Off the wire
GOLF Snedeker leads by 3
Brandt Snedeker birdied the final two holes for a 7-under 65 and a three-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson and two others Friday in the PGA Tour’s season-opening Safeway Open at Napa, Calif. Playing alongside Hall of Famer Fred Couples, Snedeker had eight birdies and a bogey on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa. The leader won the Wyndham Championship in August, opening with a 59 en route to his ninth PGA Tour title. Snedeker had a 13-under 131 total. Mickelson followed his opening 65 with a 69 to join Michael Thompson (65) and Ryan Moore (67) at 10 under. First-round leader Sepp Straka followed his opening 63 with a 72 to drop into a tie for fifth at 9 under with Kevin Tway (67) and Sungjae Im (69). Ricky Barnes matched the course record with a 61 to get to 8 under. Couples, 49, matched Snedeker with a 65 to reach 7 under.
Pavan, Bjerregaard lead
Andrea Pavan shot 9-under 63 at Kingsbarns to share the lead with Lucas Bjerregaard after two rounds of the Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews, Scotland, on Friday. Two-time defending champion Tyrrell Hatton was among those a stroke back after taming Carnoustie in the multi-course event. Pavan rolled in a 4-foot putt at his last hole for a ninth birdie of the day and the joint-low round of the week in Scotland. Like Pavan, Bjerregaard didn’t drop a shot in his 65 on the same course, maintaining the Dane’s strong form after four consecutive top-20 finishes on the European Tour. They were at 9-under overall. Hatton backed up a first-round 70 at Kingsbarns with a 6-under 66 at Carnoustie, which is regarded as the toughest of the three courses that stage the tournament. Hatton was joined in a tie for third at 8 under with first-round co-leader Marcus Fraser (68 at St. Andrews) and Matthias Schwab (67 at St. Andrews). In benign conditions after the fierce winds from Thursday dropped, Mikko Ilonen and Darren Fichardt tied Pavan for the low round of the day with 9-under 63s at St. Andrews. Tommy Fleetwood, who was part of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team in France last week, shot 67 at Carnoustie and was in a tie for eighth place at 6 under overall, three strokes off the lead.
Wie, Korda out front
Michelle Wie and Jessica Korda led the way as the United States won both fourball matches against Thailand on Friday to move to the top of Pool B in the eight-nation UL International Crown tournament at Incheon, South Korea. Organizers tried to complete two rounds on Friday because of the approaching Typhoon Kong-rey, but play ended in the middle of the third because of the conditions. Wie and Korda bounced back from Thursday’s loss to Sweden by defeating Moriya Jutanugarn and Pornanong Phatlum 6-and-4. Cristie Kerr and Lexi
Thompson made it two wins in a row with a 4-and-3 victory over
Ariya Jutanugarn and Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong. The two victories at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, 25 miles west of Seoul, give the defending champions six points. Sweden is next with four points while Japan and Thailand have three each. England leads Pool A with seven points, one ahead of top-seeded South Korea.
TENNIS Osaka on to semifinals
Naomi Osaka powered into the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing on Friday with a come-frombehind 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over hometown favorite Zhang Shuai. The U.S. Open champion repeatedly found the net in the first set before regaining her rhythm, taking Zhang to five break points in the first game of the second set to help turn the tide of the match. Osaka faced frustration in the third set as Zhang, cheered on by the Chinese crowd, ran to a 4-1 lead, but Osaka battled back for the victory.
BASKETBALL 76ers win in Shanghai
JJ Redick made all 10 of his shots and scored 28 points, Joel Embiid finished with 22 points and the Philadelphia 76ers downed the Dallas Mavericks 120-114 on Friday night in the opener of the NBA China Games in Shanghai. Redick was 7 for 7 from three-point range for the 76ers, who trailed by 15 points early. Ben Simmons finished with 9 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists for Philadelphia. Dennis Smith Jr. had 15 points in the game’s first 8 minutes and finished with 20 for the Mavericks. Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki sat out the game while continuing to recover from left ankle surgery. Dallas was also without China’s Ding Yanyuhang, who sat out with knee soreness. Landry Shamet added 18 points for Philadelphia. Rookie Luka Doncic was one of three Mavericks with 11 points.
Butler’s future cloudy
Minnesota Coach Tom Thibodeau said that the Timberwolves are still “trying to get something done” with regards to Jimmy Butler’s future. Thibodeau briefly addressed the situation Friday with reporters in Minneapolis, saying that talks are “ongoing.” But Thibodeau offered no other details, nor did he offer a timetable by when either Butler will be back with the team or traded elsewhere. Friday was Day 18 of the Butler saga, starting from when the four-time All-Star swingman told Thibodeau of his desire to play elsewhere. Butler has not practiced with the Timberwolves during training camp.
Texas: Review found nothing
Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said a university review into possible rules violations found nothing to substantiate claims made in testimony at a college basketball corruption trial in New York federal court. Del Conte issued a statement following testimony this week from
Brian Bowen Sr., who testified that his son, Brian Jr., was offered thousands of dollars to play at major programs. Bowen Sr. said former Texas assistant Mike Morrell, now the head coach at North Carolina-Asheville, offered to “help me with housing.” Del Conte said a review found no information to substantiate the claim. Earlier this year, Texas junior guard Eric Davis Jr. turned pro after being held out several games late in the season after reports raised allegations that he’d taken money from an agent representative.
FOOTBALL NCAA’s new proposals
The NCAA Division I Council has introduced legislation that would allow some athletes to transfer and be immediately eligible to play for a new school if there is a coaching change before the first day of fall classes. The NCAA announced Friday four new rules proposed by the council. The others would require schools to commit two years of financial aid for all graduate transfers, allow walk-ons to play immediately after transferring and prohibit athletes from competing for two different schools in the same academic year. Previous NCAA transfer rule changes are about to go into effect. Starting Oct. 15, athletes will no longer have to ask for permission to transfer from their current schools and schools cannot block transfers. The latest proposals could be adopted in April.
Seau family settles case
The family of Junior Seau, the Hall of Fame linebacker who committed suicide and was found to have the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head hits, has reached a settlement with the NFL, ending a six-year legal standoff. In a brief court filing, lawyers for the Seau family dismissed their case against the NFL. One of the family’s lawyers said in a statement that the Seaus had reached a confidential settlement with the league for an undisclosed sum. Seau’s family filed a wrongful-death suit against the NFL in California after he died in 2012. The case was added to the hundreds of other suits by former players that were consolidated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 2013, the NFL agreed to a $675 million settlement that was later changed to include unlimited damages. Based on Seau’s age at the time of his death, 43, and the diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, his family could have received up to $4 million by staying in the settlement. The Seau family, though, was one of about 200 or so players and families to opt out of the deal. The family argued that the settlement did not “include any valuation for the children’s wrongful-death claims, among other deficiencies.” While the terms of the Seau deal are confidential, legal experts said that Seau’s prominence as a player and the tragic way he died most likely led the league to pay the family more than $4 million to induce the Seaus to drop their case.