Taylor gets a big break for lead at Sony Open
Nick Taylor pitched in for eagle to get his round headed in the right direction, and he kept going until he finished with a good break and one last birdie for an 8underpar 62 and a twoshot lead Friday in the Sony Open at Waialae in Honolulu.
It’s still crowded at the top, typical of this tournament.
Taylor gave himself at least some separation with a gap wedge to 6 feet for birdie on No. 8, and then even his worst swing of the day turned into a birdie on the par5 ninth.
The Canadian hooked his tee shot toward the high netting of the driving range. The ball was so close to the kneehigh boundary fence that his only hope was to play the shot lefthanded. However, the netting that extends upward from the fence is considered a temporary immovable obstruction. Taylor was given a free drop.
He hit iron to about 50 yards short of the green leaving a good angle, and he clipped a wedge to 2 feet.
“It was a fortunate break,” Taylor said.
Taylor, who won at the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm last year, was at 12under 128. Five players were two shots behind — Stewart Cink (63), Webb Simpson (65), Russell Henley (64), Vaughn Taylor (66) and Chris Kirk (65).
Ralph Lauren Corp. said it is ending its sponsorship with Justin Thomas after he was heard muttering a homophobic slur to himself after missing a putt last week in Hawaii.
In the third round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions, he missed a 5foot par putt on the fourth hole. He could be heard saying the slur under his breath as he tapped in.
Thomas was on an overseas vacation and could not immediately be contacted.
Wisconsin grinds to get past Rutgers
D’Mitrik Trice had 13 points and five assists and turned in a strong second half to lead No. 9 Wisconsin past host Rutgers 6054.
Trice scored eight points and assisted on another basket in a 120 run that gave Wisconsin a 5444 lead with 4:19 to go.
The game was a classic Big Ten grinder, with teams locking down defensively. Wisconsin (113, 52) shot 35% from the field, and Rutgers (75, 35) shot 37%. The Badgers were 6for25 from beyond the arc, and Rutgers was 2for19.
Jacob Young led Rutgers with a gamehigh 17 points.
⏩ Jordan Sanders had a seasonhigh 24 points, Endyia Rogers scored nine of her 16 points in overtime, and host USC (65, 54 Pac12) won 8177 to spoil No. 25 Washington State’s first game as a ranked team in program history. Sisters Charlisse and Krystal LegerWalker combined to score 49 points for the Cougars (72, 52).
Obituary: Bruce Headley, the thoroughbred trainer who developed sprint champion Kona Gold and other stakes winners during a 61year career based in California, died. He was 86. Santa Anita officials said Headley died from the effects of a stroke. He had been slowed in recent years by cardiac issues. He had 902 victories from 6,121 career starters, who totaled earnings of $38,682,030.
Soccer: Paris SaintGermain coach Mauricio Pochettino has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss the French league game at Angers on Saturday as he selfisolates.