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Ally McDonald slips into early lead in first major of the LPGA season.
Ally McDonald made a 5-foot birdie putt on the final stroke of the first round Thursday to take the ANA Inspiration lead in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
McDonald shot a 4-under 68 at Mission Hills, playing in the final group of the day off the first tee on the treelined course made more difficult with thick rough, tighter fairways and some lengthened holes.
Only 28 of the 112 players broke par in the first major championship of the year, with McDonald and the other afternoon starters facing gusting wind. She had a one-stroke lead over 2014 champion Lexi Thompson, Jin Young Ko, Hyo Joo Kim and Linnea Strom. Thompson, Ko and Kim played in calmer morning conditions, but with the thick rough wet from dew.
More golf
Jennifer Kupcho has a chance to become the first woman to win at the home of the Masters in Georgia. Kupcho, the NCAA champion from Wake Forest, battled her swing at Champions Retreat and held on for a 1-under 71, giving her a one-shot lead over Maria Fassi (70) of Mexico. The final round is Saturday at Augusta National, the first time women have competed on one of the most famous courses in the world.
• Si Woo Kim birdied five of his final eight holes for a 6-under 66 and the first-round lead at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio. Kim, the 2017 Players Championship winner, leads by a shot over Abraham Ancer, J.T. Poston, Brian Stuard and Jhonattan Vegas.
College basketball
Dylan Osetkowski had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead Texas to the NIT championship with a 81-66 win against Lipscomb at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Longhorns survived to win their first NIT title since 1978.
• C.J. Burks scored 28 points as Marshall romped past Green Bay, 90-70, in Huntington W.Va., for the CollegeInsider.com Postseason tournament championship. Burks was named the most valuable player.
Baseball
The ceremonial first pitch in the New York Mets game against Washington was thrown out by Gil Hodges Jr., son of the former slugger who managed the Mets to the 1969 World Series championship. The franchise is celebrating the 50th anniversary of those Miracle Mets all season.
Pro hockey
Hall of Fame executive Glen Sather is stepping down as New York Rangers president and transitioning to a new role as senior adviser to owner James Dolan. Sather’s move comes after 19 years with the Rangers in which he served the first 15 as New York’s president and general manager.
World hockey
Hilary Knight put the United States ahead in a five-goal third period in Espoo, Finland, rallying the Americans past host Finland, 6-2, on opening day of the women’s world hockey championship. The U.S. women have won the past four worlds and seven of the past eight.