Sharma leads by 2 at Mexico Championship
CYCLING: Kristina Vogel won a recordtying 11th women’s world cycling title when she took the individual sprint at the track world championships on Friday in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. Vogel was taken to a tiebreaking third race by Stephanie Morton but won her fourth gold in five years.
FOOTBALL: The Falcons released DE Derrick Shelby and announced plans to release TE Levine Toilolo.
GOLF: Tiger Woods decided to play in the Valspar Championship next week at Innisbrook, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill the following week.
GYMNASTICS: Aly Raisman filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics claiming they “knew or should have known” about the abusive conduct of Larry Nassar, the disgraced former national team doctor now in prison for sexually abusing young athletes. Raisman filed the lawsuit in California on Wednesday. The filing alleges negligence by the USOC and USA Gymnastics for failing to make sure appropriate protocols were followed in regards to monitoring Nassar. Nassar is named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit . ... A University of Michigan freshman gymnast is believed to be the first man to file a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused by Nassar. Jacob Moore was named as a plaintiff Wednesday in a federal lawsuit filed by hundreds of women and girls against Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics and others.
TENNIS: Rafael Nadal will miss the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments because of a lingering right hip injury . ... Lucas Pouille made it to his third ATP final in four weeks after beating Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) in the Dubai Championships semis. Pouille will take on thirdseeded Roberto Bautista Agut, who ended the dream run of wild card Malek Jaziri 6-3, 6-4 . ... Pablo Cuevas beat Leonardo Mayer 6-2, 6-7 (13), 7-6 (7) to reach the Brazil Open semifinals. The third-seeded Cuevas will face secondseeded Fabio Fognini in the clay-court event. Fognini beat Guillermo GarciaLopez 6-4, 6-2.
TRACK: All five runners in a 400-meter heat were disqualified from their race at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England. Abdalelah Haroun was first to leave after a false start. Bralon Taplin, Steven Gayle, Austris Karpinskis and Alonzo Russell were disqualified for running out of their lanes.
MEXICO CITY — Success has come quickly for Shubhankar Sharma, and the Mexico Championship is no exception.
Sharma hit a 3-wood that landed on the green and settled 2 feet away for an eagle on the opening hole at Chapultepec Golf Club. He finished with three straight birdies for a 5-under 66. And in his first World Golf Championship, he takes a two-shot lead into the weekend.
“I worked all my life to come and play at a high stage like this,” said Sharma, who turned pro when he was 16. “You have to expect great things from yourself if you want to play at a high stage. I just try and not think of anything before I start. I just try and concentrate on the success, and just let things go.”
Sharma overcame a pair of three-putt bogeys early in his round and was at 11-under 131.
Masters champion Sergio Garcia had a 65 and was two shots behind, along with Xander Schauffele (66) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (67).
Scott Dunlap and Tommy Tolles topped the leaderboard In Tucson, Ariz., at 8-under 65, with Steve Stricker a stroke back in a bid for his first PGA Tour Champions title.
Tolles, playing in the last group off the first tee, birdied the par-4 18th for a share of the lead. He also had a bogey-free day.
University of coach Mike Small Stricker at 66.
Gene Sauers opened with a 67, and Bernhard Langer, Billy Mayfair and Woody Austin shot 68.
Defending champion Tom Lehman, playing alongside Stricker, had a 71.
Len Mattiace also shot 71 in his senior debut. The two-time PGA Tour winner turned 50 in October.
John Daly was last in the 78-player field with an 80. He had one birdie, six bogeys and a double bogey on the par-5 15th. Illinois matched
The distraction of a chipped tooth proved to be no problem for Danielle Kang as she shot an 8-under 64 to take a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Women's World Championship in Singapore on Friday.
Kang, who won last year's Women's PGA Championship for her first major title, equaled the course record at the Sentosa Golf Club to lead the LPGA tournament at 12-under 132.
Nelly Korda, whose sister Jessica won the LPGA Tour event in Thailand last week, had a 66 to be tied for second with fellow American Alex Marina (67) while Minjee Lee (66), Cristie Kerr (67) and Chella Choi (69) were a further stroke back at 7-under.