Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto returned to camp Sunday after sitting out with COVID-19, but when he might be able to play again is still uncertain.

The 37-year-old Votto left camp after a positive test on March 10 and has been isolated since. After being cleared by Major League Baseball, he was back at the Reds' spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona, but will stay on the injured list until he's in game shape again.

"I feel good," the six-time All-Star said. "I'm glad to be back, and I'm looking forward to putting the uniform on and joining the team. I miss playing ball, I miss being part of the group."

Votto, who declined to talk about his experience with the virus, couldn't say how long it will take him to be ready to play or whether he'll be in the lineup when the Reds open the season April 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Before the positive test he played in four spring training games, going 4-for-9 at the plate. Last season he hit .226 in 54 games, with 11 home runs and 22 RBIs.

"I'm looking forward to feeling sharp with the bat, of course, feeling like I'm dangerous, as I mentioned before, and making sure I'm healthy and strong and able to play as often as possible," he said. "That's the goal, and I felt like I was trending in that direction, so I have to get there and beyond."

Cincinnati is counting on Votto to continue the resurgence of success at the plate he showed at the end of last season.

"He's really had a good camp up until missing time," general manager Nick Krall said. "So we're excited to have him back, and it just adds another offensive threat to our lineup."

Serena Williams has pulled out of this week's Miami Open after having oral surgery.

"I am disappointed to withdraw," said 39-year-old Williams, who has won the Miami Open eight times.

"Miami is a special tournament for me because it's my home and I am sad I won't be able to see the incredible fans this year."

The men's draw has already been depleted by the withdrawals of world number one Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and world number four Dominic Thiem.

It gets under way on Monday.

The Welsh Rugby Union has urged the abuse of players on social media to stop after Wales just missed out on the Grand Slam in France.

A WRU statement said: "The players are proud to represent their country and their jersey.

"The abuse players are receiving has to stop."

The message contained some of the vile abuse Williams has been subjected to.

The WRU added: "In order to help drive the call for change, the players want to highlight the amount of abuse and bile that circulates on social media platforms. We value our fans' support in the matter."

Wales lost 32-30 against France in the final play of a Six Nations epic encounter after being reduced to 13 players when Faletau and Williams were sin-binned a minute apart.

The Scarlets full-back had been yellow-carded for a professional foul at a ruck, just after Faletau was sin-binned for offside as Wales were punished for persistent offending in the second half.

France, having seen lock Paul Willemse sent off 11 minutes from time for making contact with the eye area of Wales prop Wyn Jones, prevailed through full-back Brice Dulin's stoppage-time try.

Jimmie Johnson’s Hall of Fame NASCAR career may be over, but the seven-time Cup Series champion is far from retired.

His career has simply taken a new direction with the NTT IndyCar Series his new focus. Johnson will drive the No. 48 Carvana/American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing in 13 road course races this season.

“This has been the busiest offseason I’ve ever had,” Johnson said. “I was in the Indy car immediately following the last NASCAR race at Phoenix. The IndyCar team at Chip Ganassi Racing and then the IMSA prototype, there is a sim for both cars, there are seat fittings for each car, getting to learn the names of crew members, teams and systems, it has been by far the busiest winter.

“Chani (Johnson’s wife) and I joke all the time, here I thought I was slowing down, but it’s been way busier than any offseason I’ve ever been a part of.”

Johnson started his first NASCAR Cup Series season by winning the pole for the 2002 Daytona 500 and won three races before the end of the year.

Nineteen years later, Johnson is a rookie again, this time in IndyCar as he gets to compete in the series that fueled his interest in racing when he and his family attended the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“The Long Beach Grand Prix as a kid, just the anticipation and excitement from the parking lot all the way into wherever you are watching the race from, watching the cars go by was exciting,” Johnson recalled. “There’s such a neat environment that’s involved.

“I remember parking our car, hearing the engines running, the shifts, the rev limiters, just all the sounds you have at a street circuit race. My heart would start racing, excitement to catch a glimpse of a car going by, crossing over a pedestrian bridge, hearing them scream underneath you, would just get your adrenaline pumping.

“When I went to St. Pete last October, it was funny how familiar that was, how similar it was when I was a kid going to the Long Beach Grand Prix.”

Tony Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, will drive the No. 48 car in the four oval races on the schedule.

Johnson’s new challenge has reinvigorated a driver who is easily one of the greatest stock car drivers of all-time.

With 83 Cup Series victories, Johnson is the only driver in NASCAR history to win five straight (2006-’10) championships.

“Emotionally, I’m really excited for the experiences ahead and being able to run in a series I dreamed of running in as a kid is a really special opportunity for me,” Johnson said. “But at the same time, it’s not going to be easy. I’m not going to look very good for a while, so I know I have a lot of work ahead of myself, but I’m really enjoying the process and enjoying this journey.”

As a 45-year-old IndyCar Series rookie, Johnson is realistic in his approach to the new series. He got his first real taste of Indy car racing during tests at Sebring (Fla.) Int’l Raceway in January and California’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in early February.

“There are so many things that are foreign to me, working through a lot of those little technicalities with the car, with the cockpit, procedures, then trying to get some laps in there as well,” Johnson said. “There were so many cars here. To get out on the track, find a clean spot to run and take my time getting up to speed has been a bit challenging with the heavy traffic and how fast these guys are.”

During the Sebring test, Johnson turned a session-high 160 laps with a fast time of 53.691 seconds. His CGR teammate, six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, was the fastest with a 52.350-second lap.

“They handed me a sheet that compared me to Dixon,” Johnson explained. “The slow-speed stuff I was really trending well, didn’t have a lot to work on there. It was the high-speed corners, the flat-out corners where you have to trust the vehicle, trust the downforce that the vehicle provides. That’s where I had my biggest gap. I assume that’s still the case. I look forward to more reps really to help close that gap.”

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BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. – Fulton Speedway will help kick COVID-19 to the curb with a full season of racing beginning May 1.

Following a 2020 that saw just one full racing event and six practices due to COVID-19 restrictions, a busy and diverse schedule is planned at the famed Fulton oval capped off by the 35th Outlaw 200 Weekend on Oct. 1-2.

Weekly racing at Fulton Speedway will again be headlined by the Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar 358 Modifieds. With multiple graduates from the sportsman ranks and growth from around New York, a large field of regulars is expected. Fulton’s Dot Foods DIRTcar Sportsman will again be an anchor support class, joining the Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux Late Models and E & V Energy Novice Sportsman as weekly fixtures.

Special appearances by the Lucas Oil ESS Sprint Cars will dot the summer racing slate with three holiday weekend appearances (May 29, July 3 and Sept. 4), along with the return of the wildly popular World-Famous Trailer Race (July 31) and a pair of King’s Smash ‘Em Crash ‘Em Demolition Derbies (May 15 and Aug. 28). The zany H2No Boat Race will return after a several year absence on June 19.

While much of 2020 is in the rearview mirror, the speedway will carry over the Tuesday Test and Tune events with once-a-month open practices kicking off on April 27. With a single date in May, June, July and August being made available for several hours of on track testing.

Hobby Stocks will hit the high banks with a pair of specials, first on July 31 and then as part of Outlaw Weekend, in anticipation of being a weekly class in 2022.

Racing will be replaced by the highly anticipated Renegade Monster Truck Nationals with two big shows Friday and Saturday, Aug. 13-14. Tickets for the Monster Trucks will be available in late April. The full Fulton Speedway schedule will be available for release shortly.

“We muddled through last year and at least got some cars on the track a few times. While it was frustrating, we chose to err on the side of caution,” said Track General Manager Cory Reed. “We expect to be in full song this season kicking off May 1. We have an exciting season planned and look forward to bringing fans back to Fulton.”

PORT ROYAL, Pa. – Since Logan Wagner took over Zemco Racing’s iconic No. 1 in 2018, he’s carried the team’s traditional black color scheme.

This year, though, Wagner has his own look and, for the first time since Sean Michael drove the car in 2002, the Zemco machine sports a white livery. If there’s a year for the three-time reigning Port Royal Speedway track champion to earn a signature look, it’s this one.

The 29-year-old has a shot to join Keith Kauffman as only the second driver in the history of the half-mile dirt track to win four straight sprint car track titles.

Kauffman accomplished the feat from 1978-’81.

“Our other cars were traditionally based around other people’s designs that used to drive the old Zemco car,” Wagner said. “They were like, ‘we want you to have your own car.’ I like it. It has a little sex appeal. A little pink. Some white lightning. I’m into it.”

Wagner’s new-look ride is one of the sleekest in the Port Royal pits. The number is a metallic gold and the pink lightning bolt along the wing panel is different from the car’s previous lightning bolt variations.

It’s a refreshing change for Wagner. While he has a shot to make history alongside Kauffman, one of the greatest sprint car racers central Pennsylvania has seen, he’s trying to significantly improve on a one-win season from a year ago.

“It’s just fun,” Wagner said. “The whole crew is a lot of fun. It makes my job fun.

“We had the consistency, but we didn’t have those feature wins,” Wagner added. “Looking at last year, we need to learn from it and build off it. We need to come back into this year and say, ‘Hey, we have a new hotrod, we have a new car, and we’re going to be that much better.’”

So far, Wagner is off to a solid start. In two races this year at Port Royal, he’s finished fifth and third. Most importantly, he’s had shots to win.

“The Zemco crew does a lot of work,” Wagner said. “And I get to reap the benefits: have fast race cars.”

After a three-win debut season in the Zemco car in 2018, Wagner busted onto the scene with six wins in 2019. Five of those wins came at Port Royal and the sixth was the prestigious Jim Nace Memorial National Open at Selinsgrove Speedway. Last year, though, the long layoff from COVID-19 and stiffer competition toughened things for Wagner.

This year, Wagner is focused on bettering his car control and, like any racer, adapting faster to track conditions.

Depending on how things are going, he and the Zemco team may attempt the 60th running of the Knoxville Nationals and the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway.

For now, the focus is Port Royal, where Wagner has the opportunity to put himself in special company by the end of the year.

“I just go week-to-week, and if I can capitalize on the features [at Port Royal] then the championships will follow,” Wagner said. “We just need to hammer down feature wins and then get those championships.”

CONCORD, N.C. – After a 21-year hiatus, the Trans-Am Series presented by Pirelli returned to Charlotte Motor Speedway for 100 miles of all green-flag racing on the track’s ROVAL course on Sunday.

Breathless Racing driver Oscar Teran drove the No. 3 Ford Mustang from pole to claim his first victory in the inaugural Trans-Am ProAm Challenge race. Teran started his motorsport career in 1997, earning championships in multiple disciplines across Central America. The Panama native has three Trans-Am starts since 2015 and made the third one count with his run to victory lane.

“This is the first Trans-Am race I finished, and to finish in the first position is great,” said Teran. “Sebring was a nightmare race for me and between races, the Breathless team took care of all the little details on the car and now I have a winning car. Thank you to the Breathless Racing team for putting in the hard work to get me on the top step.”

It wasn’t a straightforward run from pole to the top of the podium though as Teran had is work cut out for him on a very heated final circuit. Crossing the stripe with nearly a four-second lead, Teran hit mixed-class traffic on the last lap, allowing TA2 class drivers Sam Mayer and Ty Gibbs to close the gap on the more powerful Trans-Am car.

On the final straight, once again Teran had to navigate around a slower class car, but was able to hold off the prowling future NASCAR stars, claiming the checkered just .246-seconds ahead of Mayer in the No. 8 M1-SLR/Fields Chevrolet Camaro.

Mayer edged out Gibbs by .222-seconds for a second-place overall finish and his first class victory. Gibbs in the No. 26 Mike Cope Race Cars finished third overall, and second in class.

“We were trying to conserve tires the whole time to stay up with the TA car which was really fast,” explained Mayer. “I am really proud of our performance and I learned a lot from driving on this Roval. Ty (Gibbs) and I will be here later this year for the Xfinity playoffs, so he and I will have another fun battle doing that. Hopefully I will win again.”

Conner Mosak did not turn any qualifying laps on Saturday and started in nearly last place. Charging through the field, Mosak made up 11 positions to finish fourth overall and third in class for TA2.

Simon Gregg and Ken Thwaits in his brand-new No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro rounded out the TA class podium.

Charlotte local Mark Brummond out-wheeled Natalie Decker, who was piloting Brummond’s old Audi R8, to finish first in the SGT class. Brummond decided to enter the race last minute to shake down his newly rebuilt No. 24 BMW M4 GT for next weekend’s Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta round.

“This car got wrapped up at CoTA last season so we wanted to get some laps in before next week’s round at Road Atlanta,” said Brummond. “We decided not to run on stickers, these Pirelli tires have about five hours of race wear. The car held together and the racing was fun, and that’s what we came here to do.”

NASCAR Xfinity drivers Harrison Burton and Brandon Jones returned after missing qualifying on Saturday due to the Xfinity race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Burton finished third.

Both driving for Silver Hare Racing this weekend, Burton and Jones started from the back of the field since they did not turn qualifying laps. Running in tandem, the pair cut through the field, making up a collective 19 positions to finish fifth (Burton) and sixth (Jones) overall.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Justin Harding held on to his overnight lead to win the European Tour’s Kenya Open by two shots with a 5-under 66 in the final round on Sunday.

The South African had a two-shot overnight lead and didn’t relinquish that to claim his second tour title. He finished 21 under overall.

Harding had three birdies and an eagle but crucially didn’t drop a shot all day.

The closest he came to being caught was when playing partner Kurt Kitayama of the United States briefly cut Harding’s lead to one shot midway through the final round.

Kitayama had two eagles on the final day – at the par-5 Nos. 6 and 12 – but still finished with a 66 for second place.

Connor Syme was two further shots back in third on 17 under after closing with a 64. Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (63) was another shot back in fourth.

Harding won the 2019 Qatar Masters, and he finished in a tie for second when the Kenya Open made its debut on the European Tour in 2019.

The Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour continues at World Golf Village (King and Bear) in St. Augustine, Florida. The 36-hole event will be played Monday-Tuesday.

Here is a spotlight on one of the players in the field, Michael Herrera:

Golf can be learned almost anywhere.

For Michael Herrera, his introduction to the game came at Cottonwood Golf center, a nine-hole municipal course in Herrera’s hometown of Moreno Valley, California.

“We’d drive past it when we’d go to the mall, so one day I asked my dad to go play,” Herrera said. “He initially told me golf was for rich people, but after about 100 times of me asking him, he said, ‘OK, let’s go see how much.’”

It cost just $5 a round and another $5 to rent clubs.

“We went out that day and fell in love,” said Herrera, who was 10 years old at the time.

Herrera said from that moment on, he played Cottonwood most days after school. It wasn’t much – 1,226 yards, par 28 with eight par-3s and a 260-yard par-4 – but it was enough to develop his game on. Within his first year playing the game, Herrera also was inspired by Tiger Woods’ victory at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

It wasn’t until Herrera got to high school that he realized he had potential to play college golf. A two-sport athlete at Valley View High, Herrera, who also played basketball, earned a spot on the team at Riverside City College, where he spent two seasons before turning pro in August 2019.

When he made the leap to the professional ranks, Herrera had already played multiple APGA Tour events as an amateur. He was twice the low amateur at the tour’s season finale at Chester Washington Golf Course in Los Angeles. However, Herrera played his first year-plus as a pro with a makeshift set of clubs that he fit himself for. Because he had an over-the-top move and was often missing shots right, Herrera put lighter shafts on his clubs to fix the issue.

The APGA, though, has increased its partnerships in recent years, and those growing relationships allowed Herrera to receive instruction from Dana Dahlquist, a top-50 swing coach according to Golf Digest. After Dahlquist fixed Herrera’s move, it became increasingly clear that Herrera needed new clubs.

So, the APGA also hooked Herrera up with TaylorMade. He went down to the Kingdom and was fitted for all new clubs, with heavier shafts and lie angles that were 3 degrees flatter.

A couple of months before the club-fitting, Herrera shot 66 in a pre-qualifier for the Shriners Open before struggling in the Monday qualifier.

“It hit me that these guys were playing a different caliber of golf,” Herrera said. “That motivated me, but it also knocked me down a notch, and I knew I still had a lot of work to do. So, I licked my wounds a little bit and got back to work.”

With his new sticks, Herrera went to Jamaica and finished sixth in the country’s open. He followed by winning the APGA’s year-opening event in Carlsbad, California, his first victory as a pro, and was seventh that same week in another APGA tournament at Torrey Pines.

Despite a T-18 finish last month at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Herrera is ready to bounce back at this week’s APGA event at World Golf Village. The 22-year-old, who works at Sun Lakes Country Club in Banning, California, says he wouldn’t still be chasing his dream of making it to the PGA Tour if it weren’t for the APGA.

“Most of the other mini-tours, especially on the West Coast, are too expensive,” Herrera said. “This tour, on the other hand, is very reasonable and helps fill the schedule out, gets me playing and gets me excited. The guys at the APGA, they want us to be on Tour, so to have a support system like this who want to see us do well and let us play on some tough golf courses to enhance our games, it means the world.”

The remaining APGA schedule includes courses such as TPC Scottsdale and Valhalla. Yes, Herrera has come a long way from Cottonwood Golf Center.

Aaron Wise led The Honda Classic by six shots during Saturday’s third round at PGA National. He then played his final 13 holes in 7 over par and entered the final round three back.

Undaunted, Wise out-played overnight leader Matt Jones by a couple of shots over the first nine holes on Sunday. Wise began the back nine trailing by one. One hole later, he was down four.

Facing a 27-foot par putt at the par-4 10^th, Wise four-putted for a triple-bogey 7. He missed a 4-footer for bogey and a 2 ½-footer for double.

That dropped Wise, who is seeking his first PGA Tour win, to 7 under par, with Jones on top at 11 under.