Off the wire

GOLF Rodgers in lead

Patrick Rodgers made four consecutive birdies to take the lead before it was too dark to continue at the storm-delayed OHL Classic at Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Rodgers was at 11 under with three holes remaining in the second round at El Camaleon Golf Club. He was one shot ahead of Rickie Fowler, who also had three holes remaining, and Patton Kizzire, who posted a 70 for the clubhouse lead at 10-under 132. Rodgers, who was 7 under for his round when play was suspended, is one of the few players from the high school class of 2011 who is still trying to win on the PGA Tour. Others from that class include Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger and Xander Schauffele. The second round was to resume this morning. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) was 6 under through 16 holes. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Arkansas Razorbacks) was 5 under through 10. Ethan Tracy (Razorbacks) was 2 under through 8. Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) and David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) did not make the cut.

Dubuisson by 2

Victor Dubuisson came through a day of strong winds and thunderstorms to hold a two-shot lead after two rounds of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa, on Friday. Dubuisson bogeyed No. 18 after a rain delay to cut his advantage to just two shots, but he handled the tricky weather best in northern South Africa to hold the halfway advantage at 6 under. The slip-up on No. 18 was one of just two bogeys for the Frenchman, who also collected four birdies in his 2-under 70. Many of the field struggled in the conditions, with 69 the best score of the day. Race to Dubai leader Tommy Fleetwood had a 2-over-par 74 and is in a tie for 37th, leaving him with an uphill task to challenge for the victory which would seal the European Tour season title. Dubuisson, whose last victory on the tour came two years ago, leads Darren Fichardt (69) and two-time Nedbank Challenge winner Lee Westwood (70).

Feng ahead by 1

Shanshan Feng carded a 1-over 73 Friday to take a one-shot lead after the third round of the Blue Bay LPGA in Hainan, China. Feng,

who won last week in Japan, had an up-and-down day with three birdies and four bogeys to leave herself at 7-under 209 overall. Feng is looking to become the first back-to-back winner of 2017. Second-round leader Ashleigh Buhai (76) dropped to third place, two strokes behind Feng. Moriya Jutanugarn (68) hit seven birdies to move up six places into second at 6 under. No. 1-ranked Sung Hyun Park and Na Yeon Choi (both 68) moved up from 20th place into a tie for fourth. Gaby Lopez (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 76 and is 7 over going into the final round.

FOOTBALL Sherman’s season over

Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman is out for the season after rupturing his right Achilles’ tendon against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. Sherman had been bothered by a sore Achilles’ tendon all season and went down while trying intercept a pass

in third quarter of Seattle’s 22-16 victory. He lay on the field clutching his right heel before limping off the field to the bench, where he appeared to tell teammates he had torn the tendon. Coach Pete Carroll said Sherman will have surgery after the swelling goes down. One of the game’s best cornerbacks during his seven NFL seasons, Sherman had a pair of interceptions and 31 tackles heading into Thursday night’s game.

Jones: Fuss not about Zeke

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his objection to a contract extension for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is not because of star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game suspension over alleged domestic violence. Jones said on his radio show Friday he wants all 32 owners to have a chance to approve the deal being negotiated between Goodell and the compensation committee that includes six owners. Jones is not on the committee. The NFL has said owners already voted unanimously to extend Goodell’s contract and authorize the committee to work out the deal. Jones said circumstances have changed since that May vote, including the escalation of the protests involving the national anthem. Jones also said “behavioral policies” have been an issue since May. Elliott was suspended in August.

BASEBALL Otani headed to U.S.?

Highly touted Japanese pitcher-outfielder Shohei Otani will be posted by the Nippon Ham Fighters, allowing him to sign with a major league team next season. Otani is the reigning Pacific League MVP and was 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA this year. Despite thigh and ankle injuries, he batted .332 in 65 games with 16 doubles, 8 home runs and 31 RBI. He had ankle surgery last month. He has a 42-15 record with a 2.52 ERA and 624 strikeouts in 543 innings over 5 seasons, and a .286 batting average with 48 home runs and 166 RBI. Otani is scheduled to hold a news conference today in Tokyo. Because Otani has less than nine years of service time, Nippon Ham retains his rights and he must go through the posting system to leave. If Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and Nippon Professional Baseball agree to a deal that would extend the expired posting agreement through this offseason, the team that Otani signs with would pay the Fighters $20 million. Under MLB’s labor contract, his signing bonus is restricted and remaining pool money is limited to a high of $3,535,000.

Yanks interview Wedge

Former Cleveland and Seattle manager Eric Wedge has become the second person to interview with the New York Yankees for their dugout opening. Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson interviewed on Wednesday as a possible successor to manager Joe Girardi. Wedge was a “cup of coffee” player in the majors, getting 86 at-bats over 4 seasons with Boston (1991-92, 1995) and Colorado (1994) and making 23 appearances at catcher. He was voted American League Manager in the Year in 2007, when the Cleveland Indians won the AL Central, beat the Yankees in the Division Series and lost to Boston in a seven-game Championship Series. He was fired in 2009 after seven seasons with a 561-573 record. Wedge was hired as Seattle’s manager before the 2011 season. The Mariners went 213-273 over three seasons before he turned down a one-year contract, leaving his overall record at 774-846. He has spent the last two seasons as a player development adviser with Toronto.

Cook