Mickelson slips to a 75 but still remains in hunt
Phil Mickelson was 11 shots worse than his previous round at Quail Hollow. Bryson DeChambeau made an 8 on his 16th hole and headed straight for the exit.
Turns out nothing was as bad as it seemed Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C.
Morning gusts gave way to relentless wind and had about everyone trying to finish without too much damage. Former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland had a two-under 69 and shared the 36-hole lead with Matt Wallace (67) and Patrick Rodgers (68). Mickelson, who followed a 64 with a 75, was three shots back.
Defending champion Steve Stricker birdied the final hole for a three-under 69 to move into a four-way tie for the lead halfway through the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala . ... Former UCLA standout Patty Tavatanakit finished with an eagle to take a threestroke lead over Atthaya Thitikul at the halfway stage of the LPGA Thailand.
ETC. Lakers team one of most valuable
The Lakers are one of the most highly valued sports franchises in the world, according to Forbes.
The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable team, valued by Forbes at $5.7 billion. The others in the top five:
the New York Yankees ($5.25 billion), New York Knicks ($5 billion), FC Barcelona ($4.6 billion) and Real Madrid ($4.75 billion).
The Lakers rank seventh, at $4.6 billion. The Rams rank 13th, at $4 billion. The Dodgers rank 16th, at $3.57 billion. The Forbes valuations include: the Clippers at $2.75 billion; Chargers at $2.6 billion; Angels at $2.025 billion; Kings at $825 million; Galaxy at $480 million; LAFC at $475 million; Ducks at $460 million.
— Bill Shaikin
USC’s tennis teams both won first-round matches in the NCAA tournament. The men swept Grand Canyon 4-0, advancing to face Pepperdine on Saturday. The women upset Oklahoma 4-3 and will face Florida on Saturday . ... USC and Loyola Marymount each won twice to remain in the winner’s bracket at the NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Trojans defeated Cal Poly 3-0 and Florida State 3-1, while the LMU women upended Louisiana State and top-seeded UCLA by 3-2 scores. USC and LMU face off Saturday in a semifinal at 2 p.m. PDT, while the Bruins’ road back from the loser’s bracket begins with a 12:30 match against Cal Poly.
The Detroit Lions signed center Frank Ragnow toa $54-million, four-year deal.
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is sidelined indefinitely with a fractured left finger . ... Bojan Bogdanovic scored a careerhigh 48 points to rally Utah past Denver 127-120.
Texas Christian’s men’s basketball team added two players from Texas A&M, including the Aggies’ scoring and rebounding leader, Emanuel Miller . ... Maurice Linguist was hired as Buffalo’s football coach.
Vancouver Canucks forward Zack MacEwen was suspended one game . ... Pittsburgh will be without goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith on Saturday against Buffalo.
Rafael Nadal lost to Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-4 in the Madrid Open quarterfinals.
NASCAR Truck Series champion Sheldon Creed won for the first time this season, at Darlington, S.C.
Lawmakers in Ohio introduced two bills that would ban transgender girls from female sports teams in high school and college.