Off the wire
Defending champion Jordan
Spieth struggled in gusty afternoon winds Thursday at the Australian Open, while Jason Day took advantage of more calm morning conditions. The result was that the tournament’s marquee players were overshadowed by first-round leader Cameron Davis, who shot an 8-under 63 at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney. That left Day, making his first competitive appearance in his home country since 2013, three strokes behind after a 66. Spieth was seven strokes behind after shooting 70. Spieth, who bogeyed his first two holes and appeared to be out of sorts for most of his round, is trying to win the Australian Open for the third time in four years. Taylor MacDonald was two strokes behind fellow Australian Davis and alone in second place, while two other Australians,
Nick Cullen and Alex Edge, were even with Day at 5-under, tied for third. Matt Jones, the 2015 champion playing in Spieth’s group, picked up some of the American’s bad luck. He bogeyed three holes in a row and then got chased by a duck coming up the 16th fairway before finishing with a 71. GOLF Spieth struggles
Chawrasia leads
S.S.P. Chawrasia had six birdies and a bogey Thursday for a 5-under 65 and a one stroke lead at the Hong Kong Open, the first event of the 2018 season. Playing in sunny but breezy conditions at the Hong Kong Golf Club, the greens had the players struggling to gauge the approach. Shubhankar
Sharma and Matthew Fitzpatrick (both 66) were one shot behind, while seven others were tied for fourth a further stroke behind.
Justin Rose, who won the title in 2015, was 2 under with 5 birdies and 3 bogeys. Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Rafa Cabrera Bello and defending champion Sam Brazel
(69) were in a group of 16 at 1 under.
Casey selected for Cup
Paul Casey will represent Europe for the first time since 2008 after being selected as a wild card for EurAsia Cup. Casey recently announced he would be rejoining the European Tour for the 2018 season, making him available to play in future Ryder Cups for Europe. Thomas Bjorn, who will captain the European team for the Ryder Cup in Paris next year, will also lead Europe at the EurAsia Cup in Malaysia. He said picking Casey was a “no-brainer.” Casey was on the winning Ryder Cup teams in 2004 and 2006, and last played for Europe in the 2008 loss to the United States at Valhalla. He was overlooked by European captain Colin Montgomerie for the 2010 Ryder Cup despite being ranked inside the world’s top 10. Alexander Levy of France got the other wild card to play alongside 10 automatic qualifiers: Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Ross Fisher, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Paul Dunne, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Bernd Wiesberger, Thomas Pieters, Alex Noren and Henrik Stenson. The EurAsia Cup takes place at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur from Jan. 12-14. FOOTBALL
Bears’ LB out for season
Outside linebacker Leonard Floyd was placed on injured reserve Thursday by the Chicago Bears, ending his season because of a knee injury. Floyd suffered a right knee injury Sunday in a 27-24 loss at Soldier Field to the Detroit Lions. He was attempting to make a tackle on a running play and collided with teammate Kyle Fuller. Bears Coach John Fox on Thursday said Floyd suffered medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligament damage, but did not tear the anterior cruciate ligament. Floyd, the ninth overall pick in the 2016 draft, had 4½ sacks this season and had seven as a rookie. The Bears have promoted outside linebacker Howard Jones from their practice squad to take Floyd’s spot on the 53-man roster. Jones had five sacks in 2016 with Tampa Bay. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Jones played last season with Tampa Bay, as well, but suffered a season-ending torn ACL in November. WINTER SPORTS
4 Russians suspended
The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation is provisionally suspending four Russian sliders who have been banned from the Olympics for doping violations. The decision Thursday means Aleksandr Tretiakov, Elena Nikitina, Mariia Orlova and Olga Potylitsyna cannot compete in IBSF competitions. The Russians are likely to appeal. The decision is in stark contrast to one by the International Ski Federation, which is allowing Russian cross-country skiers who were found guilty of doping at the Sochi Olympics to compete in World Cups this weekend. Tretiakov and Nikitina were Sochi medalists until the International Olympic Committee stripped those awards Wednesday because of the doping findings. They were planning to compete this weekend in a World Cup at Whistler, British Columbia. Orlova and Potylitsyna have been racing this season on the lesser-tier Intercon- tinental Cup Circuit. SOCCER
Brain study set
A major study into whether soccer players are at risk of degenerative brain disease was commissioned on Thursday amid concerns that the sport’s authorities in England haven’t done enough to tackle the issue. The Football Association and Professional Footballers’ Association appointed an independent research team, based in Scotland, to undertake a study entitled “Football’s Influence on Lifelong Health and Dementia Risk” beginning in January. “This new research will be one of the most comprehensive studies ever commissioned into the long-term health of former footballers,” FA chief executive Martin Glenn said. Researchers will address the question: “Is the incidence of degenerative neurocognitive disease more common in ex-professional footballers than in the normal population?” The study should produce initial results within the next two to three years. The FA has been criticized for its apparent lack of interest in understanding whether heading a football is linked to dementia. Among those wanting more research undertaken is the family of ex-England and West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle, who died in 2002 from brain injuries.