Off the wire

GOLF Thomas holds 1-shot lead

Justin Thomas went from a fast finish one day to a fast start the next, and it carried him to a 7-under 65 on Friday and a one-shot lead in the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Thomas wasn’t particularly thrilled, except for his position, mainly because the final stretch of holes was still fresh on his mind. He closed with six consecutive pars on a day when the field made birdie or better just over 33% of the time. Richy Werenski led the way with 12 birdies for a 61, the lowest score in a tour-sanctioned competition at the Sherwood Country Club. The average score was 67.87. Tiger Woods managed to beat that, making eight birdies in his round of 66, but he still didn’t pick up any shots against the lead. The defending champion at the Zozo Championship — he won last year in Japan — was still 12 shots behind. Thomas was at 14-under 130, one stroke clear of Lanto Griffin and Dylan Frittelli, who each had a 65. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) is at 8-under 136 after two days, good enough for a tie for 27th.

McDonald in front at Drive On

Ally McDonald shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend in the LPGA Drive On Championship-Lake Reynolds Oconee in Greensboro, Ga. The 27-year-old from Mississippi made five consecutive birdies in the middle of the round, then gave back two strokes with bogeys on the par-4 fifth and par-5 sixth. She had a 10-under 134 total in the first-year event on the Great Waters Course. Danielle Kang was tied for second with Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines in the event added to the schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic that shut down women’s golf for five months. Former University of Arkansas golfers Stacy Lewis and Gaby Lopez are both at 3-under 141 for the tournament. Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) is at even-par 144. Alana Uriell (Razorbacks) is at 3-over 147.

FOOTBALL Saints’ WRs out Sunday

New Orleans Saints receiver Emmanuel Sanders has tested positive for covid-19, and receiver Michael Thomas remained unable to practice Friday because of a recent hamstring injury. Neither will play Sunday against Carolina. Thomas was listed as out on the Saints’ final injury report of the week. He has not played since the season opener, when he caught three passes for 17 yards before spraining his ankle when running back Latavius Murray was tackled into the back of the star receiver’s lower legs. He was on schedule to return from the ankle injury in Week 5, only to be benched because of an outburst at practice in which he punched defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. His punishment was lifted during the Saints’ Week 6 bye, but now he has a new lower-body injury.

Browns’ TE has surgery

The Cleveland Browns will be without dependable tight end Austin Hooper for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals after he underwent an appendectomy. The team said Hooper, who signed a four-year, $42 million contract with Cleveland as a free agent this year, had the operation Friday at University Hospitals. Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski said the 25-year-old Hooper shouldn’t miss significant time. If Hooper has to be placed on injured reserve, he would automatically miss three games. A two-time Pro Bowler in four seasons with Atlanta, Hooper has 22 catches for 205 yards this season.

Giants deal LB to Cardinals

The New York Giants have traded linebacker Markus Golden to the Arizona Cardinals for a sixthround draft pick in 2021. The Giants announced the deal Friday, less than 24 hours after losing to Philadelphia to fall to 1-6. The NFL trading deadline is Nov. 3, and the Giants may be a seller with their chances of making the playoffs slipping. Arizona needs depth at linebacker after losing 2019 All-Pro Chandler Jones for the season because of a biceps injury suffered Oct 11 against the Jets. Golden had 10 tackles, 11/ sacks, 4 quarter

2 back hits and 1 pass defensed.

Washington QB fined

Washington quarter back Dwayne Haskins was fined by the team for breaking covid-19 protocols, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the team does not announce internal discipline. ESPN reported Haskins was fined $4,833 for making a reservation for a family friend at the team hotel last weekend when Washington visited the New York Giants, which is against the rules.

Army-Navy game moved

The Army-Navy football game in December has been moved from Philadelphia to West Point because of attendance limits placed on outdoor events in Pennsylvania. By playing the game on Army’s home field in New York, the entire Brigade of Midshipmen and Corps of Cadets will be able to attend. The game is scheduled for Dec. 12. This will be the first time the game will be played at a home site since Army hosted the event in 1943.

BASKETBALL NBA targets Dec. 22 start

The NBA may be back before Christmas and fans could return to games at some point next season, if one plan considered by the league’s board of governors becomes reality. The board is targeting a Dec. 22 start to what would be a season of 70 to 72 games, with the NBA Finals ending in June again as has been the case for many years, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because no plan has been finalized, said the possibility of fans being at games would hinge on how a particular market is faring against the coronavirus at that time. There are other options, such as waiting until later in the season to begin play with the hope that more arenas would be able to have fans. But starting in December instead of mid-January or later could generate a difference of roughly $500 million in revenue, the person said.

TENNIS Top seed reaches semifinals

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev defeated Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4 to reach the Cologne (Germany) Championship semifinals Friday. Zverev missed a chance to settle the match when he served at 5-3 in the second set, but eventually prevailed after 2 hours, 40 minutes to move another step closer to his second Cologne title in as many weeks. The German city is hosting back-to-back ATP competitions that were added to the pandemic-disrupted schedule.

Sabalenka advances

Third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a slow start to stage a big comeback, defeating qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the Ostrava (Czech Republic) Open quarterfinals on Friday. The 73rd-ranked Sorribes Tormo from Spain was cruising at 6-0, 4-0 up until the 12th-ranked Sabalenka found her rhythm to rally and win 12 consecutive games. The Belarusian will play Jennifer Brady of the United States, who also needed to come from a set behind to overcome Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 to book a place in her fourth semifinal in 2020, including the U.S. Open. Also, fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka knocked out seventh-seeded Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-1.