Echavarria claims 2nd PGA Tour title

Nico Echavarria claimed the Zozo Championship for his second PGA Tour victory, shooting 3-under 67 on Sunday to win by a shot over Max Greyserman and Justin Thomas. Echavarria, a Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas, birdied two of the final three holes — including the 18th — to add to the title he won last year at the Puerto Rico Open. He finished at 20-under 260 at the Narashino Country Club, located about 50 miles from central Tokyo. It’s course record, topping the 261 Tiger Woods shot in winning in 2019. “It’s incredible to win a tournament that Tiger’s won,” Echavarria said, setting up a joke. “This is my second victory, so I just need 80 more victories to catch him.” Echavarria said the win last year helped build his confidence. “I don’t think I would have won this week without the victory in Puerto Rico,” he said. “I pulled a lot from that moment in the last round on Sunday in Puerto Rico ... stay patient, stay calm.” Thomas (66) was trying to win his first PGA title in 2 1/2 years. His last was the 2022 PGA Championship, which gave him 15 PGA Tour wins.

Durant in elite group with 29K points

Kevin Durant became the eighth player in NBA history to score 29,000 career points, reaching the mark Saturday night as his Suns beat the Mavericks 114-102. The 14-time All-Star scored 31 points against the Mavs and now has 29,010 points over 17 seasons with SuperSonics/Thunder, Warriors, Nets and Suns. The 36-year-old has averaged 27.3 points over 1,064 games. Durant has averaged at least 20 points in every season and continues to put the ball in the hoop at a high rate, scoring nearly 29 points per game through his first three games this season. “I’ve got to give credit to the people who have helped me since I was a kid,” Durant said. “Teammates who passed me the ball, set screens for me, coaches who drew up plays for me.” LeBron James is the NBA’s career scoring leader with 40,543 points. Behind him and in front of Durant are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Wilt Chamberlain. Durant is 10th on the combined NBA and ABA list, with Julius Erving eighth and Moses Malone ninth.

Despite playoff bid, Fever fire coach

The Fever fired coach Christie Sides on Sunday, the WNBA team announced. Sides went 33-47 in her two seasons with the squad, including going 20-20 this season. The Fever made the playoffs as the sixth seed and were swept in the first round by the Sun. The Fever are the sixth team to make a coaching change this offseason, joining the Wings, Dream, Sky, Mystics and Sparks. All of the coaches let go had three years or less experience. Whoever takes over the Fever will have a strong young core to work with, led by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. The pair have won the last two WNBA Rookie of the Year awards. Sides, above, was a longtime assistant in the league, spending time with the Sky (2011-16), Fever (2017-19) and Dream (2022) before getting the head coaching job. She replaced Marianne Stanley and her interim successor, Carlos Knox, who coached in the 2022 season. Sides had two years left on her contract. The Fever haven’t had a head coach last for more than three years since Lin Dunn, who coached from 2008-14. —Associated Press