6 tied for Mexico lead; McIlroy one back
MEXICO CITY —
Rory McIlroy had more trouble with his stomach than his ribs. The golf was just fine. Playing for the first time in seven weeks because of a rib injury, McIlroy coped with a bad stomach and the high altitude with a 3-under- par 68 that left him one shot out of a six-way tie for the lead as the Mexico Championship made a strong debut Thursday. Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood, two of the four players who were in the field for the first edition of this World Golf Championships event in 1999, each shot 67 and were joined at the top by PGA champion Jimmy Walker, Ross Fisher, Jon Rahm of Spain and Ryan Moore. Westwood and Walker each made it to 6 under until two bogeys over their final few holes. McIlroy, who can return to No. 1 with a victory this week, had not competed since Jan. 15 because of a hairline fracture of a rib. The biggest surprise was Chapultepec Golf Club, hosting the best players in the world at nearly 7,800 feet above sea level. Roberto Castro hit a tee shot 407 yards. Mickelson hit one 379 yards, his longest in recent years without hitting a cart path. Dustin Johnson, in his debut at No. 1 in the world, hit a 3-wood shot on the 316-yard first hole that bounded over the green, into the hedges and out of bounds.
FOOTBALL
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NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans have agreed to a contract extension with quarterback
Matt Cassel a week before he was set to hit free agency. The Titans announced the deal on Thursday. Cassel is expected to help the Titans during the offseason program while Marcus Mariota recovers from a broken right lower leg. The 12-year veteran played four games for Tennessee last season and started the finale, a 24-17 win over Houston. He was 30-of-51 for 284 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. For his career, Cassel has started 80 of his 108 games and has thrown for 17,287 yards with 103 touchdowns. A seventh-round pick by New England in 2008, Cassel has played with Kansas City, Minnesota, Buffalo and Dallas. Titans coach Mike Mularkey said Wednesday at the NFL combine that Mariota now is in a walking boot after spending the first few weeks of his recovery using a scooter.
BASEBALL
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Dansby Swanson led off the game with a home run and teammate Adam Brett Walker
added a two-run drive for the Atlanta Braves in their 9-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in a Grapefruit League game Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. The home runs by Swanson — a shortstop who was taken by Arizona with the top overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft and made his MLB debut last September — and Walker, who has 58 homers the past two seasons in the upper minor leagues, came off former Atlanta prospect Adam Wainwright.
The right-hander allowed three runs and three hits over two innings. Braves starter Bartolo Colon gave up two runs in three innings. Atlanta reliever
John Danks, released by the White Sox with a 7.25 ERA after four April starts last year, gave up three earned runs on four hits in two innings.