Off the wire
GOLF Ex-Hog Cook leads
PGA Tour rookie and former Arkansas Razorback Austin Cook made a 6-foot birdie putt on his final hole for an 8-under 62 and a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the RSM Classic at St. Simons Island, Ga. Cook has gone 36 holes without a bogey on the Plantation and Seaside courses at Sea Island Golf Club. He played Seaside — the site of the final two rounds in the last PGA Tour event of the calendar year — on Friday and ran off four consecutive birdies on his opening nine holes. “We’ve just been able to it hit the ball really well,” Cook said. “Speed on greens has been really good and getting up-and-down has been great. I’ve been able to hit it pretty close to the hole to make some pretty stress-free putts. But the couple putts that I have had of some length for par, I’ve been able to roll them in. Everything’s going well.” Cook, 26, was at 14-under 128 and had a one-stroke lead over Brian Gay, who shot 64 on Seaside. No one else was closer than five shots going into the final two rounds. Cook has made the weekend cuts in all four of his starts this season. He earned his PGA Tour card through the Web.com Tour, and has hired Gay’s former caddie, Kip Henley. First-round leader Chris Kirk followed his opening 63 on the Plantation with a 70 on the Seaside to drop into a tie for third at 9 under with C.T. Pan (65) and Vaughn Taylor (66). Brandt Snedeker shot a 67 on the Plantation course and was six shots back at 8 under. Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) shot a 64 and was 8 under. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) and David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) each had a 69 and was 5 under. Matt Atkins (Razorbacks) and Ethan Tracy (Razorbacks) did not make the cut.
Park in control
Sung Hyun Park made five consecutive birdies and seized control late in the round with an eagle for a 7-under 65 and a three-shot lead Friday in the CME Group Tour Championship at Naples, Fla. The lead might have been larger except for Park’s three-putt bogey on the 18th hole at Tiburon Golf Club. Not only was she three ahead of Caroline Masson and Sarah Jane Smith, none of the other players vying for all the awards was within five shots. Lexi Thompson shot a 67 and wound up losing ground. She was six shots behind. Park was at 12-under 132. A victory would allow the 24-year-old South Korean to sweep all the big awards and become the first rookie since Nancy Lopez in 1978 to win LPGA player of the year. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) was 4 under after a 68.
Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) was 7 over after a 72.
Fitzpatrick by 1
Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a second consecutive 5-under 67 to secure a onestroke lead halfway through the European Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship in Dubai on Friday. At 10 under after two rounds on the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estate, Fitzpatrick was edging English compatriot Tyrrell Hatton, who moved into contention with a 9-under 63. Tommy Fleetwood boosted his chances by rising into a tie for 11th at 6 under after a 65.
Justin Rose finished with a 70, and dropped on the leaderboard so he’s just two shots ahead of Fleetwood. U.S. Masters champion Sergio Garcia stayed in contention with a 69 and is one shot behind Fleetwood.
TENNIS Goffin advances
David Goffin is through to face Roger Federer in the last four of the ATP Finals after defeating Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-1 on Friday. From 0-3, 0-15 down in the opening set, the No. 7-ranked Goffin won 15 consecutive points to take control of the match, and never looked back. Goffin will face six-time champion Federer at the O2 Arena today. Grigor Dimitrov and Jack Sock meet in the other semifinal. Having already secured qualification with victories over Thiem and Goffin, Dimitrov later plays his final round-robin match against Pablo Carreno Busta. Goffin, who was coming off the back of a 74-minute thrashing by Dimitrov, was this time able to recover from another slow start. Having turned around the first set, he broke Thiem, hampered by a left knee injury, three times in the second to seal a convincing victory.
FOOTBALL Chiefs’ Hali, Ford out
Kansas City Chiefs pass rushers Tamba Hali and Dee Ford have been ruled out Sunday against the New York Giants, while defensive lineman Allen Bailey was also ruled out for their struggling defense. Wide receiver Albert Wilson was also ruled out Friday for the third consecutive game with a bad hamstring. Hali began the season on the PUP list to give his ailing knees a break, but was activated in time to play Nov. 5 against Dallas. Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said Hali, 34, experienced swelling in the knees afterward and he did not participate in any practices this week. Ford will miss his fourth consecutive game with a back injury. Bailey is out with a knee injury.
Wilson realigns jaw
After playing a Thursday game, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson spent his extended break getting his jaw back in alignment. Wilson said Friday that he had to wear a specialized mouthpiece in the days after Seattle’s 22-16 victory over Arizona to put his jaw back in proper alignment. Wilson said he underwent X-rays and there was no fracture, but a hit from Karlos Dansby required Wilson to limit the amount of speaking and eating he could do. Wilson was hit by Dansby in the third quarter of Seattle’s victory. The NFL subsequently began reviewing the way Seattle handled its evaluation of Wilson for a possible concussion after he was sent off the field by referee Walt Anderson. Wilson was on the sideline only briefly.
HOCKEY NHL’s centennial
The five men who met on Nov. 26, 1917, to form the National Hockey League could not have dreamed of the 31-team, multi-billion-dollar enterprise it is a century later. That day the owners of the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators and Quebec Bulldogs, along with league president-to-be Frank Calder, drew up a document at the posh Windsor Hotel in Montreal that established the NHL out of the ruins of the strife-torn National Hockey Association, which had been founded in 1909. The NHL wanted to hold an outdoor game this week in Montreal to mark its 100th anniversary, but couldn’t find a suitable venue, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday. There was some grumbling this week that the league wasn’t doing enough to celebrate the centennial of its founding. There was a general managers meeting in a ballroom at the former hotel, now an office and condo complex called Le Windsor, followed by the unveiling of a plaque marking it as the site of the league’s birth. Bettman later spoke at a chamber of commerce luncheon. There is also a display of portraits of the top 100 players of the last 100 years and other activities, with appearances by some star players from the past. That was enough for Chuck Fletcher, the Montreal-born GM of the Minnesota Wild. “I think it’s pretty cool coming here to the Windsor Hotel,” said Fletcher. “I’m a big historian, so I love this stuff.”