GOLF
Hoffman leads by 1
Charley Hoffman made seven birdies in slightly warmer conditions Friday for a 6-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead over Emiliano Grillo of Argentina at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Orlando, Fla. Hoffman was at 10-under 134. Grillo made two eagles on his opening nine, holing a 35-yard bunker shot on the par-5 12th and chipping in from just off the green on the par-5 16th. He made birdies on the par 5s on the front nine that carried him to a 68. Matt Fitzpatrick of England had four birdies on the back nine for a 69 and was two shots behind. Sam Saunders, 29, Palmer's grandson, had three consecutive bogeys around the turn and never caught up. He wound up with another 74 and missed the cut by one shot. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 72 and was at 2-over 146. John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) did not make the cut.
Lewis shares lead
Michelle Wie is healthy, confident and in contention in the LPGA Founders Cup at Phoenix. Wie shot a 5-under 67 on Friday on another hot and low-scoring day at Desert Ridge to enter the weekend a stroke behind leaders Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Ariya Jutanugarn. Lewis and Jutanugarn played together, each following an opening 64 with a 67 to reach 13 under in the tournament that broke the LPGA Tour record for the lowest 36-hole cut at 5 under. The previous mark of 4 under came in the 2015 Manulife LPGA Classic in Canada. The event record was 3 under last year. Jeong Eun Lee shot a 64 to join Wie, Mi Jung Hur (66) and Vicky Hurst (67) at 12 under. Gaby Lopez (Razorbacks) did not make the cut.
Couples out front
Fred Couples shot an 8-under 65 on Friday in the Tucson Conquistadores Classic, leaving playing partner Steve Stricker two strokes back in his PGA Tour Champions debut. Couples birdied five of the first seven holes in hot conditions, and added four more on the back nine before bogeying the par-4 18th. Tom Lehman and Jeff Maggert shot 66, and Stephen Ames, Billy Mayfair and John Cook matched Stricker at 67. Defending champion Woody Austin shot 70. Glen Day (Little Rock) had a 72.
FOOTBALL
Smith leaves Jets
Geno Smith is switching teams in the Jersey Meadowlands. The quarterback has agreed to terms with the New York Giants, pending passing a physical, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Friday. Smith is leaving the Jets but remaining in the same stadium. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. Smith, 26, was a second-round draft choice by the Jets in 2013, but his stint with them was marred by injuries and inconsistency. He also lost his starting job in 2015 after then-teammate IK Enemkpali broke Smith's jaw with a punch during training camp. When Smith did get onto the field last season, it was brief. Ryan Fitzpatrick was benched for poor play, but Smith tore his right ACL in the second quarter against Baltimore and was done for the season. That was his first start since 2014. Smith will be a backup to Eli Manning, of course, and considering that Manning doesn't miss games, his role might not include much field time for the Giants. In related news, free agent quarterback Josh McCown is meeting with the Jets, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. The quarterback-needy Jets have just the inexperienced Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg on their roster and McCown would provide a veteran presence who could potentially start and be a mentor to the youngsters. McCown, who'll turn 38 on July 4, played the last two seasons with Cleveland. He played in 13 games for the Browns, throwing for 3,209 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Second female official
The NFL is adding a second female official, Terri Valenti, to work as an instant replay official next season, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press. Valenti will join Sarah Thomas, who has been a line judge since 2015. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league has not announced the hiring. The instant replay official is the individual in charge of the replay crew at the stadium on game day. Sporting News first reported Valenti's addition to the NFL's officiating ranks. Valenti previously worked in college football, the Arena League and the UFL, which no longer is in business. She has also been a Navy engineer and economics professor. She has experience as a replay communicator from 2012-16 and worked Super Bowl 50.
TENNIS
Sock advances
Jack Sock defeated Kei Nishikori 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 for the biggest singles victory of his career in the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals on Friday at Indian Wells, Calif. The 24-year-old American finally broke through against a top-five ranked opponent after losing his first seven matches against such competition. Sock improved to 15-2 this year and set up a semifinal against Roger Federer, who advanced via walkover when Nick Kyrgios withdrew with what the Australian suspected was food poisoning. Scrambling to find something for fans to watch, tournament officials trotted out tournament director-player Tommy Haas and Vasek Pospisil for a one-set exhibition. The women's semifinals later Friday featured No. 14 Elena Vesnina against 28th-seeded Kristina Mladenovic and No. 3 Karolina Pliskova against No. 8 Svetlana Kuznetsova.
BASKETBALL
N.C. State hires Keatts
North Carolina State has hired UNC Wilmington's Kevin Keatts to take over as head basketball coach. The school announced Keatts' hiring in a news release Friday night, one day after his Seahawks lost to Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Keatts is a former assistant to Rick Pitino at Louisville and a two-time Colonial Athletic Association coach of the year who led UNC Wilmington to a 72-28 record and two NCAA Tournaments in three seasons there. Keatts, 44, replaces Mark Gottfried, who was fired after the Wolfpack's season.
MOTOR SPORTS
Jani takes pole
Neel Jani led Rebellion Racing to a track record at Sebring International Speedway by taking the pole for the Twelve Hours of Sebring this weekend. Jani turned a lap at 1 minute, 48.178 in the No. 13 Oreca 07 Gibson on Friday to give the first spec LMP car a pole in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The 12-hour endurance race begins today and is the second sports car event of the IMSA calendar. Jani edged out Christian Fittipaldi and the Action Express Racing Cadillac Dpi by 0.095 seconds. Fittipaldi ran out of fuel on his final lap. Action Express' second entry driven by Dane Cameron qualified third. Jose Gutierrez was fourth for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports. Ford Chip Ganassi Racing claimed the top two spots in GT Le Mans qualifying led by Ryan Briscoe in the No. 67 GT. Briscoe smashed the class track qualifying record and edged the Ganassi sister car driven by Dirk Mueller. Track records were set in each class except for PC.
SKIING
Shiffrin takes overall
Mikaela Shiffrin will clinch the overall World Cup title before even racing during World Cup Finals after Ilka Stuhec and her coach said the Slovenian skier won't compete in the slalom. Shiffrin, 22, will join Phil Mahre, Tamara McKinney, Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn as the only American overall World Cup champions. Citing exhaustion, Stuhec said Friday at the team event that she will skip the slalom race to prepare for the giant slalom on Sunday. Her private coach, Grega Kostomaj, confirmed Stuhec's decision. Shiffrin already held a nearly insurmountable 198-point lead over Stuhec with two races left -- Shiffrin's specialties at that. Stuhec made a nice run at finals -- winning the downhill and taking second in the super-G -- to keep the competition close.
GYMNASTICS
Penny resigns
Steve Penny has resigned as president of USA Gymnastics following intensified pressure on the organization for its handling of sex abuse cases. The resignation came a week after the board of the United States Olympic Committee sent a recommendation to USA Gymnastics Chairman Paul Parilla requesting Penny step down. The organization said Penny informed them of the decision in a conference call. Penny joined USA Gymnastics in 1999 and oversaw one of the greatest runs in Olympic history. The success made USA Gymnastics a magnet for big-time corporate sponsors who wanted to be aligned with its healthy, winning image. That image took a serious hit in recent months following an in-depth investigation by the Indianapolis Star that portrayed USA Gymnastics as slow to act when it came to addressing allegations of sexual abuse.
Sports on 03/18/2017