Off the wire

GOLF

Cabrera, Flores share lead

Angel Cabrera never knows when he’s going to play his best golf. This could be shaping up as one of those weeks at the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte, N.C. On a Quail Hollow course that lets the Argentine hit driver on just about every hole, two exquisite short-game shots late in the second round carried Cabrera to a 3-under 69 on Friday and a share of the lead with Martin Flores going into the weekend. They were at 9-under 135, one shot ahead of Justin Rose, who had a 67. Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy went the other direction. Mickelson, one shot out of the lead to start the second round and perfect conditions ahead of him, seemed to miss every putt that he made Thursday. He had a 75 and fell seven shots out of the lead. McIlroy also struggled, winding up with a 76 and making the cut on the number at 1-over 145. Martin Kaymer (2010 PGA Championship) had his second consecutive round of 69. Stewart Cink (2009 British Open) salvaged bogey from the water on the 17th and finished with a birdie for a 70. They were in the group at 6-under 138. Geoff Ogilvy (2006 U.S. Open) had seven birdies in his round of 67 and was four shots behind. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) shot a 72 (146) and failed to make the cut. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 72 (148) and was cut.

Meena Lee shot a season-best 64 that included a nine-hole stretch without a par and Caroline Masson had her second consecutive 67 on Friday to share the lead in the North Texas LPGA Shootout at Irving, Texas. At 8-under 134, South Korea’s Lee and Germany’s Masson were a stroke ahead of Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) and fellow American Natalie Gulbis. The 65 on Friday for Gulbis was her first sub-70 round this season, putting her in contention for her first victory in seven years. Lewis, the No. 3 player in the world, had a bogey-free 64 to match Lee for the best round of the day. Karen Stupples (Arkansas State) had two birdies and four bogeys for a 2-over 73 (144).

Bernhard Langer birdied the final six holes for a share of the lead with Bart Bryant on Friday in the Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands, Texas.Langer matched Bryant at 6-under 66 at The Woodlands Country Club. Defending champion Esteban Toledo was a stroke back. Woodlands resident Jeff Maggert, Fred Funk and Joe Daley shot 68. Fred Couples, the 2010 winner and a former University of Houston player, had a 69.

Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand birdied two of his last three holes to maintain a one-stroke lead after the second round of The Championship at Laguna National in Singapore on Friday. Panuphol, the overnight leader, shot a 4-under 68 for a two-round total of 13-under 131, a stroke ahead of Scott Hend of Australia, David Lipsky of the United States and Felipe Aguilar of Chile in a tie for second place. Hend had eight birdies and one bogey on the way to a 7-under 65, the low round of the day. Aguilar, playing with a sore wrist after a recent mountain biking accident, birdied his last three holes to card a 67.

Max Homa moved to the top of the leaderboard Friday in the rain-delayed South Georgia Classic at Valdosta. Homa shot a 67 in his first round and a 68 on Friday for a 9-under 135 going into the weekend. He was leading Alex Prugh (68), Jimmy Gunn (68) and Daniel Berger (68) by three strokes. Carlos Ortiz was 5 under for his second round and is 10 under through 12 holes. Half the field was unable to complete the second round and will resume play at 7:45 a.m. today. Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 4-under 68 (143). John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) was unable to complete his second round.

BASKETBALL Grizzlies’ Randolph out

Memphis forward Zach Randolph has been suspended for Game 7 of the Grizzlies’ playoff series against Oklahoma City for punching Thunder center Steven Adams in the jaw. The ruling Friday by the NBA leaves the Grizzlies without their leading scorer for the deciding game in Oklahoma City tonight. The play came with 6:42 left in the Thunder’s 104-84 victory Thursday night. Randolph first elbowed Adams in the midsection with his left elbow, then struck Adams with his right hand. Randolph is averaging a team-best 18.2 points in the series.

Brooklyn Nets Coach Jason Kiddhas been fined $25,000 for public criticism of the referees. The NBA announced the fine Friday. Kidd made his comments during a conference call with the media Thursday, a day after the Nets’ 115-113 loss in Game 5. Kidd questioned why Joe Johnson (Arkansas, Little Rock Central) shot only one free throw in the Nets’ loss. He said he felt Shaun Livingston was fouled on a rebound in the final seconds, but referee Tom Washington didn’t call it.

Kentucky said Coach John Calipari is recovering from right hip replacement surgery Friday. On the athletic department’s Twitter account, it said Calipari “is out of hip surgery and recovering. All went well. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers for him.” Calipari said recently that he was under the care of one of the city’s best hip doctors.Since midseason, Calipari had alluded to needing the surgery to relieve pain and discomfort that could be seen on his face and in a noticeable limp as he walked the sidelines during games. During last month’s Final Four, the coach sometimes called out plays while sitting on a stool on the elevated floor above the Wildcats’ bench.

FOOTBALL Robiskie signs deal

The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms with wide receiver Brian Robiskie on a one-year contract. Robiskie, a former second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns, played one game during a six-week stay with the Atlanta Falcons last season. The 6-4, 212-pound receiver has caught 43 passes for 485 yards and 4 touchdowns in 38 career games. The Browns selected Robiskie out of Ohio State with the 36th overall pick in the 2009 draft. Robiskie was part of the Browns (2009-11), Jacksonville Jaguars (2011) and Detroit Lions (2012) before coming to Atlanta last season. His best season was 2010, when he caught 29 passes for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns with the Browns.

The San Francisco 49ers have exercised their 2015 contract option for linebacker Aldon Smith, making the decision despite the star defender’s legal trouble that included an arrest at Los Angeles International Airport just more than two weeks ago. The team faced a deadline today to decide on Smith’s immediate future, and General Manager Trent Baalke suggested last week the team would keep the fearsome pass-rusher around. The 49ers will provide Smith with the support he needs to deal with his rash of off-the-field issues. Yet Baalke has made it clear there must be positive change, and soon. San Francisco realizes Smith still could face a suspension from the NFL for his DUI last September. He had 8 ½ sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games last season, making 8 starts.

Linebacker O’Brien Schofield and cornerback A.J. Jefferson are joining the Seattle Seahawks, according to their representatives. Schofield announced on his Twitter page Friday that he was re-signing with the Seahawks, a message that was repeated by his agency. Jefferson’s agent also tweeted about the cornerback joining the Seahawks.The Seahawks did not comment on whether either player had signed. Schofield proved important early last season when injuries hit the Seahawks defense. Schofield appeared in 15 regular-season games with two starts. He finished with one sack and appeared in two playoff games. Schofield agreed to a deal with the New York Giants in free agency but the deal was voided. Jefferson appeared in 25 games combined over the past two seasons with Minnesota. His best season came in 2011 with Arizona when he had 59 tackles and one interception.

TENNIS Haas advances

Defending champion Tommy Haas reached the semifinals of the BMW Open by defeating Andreas Seppi 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Friday in Munich. Haas, 36, converted three of his seven break points to beat the seventh-seeded Italian in under two hours. He will face Slovakian qualifier Martin Klizan, who defeated Denis Istomin 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-1 in their quarterfinal. The second-seeded Haas, who defeated fellow German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the final last year, is making his comeback from a right shoulder injury. Top-seeded Fabio Fognini eased into the final four with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Brazilian qualifier Thomaz Bellucci. The Italian will next face German qualifier Jan Lennard-Struff, who came from a set down to beat Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Sports, Pages 20 on 05/03/2014

Upcoming Events