Niemann, Lewis share PGA lead at Detroit tournament

Phil Mickelson created a buzz at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, flip-flopping on his plans to return, and Bryson DeChambeau left lingering questions about parting ways with his caddie.

On the jam-packed leaderboard, Joaquin Niemann and Tom Lewis quietly went about their business to share the top spot heading into the weekend at Detroit Golf Club.

Niemann and Lewis each shot 3-under 69 on Friday to reach 10-under 134, each completing 36 holes without a bogey. Troy Merritt (68), Chris Kirk (68) and Max Homa (65) were a shot back.

First-round leader Davis Thompson was one of eight players two strokes back. The 22-year-old Thompson had a 1-over 73, a day after matching a Detroit Golf Club record with a 63.

Two years ago, Niemann became the first player from Chile to win on the PGA Tour with a six-stroke victory at The Greenbrier. Lewis, who is from England, is shooting for his first PGA Tour victory.

DeChambeau ended up missing the cut at 1-under 143, following an openinground72witha71.

DeChambeau declined interview requests for the second straight day. His silence left unanswered questions about why he parted ways with caddie Tim Tucker on the eve of the tournament.

Mickelson shot a 72 after opening with a 69, making the cut at 3-under 141 and changed his tune about returning to play in Motown.

On Thursday, the PGA Championship winner said he will not come back due to a report by The Detroit News that was published earlier in the week. The newspaper obtained federal court records from 2007, detailing how a Michigan-based bookie was accused of cheating Mickelson out of $500,000 about 20 years ago.

After talking with Rocket Mortgage Classic officials in the morning and getting a lot of boisterous support from fans in the afternoon, Mickelson told reporters he is willing to come back to compete at Detroit Golf Club.

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama was withdrawn Friday after testing positive for COVID-19.

The PGA Tour made the announcement Friday just before Matsuyama was scheduled to start his second round.

LANGER IN SECOND WITH BORROWED PUTTER, BACKUP CADDY >>

Bernhard Langer had a borrowed putter and a backup caddie in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, N.Y. The 63-year-old German star also had such a good start he thought about shooting his age.

“It was a strange day,” Langer said. “I had to borrow a putter from Scott McCarron because mine broke yesterday, and I was very fortunate to even find one that I could putt with.”

Langer holed a 90-yard wedge shot for eagle on the par-5 eighth to get to 6 under, then had two birdies and three bogeys on the back nine for a 5-under 67, leaving him a stroke behind first-round leader Wes Short Jr. at En-Joie Golf Club.

Langer decided late to play at En-Joie and skip The Open in two weeks, but regular caddie Terry Holt had already made family plans, so friend and sports psychologist Fran Pirozzolo ended up on the bag.

Short birdied the par-4 18th for a 66. Cameron Beckman matched Langer at 67, a stroke ahead of players such as Ernie Els, David Toms and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

CASTREN LEADS RAIN-DELAYED LPGA EVENT IN TEXAS >>

Matilda Castren, who won last month at Lake Merced, shot a 5-under 66 after a six-hour storm delay to take the lead in the suspended second round of the Volunteers of America Classic.

Cycling MOHORIC POSTS FIRST TOUR STAGE VICTORY >>

Matej Mohoric posted his first stage win in the Tour de France following a long breakaway in the race’s longest stage.

The 249-kilometer (155mile) hilly trek from Vierzon to Le Creusot was the longest in 21 years.

Mohoric was part of a group that formed more than 200 kilometers before the finish line. He went solo in the stage’s finale, using a tough climb to drop his remaining breakaway companions and reach the finish line in Le Creusot alone.

Mathieu van der Poel kept the race leader’s yellow jersey ahead of Wout van Aert,

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar could not get into the breakaway and rode at the back with several other top contenders. Last year’s runner-up, Primoz Roglic, who crashed earlier in the race, struggled in the climb and got dropped.

Soccer ITALY BEATS BELGIUM, ADVANCES TO EURO 2020 SEMIFINALS >>

Nicolò Barella and Lorenzo Insigne scored a goal each while Leonardo Spinazzola make a key second-half block to give Italy a 2-1 win over Belgium in Munich and a spot in the European Championship semifinals.

Italy will next play Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday at Wembley Stadium in London. The Spanish defeated Switzerland on penalties in St. Petersburg.

Football COWBOYS TO MAKE THIRD APPEARANCE ON HBO’S ‘HARD KNOCKS’ >>

The Dallas Cowboys will be featured for the third time in the 20th anniversary season of “Hard Knocks.” HBO and NFL Films announced that the five-episode season will debut on Aug. 10.

The Cowboys are the first team to make three appearances on the training camp documentary series. The first was in 2002 and most recent was in 2008.

Dallas went 6-10 last season in Mike McCarthy’s first year as coach. Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a dislocated right ankle and compound fracture that forced him to miss the final 11 games.

Prescott’s return from injury will be one of the storylines to watch, as well as how McCarthy can rally a team to believe in him and his staff.

Water polo SIX BAY AREA PLAYERS NAMED TO U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM >>

Four Stanford players and two from Cal were among the 13 players nominated for the U.S. Olympic team’s water polo team by head coach Dejan Udovicic. Stanford’s Alex Bowen and Drew Holland, along with Cal’s Luca Cupido, are among the four returners from the U.S. Olympic team in 2016.

Also named to the squad for Tokyo were Stanford’s Ben Hallock and Cal goalie Johnny Hooper.

Motorsports HAMILTON LEADS BOTTAS IN F1 PRACTICE >>

Mercedes found welcome speed as rain fell at the Austrian Grand Prix, with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton leading a damp second practice ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas.

The conditions proved less to the liking of championship leader Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver topped the leaderboard early on but then drifted down to third place as the track became wetter.

Hamilton was .189 ahead of Bottas and .217 clear of Verstappen on Red Bull’s home track.