Lewis a shot behind
Former Arkansas Razorback Stacy Lewis is one shot behind Brooke Henderson and Eun-Hee Ji at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions after opening with a 5-under 66.
GOLF
Ex-Hog Lewis 1 off lead No one was entirely sure what to expect from the first LPGA Tour event of the year — least of all former Arkansas Razorback Stacy Lewis. Nearly three months after Lewis became a mother, and six months after she last played on tour, she opened with seven birdies on Thursday for a 5-under 66 that left her one shot behind Brooke Henderson and Eun-Hee Ji at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake
Buena Vista, Fla. “Pleasantly surprised,” Lewis said.
“Had pretty low expectations going into the day. Just really made a lot of putts.” Henderson overcame a slow start with a bogey on the second hole and a par save on No. 3 at the Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons. She birdied five of her last eight holes for a 65 to tie Ji, who had a bogey-free round.
Lefty flirts with 59
Phil Mickelson began his 27th full season as a pro Thursday by flirting with one of the few feats he hasn’t accomplished — golf’s magic number. The 48-year-old left-hander still shot a 12-under 60 in the Desert Classic, tying his career-low score he last shot in the Phoenix Open six years ago. It was the most under par he has been in any of the 2,077 rounds he has played on the PGA Tour. Mickelson had a three-stroke lead over Adam Long, 31, the PGA Tour rookie who finished off a 63 in the dark on PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course. Australia’s Curtis Luck was third at 64 at LaQuinta. Defending champion Jon Rahm shot a 66 at La Quinta. Top-ranked Justin Rose had a 68 at La Quinta in his first start of the year. Toms, Durant share lead David Toms and Joe Durant each shot 7-under 65 on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Toms, 52, closed his bogey-free round with a 2-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th. He won the U.S. Senior Open last year for his first Champions title after winning 13 times on the PGA Tour. Durant, 54, also birdied the 18th. The four-time PGA Tour
winner took the Chubb Classic last season for his third career victory on the 50-and-over circuit. Miguel Angel Jimenez and Scott Parel were tied for third at 68. Jimenez won at Hualalai in 2015. Vijay Singh topped a large group at 69. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 73.
Lowry in front by 1
Irish golfer Shane Lowry followed his opening 10-under 62 with a fighting 70 at the Abu Dhabi Championship to limit his shrinking lead to one stroke on Thursday. Lowry started nervously with bogeys on two of his first three holes, then held off South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Richard Sterne thanks to sublime play on the par-3s. Oosthuizen and Sterne each posted rounds of 68. Lee Westwood was alone in fourth at 10 under after a bogey-free 68.
BASEBALL
Yankees sign Ottavino The New York Yankees
reached agreement Thursday on a three-year, $27 million deal with Adam Ottavino, a right-hander from Brooklyn who starred last season for the Colorado Rockies. The deal was confirmed by a person with direct knowledge of the deal who was granted anonymity because Ottavino must pass a physical exam before the deal is official. Ottavino, 33, joins Zach Britton, Dellin Betances and Chad Green as setup men for closer Aroldis Chapman. The Yankees re-signed Britton — the former All-Star closer for Baltimore who joined the team in a trade last summer — for three years and $39 million this month. Last season was the best in Ottavino’s career: a 2.43 earned-run average across 75 games, with 112 strikeouts in 772/3 innings.
MOTOR SPORTS
Al-Attiyah wins Dakar Nasser Al-Attiyah won his third Dakar Rally crown while Toby Price won his second motorbike title Thursday. Al-Attiyah could sit back and play it safe thanks to a 51-minute lead overall. He let others race for the stage win, which went to Carlos Sainz, last year’s champion. Al-Attiyah rolled in nine minutes later in his Toyota, and won the Dakar by 46 minutes from Nani Roma, the 2014 champion. Price came to the 10th and last stage with only a one-minute lead over Pablo Quintanilla. Then just 6 miles into the course from Pisco to Lima, Peru, Quintanilla fell off his bike and injured his foot. The chances of winning his first Dakar evaporated instantly, but the Chilean got back on his bike to try and save a podium place. He lost 19 minutes and finished outside the top 10.
BOXING
Alvarez-Jacobs fight on
Canelo Alvarez has agreed to fight fellow middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs on May 4. Mexico’s Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 knockouts) broke the news of the unification bout on his Twitter account Thursday. The streaming service DAZN will broadcast the fight. World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association champion Alvarez will have the opportunity to add the International Boxing Federation belt that Jacobs (35-2, 29 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., won in October with a defeat of Sergiy Derevyanchenko by split decision.
OLYMPICS
Russian data retrieved Experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency have finished retrieving data from the Moscow lab that could lead to sanctions against Russian athletes implicated in the country’s wide-ranging doping conspiracy. WADA announced Thursday that the data has been transferred out of Russia for analysis by agency experts. WADA President Craig Reedie called it “a major breakthrough for clean sport.” WADA must still decide whether to rescind the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance. RUSADA was reinstated last September with the caveat that all the data be retrieved from the lab by Dec. 31. But Russia sent WADA experts home empty-handed before the deadline, only for them to return last week.