DeChambeau notches 9 birdies in Mexico City
Bryson DeChambeau kept making so many birdies in the Mexico Championship in Mexico City that when he rolled in his ninth one from 45 feet, all he could do was throw his hands in the air in pure wonder.
He wasn’t alone Friday in making birdies. DeChambeau made seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch at Chapultepec for an 8-under 63, giving him a one-shot lead over Erik van Rooyen and Patrick Reed at the halfway point of this World Golf Championship.
Van Rooyen, who played college golf at Minnesota, had nine birdies and tied the course record with a 62. Reed made five birdies on the back nine for a 63.
DeChambeau was at 11-under 131.
More golf
PGA Tour rookie Viktor Hovland shot a 6-under 66 at windy Coco Beach in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, for a share of the Puerto Rico Open lead. The 22-year-old Norwegian eagled the par-5 second and rebounded from a late bogey on a par 5 with a birdie to join first-round leader Kyle Stanley, Josh Teater and Emiliano Grillo at 10-under 134.
BRIEFS
• Tiger Woods will not to play the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. for the second year in a row, and he has company. The other players skipping the event are Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson. Brooks Koepka at No. 2 is the only top 10 player in the world who will compete at the Honda Classic.
Pro football
The Chicago Bears released wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and cornerback Prince Amukamara. These two moves will account for $13.5 million in salary-cap space for the Bears in 2020.
College hockey
The Robert Morris women rolled to an easy 5-1 win over RIT. The game was knotted at 1 after the first, but the Colonials scored three goals in the second to put the game out of reach. Five different Colonials scored as Jaycee Gebhard and Leah Marino each had two assists.
• The RMU men tied Canisius, 1-1, in Buffalo, N.Y. Darcy Walsh got the Colonials on the board three minutes into the third period. With less than four minutes to play, Canisius’ Kevin Obssuth pulled the Golden Griffins level. After two scoreless periods of overtime both teams get a point. However, a second point is on the line in the shootout, which Aiden Beck won for the Colonials.
Tennis
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan will play her fourth final of the young WTA season at the Dubai Championships. Rybakina beat eighth-seeded Petra Martic of Croatia, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2), in the semifinals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In the final Saturday, Rybakina will face top-seeded Simona Halep, who dispatched American qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-2, 6-0. In doubles action, Zheng Saisai and Barbora Krejcikova defeated Peters Township native Alison Riske and Desirae Krawczyk, 6-2, 6-2, in the semifinal. Saisai and Krejcikova will face Barbora Strycova and Hsieh Su-wei in the final.
Boxing
The Western Pennsylvania Police Athletic League will stage Golden Glove bouts Saturday at Monroeville Mall. The doors open at 4:30 p.m. and first bell is at 5. For more information, text or call 412576-9285.