U.S. takes big 3-point lead in Solheim Cup Former Celtics forward Mickey signs with Heat
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — The United States swept the afternoon fourball matches to take a 5
lead over Europe on Friday in the Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.
Lizette Salas and U.S. newcomer Danielle Kang each won two matches, teaming to beat Carlota Ciganda and Caroline Masson 1 up for the Americans’ lone full point in the morning foursomes, then leading the U.S. to its first ever fourball sweep in the afternoon.
Salas and rookie Angel Yin routed Ciganda and Emily Pedersen 6 and 5, and Kang and Michelle Wie topped Madelene Sagstrom and Jodi Ewart Shadoff 3 and 1. In the other fourball matches, Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang beat Masson and Florentyna Parker 3 and 2, and Stacy Lewis and Gerina Piller edged Charley Hull and Georgia Hall 2 and 1
In the morning foursomes, Americans Cristie Kerr and Delray Beach’s Lexi Thompson rallied to halve with Hull and Mel Reid. For Europe, Hall and Anna Nordqvist beat Paula Creamer and Austin Ernst 3 and 1, and Karine Icher and Catriona Matthew topped Lewis and Piller 1 up.
Ryan Armour shot a career-best 9-under 61 on Friday for a share of the lead with Webb Simpson after two rounds at the Wyndham Championship at Greensboro, N.C.
Armour and Simpson were at 13-under 127 halfway through the PGA Tour’s final event of the regular season. Simpson shot a 64.
Henrik Stenson was a stroke behind them after a 66. Ollie Schniederjans and Vaughn Taylor and were 11. Schniederjans had a 66.
First-round leader Matt Every followed his 61 with a 72 to slip six strokes off the lead.
Kevin Sutherland shot a 7-under 65 for a share of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open lead Friday, three years scorching the En-Joie course for the only 59 in PGA Tour Champions history.
Sutherland had eight birdies and a bogey to join Wes Short Jr. atop the firstround leaderboard. Winless on the 50-and-older tour, Sutherland hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation on the Endicott, N.Y., course softened by morning rain.
Short also had eight birdies and bogey. He was coming off a 62 in the final round of the 3M Championship two weeks ago in Minnesota.
Colin Montgomerie was a stroke back along with Mark Brooks, Russ Cochran and Corey Pavin. Montgomerie holed out from 80 yards for eagle on the par-4 10th.
Joey Sindelar, from nearby Horseheads, had a 67. He won the PGA Tour’s B.C. Open in 1985 and 1987 at En-Joie. AUTO RACING: Matt Kenseth, in the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, said he still doesn’t have a job lined up for next season. Erik Jones will drive the No. 20 Toyota next year . ... Brad Keselowski is closing his truck series team at the end of the season, a decision that in part came down to him losing money on the venture . ... JTG Daugherty Racing signed Chris Buescher to a multiyear contract extension to drive the No. 37 Chevrolet.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Marvin Bagley III, widely considered the top recruit in the Class of 2018, reclassified this week and could be eligible to play for Duke in the upcoming season.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Penn State coach James Franklin signed a contract extension that runs through 2022 and guarantees him $34.7 million . ... Former Vanderbilt player Brandon Banks received the minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for the dorm room rape of an unconscious female student in 2013 . ... Georgia Tech sophomore RB Dedrick Mills was kicked off the team for his latest violation of athletic department rules. .
NFL: A linebacker who had a New Jersey gun charge against him dropped said people started looking at him differently and accusing him of being a thug even though the case against him was false. Former Bears and Chiefs LB Khaseem Greene’s lawyer said the gun charge was dropped last month because the man who said he gave Greene a weapon admitted he lied. Greene shot 63, Taylor
Rory McIlroy has decided his health is good enough for him to start the FedEx Cup playoffs next week in New York.
McIlroy had said after he finished at the PGA Championship that he could feel a back muscle spasm in recent weeks as he practiced more to get ready for the final major of the year. He said before leaving Quail Hollow he could return in a few weeks or not until next year.
His manager said in a text message that McIlroy plans to play The Northern Trust, which starts next Thursday at Glen Oaks on Long Island. Harry Diamond, McIlroy’s best friend from Northern Ireland, will remain as his caddie through the playoffs.
McIlroy won two playoff events last year, including the Tour Championship, to capture the FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus.
He suffered a hairline rib fracture in South Africa, his first tournament of 2017, and missed seven weeks to let it heal. But after getting married in April, he says he practiced too much too quickly to get ready for The Players Championship, and he wound up taking a fiveweek break to let it heal. said the legal trouble has been “probably the toughest time” of his life “emotionally and mentally.” ... Jaguars coach Doug Marrone reopened the QB competition after another inconsistent performance from Blake Bortles, the third overall pick in the 2014 draft. Bortles completed 8 of 13 passes for 65 yards in a 12-8 exhibition loss to the Bucs. All four of his drives ended with punts . ... The Giants signed WRs Canaan Severin and Ed Eagan and waived-injured rookie WRs Keeon Johnson and Kevin Snead . ... The Ravens signed C Jeremy Zuttah, who returns to the team that traded him to the 49ers in March. He was released by the 49ers last week . ... The Bears signed free-agent linebacker Kelvin Sheppard and waived rookie LB Hendrick Ekpe.
SKIING: Marcel Hirscher will need up to 15 weeks to recover from a broken left ankle, ruling the six-time overall World Cup champion out of ski racing likely until December.
SOCCER: Valencia signed Gabriel Paulista from Arsenal, ending the Brazilian defender’s 2 stay at the English club and sealing his return to the Spanish league.
TENNIS: Former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur of Australia pulled out of the year’s last Grand Slam tournament because of an injured right hand . ... Surprise 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin, 25, said she’s retiring because of health issues.
MIAMI — The Heat have moved closer the 20-player NBA offseason roster limit, with an agreement with former Celtics forward Jordan Mickey, the Sun Sentinel has confirmed.
With the agreement on a $1.5 million veteran-minimum deal, Mickey becomes the 17th player under contract to the Heat. The NBA regular-season limit is 15 players.
Because of the structure of the contract, which also includes a second year at the Heat’s option, Mickey’s deal cannot be converted to a two-way contract.
With Derrick Walton Jr. previously signed to a twoway contract and therefore not to count against the 15-player regular-season roster limit, and with Matt Williams Jr. holding a nominal guarantee that would allow for the conversion to a two-way deal, the Heat, in essence, could already stand at the regular-season roster limit.
Mickey, a 6-foot-8 forward, was a 2015 secondround pick by the Celtics, selected at No. 33 out of LSU, where he joined Shaquille O’Neal as just the second player in school history to block at least 100 shots in a season.
Mickey, 23, has appeared in 41 games with the Celtics over his two NBA seasons, averaging 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds, also appearing in four playoff games for Boston.
After spending considerable time with the Celtics’ development-league affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, Mickey was waived by Boston on July 13, two days before his 2017-18 Celtics contract would have become guaranteed, with his cap space needed to sign Jazz free-agent forward Gordon Hayward.
Mickey joins former Celtics teammate Kelly Olynyk as a Heat offseason addition. The Heat’s other offseason additions have been first-round draft pick Bam Adebayo, former Dallas Mavericks center A.J. Hammons, and Walton and Williams, who were signed as undrafted free agents.
In addition to those six, the Heat also return Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow, Rodney McGruder, Wayne Ellington, Udonis Haslem and Okaro White. Players Voice Awards.
Haslem, who served mostly in a mentorship role as team captain, was part of the annual awards presentation Friday by the players’ union, with former Heat forward Chris Bosh hosting the online announcements.
A pair of former Heat players also were voted Teammate of the Year by their respective teams, with James Jones being cited with the Cavaliers and Gerald Green with the Celtics. Jones has since retired to take a front-office position with the Suns, with Green currently a free agent.
As was the case with the NBA’s official awards that were presented in a nationally televised June show in New York, the Heat were shut out of the league-wide awards, this time with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich winning the coaching award in the player poll, after Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni beat out Heat coach Erik Spoelstra in the media balloting for the official NBA Coach of the Year award.
Best Rookie: Malcolm Brogdon. Comeback Player of the Year: Joel Embiid. Best Off the Bench: Lou Williams. Best Defender: Kawhi Leonard. Hardest to Guard: Russell Westbrook. Player You Secretly Wish Was On Your Team: LeBron James.
Best Dressed: Westbrook. Home Court Advantage: Warriors. Coach You’d Most Like to Play For: Popovich. Clutch Performer: Isaiah Thomas. Best Social Media Follow: Embiid. Most Influential Veteran: Vince Carter. Global Impact: James. Most Valuable Player: Westbrook.
Best Teammate (one per team): Harrison Barnes (Mavericks), Darrell Arthur (Nuggets), David West (Warriors), Trevor Ariza (Rockets), Alan Anderson (Clippers), Metta World Peace (Lakers), Mike Conley (Grizzlies), Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves), Quincy Pondexter (Pelicans), Nick Collison (Thunder), Tyler Chandler (Suns), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Garrett Temple (Kings), Manu Ginobili (Spurs), Boris Diaw (Jazz), Dwight Howard (Hawks), Gerald Green (Celtics), Randy Foye (Nets), Marvin Williams (Hornets), Rajon Rondo (Bulls), James Jones (Cavaliers), Andre Drummond (Pistons), Al Jefferson (Pacers), Haslem (Heat), Jason Terry (Bucks), Carmelo Anthony (Knicks), Bismack Biyombo (Magic), T.J. McConnell (76ers), Kyle Lowry (Raptors), Jason Smith (Wizards).
iwinderman@sunsentinel .com. Twitter @iraheatbeat or facebook.com/ ira.winderman