With fans watching, Snedeker takes early lead in Houston
Brandt Snedeker found a lot of fairways and greens at difficult Memorial Park, top-ranked Dustin Johnson returned from the coronavirus, and fans were back, too, Thursday at the Houston Open.
Snedeker shot a 5-under 65 in the afternoon to take a two-stroke lead in the last event before the Masters. He’s one of 37 players in the field this week set to play at Augusta National.
The tournament — at public Memorial Park for the first time since 1963 — is limiting ticket sales to 2,000 a day. It’s the first domestic PGA Tour event to have fans since The Players Championship on March 12.
Johnson had a 72 — bogeying five of the last seven holes on his front nine — in his return after a positive coronavirus test knocked him out of the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek and the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.
Jason Day was tied for second with Scottie Scheffler, Harold Varner III, Carlos Ortiz, Michael Thompson and Cameron Davis.
Brooks Koepka also had a 72. He’s playing for the second time since a two-month layoff to heal injuries. Player partner Lanto Griffin, the winner last year at Golf Club of Houston, also shot 72. Jordan Spieth rounded out the morning threesome with a 72. Koepka served as a consultant on course architect Tom Doak’s renovation.
Baseball
GIANTS’ SOLANO WINS SILVER SLUGGER >> Donovan Solano, who was fifth in the National League with a .326 batting average, became the first Giants second baseman to win a Silver Slugger Award since Jeff Kent in 2002. The Silver Slugger awards are given annually to the top hitter at each position in both the NL and the American League.
Tennis
NA DAL REACHES PARIS MASTERS QUARTERS, CHASING ELUSIVE TITLE >> Topseeded Rafael Nadal stayed on course for an elusive first title at the Paris Masters after beating Jordan Thompson 6-1, 7- 6 (3) to reach the quarterfinals.
Nadal has won 86 career titles, including 35 in Masters events, but lost his only final at the Bercy Indoor Arena in Paris 13 years ago.
Third- seeded Daniil Medvedev overcame a first- set blip where he conceded 11 straight points before rallying to beat 16th-seeded Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
The strong- serving Russian concluded with a 13th ace and next plays No. 6 Diego Schwartzman, the French Open semifinalist who routed qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-1.
Media
ESPN ANNOUNCES 300 LAYOFFS>> ESPN announced Thursday it is eliminating about 500 jobs worldwide, including about 300 through layoffs.
The cuts amount to about 10% of the employees at the sports network and are due largely to the impact of the pandemic on its business and the “tremendous disruption in how fans consume sports.”
ESPN did not say how many of the job cuts would come at its Bristol, Connecticut, campus, but said they would not be concentrated in any one area. On-air talent, the vast majority having personal contracts, is not expected to be heavily affected. But some of those contracts could be allowed to expire.
The layoffs come three years after ESPN cut about 250 jobs, including journalists and on-air talent.
Horse racing
IN AN ABNORMAL YEAR, BREEDERS’ CUP OFFERS A BIT OF NORMALCY >> This year’s Triple Crown slate unfolded over 3½ months instead of six weeks and shuffled the marquee Kentucky Derby from its traditional first Saturday in May to Labor Day weekend — as the middle jewel.
Numerous tracks canceled meets and some returned with abbreviated schedules. Many cards went off without the noise of spectators, demonstrating the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on horse racing that continues to this day.
While it has made for a strange year and compacted path to this weekend’s $31 million Breeders’ Cup world championships at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, the 14 races running today and Saturday at the picturesque track provides some normalcy after a season of upheaval.
High- quality competition helps and once again could determine the Eclipse Award favorites as the year’s best in several divisions.
Saturday’s marquee $6 million Classic highlights the depth with a rematch between Belmont Stakes champ Tiz the Law and Derby winner Authentic, the Bob Baffert-trained pupil who went wire to wire and beat the race favorite by 11/4 lengths at Churchill Downs.
Cycling
PHILIPSEN WINS STAGE 15, ROGLIC KEEPS SPANISH VUELTA LEAD >> Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen won a long, wet and windy Stage 15 at the Spanish Vuelta, and Primoz Roglic held his overall lead with two more competitive days of racing left.
Philipsen powered ahead of the pack near the end of the race’s longest stage of 142 miles in northwest Spain to Puebla De Sanabria.
“I have been waiting all the Vuelta for the right moment and today was more than I expected,” Philipsen said after embracing his UAE Team Emirates teammates and race director. Roglic, the defending champion, maintained his 42 second lead over Richard Carapaz as the race closes in on Sunday’s ceremonial arrival in Madrid.
Motorsports
SAUDI ARABIA TO HOST FORMULA ONE RACE IN 2021 >> Saudi Arabia will host a Formula One race next year, a move aimed at attracting well-heeled globetrotting visitors and raising the kingdom’s profile internationally as a tourist destination.
The kingdom said it will host the race in November 2021 in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, using scenic roads along the coast.
Gulf locales including Manama, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, already host F1 races.
NHL
BLUE JACKETS SIGN GAVRIKOV TO THREE-YEAR DEAL >> The Columbus Blue Jackets signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a three-year, $8.4 million, the club announced. Gavrikov, 24, recorded 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) with 18 penalty minutes in 69 games with Columbus last season.