Off the wire
FOOTBALL
FSU: Winston not paid Florida State’s compliance staff has found no information suggesting Jameis Winston has been paid for more than 2,000 autographs found on an authentication website, according to a statement released by the school’s athletic department Friday. Winston’s signature is on thousands of items in sequential order on the James Spence Authentication website, triggering a review by FSU’s compliance office to determine whether the Heisman Trophy winner violated NCAA eligibility rules by accepting payment for his signatures. FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher adamantly defended Winston this week, saying the star quarterback had “never taken a dime” for autographs. When ESPN.com reported the number of signatures climbed from 200 early in the week to more than 2,000, Fisher said the compliance office was handling the issue while he focused on coaching the football team. Winston’s attorney also agreed to continue cooperating with a code of conduct investigation into an allegation the quarterback sexually assaulted a former FSU student in December 2012. Winston and his attorneys have repeatedly stated he never committed a crime. The state attorney opted not to pursue criminal charges against Winston, citing insufficient evidence. Despite the off-the-field issues, Winston is expected to play for No. 2 Seminoles today when they host No. 5 Notre Dame.
HORSE RACING
No wrongdoing in death Investigators have found no wrongdoing by jockeys in this week’s death of a 17-year-old apprentice jockey riding at an Indiana horse track. Indiana Horse Racing Commission Senior Steward Stan Bowker said Friday that the three-member board of stewards found the death of Juan Saez of Panama was “an unfortunate accident.” The board handed over its findings to the Indiana Horse Racing Commission after reviewing videotapes of the race at the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino track in Shelbyville. Saez was thrown from Montezuma Express while rounding a turn during the eighth
GOLF
race Tuesday. Bowker said Saez’s horse inadvertently clipped the heels of the horse in front of him. Apprentice jockey Caitlin Forrest died Wednesday after a fall at Murray Bridge race course near Adelaide, Australia, the second female jockey to die this week in Australia. Forrest’s mount Colla Voce fell, bringing down three other horses, and she was flung to the ground ahead of the trailing pack. Forrest, 19, was airlifted to Royal Adelaide Hospital but died from her injuries.
Carly-Mae Pye, 26, died Tuesday from injuries sustained when the horse she was riding broke its front legs during a training run, throwing her head-first into the track. Pye was riding Monday in a jump-out, which simulates the start of a race in barriers in non-race conditions, at Callaghan Park at Rockhampton in Queensland state. Australian Racing Board chief executive Peter
McGauran said Thursday that authorities will continue to research improved safety equipment, but racing has become safer in recent years despite the two deaths this week. Pair share Shriners lead Andrew Putnam birdied two of the last three holes Friday for a 6-under 65 and a share of the second-round lead with Russell
Knox in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at Las Vegas. Putnam is playing in his fourth PGA Tour event. He earned his tour card this year through the Web. com Tour. Knox of Scotland had a 67 to match Putnam at 10-under 132 at TPC Summerlin. Knox had six birdies and two bogeys — on Nos. 2 and 3 — in the second round.
Andrew Svoboda and Tony Finau were a stroke back. Finau shot 65, and Svoboda had a 67. Defending champion Webb Simpson topped the group at 8 under after a 65. Martin Laird, the 2009 winner who was tied with Stewart Cink for the first-round lead, was in the group at 8 under after a 70. He had a double bogey on the par-4 seventh — his 16th hole of the day. Spencer Levin, George McNeill, Ben Martin, Bo Van Pelt, Scott Piercy and Wes Roach also were at 8 under. Levin and McNeill shot 63 — the best rounds of the week. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had four birdies and one bogey for a 3-under 68 (137). Bryce Molder (Conway) had four birdies and three bogeys for a 1-under 70 (138). David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 72 and failed to make the cut.
Ernie Els took control of the Hong Kong Open with a twostroke lead at the halfway mark after a 5-under 65 on Friday. Els, who turned 45 Friday, has a 9-under total of 131 to lead Raphael Jacquelin of France and Australians Scott Hend and Cameron Smith by two shots on the Fanling Course at Hong Kong Golf Club. One shot further behind was a group of 11 players, including firstround leader Jyoti Randhawa of India. Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez, dealing with food poisoning, missed the cut by three shots. He made a par-70 for a 2-over 142. Also missing the cut was Nicolas Colsaerts, whose second round of 79 included two double bogeys and eight bogeys.
Jay Haas and Joe Durant shot 8-under 63 on Friday to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Greater Hickory Kia Classic at Conover, N.C. Haas, the 2005 and 2009 champion, had an eagle and seven birdies on the first 14 holes, dropped a stroke on the par4 15th and closed with two pars. The former Wake Forest player won the last of his 16 Champions Tour titles in June 2012. Durant had his best score since joining the 50-and-over tour in April. He rebounded from two early bogeys with eight birdies and an eagle on Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Champions Course. Roger Chapman and Scott Dunlap shot 65. Kirk Triplett, a two-time winner this season, was another stroke back along with Bill Glasson, Mike Goodes, John Riegger and Rocco Mediate.
Top-seeded Henrik Stenson defeated Thongchai Jaidee 2 and 1 to reach the quarterfinals undefeated after the opening three rounds of the World Match Play Championship at Ash, England. Stenson sealed the victory when his wedge shot into the 17th green spun back into the hole for birdie on the London Club course. He finished with an eagle and six birdies on the final day of round-robin play and will play fellow Swede
Jonas Blixt in the quarterfinals today. Thongchai, last year’s runner-up, was eliminated. American Ryder Cup player Patrick Reed also advanced after beating Jamie Donaldson 3 and 2, and will play George Coetzee of South Africa. In the other quarterfinals, Victor Dubuisson of France faces Mikko Ilonen of Finland and Joost Luiten of the Netherlands takes on Pablo Larrazabal of Spain.
Karine Icher of France shot a 4-under 68 in the second round to take a one-stroke lead at the KEBHanaBank Championship on Friday. Icher birdied three of her final four holes for a 5-under 139 total on the Ocean Course at the Sky72 Golf Club. Brittany Lincicome of the United States, who birdied her final two holes for a 70, and Beatriz Ricari of Spain (70), were tied for second. Azahara Munoz of Spain (69) was among those tied for fourth, two strokes behind, as was Suzann Pettersen of Norway and Sandra Gal of Germany, who shot 71s. No. 3 Lydia Ko of New Zealand shot 69 after an opening 73 and was three strokes behind and tied for 10th along with Haeji Kang of South Korea, who led by two strokes after an opening 67 but shot 75 Friday. Second-ranked Inbee Park, who could move to No. 1 with a victory in the absence of top-ranked Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), carded 73 and was five strokes behind Icher. Ko also could move to No. 1 with a victory. U.S. Women’s Open champion Michelle Wie improved from her opening 76 with a 70, and was seven strokes off the lead.
BASKETBALL
NBA partners with China The NBA has agreed to a multiyear partnership with China’s Ministry of Education to incorporate basketball curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools across the country. The league announced the deal Friday in Beijing. The league says the initiative will provide enhanced basketball training to 3 million students by 2017. Commissioner Adam Silver says the partnership will help “our long-standing commitment with the Chinese Basketball Association to grow the game in China.” The program will bring NBA players, former stars and coaches to Chinese schools for clinics and specialized instruction for Chinese physical education teachers and coaches. The NBA will also help the Ministry of Education in operating the country’s youth basketball leagues.