Hamlin looks like Cup contender

Denny Hamlin’s fire to win is still there. He showed that again at Darlington Raceway. At an age when many of his contemporaries for the last two decades are in the broadcast booth, have moved on to other ventures or simply are holding on without much success, the 44-year-old Hamlin appears still in his prime. Hamlin followed up his victory at Martinsville by winning in overtime at Darlington on Sunday. It was his 56th career NASCAR win, his fifth at the track nicknamed “Too Tough To Tame” and his first consecutive victories since 2012. He has marked himself as a serious contender for his missing accolade, a Cup Series title. And he’s done working smarter, not harder. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that I’m not going to win these races on raw talent anymore,” Hamlin said. “I’m going to have to outwork people.” Hamlin, team owner Joe Gibbs and crew chief Chris Gayle praised the pit crew for the win. “They are just villains. They just want that moment where they can go in there and just rip everybody’s hearts out, win the race and walk away,” Gayle said.

Putin sends congrats to Ovechkin

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Alex Ovechkin for setting an “outstanding record” as the NHL’s all time top goal-scorer. In a message after Ovechkin’s 895th career goal broke a tie for the record with Wayne Gretzky in the Capitals’ game Sunday against the Islanders, Putin said the achievement was something Russians would celebrate. “I congratulate you on your outstanding record. You have surpassed legendary masters in the number of goals scored in National Hockey League regular-season games,” Putin, above, said in a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday. Breaking Gretzky’s record “has become not only your personal success, but also a real celebration for fans in Russia and abroad,” Putin added. “I wish you health, good fortune (and) fighting spirit to conquer new heights in life and in sports.” Ovechkin, 39, has been a backer of Putin in the past and in 2017 set up a group called Putin Team on social media to show support for the Russian president. At the time, Ovechkin said, “I just support my country” and said, “It’s not about political stuff.”

Harman handles wind, cold for win

Brian Harman handled the wind and the chill Sunday with a pair of key birdies on the back nine Sunday in the Texas Open, closing with a 3-over 75 for a three-shot victory, his first title since the 2023 British Open. Harman began the final round with a three-shot lead and it soon became a tight battle with Andrew Novak, who was going for his first PGA Tour victory and a spot in the Masters. Harman never lost the lead. “Just so proud of how I handled these conditions,” Harman said. “This golf course gave me all I wanted today and happy to come out on top.” Novak, two shots behind with two to play, bogeyed the 17th with a bad chip and the par-5 18th with a bad drive. He shot 76 and fell into a tie for third with Maverick McNealy (72). Ryan Gerard made his only bogey on the final hole for a 69 to finish runner-up. It was one of only seven rounds under par at the TPC San Antonio. The 38-year-old Harman had been struggling since his major breakthrough at Hoylake and was on the verge of falling out of the top 50. Now he heads to the Masters with a much-needed win. —Associated Press