Mickelson (65) is two strokes off lead

Phil Mickelson had six straight birdies and shot a seven-under 65 to pull within two strokes of leader Sepp Straka in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Safeway Open in Napa, Calif.

Coming off a winless performance in the U.S. Ryder Cup loss to Europe, the 48-year-old Mickelson birdied Nos. 9 through 14 and closed with four straight pars on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa.

Straka birdied the final three holes for a 63. The Austrian played alongside Mark Mulder, the former major league pitcher who opened with a 75.

Chase Wright had a 64, playing the last three holes in four under with an eagle on the par-five 16th and two birdies.

Tyrrell Hatton bounced back from a poor start, including a wayward tee shot that struck a spectator on the head, to register a twounder 70 and move within two strokes of the first-round lead at the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

Marcus Fraser of Australia and Matt Wallace of England shot 68s in high winds at Carnoustie and St. Andrews, respectively.

The United States had a mixed start on the opening day of the UL International Crown team golf tournament, splitting the fourballs against Sweden, while favorite South Korea collected a maximum four points with two wins over Taiwan.

Cristiano Ronaldo faced growing heat from sponsors over a rape allegation in the United States after Nike and video game maker EA Sports expressed concern about the conduct of the soccer superstar, who has denied the accusations.

With cities in four countries expressing interest in hosting the 2026 Winter Games, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee has recommended the cities in three of the countries be invited to bid.

Calgary, Canada; Stockholm; and a joint proposal from the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo got the thumbs up from IOC leadership.

Dave Anderson, a genteel sports writer whose elegant, descriptive prose won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary as a columnist for the New York Times, died Thursday. He was 89.

Naomi Osaka maintained her strong form since winning the U.S. Open by reaching the China Open quarterfinals by crushing Julia Goerges 6-1, 6-2. On the men’s side, fourth-seeded Fabio Fognini downed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary beat Marco Cecchinato of Italy 6-4, 6-2, and Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia defeated Fernando Verdasco of Spain 7-6(3), 6-4 . ... Stefanos Tsitsipas won the first ATP main-draw match with fellow rising star Alex de Minaur 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 to reach the Japan Open quarterfinals in Tokyo.