THE HOT CORNER

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

Zion Williamson’s stepfather requested and accepted a $400,000 payment from a marketing agent in October 2018 prior to his stepson’s Duke career, according to a sworn affidavit filed Friday by attorneys for Gina Ford, Williamson’s former marketing agent, in a federal court in Greensboro. North Carolina. Ford is in a contract dispute with the NBA star. If the payment happened, it would have rendered Williamson ineligible to compete as a college athlete.

GOLF:

Former tennis player Mardy Fish birdied the final five holes in a record-breaking round Saturday to take a three-point lead over former Buffalo defensive tackle Kyle Williams in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe. Fish had an event-record 37-point round under the modified Stableford scoring system to push his two-day total to 55. Braves Hall of Famer John Smoltz is a distant third with 37.

BASEBALL:

Chicago White Sox prized pitching prospect Michael Kopech chose not to play this season, and the team put star third baseman Yoán Moncada and pitcher Jose Ruiz on the 10-day injured list because of unspecified ailments. There was no official word on whether the moves were related to the pandemic.

OBITUARY:

Mike Ryan, the backup catcher on the Boston Red Sox’s 1967 “Impossible Dream” team during a 35-year career in professional baseball, has died. He was 78. The Red Sox said Ryan died in his sleep Tuesday in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

AUTO RACING:

Lewis Hamilton showed why he’s one of Formula One’s best in wet conditions, dominating on a rain-drenched track to take the pole for the Styrian Grand Prix on Saturday. It continued the Mercedes driver’s streak, his 89th career pole.