CHARLOTTE, N.C. >> Most meaningful of all the text messages Hideki Matsuyama received last week was the one from Jason Day congratulating the Japanese star for his 61 in the final round at Firestone to win his second World Golf Championship. It read: “Congrats, mate. Unreal playing. See you ne

A brief look at the Trojans’ training-camp practice on Friday at Howard Jones-Brian Ke edy Field: LIGHT LOAD USC’s practice was essentially a walk-through in preparation for a 60-play live scrimmage on Saturday, its second of training camp. Players were not in pads for the 75-minute workout. The qu

By Joey Kaufman jkaufman@scng.com @joeyrkaufman on Twitter LOS ANGELES >> A reporter asked USC coach Clay Helton this week about the status of his team’s kicking competition. Helton, who normally answers questions during his post-practice press scrums with a peppy demeanor, sighed. “I’m thanki

LOS ANGELES >> If you look at the age of many of the most-talented players on USC’s roster, you can easily make a case that in one year the Trojans will be ranked No. 1 in the nation. There are a lot of third-year juniors and redshirt sophomores who will undoubtedly be better 12 months from no

LOS ANGELES >> Angus McClure gesticulates wildly while yelling from the sideline. Players in white practice jerseys sprint off the field while others sprint off the sideline to trade places. During a three-hour practice, the defensive line coach rolls through nine different combinations at his

Dallas Cowboys ru ing back Ezekiel Elliott has been suspended six games by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. An ex-girlfriend accused the former Ohio State star of domestic violence more than a year ago in Columbus, Ohio. In September, the Columbu

LAS VEGAS — Top Rank Inc. has long been one of the top promotional companies in boxing, but Floyd Mayweather Jr. wanted to march to the beat of his own drummer, so he left the industry giant in 2006. He has since become a master at self-marketing. At the end of 2016, Forbes listed his net worth at $

IRVINE — The Rams will play their first preseason game of 2017 Saturday against the Dallas Cowboys at the Coliseum. Barring a major development between now and kickoff, their best player won’t even be in the same area code, let alone in uniform and on the field with the rest of his teammates. The co

The Clippers unveiled their new uniforms Friday and, at first glance, they looked pretty much like their old ones. The Nike logo on the jersey and shorts was the biggest change, after the sneaker and apparel company’s new eight-year contract to outfit NBA teams started for the 2017-18 season. The Ni

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Eric Garcetti to sign a Host City Contract with the Inte ational Olympic Committee in which the city agrees to host the 2028 Olympic Games and guarantees that it will cover any potential financial shortfall from those G

The Rams made a big move to boost their young group of receivers Friday when they acquired Sammy Watkins from Buffalo in a trade for co erback E.J. Gaines and the Rams’ 2018 second-round draft pick. The Rams also acquired Buffalo’s sixth-round pick in the deal that brings Watkins, the No. 4 overall

LOS ANGELES — It has been a whirlwind several days for Carlos Vela and he still has to travel back to Spain. “It has been crazy,” Vela said . Finally, there’s some sort of normalcy as Vela was officially introduced as the first Designated Player for the Los Angeles Football Club. “This is a statemen

Even in Major League Soccer, time will eventually run out. That’s approaching rapidly for the Galaxy. Including Saturday night’s meeting against New York City FC, the Galaxy have 12 games remaining, and to complicate matters, the club begins the week in ninth place in the Weste Conference, nine po

Notes and observations on USC football after 10 training-camp practices ... LOS ANGELES >> USC coach Clay Helton won’t say who will start at wide receiver, but redshirt freshman Tyler Vaughns has only taken snaps with the first team. If Vaughns does not start, the coaches are doing a great job

A brief look at the Trojans’ training-camp practice on Thursday at Howard Jones-Brian Ke edy Field: BIG MOMENT The first fight of training camp broke out near the end of practice between freshman offensive tackle Austin Jackson and sophomore linebacker Oluwole Betiku after a play during an 11-on-11

CHARLOTTE, N.C.>> Jordan Spieth began his quest for the career Grand Slam by not making a putt longer than 5 feet. What helped was that Quail Hollow punished just about everyone at some point Thursday in the PGA Championship. Kevin Kisner and Thorbjo Olesen of Denmark emerged as the top surv

CHARLOTTE, N.C.>>Rickie Fowler loves playing at Quail Hollow. You can’t particularly blame him. This is where Fowler got his breakthrough PGA Tour win and where he now hopes to capture that elusive first major championship. Fowler, from Murrieta, shot an opening-round 69 at the PGA Championshi

PHOENIX >> The Dodgers have been unwilling to discuss Walker Buehler in trade talks multiple times over the past year because they think he has a very bright future as a starting pitcher in the major leagues. For now, though, Buehler is not a starting pitcher at all and his immediate future as

LAS VEGAS >> It was 108 degrees outside the Mayweather Boxing Club at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. A handful of fans stood outside, hopeful of getting a look at Floyd Mayweather Jr., even though he wasn’t scheduled to arrive until 3 p.m. Reporters and photographers stood in line, waiting to get in as t

LOS ANGELES >> Darren Andrews could do nothing but watch. The senior wide receiver stands on the sideline, surrounded by the rest of his offensive teammates, and watches the UCLA defense jog across the field and back. He’s mad. He wanted to run. That’s how these Bruins gloat. The unit that win