Spieth tied for lead in early going at rain-soaked Riviera

Jordan Spieth made the most out of his chance to start over Feb. 14 at rainsoaked Riviera and was tied for the lead at 5-under par through 12 holes in the Genesis Open.

Tiger Woods never made it to the golf course. He was to play in the afternoon, but a seven-hour delay because of heavy rain meant not starting his first round until Feb. 15.

Spieth hit his opening tee shot on the short par-4 10th off a cart path and into thick, shin-high grass that made it tough to even see his golf ball.

But with increasing rain, along with low visibility at the start, the PGA Tour decided to scrap the round and start over once the course dried out.

Sung Kang also was at 5 under through 14 holes.

MLB

NOLA WANTS TITLES >> Aaron Nola hopes to win titles with the Phillies, and a $45 million, four-year contract will give him a chance.

“This is pretty surreal and special for me,” the pitcher said Feb. 14, a day after agreeing to the deal. “I love it here. I love the city of Philadelphia. I want to be a part of this organization — a winning organization.”

His contract includes a 2023 club option that could make the deal worth $56.75 million over five years.

“I don’t play specifically for the money,” he said as parents and teammates watched at a news conference. “I play for the love of game and I play for my teammates. They know that. I’m here to win and maximize my potential as much as I can.”

The 25-year-old right hander is 41-28 in four seasons, including 17-6 last year with a 2.37 ERA and 0.975 WHIP. He finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting behind Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer..

NBA

KERR FINED >> Golden State coach Steve Kerr has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for verbally abusing and confronting a referee.

The penalty announced by Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, was for Kerr’s actions in a 127-107 loss at Portland on Feb. 13.

Kerr screamed at referee Ken Mauer, smashed his clipboard, and was given two technical fouls and ejected with 3:54 remaining in the fourth quarter.

College basketball

OHIO STATE WOMEN WIN >> Adreana Miller had 14 points with three 3-pointers, Carly Santoro scored 12 points, and visiting Ohio State dominated No. 23 Rutgers for a 59-39 upset. The Buckeyes (11-12, 7-7 Big Ten) never trailed.

CLEVELAND STATE LOSES >> Marcus Ottey had 20 points as Illinois-Chicago narrowly defeated Cleveland State, 81-77, on Feb. 14.

Tarkus Ferguson had 19 points for Illinois-Chicago (14-12, 8-5 Horizon League), which won its fourth consecutive game. Godwin Boahen added 18 points and seven assists. Michael Diggins had 12 points for the road team.

Tyree Appleby had 16 points for the Vikings (720, 2-12). Rashad Williams added 12 points. Dibaji Walker had 10 points and seven rebounds.

NFL

NO THANKS >> The Los Angeles Chargers will not pick up the option on defensive tackle Corey Liuget’s contract. General manager Tom Telesco told the team website he is not closing the door on a possible return even though Liuget will become an unrestricted free agent on March 13.