Leishman sets 36-hole Nelson record

Marc Leishman followed the best round of his PGA Tour career with a 5-under 66 at the AT&T Byron Nelson on Friday, breaking the 36-hole tournament record previously shared by Tiger Woods.

The Australian was at 15-under 127 for a onestroke lead over Aaron Wise, the 21-year-old rookie who shot a bogey-free 63 at the new links-style Trinity Forest course.

Hometown star Jordan Spieth matched Leishman’s 66 to remain eight shots back.

Leishman opened with a 61 in Trinity Forest’s debut after the Nelson spent 35 years at the TPC Four Seasons. The par-70 course in suburban Irving is where Woods twice shot the previous record of 12-under 128, along with four others. Wise matched the 128 and was 14 under.

Brian Gay tied the best round of his tour career with a 62 and was two shots behind Leishman at 13 under.

SAUERS, JIMENEZ TIED AT REGIONS TRADITION » Gene Sauers shot a 5-under 67 to move into a first-place tie with Miguel Angel Jimenez on Friday in the second round of the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champions majors.

Jimenez and Sauers were at 11-under 133. This was the first time either held or shared the lead after two rounds in a major.

Two-time defending champion Bernhard Langer was nine shots behind. He is trying to become the first to win three straight at the Tradition since it began in 1989.

Sauers completed his second straight bogey-free round. Jimenez had four birdies and a bogey for a 69 at Greystone Golf & Country Club, a day after matching the course record with a 64.

Tennis

NADAL ADVANCES AT ITALIAN OPEN » Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal overcame a poor first set and a partisan crowd to beat Fabio Fognini, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, and reach the Italian Open semifinals on May 18.

Fognini won five straight games to cancel out a 4-1 deficit and win the opening set but couldn’t keep up with Nadal’s consistency and heavy topspin on the red clay court and eventually was physically worn down.

For a spot in the final, Nadal will play four-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori.

In the women’s quarterfinals, defending champion Elina Svitolina defeated Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 6-4, for her sixth straight victory over the former No. 1 player.

College basketball

LOUISVILLE, FORMER AD SETTLE » Louisville has settled for $4.5 million with former athletic director Tom Jurich, who was fired in the wake of a national federal corruption investigation of college basketball.

Jurich disputed his Oct. 18 firing for cause after nearly 20 years as AD and had considered suing the school. The University of Louisville Athletic Association and Board of Trustees on Friday approved the settlement with the agreement saying his employment ended “without cause” as a result of his resignation.