GOLF

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive hired to be the chief operating officer of LIV Golf has resigned after one year as the Saudi-backed rival circuit moves toward a league format, The New York Times reported.

Atul Khosla was expected to lead LIV Golf into its franchise model of 12 four-man teams in which players and the LIV Golf League would have equity.

Players and agents were told earlier this week Khosla intended to step down. LIV commissioner Greg Norman confirmed the news in a statement to The Times.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Antoine Rozner shot an 8-under 64 to join Alfredo Garcia-Heredia and Sami Valimaki in a one-stroke lead – at 10-under 134 overall – after two rounds at Mont Choisy Le Golf on the Indian Ocean island in Grand Baie, Mauritius.

Garcia-Heredia, a 40-year-old Spaniard in search of his first European Tour title, made seven birdies and one bogey in his 66.

Rozner had eight birdies and said it was one of the few times in his career that “I’m happy with every single score on every hole.”

Valimaki was the overnight leader after a course-record 62, but the Finn’s second-round 72 mixed five birdies with three bogeys and a double bogey.

South African Oliver Bekker (71) was one shot off the lead and the trio of Casey Jarvis (67), Christoffer Bring (69) and Pierre Pineau (71) was a further stroke back.

PREP SCHOOLS

BOYS’ HOCKEY: Nick Pelletier scored the winning goal in overtime to lift North Yarmouth Academy over Hebron Academy 2-1 at the Brooks-Pingree Tournament in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

Jan Maier scored his first varsity goal in the first period on an assist from Zach Stabb.

Connor Wolverton and Hugo Daniel assisted on Pelletier’s goal.

Euan Martin stopped 19 shots for the Panthers.

TRACK AND FIELD

DOPING: Turkish Olympic runner Aras Kaya has been banned for three years after testing positive for EPO at a recent 10-kilometer race, the Athletics Integrity Unit said.

The 28-year-old Kenya native admitted using recombinant erythropoietin at the race in Romania in September. Blood doping is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The violation carries a four-year ban but Kaya received a one-year reduction because he “returned a signed admission” on the day he was notified of the test result, the AIU said. His suspension commenced Dec. 4.

Kaya competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where he was eliminated in the heats.

SOCCER

OBIT: Siniša Mihajlović, a winner of the European Cup and Serie A who became a popular coach in Italy, has died after a long battle with leukemia. He was 53.

Mihajlović’s family announced that he died in a Rome hospital.

Mihajlović most recently coached Bologna for 3 1/2 years, and was a sentimental favorite of fans and players alike for his desire to remain on the job even after he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019.

SKIING

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP: It was a bittersweet day for the Italian ski team when Elena Curtoni and Sofia Goggia finished 1-2 in a World Cup downhill held in difficult conditions in St. Moritz, Switzerland, but Goggia came away with two broken fingers in her left hand.

Goggia, the top downhiller on the circuit, hit her hand on the third gate of the Corviglia course.

Goggia, who won gold and silver in downhill at the last two Olympics, respectively, immediately knew something was wrong and took her glove off in the finish area before having her hand wrapped up.

The Italian team said Goggia broke her index and middle fingers and was being transported to Milan for immediate surgery with the aim of getting her back to St. Moritz by evening to race in another downhill scheduled for Saturday.