Update on the latest sports

PGA-US OPEN

Another US Open disappointment for Mickelson

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Phil Mickelson now has played in the U.S. Open 30 times and he only has silver medals — six of them — to show for it.

His week at Torrey Pines ended with a 40 on the back nine for a closing 75, putting him at 11-over 295 for the week. Since the last of his six runner-up finishes at Merion in 2013, he has either missed the cut or finished over par in the U.S. Open.

At least he gets more chances. By winning the PGA Championship last month, the 51-year-old Mickelson is exempt from qualifying for the U.S. Open through 2025.

The leading groups are still just nearly two hours away from teeing off. No one has broken par among the 11 players who have finished. Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama (hih-DEH’-kee maht-soo-YAH’-mah) are finishing up their rounds and both appear headed for sub-70 scores.

Mackenzie Hughes and Louis Oosthuizen (OOST’-hay-zehn) are tied for the lead and in the final group. Russell Henley also is tied. He plays with Rory McIlroy in the penultimate group.

NBA PLAYOFFS-HAWKS/76ERS

Home court may not be an advantage as 76ers host Hawks in Game 7

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Eastern Conference semifinal comes down to Game 7 Sunday in Philadelphia and there’s scant proof the home-court edge will matter much for the top-seeded 76ers.

The Atlanta Hawks have already won two games in Philadelphia. They rallied from 26 points down in Game 5 and beat the Sixers. But they lost at home in Game 6.

The Sixers are trying to make the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001. The Hawks made it in 2015.

Both teams have concerns about key players. Atlanta may be without Bogdan Bogdanovic (bahg-DAH’-noh-vich), who left the Game 6 loss in the fourth quarter with right knee soreness and did not return. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (joh-EHL’ ehm-BEED’) has been playing with a cartilage tear in his right knee.

The NBA has suspended Hawks forward Bruno Fernando for Sunday’s game for leaving the bench area during an on-court altercation in Game 6. And Embiid has been fined $35,000 for escalating the altercation, which started after he fell on top of John Collins. The NBA says Embiid also failed to comply with an NBA Security interview following the incident.

NHL PLAYOFFS-GOLDEN KNIGHTS/CANADIENS

Coach remains isolated with Montreal set to host Vegas in Game 4

MONTREAL (AP) — Interim coach Dominique Ducharme hopes to be back behind the Montreal bench soon after testing positive for COVID-19. But it’s not clear when that will be.

Ducharme spoke to reporters in a video call as the Canadiens prepared to host the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 Sunday night. He says he is fully vaccinated and symptom-free, two days after his positive test forced him into isolation. He will clear the two-week waiting period following his second shot on Wednesday.

Montreal leads the series two games to one, with Game 5 at Vegas on Tuesday. If necessary, Game 6 will be in Montreal on Thursday and Game 7 at Vegas on Saturday.

Vegas has dropped two straight games and finds itself in the all too familiar position of facing adversity during a postseason run in which the team has now trailed in all three series.

Montreal’s confidence is riding high in having won nine of 10, leaning on the stellar play of goalie Carey Price.

NASCAR-NASHVILLE

Hendrick trio sets pace at re-opened Nashville Superspeedway

LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — New track, same old names atop the leaderboard.

William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott paced the first ever Cup Series practice at Nashville Superspeedway in yet another display of how dominant Hendrick Motorsports is right now. Hendrick drivers have won five straight headed into Sunday’s race, the first for Cup at a speedway that sat dormant the last decade and first for the series in the Nashville area in 37 years.

Only 14 drivers in Sunday’s field had raced the 1.33-mile D-shaped oval before this weekend, and only Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon and Joey Logano won lower series races before Nashville closed. Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch and Ross Chastain all entered Friday night’s Truck Series race and Preece won in his first career start in a truck.

Nashville opened in 2001 and hosted 21 Xfinity Series races and 13 Truck Series events before it closed in 2011 when it couldn’t get a coveted Cup date. Dover Motorsports owns the track and moved one of its weekends from its Delaware facility to Nashville to re-open the speedway and at last host a Cup race.

F1-FRENCH GP

F1 leader Verstappen wins French GP ahead of rival Hamilton

LE CASTELLET, France (AP) — Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap to win the French Grand Prix on Sunday and extend his lead over his title rival to 12 points.

Verstappen, who won by 2.9 seconds, has 131 points to Hamilton’s 119 after seven races.

Verstappen used the DRS system to catch Hamilton on Lap 52 and pass him on the inside before zooming off to clinch his third win of the season and 13th of his career. A bonus point for the fastest lap made it a great day for Red Bull, which had never beaten Mercedes on the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez sneaked past a dejected Valtteri Bottas to take third place and strengthen Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ championship.