Sports News Roundup: Mickelson gets exemption into U.S. Open; Beckham invests in esports with London-based start-up Guild and more

Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki contracted the novel coronavirus after playing in the Adria Tour, which drew big crowds and saw players pose for pictures.Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki tested positive after playing in the charity tournament in Serbia and Croatia, which drew big crowds and saw players pose for pictures together.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf: Six-times runner-up Mickelson gets exemption into U.S. Open

Phil Mickelson will get another shot to complete the career Grand Slam thanks to adjusted exemption criteria for this year's U.S. Open that was announced by the United States Golf Association (USGA) on Thursday. Mickelson, a runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times, was in danger of missing the Sept. 17-20 tournament at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York but made it into the field as the COVID-19 outbreak led to a change in the exemption categories.

Beckham invests in esports with London-based start-up Guild

Former England soccer captain David Beckham is moving into the virtual world as co-owner of London-based start-up Guild Esports. Guild said in a statement on Thursday that it will launch player academies and run teams in various esports arenas including Rocket League, EA Sports, FIFA and Fortnite.

Images from Adria Tour 'disappointing', says Wimbledon chief

Images of players hugging at the net, playing basketball together and partying at Novak Djokovic's charity exhibition in Serbia and Croatia were "disappointing" and tennis must learn its lesson, outgoing Wimbledon chief Richard Lewis has said. Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki contracted the novel coronavirus after playing in the Adria Tour, which drew big crowds and saw players pose for pictures.

Wallace defends investigation into noose

Bubba Wallace expressed relief that the noose found in his garage last weekend wasn't intended for him, but he defended the investigations by NASCAR and the FBI into the incident. The FBI announced Tuesday that photographic evidence showed that the noose was present at the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway garage as far back as last fall, proving that it wasn't placed specifically for Wallace to see it.

Murray confident will play at high level again

Andy Murray took his defeat to Kyle Edmund at the 'Battle of the Brits' event in stride and the former world number one says he is on the right path to playing at the highest level again after a seven-month layoff due to hip problems. Murray beat Liam Broady on Tuesday in the charity tournament in his first competitive match since the Davis Cup Finals in November, before the twice Wimbledon champion lost 6-7(2) 7-6(5) 10-5 to Edmund on Wednesday.

U.S. Open to hold wheelchair event after player backlash

U.S. Open organizers said on Wednesday they will include a wheelchair tournament at this year's Grand Slam following a player backlash over their decision to scrap the event as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The United States Tennis Association's announcement comes five days after the national governing body said it was rethinking their decision and that it could have better communicated with wheelchair athletes.

Soccer: Australia and New Zealand named hosts for 2023 Women's World Cup

Australia and New Zealand were handed the right to host the 2023 Women's World Cup soccer tournament by a comfortable margin after a vote by the FIFA Council on Thursday. Their joint proposal beat a rival bid from Colombia to host the tournament which is being expanded to 32 teams.

NBA: Kings, Pacers players among three positive coronavirus tests

Three NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19 including the Sacramento Kings pair of Jabari Parker and Alex Len and Indiana Pacers' Malcolm Brogdon, the league has confirmed. All three players said on Wednesday they expected to recover in time for the resumption of the league next month.

Thiem 'extremely sorry' for Adria Tour antics

World number three Dominic Thiem is "extremely sorry" for the way players conducted themselves at Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour exhibition event after which four players tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Austrian said on Thursday. Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki tested positive after playing in the charity tournament in Serbia and Croatia, which drew big crowds and saw players pose for pictures together.

Horse racing: Kentucky Derby will open doors to spectators

The Kentucky Derby, which was rescheduled for Sept. 5 due to the novel coronavirus, will allow spectators onto the grounds to watch the Run for the Roses even as COVID-19 infections surge across parts of the United States, Churchill Downs Racetrack said on Thursday. "Our team is deeply committed to holding the very best Kentucky Derby ever, and we will take all necessary steps to protect the health and safety of all who attend and participate in the Derby," said Churchill Downs Racetrack President Kevin Flanery in a statement.