Lorena Wiebes sprints to second straight win at Women's Tour de France

GENEVA (AP) — Lorena Wiebes again sprinted to victory in the second stage of the Women’s Tour de France on Sunday.

The Dutch rider won the flat 147.9-kilometer (91.9-mile) stage from Aigle to Geneva, the second on Swiss territory, in 3 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds.

Wiebes went ahead with some 250 meters to go and claimed her seventh overall victory at the tour.

Wiebes also won the opening stage on Saturday in the same dominant fashion.

“It’s special to win in the yellow jersey, but also because again, my team SD Worx-Protime, worked really hard for this," Wiebes said. “The girls were chasing full gas in the final to bring back Riejanne Markus. That makes it even more beautiful to finish it off.”

Markus was in a solo breakaway for almost 40 kilometers (25 miles) and was caught about 500 meters (yards) before the finish.

Lidl-Trek rider Elisa Balsamo finished second and Marianne Vos of Team Visma-Lease a Bike was third.

Wiebes leads Kim Le Court Pienaar by 14 seconds overall, with the 2023 Tour champion Demi Vollering another two seconds back in third.

Monday’s 156.5-kilometer (97.2-mile) hilly stage starts in Geneva before the riders cross the border to France to finish in Poligny.

This edition of the race, the fifth of the Women’s Tour, covers 1,175 kilometers (730 miles) over nine days.

Tadej Pogacar won his fifth men’s Tour de France title last weekend.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes of team SD Worx Protime, centre, crosses the finish line to win the second stage a 149 km from Aigle to Geneva during the Women's Tour de France (Tour de France Femmes), in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes of team SD Worx Protime celebrates crossing the finish line to win the second stage a 149 km from Aigle to Geneva during the Women's Tour de France (Tour de France Femmes), in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes of team SD Worx Protime celebrates on the podium with the yellow jersey after the second stage a 149 km from Aigle to Geneva during the Women's Tour de France (Tour de France Femmes), in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes of team SD Worx Protime celebrates crossing the finish line to win the second stage a 149 km from Aigle to Geneva during the Women's Tour de France (Tour de France Femmes), in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes of team SD Worx Protime celebrates crossing the finish line to win the second stage a 149 km from Aigle to Geneva during the Women's Tour de France (Tour de France Femmes), in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes of team SD Worx Protime waits for the start of the second stage of the Women's Tour de France (Tour de France Femmes), in Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Shiho Kuwaki became the fifth Japanese player in the last three years to win a major Sunday when she outlasted Esther Henseleit of Germany with a par on the second playoff hole to win the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Kuwaki closed with a 1-under 70 and looked like a winner as she waited in the scoring room to see if anyone could match her 5-under 279. Henseleit holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 70 to force only the second playoff since the Women's British Open became a major in 2001.

Kuwaki saved par from the fairway after a tee shot into deep rough on the 18th in the playoff and Henseleit missed a 15-foot birdie putt for the win. On the 18th again, Henseleit drove under a gorse bush, chipped out and couldn't make par. Kuwaki two-putted for par from 30 feet.

Kuwaki, a 23-year-old with two wins on the Japan LPGA this year, followed major champions Miyu Yamashita, Mao Saigo, Ayaka Furue and Yuka Saso since 2024.

DETROIT (AP) — Michael Thorbjornsen made a 26-foot birdie putt on his last hole for a 7-under 63 and a two-shot victory in the Rocket Classic on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.

The 24-year-old Thorbjornsen sealed his spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs after rolling into the Motor City at No. 69 in the standings. The top 70 advance to the postseason after next week’s Wyndham Championship. He also earned a spot in the Masters for the first time next April.

He’s the eighth first-time winner this season on the PGA Tour and the second straight, following Jackson Koivun's victory last week in the 3M Open.

Xander Schauffele (65) briefly led during the final round and finished second, two shots back. Davis Riley (70) was another stroke behind in third, falling out of the lead with four bogeys.

VILAMOURA, Portugal (AP) — Zach Johnson opened with three straight birdies and closed with a 7-under 65 for a two-shot victory over Stewart Cink in the inaugural Portugal Invitational.

Johnson won for the fourth time in his rookie season on the 50-and-older circuit, and it was his third Champions title in his last four starts.

Cink, who closed with a 68, remains atop the Charles Schwab Cup standings. Johnson and Cink have combined to win eight of the 18 tournaments this year on the PGA Tour Champions.

Padraig Harrington closed with a 70 and finished third in his eighth consecutive week playing the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and European tour.

OGDEN, Utah (AP) — Derek Hitchner made a 5 1/2-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a five-man playoff to win the Utah Championship for his first Korn Ferry Tour title.

Hitchner closed with a 3-under 67 at Ogden Golf and Country Club to match Cole Hammer (64), Mason Andersen (65), Travis Trace (66) and Tommy Morrison (63) at 21-under 259.

Hitchner jumped from 136th to 26th in the season standings.

Rory Franssen of Scotland played bogey-free Sunday for a 5-under 67 and won the Infortar Estonian Challenge by three shots over Andrew Wilson for his first title on the European tour's developmental circuit. ... Dayeon Lee closed with a 3-under 69 for a one-shot victory in the Aurora World Championship for her first title this year on the Korea LPGA.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Michael Thorbjornsen hits from the fifth tee during the final round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Shiho Kuwaki, of Japan celebrates with the trophy after winning the Women's British Open golf championship in Lytham St Annes, England, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)