Cycling
Arredondo wins Stage 18; Quintana leads by 1:41
RIFUGIO PANAROTTA, Italy – Julian Arredondo claimed the biggest win of his career with a solo victory on the 18th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday, while Nairo Quintana retained the overall leader’s pink jersey as the race returned to the mountains.
The 25-year-old Arredondo was part of a breakaway and made his move with just less than 2.5 miles remaining to ride alone up the summit finish to Rifugio Panarotta.
The Colombian crossed the finish line 17 seconds ahead of Fabio Duarte. Philip Deignan was 20 seconds further back at the end of the 106-mile leg from Belluno.
Quintana remained 1:41 ahead of fellow Colombian Rigoberto Uran, with Pierre Rolland moving into third place as former race leader Cadel Evans slipped to ninth.
Golf
LPGA and PGA of America partners for an old major
DUBLIN, Ohio – The LPGA Championship is getting a new name, two big partners and a lot more exposure.
In what amounts to a merger announced Thursday morning, the LPGA Tour and PGA of America became partners in the Women’s PGA Championship. It will be the first women’s major run by the PGA of America starting in 2015 at Westchester Country Club in New York.
KPMG will be the title sponsor and will use the week to host a major conference that brings together top female executives from business, politics, society and sports.
The plan is to move the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship around the country. The purse will increase in 2015 to $3.5 million, up from $2.25 million this year, and it will become only the second LPGA Tour event on network television, joining the U.S. Women’s Open. NBC Sports will televise the Women’s PGA on the weekend.
The LPGA Championship, which dates to 1955, will be played Aug. 14-17 at Monroe Golf Club outside Rochester for the last time under its old name.
NBA
Sterlings reportedly found their buyer in Ballmer
LOS ANGELES – Shelly Sterling reached an agreement Thursday night to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer for $2 billion in what would be a record deal if approved by the NBA, according to an individual with knowledge of the negotiations.
The individual, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Ballmer and the Sterling Family Trust now have a binding agreement. The deal now must be presented to the NBA.
Shelly Sterling negotiated the sale after her husband, Donald Sterling, made racist remarks that were made public. The remarks included Sterling telling girlfriend V. Stiviano not to bring blacks to Clippers games, specifically mentioning Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. Donald Sterling also must approve the final agreement as a 50-percent owner.
Ballmer beat out bids by Guggenheim Partners and a group including former NBA All-Star Grant Hill after presenting an “all-around superior bid,” the individual said. Ballmer made more than an hour-long personal visit to Shelly Sterling’s Malibu home Sunday and laid out his plan.
Olympics
Is Big Air the next big thing at the Winter Games?
The next big thing at the Winter Olympics?
It could be Big Air.
A U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association leader said the federation is heading to an international meeting next week with a proposal to add Big Air to the Games.
USSA freeskiing and snowboarding director Jeremy Forster said the federation also will propose bringing team snowboardcross to the Olympics.
If the events get a thumbs-up next Friday at the International Ski Federation (FIS) Congress in Barcelona, the next step would be to ask the International Olympic Committee to include them.
Associated Press
