TWO TEAMS SHARE SHOOTOUT LEAD

FLA.» Graeme Mcdowell and NAPLES,

Shane Lowry shot an 8-under-par 64 in modified alternate shot Saturday and shared the lead with Steve Stricker and Sean O’hair going into the final round of the QBE Shootout.

Mcdowell (Northern Ireland) and Lowry (Ireland) are the only international players among the 12 teams at Tiburon Golf Club. They began to erase a five-shot deficit with an eagle and a birdie on the opening two holes, and they dropped only one shot all day in blustery conditions.

Stricker and O’hair started the back nine with a pair of bogeys, rallied with three straight birdies and then dropped one last shot from the bunker on the 17th hole.

The top teams were tied at 18under 126.

Lexi Thompson, the lone LPGA Tour player in the field, teamed with Tony Finau for a 6-under 66 that put them in the hunt going into the final round. Thompson and Finau were three shots behind.

• India’s Shubhankar Sharma shot a 7-under 65 to open a five-stroke lead in the Joburg Open.

Making his 10th career European Tour start, Sharma was at 20-under 195 at Randpark.

Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand was second after a sizzling 62. England’s James Morrison (67) and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen (70) were another stroke back at 14-under.

Pacman put on injured reserve. CINCINNATI» The Bengals placed veteran cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones on NFL injured reserve.

Jones injured his groin while making an interception against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Monday night. He will end his season with nine starts, one interception and four pass deflections. Jones was also one of the Bengals’ kick returners, and he had a punt return for a touchdown that was called back because of a penalty earlier in the season.

Jones will be replaced by secondyear cornerback William Jackson III, the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2016.

Three Dallas defenders sidelined.

TEXAS» The Dallas Cowboys FRISCO, will be without defensive lineman David Irving, cornerback Orlando Scandrick and linebacker Justin Durant because of injuries when they face the New York Giants on Sunday.

All three players were downgraded to out Saturday and didn’t make the trip to the Meadowlands.

Brady apologizes to Mcdaniels.

MASS.» Patriots quarterback FOXBOROUGH, Tom Brady opened his Saturday news conference by apologizing for lashing out at longtime offensive coordinator Josh Mcdaniels on the sideline last Sunday, saying it had been bothering him all week.

“I want to apologize to Josh for last week in Buffalo. I know our coaches work really hard, and they are responsible for putting us in a great position to succeed. I just want to get that off my chest,” Brady said.

Angels plot workload for Ohtani.

CALIF.» Los Angeles Angels

ANAHEIM, general manager Billy Eppler confirmed that his team intends to allow Japan’s Shohei Ohtani to become the major leagues’ most significant twoway player in several decades.

Ohtani will be the Angels’ designated hitter on many days when he isn’t their starting pitcher, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

• The Texas Rangers signed freeagent shortstop Yenci Peña, one of the players taken from the Atlanta Braves as punishment for circumventing international signing rules.

The acquisition came after the Rangers missed out on Ohtani.

The Rangers had one of the largest amounts of international bonus money for the pursuit of Ohtani, at more than $3.5 million. They now can spend that money on other international players.

Peña is from the Dominican Republic and was among 13 prospects the Braves lost when former general manager John Coppolella was banned for life by Major League Baseball last month. — The Associated Press