Sports News Roundup: Bettors primed to pounce on PGA Championship; Red Bulls acquire English MF Yearwood and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Olympic rings temporarily removed from Tokyo Bay

The Olympic rings monument installed in Tokyo Bay for the 2020 Summer Games was temporarily removed for maintenance on Thursday and will return in December when Japan heads into the final stretch of preparations for the rescheduled event. The Olympics were pushed back by a year in March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Thursday would have been Day 14 of the Games.

A PGA Championship like no other comes to San Francisco

In one of the most anticipated sporting events since the COVID-19 pandemic sent sports into a deep freeze in March, the PGA Championship comes to San Francisco this week with several top players out to make history. Originally scheduled for May, the tournament was pushed back to August, when San Francisco's thick fog often blankets the city.

Sailing: America's Cup challengers told must use the home-built boat

The next America's Cup regatta in New Zealand could lose one of their challengers after the Stars & Stripes syndicate were told by the event's independent arbitration panel they must use a yacht built in the United States. The event's rules require teams to construct their yachts "in-country" and Stars & Stripes asked if that applied just to America's Cup races involving cup holder Team New Zealand (TNZ) or across the whole event, including the challengers' series.

U.S. Open will still be a proper Grand Slam despite pullouts, says Nadal

Rafa Nadal believes this year's U.S. Open champion will still feel like a Grand Slam winner despite the tournament losing some glamour due to the withdrawal of top players amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spaniard said on Wednesday. The hardcourt Grand Slam, which starts on Aug. 31, lost its men's defending champion in singles with Nadal deciding against traveling to New York.

Bettors primed to pounce on PGA Championship

Gamblers starved of sports activities are expected to go all-in on this year's PGA Championship, the first golf major of the year and the biggest single sporting event in the United States since February's Super Bowl. The coronavirus pandemic quieted sportsbooks when it forced leagues to halt play in March and even though some have returned, the PGA Championship at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park has distinct advantages, said Chris Altruda, national sports betting expert from Pennbets.com.

NBA team owners pledge $300 million over 10 years to Black empowerment

National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners will contribute a total of $300 million over the next 10 years to a charitable foundation aimed at accelerating economic growth in the Black community, the league said on Wednesday. Each of the NBA's 30 teams will provide $1 million annually during that time to fund the NBA Foundation, which is being launched by the league's board of governors and the players' union.

Russia's Alexandrova knocked out by Ferro at Palermo Open

Russian eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova was upset 7-5 6-2 by Frenchwoman Fiona Ferro in the second round of the Palermo Ladies Open on Wednesday. Ferro's win was only the second of her career against a player in the top 30 as she earned 12 breakpoints in the contest and converted five to reach the quarter-finals.

Red Bulls acquire English MF Yearwood

The New York Red Bulls acquired English midfielder Dru Yearwood on a transfer from Brentford F.C. The 20-year-old will be a Young Designated Player and will occupy an international roster slot. The transfer will be complete when the Secondary Transfer Window opens Aug. 12.

Jakobsen in a coma after collision during Tour of Poland

Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen has been put in a medically-induced coma after crashing at the finish line on stage one of the Tour of Poland following a collision with compatriot Dylan Groenewegen, the country's state-controlled news agency PAP reported on Wednesday. Jakobsen, who rides for the Deceuninck-Quick Step team, was jostling for position with Groenewegen in the final meters, but the pair came together and Jakobsen crashed into the barriers and collided with a race official.

Loeffler claims 'cancel culture' as WNBA players support Democratic candidate

A U.S. senator who co-owns the Atlanta Dream WNBA team ratcheted up her criticism of the women's basketball league on Wednesday after players wore shirts supporting one of her opponents in November's special election. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia, has been at odds with the league for weeks over its support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Players and coaches brought racial justice to the fore after the delayed season tipped off last month in a quarantined setting in Bradenton, Florida, without fans.

(With inputs from agencies.)