Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

3 former LIV golfers earn DP World Tour cards

Spain's Josele Ballester and two other former LIV Golf players are among the 20 golfers who earned DP World Tour status for 2027 after the final round of qualifying school on Wednesday. Ballester, South Korea's ​Byeong Hun An and John Catlin were among the 20 players who finished in the top-15 plus ties following six rounds of qualifying.

Cardinals call on rookie Carson Beck as third starting QB in three ​games

Rookie Carson Beck was the No. 3 quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals three weeks ago. Last week, he was No. 2 behind Gardner ‌Minshew II in ​Seattle.

Report: After losing Jake Moody, Ravens sign K Riley Patterson

The Baltimore Ravens are turning to veteran Riley Patterson to fill their vacancy at kicker after losing Jake Moody to the Atlanta Falcons. Baltimore is signing Patterson following a workout Wednesday, NFL Network reported.

Tennis-Tunisian Jabeur targeting WTA Tour return in 2027

Former world number two Ons Jabeur said she hopes to return to professional tennis in 2027, after the Tunisian gave birth to her first child in April. Jabeur took a break from tennis last year following her first-round exit at Wimbledon, citing injuries and fatigue. She later extended her break after announcing she was pregnant.

Report: Giants inquired about Falcons RB Bijan Robinson

The New York Giants called ‌the Atlanta Falcons to inquire about star running back Bijan Robinson before Tuesday's trade deadline, ESPN reported Wednesday. The report said it is unknown whether the Giants actually made an offer for Robinson, who leads the NFL with 880 rushing yards through nine games. Multiple league sources characterized Robinson as untouchable as the face of the Falcons (3-6).

Ice hockey-US stay pristine in world championship, welcome revamped Canadian team

Olympic champions United States are ready to embrace the unknown as they continue their collision course with a retooled Canadian team at the Women's World Championship, finishing on top of Group A on Wednesday. The US stayed unbeaten through four group stage matches with an 8-1 defeat of Czech Republic on Wednesday, with Hilary Knight getting a hat trick and Abbey Murphy sending two into the net. Grace Zumwinkle, Laila Edwards and Alex Carpenter each added another score.

Tennis-Sabalenka still hopeful of reaching WTA Finals last four despite defeat by Andreeva

Aryna Sabalenka said she is still hopeful of ‌reaching the WTA Finals semi-finals despite losing 11 games in a row in a 6-4 6-0 defeat by 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday. The world number two squandered a 4-1 lead in the opening set before French Open champion Andreeva ran the table to clinch the match and seal top spot in Group 2.

7-1 center Jack Thelen commits to UConn 2027 class

UConn added another commitment to its 2027 class on Wednesday, landing 7-foot-1 center ‌Jack Thelen from Maple Grove High School in Osseo, Minn. Thelen, ranked as a four-star recruit by the 247Sports composite, joins a strong class that already features two five-star prospects. With Thelen's addition, the UConn 2027 class has moved to No. 2 in the composite rankings, trailing LSU. Coach Will Wade and the Tigers have commitments from a quartet of five-star prospects.

Chiefs sticking with struggling K Harrison Butker this week

Head coach Andy Reid said the Kansas City Chiefs are not making a kicking change this week despite the ongoing struggles of Harrison Butker. Following Butker's NFL-leading seventh missed field goal of the season in last week's win against the New York Jets, Reid initially said he wasn't sure who would handle kicking duties in this Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Ice hockey-Canada to block Russian players from entering for World Juniors

Canada will prevent Russian athletes and officials from entering the country for ice hockey's World Junior Championship in Alberta, the government said on Wednesday, effectively barring their participation weeks before the tournament begins. In a statement provided to Reuters, Canada's Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden said the government opposed Russian and Belarusian participation ⁠in international sport "as long as Russia ​continues its war of aggression against Ukraine with Belarus’s complicity."

Report: US Soccer removes team from U-17 World Cup in Qatar

The ⁠United States will no longer send a team to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, which is set to begin next week in Qatar, U.S. Soccer Collective reported Wednesday. United States Soccer cited security concerns with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East for its decision to back out of the tournament, according to the report.

Rangers hire Tommy Joseph as hitting coach

The Texas Rangers announced that former major-league first baseman Tommy Joseph has been hired as a hitting coach to complete second-year manager Skip Schumaker's staff. Joseph, 35, has spent the past two years as ⁠an assistant hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners (2024) and Baltimore Orioles (2025). He replaces Alex Cintron, who has moved to a different offensive role within the organization, and will work under lead hitting coach Justin Viele.

Rex Ryan accused of running over pedestrians' feet

Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan was arrested Wednesday in Nashville for allegedly running over the feet of two pedestrians in his truck last week, according to authorities. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Ryan, 63, turned himself in on six outstanding misdemeanor warrants related to a Nov. ​5 incident on the city's famed Broadway.

Drew Brees confirms interest in succeeding Troy Aikman on 'MNF'

If ESPN prefers to replace Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman in the "Monday Night Football" booth with another Hall of Fame quarterback, then Drew Brees says he will be happy to fill the bill. In a conversation with Front Office Sports, Brees replied, "Of course," when asked whether he would be interested in the ⁠role expected to come open when Aikman's contract expires after Super Bowl LXI on Valentine's Day.

Feds say indicted P Emmanuel Clase owed $700K in taxes

Former Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, who is facing federal charges for his alleged involvement in a pitch-rigging scheme, owes about $700,000 in unpaid taxes, according to the U.S. government. The three-time All-Star has been charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy.

Soccer-US pulls men's Under-17 team from World Cup in Qatar over safety concerns

US Soccer has withdrawn its national team from the men's FIFA ⁠Under-17 World ​Cup in Qatar over safety concerns, the federation told players on Wednesday. In a letter sent to players and provided to Reuters, the federation said it was cancelling the team's pre-tournament camp and its participation in the event "in light of current circumstances."

Titans' Calvin Ridley details airport valet dispute

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley said Wednesday that a dispute with an airport valet Saturday night began when he tried to retrieve his truck without a claim ticket, offering his account of an incident that reportedly left the attendant injured. Speaking publicly about the episode for the first time, Ridley said he followed the process for a lost ticket by providing identification, filling out a form and showing the attendant a photograph that he said helped establish the truck belonged to him.

Motor racing-Hamilton urges Israel to let Gaza aid in after Rafah visit

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday that Israel must allow aid trucks into Gaza, ⁠a day after he visited the Rafah border crossing in Egypt. Hamilton, a seven-times world champion, arrived in El Arish on Tuesday, where he was briefed on how aid is prepared and coordinated before it is sent into Gaza, as he toured the Rafah crossing and the Egyptian Red Crescent's aid warehouses.

Jazz F Lauri Markkanen (hand) out at least four weeks

Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen will be re-evaluated in four weeks after sustaining a ⁠hand injury, the team announced on Wednesday. The Finnish forward sustained two non-displaced fractures in his right hand in last Friday's 112-100 ⁠defeat in Dallas.

Kirk Cousins back in Minnesota: 'Goal is the Super Bowl'

Kirk Cousins returned to his comfort zone with no time to exhale as he hits the ground with the Minnesota Vikings in the midst of a tight NFC North race with the Packers up next on Sunday. Cousins said he was excited to be back with the Vikings for a second stint with the franchise. He played for Minnesota from 2018-23 and his final game with the franchise was at Lambeau Field, where Minnesota is headed on Sunday. Cousins left that game with a ruptured Achilles with some degree of doubt he would every be back.

Soccer-FIFA clears joint bids for 2031 and 2035 ‌Women's World Cups

Two joint bids for the Women's World Cup in 2031 and 2035 have ‌met the minimum hosting requirements and will be submitted to the Extraordinary FIFA Congress for approval, world soccer's governing body FIFA said on Wednesday. * The 2031 bid is a joint submission from the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica ​and Jamaica, which proposed 20 stadiums in 20 host cities, receiving an overall score of 4.4 out of 5