This day in sports: Nancy Lopez wins second of three LPGA Championships
Nancy Lopez won her second of three LPGA Championships on this date in 1985 at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, when she finished eight strokes ahead of runner-up Alice Miller.
Lopez was assessed a two-stroke penalty for slow play on the 17th hole in the opening round that prevented her from equaling the tournament record of 63 set by Patty Sheehan. Officials said that Lopez took 83 seconds to hit her tee shot on that hole, 23 seconds slower than the maximum time limit.
“I still don’t think I should have gotten that penalty, and I was still mad today,” Lopez said. “But I was really motivated, so I was mad in a positive way.”
Lopez led wire to wire and finished with a seven-under-par 65 that gave her a total of 273, 15 under par.
If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dodgers would have played the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday in the second game of three at Dodger Stadium. The Angels were set to meet the Texas Rangers in a night game at Arlington.
A look at some of the biggest moments in sports history that occurred on April 11.
Other memorable games and outstanding sports performances on this date:
1935 — Babe Ruth, 40, announces his retirement as a player, ending his 22-year career that started in 1914. He resigns from the Boston Braves with bitterness toward the team’s president, Judge Emil Fuchs. Ruth had left the New York Yankees not only to play for the Braves but also to work as assistant manager and vice president. He cites “personal differences” with Fuchs for his reason to leave baseball.
1947 — After a six-year layoff, 13-year-old Honey Cloud wins the second race at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, N.Y. His jockey, Clarence Minner, takes his first ride in 10 years.
1991 — Members of the Andretti family go 1-2-3 in the Miller 200 at Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway in Milwaukee. Father Mario Andretti finishes third, son Michael wins the race and nephew John is second. Michael Andretti is the fifth CART Indy car winner in five races this season. His brother Jeff Andretti ends the race in 11th place.
1996 — Annika Sorenstam closes with a four-under 66 to win her second straight U.S. Women’s Open. Sorenstam’s eight-under 272, which is six shots ahead of runner-up Kris Tschetter at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., is the record score in the Open.
2008 — The Pittsburgh Penguins outlast the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in three overtimes of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Petr Sykora scores at 9:57 of the third extra period to end the fifth-longest Finals game in NHL history. The Penguins pull their goaltender for an extra attacker and Max Talbot scores at 19:25 to force overtime.
2010 — Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers loses his bid for a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admits he blew after seeing a replay. First baseman Miguel Cabrera cleanly fields Jason Donald’s grounder to his right and makes an accurate throw to Galarraga covering the bag. The ball is there in time, and all of Comerica Park is ready to celebrate the 3-0 win over the Cleveland Indians until Joyce emphatically signals safe. Galarraga settles for a one-hit shutout.
A look at what happened April 8 in sports history.
2011 — Dirk Nowitzki, playing with an injured left hand, makes the tie-breaking layup with 3.6 seconds left and the Dallas Mavericks roar back from 15 points behind in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 95-93 and tie the NBA Finals at one game apiece. The Mavericks outscore the Heat 22-5 down the stretch.
2015 — After 17 years as president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter announces in Zurich that he will resign from soccer’s governing body amid a widening bribery scandal and promises to call for new elections to choose a successor. Blatter, 79, is re-elected to a fifth term on May 29, two days after a corruption crisis erupts and seven soccer officials are arrested.
2016 — Defending champion Serena Williams rallies in the French Open quarterfinals, coming back from a set and a break down to beat 60th-ranked Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Williams makes 11 unforced errors before Putintseva commits one, and ends the match with 43 to Putintseva’s 16.
Sources: The Times, Associated Press
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