Reuters Sports News Summary

Former champion Day, who had top-10 finishes in each of his last three starts on the PGA Tour, carded a bogey-free five-under-par 65 at TPC Harding Park, where the absence of spectators due to the virus gave the event a unique feel.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. MLB roundup: Braves' Markakis hits walk-off homer

Nick Markakis delivered a walk-off homer with one out in the ninth inning to give the Atlanta Braves a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. Markakis reached low to connect with a breaking ball from Wilmer Font (0-1) and smoked it deep into the right field seats. It was the first start of the season for the veteran right fielder, who was activated on Wednesday after recanting his original decision to opt out because of COVID-19 concerns. NBA roundup: Bucks rally vs. Heat, claim East's top seed

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton scored 33 points each as the Milwaukee Bucks -- who trailed by 23 in the first half -- rallied to defeat the Miami Heat 130-116 on Thursday as part of the NBA restart near Orlando. Antetokounmpo, who picked up his fifth foul with 10:48 left in the fourth, added a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. Middleton had a team-high eight assists and six rebounds in 34 minutes. Day, Todd share lead, Koepka one back at PGA Championship

Jason Day and Brendon Todd shared the lead after the first round of the PGA Championship while Brooks Koepka got his bid for a three-peat off to a solid start and Tiger Woods found success with a new putter in the first major of the COVID-19 era. Former champion Day, who had top-10 finishes in each of his last three starts on the PGA Tour, carded a bogey-free five-under-par 65 at TPC Harding Park, where the absence of spectators due to the virus gave the event a unique feel. Oakland bench coach apologises for offensive gesture

Oakland Athletics bench coach Ryan Christenson has apologised after making a gesture which the Major League Baseball team said "looked like a Nazi salute" following Thursday's 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. Christenson raised his arm to make the gesture as players walked off the field. Pitcher Liam Hendriks pushed Christenson's hand down and bumped his forearm, before the 46-year-old coach turned around and raised his arm a second time. NSW offers to host Australian Open as Melbourne battles COVID-19 spike

New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro says his state would be willing to act as a temporary host for major sports events such as the Australian Open tennis Grand Slam if they cannot be held in neighbouring Victoria due to COVID-19. Barilaro told Australian radio on Friday he had written to sports bodies and officials in Victoria offering help to stage the events, which he said held national significance. Cycling: Groenewegen apologises for crash with Jakobsen

Dutch cyclist Dylan Groenewegen has apologised for the crash that resulted in compatriot Fabio Jakobsen being placed in a medically induced coma. Groenewegen, who rides for the Jumbo–Visma team, was jostling for position with Jakobsen in the final metres of the first stage of the Tour of Poland when the pair came together. Tough to stay focused at spectator-free events: Rahm

Crowd noise can often be a distraction for golfers but world number two Jon Rahm says the absence of spectators during PGA Tour events has made it tough to focus. The PGA Tour resumed in June after an extended break with events closed to spectators to help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. NHL roundup: Flames clinch series with shutout win

Four different players scored while Cam Talbot posted the shutout, as the Calgary Flames beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 Thursday in Edmonton to clinch their Western Conference qualifying round series. Dillon Dube, Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan and Rasmus Andersson all scored for the Flames, who beat the Jets in four games to become the first Western-based squad to win a qualifying-round set. They will start the Stanley Cup playoffs as early as Tuesday. Quarantine waived for traveling South American soccer teams

The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) agreed with national governments on Thursday that teams traveling around the continent to compete in club competitions do not need to quarantine for 14 days before playing matches. The Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent of the Champions League, and the Copa Sudamericana, akin to the Europa League, are to restart on Sept. 15 and Oct. 27, respectively, with 64 teams from 10 nations taking part. Martic, Kontaveit dig deep to advance to Palermo quarter-finals

Top seed Petra Martic was forced to recover from a set down to beat Russian qualifier Liudmila Samsonova 5-7 6-4 6-2 to book her spot in the quarter-finals of the Palermo Ladies Open on Thursday. Samsonova, ranked more than 100 places below Martic, impressed in the opening set to break the Croatian and take the lead in the match but the 21-year-old soon discovered that beating a top 20 player was no easy task as Martic dug in.