Conners has narrow lead; McIlroy lurks

ORLANDO, Fla. — Corey Conners spent more time grinding out pars than chasing birdies, and that proved to be the right strategy Friday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as Bay Hill Club began to bake under a warm sun. Conners surged into the lead with a 25-foot putt on the par-5 16th — his second eagle on that hole in two days — for a 3-under-par 69 that moved the 29-year-old Canadian to 9-under 135 through 36 holes and gave him a one-shot advantage over Scotland’s Martin Laird (67), whose four PGA Tour victories include the 2011 event at Bay Hill. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy was poised to at least remain with Conners on top of the leaderboard in the afternoon until he hit a couple of loose drives that cost him one shot when he could only pitch back to the fairway, leading to bogeys. He closed with five straight pars for a 71 he figured could have been worse and was two shots behind, tied for third with Norway’s Viktor Hovland and the United States’ Lanto Griffin, who each had a 68. Reigning U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau (71) was sixth at 6 under, one shot ahead of a group that included Jordan Spieth (69). Today’s forecast includes plenty of rain, which figures to make the course play longer and tougher yet should keep the greens from getting as crusty as they were last year, when Tyrrell Hatton won despite closing with a 74. “We’ll just see what happens and be ready for anything,” said Conners, whose lone PGA Tour victory came two years ago at the Texas Open. This is only the second time he has held the lead of a tour event going into the weekend; at the Valspar Championship in 2018, his bid for a wire-to-wire win ended with a 77 in the final round. Friday’s cut was at 2 over, and the trio of Baylor School graduates made it to the weekend with strokes to spare: Harris English (70) and Luke List (72) were among those in 26th at 1 under, and Keith Mitchell (71) was tied for 38th at par.

› ROLLING HILLS ESTATES, Calif. —

Tiger Woods was unconscious in a mangled SUV after he crashed the vehicle in Southern California last week, according to a court document that also revealed a nearby resident and not a sheriff’s deputy was first on the scene. The witness, who lives near the accident scene in Rolling Hills Estates just outside Los Angeles, heard the crash and walked to the SUV, Deputy Johann Schloegl of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department wrote in the affidavit. The man told deputies Woods had lost consciousness and did not respond to his questions. The first deputy,

Carlos Gonzalez, arrived minutes later the morning of Feb. 23 and has said Woods appeared to be in shock but was conscious and able to answer basic questions. The 15-time major winner with a record-tying 82 PGA Tour victories sustained severe injuries to his right leg and cuts to his face. Woods told deputies — both at the wreckage and later at the hospital — that he did not know how the crash occurred and didn’t remember driving, according to the affidavit. The document was filed Tuesday in L.A. County Superior Court as part of a statement of probable cause requesting a search warrant be approved for the 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV’s data recorder, known as a black box. Schloegl requested data from Feb. 22 and Feb. 23. Schloegl previously told USA Today he did not seek a search warrant for Woods’ blood samples, which could be screened for drugs and alcohol. In 2017, Woods checked himself into a clinic for help dealing with prescription drug medication after a DUI charge in his home state of Florida. A judge approved the search warrant for the data recorder. Sheriff’s representatives have declined to say what they have found on it.

BASKETBALL

› ATLANTA — Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter has stepped up his rehabilitation from right knee surgery, but it will be another two weeks before the team knows how close he is to returning. The Hawks announced Friday that Hunter, whose operation was Feb. 8, has been cleared to do unrestricted weight room work and progressive on-court drills. His condition will be reviewed again March 19. A rash of injuries have stifled the Hawks’ progress and led to the firing Monday of coach Lloyd Pierce. Atlanta has won two straight under interim coach Nate McMillan but is still just 16-20, 11th in the Eastern Conference, with the regular season on a break due to Sunday’s NBA AllStar Game in Atlanta.