Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Salah, Kerr win PFA Player of the Year awards; Soccer-Irvine hopes Australia can reward early risers, inspire World Cup dreamers and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Salah, Kerr win PFA Player of the Year awards

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year for the second time on Thursday and Chelsea's Sam Kerr took the women's award. Salah, who shared this season's Premier League golden boot for the top scorer with Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min, also won the award in the 2017-18 season.

Soccer-Irvine hopes Australia can reward early risers, inspire World Cup dreamers

Jackson Irvine hopes Australia can reward fans who get up early to watch their World Cup playoff against Peru and inspire the next generation of 'Socceroos' with victory. The one-off clash for a spot in the Qatar finals kicks off in Doha from 9 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Monday, meaning fans in Australia will need to rise in the wee hours of Tuesday morning to catch the game on screens.

Golf-PGA Tour players have no sympathy for suspended LIV deserters

Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and others competing at the Canadian Open had no sympathy for fellow golfers who were suspended by the PGA Tour on Thursday for jumping to the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series. Back on the PGA Tour schedule for the first time since 2019 following a COVID-19-forced hiatus, first-round play at the Canadian Open began under dark clouds of rain as the feud between the two Tours escalated.

MLB roundup: Dodgers earn a high-scoring win over White Sox

Max Muncy homered and drove in five runs as the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers withstood a ninth-inning rally to beat the Chicago White Sox 11-9 in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series on Thursday. Freddie Freeman had three hits and three RBIs while Gavin Lux went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Dodgers, who led 11-7 before Daniel Hudson allowed two runs in the ninth. Hudson struck out pinch hitter Gavin Sheets with two runners on to end the game.

NBA-'It starts with me' - Warriors' Green says he must be better

Golden State forward Draymond Green acknowledged that his poor performance in Game Three dragged his team down and that he will need to be better if the Warriors are to avoid falling into a 3-1 Finals hole on Friday. Green, the team's emotional leader, struggled mightily on Wednesday in the hostile environment of TD Garden, scoring just two points to go with four rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes before fouling out.

Golf-Garcia 'not bothered' by PGA Tour suspension

Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia said he was "not bothered" by the PGA Tour's decision to suspend 17 players who took part in the opening event of the inaugural LIV Invitational Series near London on Thursday. The launch of the series, which boasts an eye-popping $255 million prize fund over eight events, has sparked a power struggle in golf and accusations of "sports washing" by Saudi Arabia whose Public Investment Fund (PIF) is funding the breakaway venture.

NBA LeBron James says he hopes to own a team in Las Vegas

Four-times NBA champion LeBron James is ready to bet big on Las Vegas, with ambitions of installing a National Basketball Association franchise in Sin City. "I wanna own a team," James said in a clip from his HBO television show "The Shop" that circulated on social media on Thursday. "I want a team in Vegas."

Golf-Mickelson plays it straight as PGA Tour suspends him

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson returned from a self-imposed hiatus from golf at the first event of the breakaway inaugural LIV Invitational Series on Thursday but refused to be drawn into the power struggle engulfing the sport.

The 51-year-old American batted away questions about the PGA Tour's suspension of 17 players who teed off in the first round at The Centurion Club north of London.

Soccer-New Zealand sweat on Reid's fitness ahead of World Cup playoff

New Zealand are sweating on the fitness of Winston Reid ahead of next week's World Cup playoff against Costa Rica after the experienced defender missed Thursday's scoreless draw with Oman in a warm-up friendly. Bill Tuiloma captained the team in Reid's absence as the All Whites took on the Omanis behind closed doors in Qatar, where they will meet Costa Rica next Tuesday with a spot at this year's World Cup finals on the line.

Motor racing-Hamilton gets honorary Brazilian citizenship

Formula One's seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil on Thursday as the lower house of parliament passed a bill on the matter. The move had been proposed by congressman Andre Figueiredo after last year's Brazilian Grand Prix, at which the British driver unfurled the Brazilian flag after winning at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit.