Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Jin Young Ko fires a 67 to take one-stroke lead in CME Group Tour Championship.
GOLF Ko shoots 67, grabs lead
Top- ranked Jin Young Ko took the lead into the weekend in the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Fla., putting herself in position to win the season money title in only four events. Ko shot a 5-under 67 on Friday at Tiburon Golf Club to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Sei Young Kim and 2018 winner Lexi Thompson in the season-ending event. The $1.1 million winner’s prize, down from $1.5 million last year, is the richest in women’s golf. Ko is 13th on the money list with $567,925. Inbee Park is the leader with $1,365,138, and Kim second with $1,207,438. Ko also is trying to hold off No. 2 Kim in the world ranking. Coming off a second-place tie last week in Houston in the U.S. Women’s Open, Ko birdied three of four par-5 holes in a bogey-free round to reach 9 under. Kim had a 69. She has two victories this season. Thompson, the firstround leader after a 65, had two late birdies for a 71. Gaby Lopez (Arkansas Razorbacks) completed the second round with her second consecutive 71. Her 2-under 142 leaves her tied in 20th place. After shooting a 68 on Thursday, Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) fell back with a 76 on Friday. She is at even-par 144. Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) turned in a 75 on Friday and stands at 2-over 146.
FOOTBALL Brees set to start vs. Chiefs
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees “looked good” in his first practices since returning from rib fractures and a punctured lung, and is slated to start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Coach Sean Payton said. Brees has missed four games since his injury, which occurred when he was sacked against San Francisco. Taysom Hill has started in Brees’ place, going 3-1. Even before Brees’ injury, Hill would intermittently take snaps under center to provide New Orleans with a change-ofpace, read-option QB. So he could continue to see snaps at QB as well. Payton said Brees would be wearing a protective vest over his torso. Brees is the NFL’s career leader in yards passing with 79,612. He has 565 TD passes to rank second behind only one active QB, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, who has 571.
Ragnow out vs. Titans Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford is questionable for Sunday’s game in Tennessee, and Lions center Frank Ragnow (Arkansas Razorbacks) has been ruled out because of a throat injury that has him trying not to talk to protect his vocal cords. The Lions originally listed Ragnow as questionable Friday before downgrading him to out. Ragnow did not practice all week and met with a specialist Friday. Stafford also hasn’t practiced this week due to a rib injury that kept him from finishing Detroit’s loss to Green Bay last week. Tennessee (9-4) had nobody ruled out for the game. The Titans designated cornerback Adoree Jackson as questionable for the first time this season. Jackson was placed on injured reserve hours before Tennessee’s opener and he has yet to play this season.
Haskins to start
Dwayne Haskins is set to start at quarterback for Washington on Sunday against Seattle because starter Alex Smith is out with a right calf injury. Coach Ron Rivera ruled out Smith and rookie running back Antonio Gibson on Friday and named Haskins the starter. Smith had hoped to play despite not taking part in full practices this week. Haskins will be making his first start since a Week 4 loss to Baltimore. The 2019 first-round pick relieved Smith in Washington’s most recent game against San Francisco.
BASEBALL Wacha signs with Rays
The American League champion Tampa Bay Rays signed righthander Michael Wacha to a $3 million, one-year contract Friday to fill a void in the rotation with the departure of Charlie Morton. The 29-year old Wacha has a 60-43 record with a 4.01 ERA over eight seasons. After seven years with the St. Louis Cardinals, he went went 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA with the New York Mets in 2020. Wacha is 4-2 with a 3.34 ERA in six career postseason starts, five coming as a rookie in 2013 when the Cardinals won the National League pennant. He was a National League All-Star in 2015.
BASKETBALL Okongwu out 2 games
Atlanta Hawks first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu will miss at least the first two games of the regular season because of a foot injury. The team said Friday the 6-9 center from Southern California was continuing his rehabilitation for an inflamed sesamoid bone in his left foot, including modified participation in contact practices. He has yet to be cleared for full team practices. Okongwu’s condition will be re-evaluated Dec. 28, the day of the Hawks’ home opener against Detroit. He will miss the first two games of the regular season at Chicago on Wednesday and at Memphis on Dec. 26. Okongwu was the No. 6 overall pick.
SKIING Suter earns downhill victory
Corinne Suter won the first women’s World Cup downhill of the season, and Nicole Schmidhofer was injured in a high-speed crash that sent her through the safety fencing on Friday in Val D’Isere, France. The Austrian ski federation said Schmidhofer likely ruptured the ligaments in her left knee and was taken to a clinic in Innsbruck for further examination. Austrian women’s team coach, Christian Mitter, said she also had abrasions on her face. Descending at 62 mph near the end of her run, Schmidhofer lost control after landing a jump and while approaching a right turn. When she veered off the course, the sharp edges of her skis cut through the safety netting. The Austrian landed out of view of TV cameras. She received medical help on the scene and was transported off the hill on a sled about 15 minutes later. Having started before the incident, Suter edged Sofia Goggia by 0.11 seconds for her second career win.
HOCKEY NHL plans 56-game season
The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning Jan. 13, pending the approval of each side’s executive board and Canadian health officials. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the sides have an agreement, pending the approval of various executive boards. The NHL Players’ Association’s board is meeting Friday night to discuss it, while the league’s Board of Governors could vote on the plan as soon as this weekend. Approval from health officials in the five Canadian provinces that have teams is still needed before the NHL can go ahead with the season. Training camps for the seven non-playoff teams would open Dec. 31 and then Jan. 3 for the other 24 teams. It’s unclear whether teams would play in their home arenas or in “hub” cities, though an all-divisional schedule is expected. Exhibition games aren’t expected to be included in the leadup to the new season.