Mickelson wins PGA Tour Champions debut: Phil Mickelson chose to make his PGA Tour Champions debut at Ozarks National this week so he could avoid a two-week break right in the middle of his preparations for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. If he was going to show up, Mickelson thought, he might as well win. He closed with a 5-under 66 on Wednesday to reach 22 under, leaving him three shots clear of Tim Petrovic. The wire-to-wire victory made Mickelson the 20th player to win on the 50-and-over-tour in his debut, not to mention gave him some much-needed confidence after a missed cut at The Northern Trust knocked him from the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Nebraska players’ lawsuit seeks to restore Big Ten season: A group of Nebraska football players filed a lawsuit Thursday, hoping a jury will force the Big Ten Conference to reinstate a fall football season. The lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court contends, among other things, the players are losing a chance for development, exposure for a possible pro career and won’t be able to market themselves to eventually capitalize on name, image and likeness revenue opportunities. The players want a court order that would keep the Big Ten from going through with its plan to push the football season to the spring. Listed as plaintiffs are Brant and Brig Banks, Alante Brown, Noa Pola-Gates, Jackson Hannah, Garrett Nelson, Ethan Piper and Garrett Snodgrass. “This lawsuit isn’t about money or damages, it’s about real-life relief,” said Mike Flood, the players’ attorney. The Big Ten said the lawsuit “has no merit and we will defend the decision to protect all student-athletes as we navigate through this global pandemic. We are actively considering options to get back to competition and look forward to doing so when it is safe to play.”