Every shoots 61 for a one-stroke lead at Wyndham
Matt Every matched the Wyndham Championship’s first-round record with a nine-under-par 61 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
Every tied the opening-round mark set in 2010 by Arjun Atwal, who went on to win the PGA Tour’s final tournament before the postseason.
Henrik Stenson opened with a 62. Former Wyndham winner Webb Simpson was at 63 along with Cameron Smith, Vaughn Taylor, Tim Wilkinson, Harold Varner III, Brian Campbell and Sam Saunders.
Davis Love III — the 53-year-old player who has won this tournament three times — matched Martin Flores and Rick Lamb with a 64.
For Every, a 33-year-old with two career victories on tour, this was a much-needed strong start to what he hopes is a good week. Every’s best finish this season was a tie for 14th at the Canadian Open.
New Zealand’s Daniel Pearce shot a six-under 66 to take a onestroke lead after the first round of the wind-swept Fiji International. Compatriot Ben Campbell and Australian Daniel Valente shared second place on the Natadola Bay course at Sigatoka in Fiji.
Local favorite Vijay Singh was five strokes behind after a 71, while fellow former Masters champions Angel Cabrera and Mike Weir shot 72s in the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour event. Lightning and the Rays of Major League Baseball issued a joint statement Thursday saying they’re working with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce because they’re “recognizing that this monument does not reflect the values of our community.”
Former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy tweeted that he would donate $5,000 to help move the statue from its spot in downtown Tampa.
The teams’ announcement came a day after commissioners, in a divisive 4-2 vote, gave fundraisers 30 days to collect $140,000, about half of what’s needed to relocate the monument.
Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in a letter to a Washington Post columnist that he had cancer and had his left leg amputated.
In the letter to columnist Barry Svrluga, the 63-year-old Lerner wrote: “With my doctors and medical team, we decided that amputation of that leg was my best choice to maintain the active and busy lifestyle that I have always enjoyed. The limb was removed in early August and I'm healing well, cancer-free, and looking forward to my eventual new prosthetic.”
North Carolina has wrapped up a two-day hearing with an NCAA infractions committee panel that will decide whether the school faces penalties tied to its multiyear academic scandal.
Now the case goes into yet another holding pattern.
School officials spent much of Wednesday in a closed-door meeting with committee members in Nashville. They returned Thursday morning for a second session lasting about 41⁄2 hours with the panel that will determine whether UNC faces penalties such as fines, probation or vacated wins and championships.
NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn confirmed the hearing was complete but both sides were mum afterward. Osburn didn’t comment further because the panel must deliberate before issuing a ruling, which typically comes weeks to months after a hearing.
The top seeds at the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio, waited hours through rain before their matches were postponed late Thursday night, setting up a chaotic weekend finish.
Defending champion Karolina Pliskova was up 3-0 in the first set against Camila Giorgi when steady rain moved in and the match was called more than two hours later. Rafael Nadal, the top seed in the men’s bracket, never took the court. Both face the prospect of a long day Friday — an early-afternoon match and, if they win, another at night.
Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza overcame a long rain delay in the third set and fought off three match points before advancing to the quarterfinals. The tournament’s No. 4 seed beat American Madison Keys 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
The New England Patriots said former nose tackle Lester Williams, who started in the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance during the 1985 season, has died at 58. The team said Williams died at home on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala. It did not give other details.
Williams played in 40 games for the Patriots from 1982 to 1985. He also played one season for the San Diego Chargers (1986) and Seattle (1987). Before joining the Patriots, Williams played for the University of Miami.
The New Jersey Devils have lost top center Travis Zajac for four to six months with a pectoral injury.