a run in the bottom of the 10th. Zach Maxwell earned his first major league save with a 1-2-3 11th.
Cincinnati took a 3-2 lead in its half of the 10th when Eugenio Suarez ripped an RBI double just inside third base. San Diego equalized on a one-out RBI single by Samad Taylor.
The Padres outhit the Reds 12-8 but went 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base. San Diego took its 12th loss in 15 games.
Both starters got a no-decision. Cincinnati’s Chase Burns worked 5 1/3 innings, yielding six hits and two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. San Diego’s Lucas Giolito pitched four innings, permitting two hits and two runs, one earned. He walked five and fanned three.
The Reds initiated the scoring in the second inning with a two-out rally. Matt McLain walked and stole second, the first of his three thefts on the night and Cincinnati’s seven. McLain scored when Tyler Stephenson lined a hanging changeup into left-center for an RBI single.
Giolito was his own worst enemy in the third. Bleday singled with one out, and Stewart and Nathaniel Lowe drew walks to fill the bases. Giolito then misplayed Spencer Steer’s comebacker for an error that allowed Bleday to cross the plate.
The Padres tied it in the bottom of the third. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled with one out and scored when Jackson Merrill ripped a triple to the right field corner. Manny Machado chased Merrill home with a single to left.
–Field Level Media
