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Joaquin Niemann going to Boston for next LIV Golf event

Joaquin Niemann going to Boston for next LIV Golf event

Joaquin Niemann of Chile was headed to Boston on Monday for the next LIV Golf event, which would give the Saudi-funded league its youngest PGA Tour winner as it fills out its roster for the rest of the inaugural season.

“Going but has not signed it yet,” Carlos Rodriguez, his manager at GSE Worldwide, said in a text to The Associated Press.

The 23-year-old Niemann, who is No. 19 in the world ranking, was the most prominent name mentioned in various reports over the weekend to leave the PGA Tour. The most notable was British Open champion Cameron Smith, which The Daily Telegraph reported three weeks ago.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy led a private meeting among top players on Aug. 17 during the BMW Championship in which they discussed a new tournament model for the PGA Tour. Niemann took part in that meeting, and he would be the only one of the 23 players in attendance to defect.

The move would not be a surprise, mostly because Niemann’s closest friends in golf already have joined LIV Golf. Sergio Garcia is a mentor. Carlos Ortiz of Mexico is his best friend in golf and they often stay in the same house and bring their own chef.

Niemann had been contemplating an offer since the start of the year. But early plans for the rival league were stalled in February with Phil Mickelson’s derogatory comments about the Saudis and the PGA Tour, even saying his end game was to get leverage for change.

And then the Chilean won the Genesis Invitational at Riviera — Woods presented him the trophy — and Niemann said, “Winning a PGA Tour event, getting a trophy, having Tiger there, all the history behind it, there’s nothing that can compete with this.”

But this decision largely was about his life on the road with his friends.

Rodriguez had told the AP on Sunday at East Lake that Niemann listened in the player meeting and then considered the changes coming on the PGA Tour starting next year, such as a model that would bring together the best in golf up to 17 times a year to compete for $20 million purses.

He said Niemann would talk it over with his father on Sunday night and then decide. The Telegraph reported that his signing bonus would be the $100 million range. Most of the LIV contracts are said to be over three or four years.

Matt Fitzpatrick, of England, left, speaks with Joaquin Niemann, of Chile, on the 18th green during the second round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, in Atlanta.

Also leaving for LIV are Harold Varner, Cameron Tringale, Marc Leishman and Anirban Lahiri.

Niemann would add to the growing list of players who have given up on the Presidents Cup on Sept. 22-25 at Quail Hollow. Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen already have played LIV golf events. Niemann and Smith were among the eight qualifiers.

Leishman and Lahiri have previously played for the International team, though neither had qualified this year because of their play.

International Captain Trevor Immelman is to announce his four wild-card picks on Sept. 6.

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TIMELINE: Events surrounding the Uvalde, Texas, school siege

TIMELINE: Events surrounding the Uvalde, Texas, school siege

In the hours and days following the fatal shooting of 19 children and their two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, authorities gave shifting and at times contradictory information of what happened and how they responded.

The investigation of the massacre is still ongoing, but much is already known about the nearly two hours that passed between when authorities say Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother and when police radio traffic indicated that the 18-year-old gunman was dead and the siege was over.

TIMELINE

Sometime after 11 a.m. — Ramos shoots his grandmother in the face, according to Texas Public Safety Director Steve McCraw. Gilbert Gallegos, 82, who lives across the street from Ramos and his grandmother, heard a shot as he was in his yard. He ran to the front and sees Ramos speed away in a pickup truck and Ramos’ grandmother coming toward him pleading for help. Covered in blood, “She says, ‘Berto, this is what he did. He shot me,’” according to Gallegos, whose wife calls the police to report the shooting.

11:27 a.m. — Video shows a teacher, whom authorities haven’t publicly identified, propping open an exterior door of the school, McCraw said.

11:28 a.m. — The teacher exits to retrieve a phone and then returns through the exit door, which remains propped open, McCraw said. It’s not clear why the teacher was retrieving a phone. Department of Public Safety spokesman Travis Considine said Thursday that investigators hadn’t determined why the door was propped open.

11:28 a.m. — Ramos crashes the pickup into a drainage ditch behind the school, McCraw said. Two men at a nearby funeral home hear the crash and run out to see what happened. They see Ramos jump out of the passenger side carrying an AR-15-style rifle and a bag full of ammunition. The men run and Ramos fires at them but doesn’t hit them. One of the men falls to the ground but both make it back to the funeral home. A panicked teacher then emerges from the school and calls 911.

11:30 a.m. — 911 receives a call saying there was a crash and a man with a gun at the school, McCraw said.

11:31 a.m. — Ramos begins shooting at the school from the school parking lot as police cars begin to arrive at the funeral home, McCraw said. Ramos then makes his way around the school building.

The school district police officer who was working that day wasn’t on campus around this time, contrary to previous reports, McCraw said Friday. The officer drives to the school “immediately” after getting the 911 call and approaches someone at the back of the school who he thought was the gunman. As the officer “sped” toward the man, who turned out to be a teacher, McCraw said the officer “drove right by the suspect who was hunkered down behind“ a vehicle.

11:32 a.m. — Ramos fires multiple shots at the school and then makes his way toward the open door, McCraw said.

11:33 a.m. — Five minutes after crashing the pickup, Ramos enters the school and begins shooting into two adjoining classrooms, 111 and 112, McCraw said. He fires more than 100 rounds.

11:35 a.m. — Three city police officers enter the school through the same door that Ramos used and are later followed by four other officers, McCraw said, putting a total of seven inside the building. Two officers receive “grazing wounds” from Ramos, McCraw said.

11:37 a.m. — Gunfire continues, with 16 rounds being shot in total, McCraw said. It’s unclear who fired the shots.

11:51 a.m. — A police sergeant and other law enforcement begin to arrive, McCraw said.

12:03 p.m. — A female (age unknown) calls 911 and whispers that she’s in classroom 112, McCraw said. The call lasts 1 minute and 23 seconds.

12:03 p.m. — Officers continue to enter the school, with as many as 19 officers in the hallway near the room where Ramos is holed up, McCraw said.

12:06 p.m. — Anne Marie Espinoza, a spokeswoman for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, posts on the district’s Facebook page: “All campuses are under a Lockdown Status.

“Uvalde CISD Parents: Please know at this time all campuses are under a Lockdown Status due to gunshots in the area. The students and staff are safe in the buildings. The buildings are secure in a Lockdown Status. Your cooperation is needed at this time by not visiting the campus. As soon as the Lockdown Status is lifted you will be notified.“

“Thank you for your cooperation!”

12:10 p.m. — The female (age unknown) who called 911 at 12:03 p.m. calls 911 again and says there are multiple dead, McCraw said. She calls again at 12:13 p.m. and then again at 12:16 p.m., when she says there are eight to nine students alive.

12:10 p.m. — The first group of deputy U.S. marshals from Del Rio arrive from nearly 70 miles (113 kilometers) away to assist the various other law enforcement officers already on scene, according to the Marshals Service.

12:15 p.m. — U.S. Border Patrol tactical team members arrive with shields, McCraw said.

12:19 p.m. — Another girl in room 111 calls 911 and ends the call when a fellow student tells her to hang up, McCraw said.

12:21 p.m. — Ramos fires his gun again and officers believe he’s at one of the door of one of the adjoining classrooms, McCraw said. Police move down the hallway.

12:21 p.m. — Three shots can be heard during a 911 call, McCraw said.

Around this time, police are stuck in the hallway because both classroom doors are locked and they must seek keys from a school employee.

12:36 p.m. — A child calls 911 for 21 seconds.

Around this time, a girl calls 911 and is told to stay on the line and stay very quiet, McCraw said. The girl says, “He shot the door.”

12:43 p.m. —The girl urges the 911 dispatcher to “please send the police now.”

12:46 p.m. — The girl says she can “hear the police next door.”

12:47 p.m. — She again asks 911 to “please send the police now.”

12:50 p.m. — Officers open the doors with keys from a school employee, enter the classroom and kill Ramos, McCraw said. Shots can be heard over the 911 call.

12:51 p.m. — Officers can be heard moving children out of the room, McCraw said.

12:58 p.m. — Law enforcement radio chatter says Ramos has been killed and the siege is over, said Victor Escalon, regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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For more AP coverage of the Uvalde school shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting

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World ski body cancels all upcoming events in Russia

World ski body cancels all upcoming events in Russia

GENEVA (AP) — Russia will not host any more World Cup events organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS) this winter, the governing body said Friday.

It announced the decision after a farcical attempt to hold ski cross races Friday in the Urals resort Sunny Valley one day after Russia started a military invasion of Ukraine.

Only a handful of Russians started and dozens of racers from all other countries did not take part. The non-starters included new Olympic champions Ryan Regez of Switzerland and Sandra Naeslund of Sweden..

FIS cited ”the safety of all participants and to maintain the integrity of the World Cup” for calling off five scheduled events in the next month. Replacement venues are being sought.

A World Cup event in freestyle aerials was also scheduled this weekend in Yaroslavl. Women’s ski jumping competitions were scheduled between March 18-27 at Nizhny Tagil and Chaikovsky. Cross-country races were due in Tyumen on March 18-20.

At Sunny Valley, just six Russians started out of 61 scheduled racers in men’s ski cross qualification. Seven Russians among 24 listed starters took part in the women’s event.

FIS said regarding the ski cross and aerials skiers already in Russia that it was “working closely with the involved stakeholders to ensure their quick return back home.”

Norway’s ski federation had already asked FIS to cancel the planned events in Russia, with its president Erik Røste saying “this is bigger than sport and that sport cannot be neutral in such a situation.”

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Timeline of events since George Floyd’s arrest and murder

Timeline of events since George Floyd’s arrest and murder

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A timeline of key events beginning with George Floyd’s arrest on May 25, 2020, by four police officers in Minneapolis:

May 25, 2020 — Officers respond to a call shortly after 8 p.m. about a possible counterfeit $20 bill being used at a corner store and encounter a Black man, later identified as George Floyd, who struggles and ends up handcuffed and facedown on the ground. Officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee into Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes while bystanders shout at him to stop. Video shows Floyd repeatedly crying “I can’t breathe” before going limp. He’s pronounced dead at a hospital.

May 26 — Police issue a statement saying Floyd died after a “medical incident,” and that he physically resisted and appeared to be in medical distress. Minutes later, bystander video is posted online. Police release another statement saying the FBI will help investigate. Chauvin and three other officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — are fired. Protests begin.

May 27 — Mayor Jacob Frey calls for criminal charges against Chauvin. Protests lead to unrest in Minneapolis and other cities.

May 28 — Gov. Tim Walz activates the Minnesota National Guard. Police abandon the 3rd Precinct station as protesters overtake it and set it on fire.

May 29 — Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. President Donald Trump tweets about “thugs” in Minneapolis protests and warns: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Protests turn violent again in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

May 30 — Trump tries to walk back his tweet. Protests continue nationwide.

May 31 — Walz says Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead prosecutions in Floyd’s death. Protests continue.

June 1 — The county medical examiner finds that Floyd’s heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck, noting Floyd had existing health issues and listing fentanyl and methamphetamine use as “other significant conditions.“

June 2 — Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights launches a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department.

June 3 — Ellison files a tougher second-degree murder charge against Chauvin and charges the other three officers involved in Floyd’s arrest.

June 4 — A funeral for Floyd is held in Minneapolis.

June 5 — Minneapolis bans chokeholds by police, the first of many changes including an overhaul of the Police Department’s use-of-force policy.

June 6 — Massive, peaceful protests happen nationwide to demand police reform. Services are held for Floyd in Raeford, North Carolina, near his birthplace.

June 7 — A majority of Minneapolis City Council members say they support dismantling the Police Department. The idea later stalls but sparks a national debate over police reform.

June 8 — Thousands pay their respects to Floyd in Houston, where he grew up. He’s buried the next day.

June 10 — Floyd’s brother testifies before the House Judiciary Committee for police accountability.

June 16 — Trump signs an executive order to encourage better police practices and establish a database to track officers with excessive use-of-force complaints.

July 15 — Floyd’s family sues Minneapolis and the four former officers.

July 21 — The Minnesota Legislature passes a broad slate of police accountability measures that includes bans on neck restraints, chokeholds and so-called warrior-style training.

Oct. 7 — Chauvin posts $1 million bond and is released from state prison, sparking more protests.

Nov. 5 — Judge Peter Cahill rejects defense requests to move the officers’ state trials.

Jan. 12, 2021 — Cahill rules Chauvin will be tried alone due to courtroom capacity issues.

March 9 — Questioning of potential jurors in Chauvin’s state trial begins after a day’s delay for pretrial motions.

March 12 — Minneapolis agrees to pay $27 million settlement to Floyd family.

March 19 — Judge declines to delay or move Chauvin’s trial over concerns that the settlement could taint the jury pool.

March 23 — Jury selection completed.

March 29 — Opening statements are given.

April 11 — Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, is fatally shot by a white police officer during a traffic stop in suburban Brooklyn Center, sparking more protests.

April 12 — Judge declines a request to sequester Chauvin jury due to Wright ‘s death.

April 15 — Testimony ends.

April 19 — Closing arguments. Jury begins deliberations.

April 20 — Jury convicts Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges.

May 7 — Federal grand jury indicts Chauvin, Lane, Kueng and Thao on civil rights charges.

May 25 — A street festival, musical performances and moments of silence are held in Minneapolis and elsewhere to mark the anniversary of Floyd’s death. Floyd family members meet with President Joe Biden in Washington to discuss police reforms.

June 25: Cahill sentences Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison, after agreeing with prosecutors that aggravating factors warranted more than the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines.

Nov. 2: Minneapolis voters reject a proposal to replace the city’s Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety.

Dec. 15: Chauvin pleads guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Jan. 20, 2022: A jury is picked in the federal civil rights trial of the other three officers.

Feb. 22: Closing arguments are given in that federal civil rights trial.

Feb. 23: Case goes to jury.

Feb. 24: Former Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are convicted on all charges. All three were found guilty of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care, and Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin.

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Find AP’s full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd

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Timeline of events since George Floyd’s arrest and murder

Timeline of events since George Floyd’s arrest and murder

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A timeline of key events beginning with George Floyd’s arrest on May 25, 2020, by four police officers in Minneapolis:

May 25, 2020 — Minneapolis police officers respond to a call shortly after 8 p.m. about a possible counterfeit $20 bill being used at a corner grocery and encounter a Black man, later identified as George Floyd, who struggles and ends up handcuffed and facedown on the ground. Officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee into Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes while bystanders shout at him to stop. Video shows Floyd repeatedly crying “I can’t breathe” before going limp. He’s pronounced dead at a hospital.

May 26 — Police issue a statement saying Floyd died after a “medical incident,” and that he physically resisted and appeared to be in medical distress. Minutes later, bystander video is posted online. Police release another statement saying the FBI will help investigate. Chauvin and three other officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — are fired. Protests begin.

May 27 — Mayor Jacob Frey calls for criminal charges against Chauvin. Protests lead to unrest in Minneapolis and other cities.

May 28 — Gov. Tim Walz activates the Minnesota National Guard. Police abandon the 3rd Precinct station as protesters overtake it and set it on fire.

May 29 — Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. President Donald Trump tweets about “thugs” in Minneapolis protests and warns: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Protests turn violent again in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

May 30 — Trump tries to walk back his tweet. Protests continue nationwide.

May 31 — Walz says Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead prosecutions in Floyd’s death. The nationwide protests continue.

June 1 — The county medical examiner finds that Floyd’s heart stopped as police restrained him and compressed his neck, noting Floyd had existing health issues and listing fentanyl and methamphetamine use as “other significant conditions.“

June 2 — Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights launches a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department.

June 3 — Ellison files a tougher second-degree murder charge against Chauvin and charges the other three officers involved in Floyd’s arrest.

June 4 — A funeral for Floyd is held in Minneapolis.

June 5 — Minneapolis bans chokeholds by police, the first of many changes including an overhaul of the Police Department’s use-of-force policy.

June 6 — Massive, peaceful protests happen nationwide to demand police reform. Services are held for Floyd in Raeford, North Carolina, near his birthplace.

June 7 — A majority of Minneapolis City Council members say they support dismantling the Police Department. The idea later stalls but sparks a national debate over police reform.

June 8 — Thousands pay their respects to Floyd in Houston, where he grew up. He’s buried the next day.

June 10 — Floyd’s brother testifies before the House Judiciary Committee for police accountability.

June 16 — Trump signs an executive order to encourage better police practices and establish a database to track officers with excessive use-of-force complaints.

July 15 — Floyd’s family sues Minneapolis and the four former officers.

July 21 — The Minnesota Legislature passes a broad slate of police accountability measures that includes bans on neck restraints, chokeholds and so-called warrior-style training.

Oct. 7 — Chauvin posts $1 million bond and is released from state prison, sparking more protests.

Nov. 5 — Judge Peter Cahill rejects defense requests to move the officers’ trials.

Jan. 12, 2021 — Cahill rules Chauvin will be tried alone due to courtroom capacity issues.

March 9 — Questioning of potential jurors in Chauvin’s trial begins after a day’s delay for pretrial motions.

March 12 — Minneapolis agrees to pay $27 million settlement to Floyd family.

March 19 — Judge declines to delay or move the trial over concerns that the settlement could taint the jury pool.

March 23 — Jury selection completed.

March 29 — Opening statements are given.

April 11 — Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, is fatally shot by a white police officer during a traffic stop in suburban Brooklyn Center, sparking more protests.

April 12 — Judge declines a request to sequester Chauvin jury immediately due to Wright ‘s death.

April 15 — Testimony ends.

April 19 — Closing arguments. Jury begins deliberations.

April 20 — Jury convicts Chauvin on murder and manslaughter charges.

May 7 — Federal grand jury indicts Chauvin, Lane, Kueng and Thao on civil rights charges.

May 25 — A street festival, musical performances and moments of silence are held in Minneapolis and elsewhere to mark the anniversary of Floyd’s death. Floyd family members meet with President Joe Biden in Washington to discuss police reforms.

June 25: Cahill sentences Chauvin to 22 1/2 years in prison, after agreeing with prosecutors that aggravating factors warranted more than the 12 1/2-year sentence prescribed under state guidelines.

Nov. 2: Minneapolis voters reject a proposal to replace the city’s Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety.

Dec. 15: Chauvin pleads guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Jan. 20, 2022: A jury is picked in the federal civil rights trial of the other three officers.

Feb. 22, 2022: Closing arguments in federal civil rights trial for other three officers.

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Find AP’s full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd