Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

American English leads in Mexico; Australian Day misses cut

Former amateur standout Harris English, back in the sizzling form he displayed early in his professional career, surged to the halfway lead at the Mayakoba Classic in Mexico on Saturday. English capped off his second round in style by chipping in for birdie at the final hole for a seven-under-par 64.

Hurling finds home in New York's unfamiliar territory

The hard-charging, fast-moving warrior sport of hurling made its Citi Field debut on Saturday, in a three-match tournament that brought rivalries and Irish pride to the fore. An amalgam of several sports, including field hockey and lacrosse, hurling traces its history back thousands of years but is largely unfamiliar to Americans, despite enjoying widespread popularity in Ireland.

NHL roundup: Habs use 4-goal period to top Caps

Tomas Tatar had a goal with three assists, and Phillip Danault recorded one goal and two helpers as the visiting Montreal Canadiens used a four-goal second period to beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 Friday. The Canadiens won their third straight while ending the Capitals' 13-game point streak.

Stephens eyes Olympics, return to form in 2020

Sloane Stephens said she is ready to turn the page on a disappointing 2019 and shift her focus to climbing the world tennis rankings to qualify for next year's Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old American, who won the U.S. Open in 2017 and reached world number three in 2018, struggled this year, failing to make the final at any tournament and falling to world number 25.

NBA roundup: George, Clippers pummel Hawks

Paul George scored 37 points in only 20 minutes, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 150-101 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night despite playing without Kawhi Leonard. George, who scored 25 points in the first half, converted 10 of 17 shots from the floor overall, including 6 of 11 3-pointers. He made all 11 of his free throws. George, who scored 33 points in his season debut Thursday in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, is 21 of 21 from the line in two games.

Kaepernick ready to play for any team after tryout

A spirited Colin Kaepernick said he was ready to play anywhere in the National Football League after a long awaited tryout at an Atlanta area high school on Saturday. "I've been ready for three years. I've been denied for three years," said the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who made headlines by kneeling at games during the U.S. anthem to protest against racial injustice.

Henley hit with bizarre eight-stroke penalty in Mexico

Russell Henley incurred a bizarre eight-stroke penalty in the second round at the Mayakoba Classic on Saturday after realizing that one of the balls he had played was different from the rest. The three-times PGA Tour winner was signing balls for fans when he noticed the discrepancy and received a two-stroke penalty for each of the holes he played the different ball.

Reports: Alabama's Tagovailoa out for season with hip injury

Alabama junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field with a right hip injury late in the second quarter of Saturday's game against Mississippi State and is out for the season, according to multiple reports. Tagovailoa suffered "a dislocated hip with a posterior wall fracture, a person with knowledge of the situation tells me," Aaron Suttles of The Athletic wrote on Twitter.

Verstappen on pole for Brazilian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen sealed pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday and served it up to a delighted Red Bull team principal Christian Horner as a 46th birthday present. The pole was the second of the Dutch 22-year-old's Formula One career and the first in Brazil for engine partners Honda since the late triple champion Ayrton Senna in 1991 with McLaren.

Tsitsipas eclipses Federer to set up Thiem showdown

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem have both donned regulation grey Adidas shirts this week but their technicolor games will light up the O2 Arena in the ATP Finals climax on Sunday. Appropriately, the two standout performers will meet after 21-year-old Greek debutant Tsitsipas eclipsed six-times champion Roger Federer 6-3 6-4 and Austrian Thiem dispatched defending champion Alexander Zverev 7-5 6-3.