Fleetwood, Bradley tied for lead at Players Championship

A big finish for Tommy Fleetwood and a fast start for Keegan Bradley led each to a seven-under 65 for a share of the lead in the opening round of the Players Championship.

Fleetwood kept a clean card in the March wind, kept his patience and finished with three straight birdies. Bradley had three eagle putts on the front nine, made one of them, and stalled at the end.

Byeong Hun An and Brian Harman were at 66, while Rory McIlroy also played bogey-free for a 67.

Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic did not participate in the team’s on-field training session Thursday and will miss his second consecutive game Saturday when the Galaxy play unbeaten Minnesota United at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto said he was unclear on the extent of Ibrahimovic’s Achilles’ injury but said he hoped the player could return to practice next week. Also out for Saturday is midfielder Romain Alessandrini, who has a strained hamstring. He, too, is expected to return to training next week.

Washington State fired basketball coach Ernie Kent after five seasons in which he was unable to turnaround the program and had a significant exodus of players under his watch. Washington State athletic director Pat Chun announced the decision a day after the Cougars finished an 11-21 season with an 84-51 loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 tournament.

Mixed martial artist and boxer Conor McGregor faces a civil lawsuit after being charged in South Florida with stealing the cellphone of someone who was trying to take his photo. Miami-Dade County court records show that 22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak filed a lawsuit seeking more than $15,000 on Thursday, accusing 30-year-old McGregor of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Major League Baseball and its players agreed to an early start to contract bargaining, a move sparked by union anger that raised the possibility of a return to work stoppages that marred the sport in the late 20th century. Ordinarily, the sides would have started negotiations in March 2021. Baseball had eight work stoppages from 1972 to 1995 but has reached four straight deals without stoppage.

Mikaela Shiffrin added another trophy to her record-breaking season at the World Cup Finals in Soldeu, Andorra. Unlike most of her other recent victories and titles, this one was unexpected. Shiffrin won the World Cup super-G season title for her 10th career crystal globe — but first in a speed discipline.