Sports News Roundup: Burns leads by one at Houston Open; Sports world reacts to Biden's election and more

Burns leads by one at Houston Open, Johnson lurks three back Sam Burns, bidding for his maiden PGA Tour title, shrugged off a shaky start to hold a one-shot lead after the third round of the Houston Open on Saturday while world number one Dustin Johnson lurked three shots back in his final Masters tune-up.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Burns leads by one at Houston Open, Johnson lurks three back

Sam Burns, bidding for his maiden PGA Tour title, shrugged off a shaky start to hold a one-shot lead after the third round of the Houston Open on Saturday while world number one Dustin Johnson lurked three shots back in his final Masters tune-up. Overnight leader Burns birdied three of his last six holes at Memorial Park Golf Course for a two-under-par 68 that brought him to nine under on the week at Memorial Park Golf Course.

Sports world reacts to Biden's election

The sports world reacted on Saturday to the election of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States and also congratulated his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, who will be the first woman to serve in the executive branch. "YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!!," Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry tweeted shortly after multiple news organizations proclaimed Biden the winner over President Donald Trump.

Raiders will appeal 'draconian' sanctions, says owner Davis

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis said the organization intends to appeal the "draconian" punishments handed out by the National Football League (NFL) for repeated COVID-19 protocol breaches. The NFL stripped the Raiders of a 2021 sixth-round draft pick and fined them $500,000, while coach Jon Gruden was fined $150,000 after the league placed the team under its "intensive protocol" measures following offensive tackle Trent Brown's positive test ahead of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Five in Dodgers organization have COVID-19

Five members of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and a family member have tested positive for COVID-19, according to USA Today. The news organization cited the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday night, 10 days after the Dodgers won the World Series in six games over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Reports: Jays re-sign P Ray to one-year, $8 million deal

The Toronto Blue Jays re-signed free agent left-hander Robbie Ray to a one-year, $8 million contract, multiple outlets reported Saturday. It is the first reported free agent deal of the offseason.

Zverev stops Nadal to set up Medvedev final in Paris

Top seed Rafael Nadal's bid for a maiden Paris Masters title was halted on Saturday when the Spaniard was beaten 6-4 7-5 in the semi-finals by German fourth seed Alexander Zverev. Nadal, who reached the final at Bercy in 2007, was only briefly in contention as he surrendered his serve three times.

Billionaire Steve Cohen closes takeover of New York Mets

Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen on Friday completed the purchase of the New York Mets baseball team in a reported $2.4 billion deal, a record for a North American sports franchise. The 64-year-old Cohen, who is a New York native and a lifelong Mets fan, signed an agreement with Sterling Partners to buy the team in September.

Djokovic clinches sixth year-end No. 1 ranking to tie Sampras

Novak Djokovic has sealed the year-end men's world number one tennis ranking for the sixth time to go level with childhood hero Pete Sampras after closest rival Rafael Nadal opted against playing in the ATP Tour event in Sofia next week. Spain's 20-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, ranked second, was the only player who had a chance to stop the Serbian from finishing as the top-ranked player in 2020.

Nadal gearing up for ATP Finals after 'positive' outing in Paris

Rafael Nadal says the Paris Masters has been a "positive tournament" for him despite Saturday's semi-final defeat to Alexander Zverev, and hopes it will help him in his bid for a maiden ATP Finals title this month. The Spaniard world number two went down 6-4 7-5 to German fourth seed Zverev, once again failing to add the elusive title at the Bercy arena to his burgeoning cabinet that is adorned by 20 Grand Slam singles trophies.

'I was in a dark place' - Kyrgios opens up on mental health battle

Australian Nick Kyrgios has opened up on his battle with depression and says returning to live with his parents in Canberra this year has been good for his mind and soul. Kyrgios, who started seeing a psychologist in 2018, has been criticized for not caring enough about his tennis career.