Lowry up by one stroke at Bay Hill

ORLANDO, Fla. — Good form won out Thursday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Shane Lowry made three birdie putts from outside 20 feet, chipped in for eagle to card a 6-under 66 at Bay Hill for a one-shot lead.

In his sixth time playing the tournament, this was the first time Lowry broke 70. Last year was the first time he made the cut.

Hideki Matsuyama and Justin Lower each had a 67 to share second place. Russell Henley and Sam Burns were in the group at 68, while Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and British Open champion Brian Harman were among those at 69.

Texas product Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, had a 70 while missing only three greens.

Lee leading in China: Minjee Lee shot a 7under 65 for a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Blue Bay LPGA on China’s Hainan island.

Sarah Schmelzel, Miranda Wang, and Ruixin Liu were tied for second after 66s at Jian Lake Blue Bay Course.

TENNIS Williams beaten at Indian Wells

Venus Williams played a match on tour for the first time in about six months on Thursday.

The 43-year-old owner of seven Grand Slam titles gave away the lead and the last 10 games in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 loss to qualifier Nao Hibino at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif.

MLB Bello, Red Sox have $55M deal

Right-hander Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a $55 million, six-year contract.

Bello was 12-11 with a 4.24 ERA last season.

Bello's deal includes a $21 million team option for 2030 with a $1 million buyout that if exercised would make the agreement worth $75 million over seven seasons.

NHL Avalanche, Oilers bolster rosters

The Avalanche acquired a pair of versatile forwards from Central Division rivals, Brandon Duhaime from Minnesota and Yakov Trenin from Nashville, while Edmonton got defenseman Troy Stecher from Arizona and Toronto received Joel Edmundson from Washington.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL Early signing period changed

The early signing period will move up three weeks from mid-December to the week preceding conference championships, starting in 2024.

The start of the traditional signing period will remain on the first Wednesday of February and continue to run through April 1. The three-day early signing period will now start the Wednesday after Thanksgiving weekend.

The new early signing period would end before the transfer window opens.