GOLF
Poulter in lead
Ian Poulter was annoyed upon realizing he had never finished better than 13th at Firestone, so he took a step toward doing something about it Thursday with an 8-under 62 and a one-shot lead in the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio. Tiger Woods found himself fighting his swing and settled for a 66, his best opening round of the year. Poulter's 62 matched the lowest first-round score at Firestone, first set by Adam Scott in 2011, and it was one off the course record for any round. Rickie Fowler and Kyle Stanley each had a 63, while Jon Rahm, Si Woo Kim and Patrick Cantlay were another shot behind. Seven players were in the group at 65, which included Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jason Day. Jordan Spieth was 3 over through 14 holes until two late birdies allowed him to salvage a 71. Dustin Johnson, the world's No. 1 player, could only manage a 69. This is the final year for the World Golf Championship at Firestone. It moves to Memphis next year. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot an even-par 70. Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) had a 73.
Schniederjans out front
Ollie Schniederjans took the lead Thursday with a 17 in the first round of the PGA's Barracuda Championship at Montreaux Golf and Country Club in Reno, Nev. The players are using a modified Stableford scoring format. Aaron Baddeley and Denny McCarthy were tied for second at 14. Robert Streb was alone in fourth at 13. Ethan Tracy (Arkansas Razorbacks) was tied for 19th at 9, Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) was at 2 and Matt Atkins (Henderson State) was minus-1.
Four tied for lead
Kyle Jones, Martin Trainer, Vince Covello and Bio Kim each shot an 8-under 63 to tie for the lead Thursday of the Web.com Tour's KC Golf Classic in Overland Park, Kan. They are one stroke ahead of Roland Thatcher, Casey Wittenberg, Kramer Hickok and Sepp Straka. Two strokes off the lead are Adam Long, Curtis Luck and Michael Visacki. Sebastian Cappelen (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 3-under 68. Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) and Patrick Sullivan (Maumelle, UALR) each had a 1-under 70.
Lee ahead at Open
Minjee Lee, the No. 8-ranked Australian, shot a 7-under 65, including a right-to-left putt for eagle from 25 feet on the par-5 15th hole, to lead the Women's British Open by one stroke after the first round Thursday at Lytham St. Annes, England. Mamiko Higa was a shot behind after a 66, while five players -- Georgia Hall, Teresa Lu, Park Sung-hyun, Lee Mi-hyang and Pornanong Phatlum -- were a stroke further back on a day that started with showers and a breeze before brightening up. Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn bounced back from a double-bogey 6 at the second hole to shoot 71. Second-ranked Inbee Park dropped four shots in her first five holes for a 76.
Four share 2-stroke lead
New Zealander Ben Campbell and Australians Nick Cullen, Andrew Dodt and Jarryd Felton have carded five-under 67s to share a two-shot lead after the first round of the Fiji International at Sigatoka, Fiji. Campbell used local knowledge to master windy conditions in the afternoon Thursday, firing seven birdies to claim his share of the lead. Cullen, Dodt and Felton took advantage of calmer conditions in the morning, collectively posting two eagles and just two bogeys. South Africa's Ernie Els shot a 72 and was tied for 19th.
TENNIS
Tired Isner loses
A weary-looking John Isner hit serves in the low 90s mph and was broken twice in the opening set during a 6-4, 7-6 (6) loss to 152nd-ranked Noah Rubin in the second round at the Citi Open in Washington on Thursday. The No. 2-seeded Isner was coming off a title in Atlanta last week and a semifinal run at Wimbledon last month. His all-American matchup against Rubin originally was supposed to be played Wednesday, but was postponed because of a thunderstorm. Rubin, whose right sneaker fell apart during a point in the second set, was scheduled to play his third-round match later Thursday. That was going to be against 16th seed Andrey Rublev, who completed a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over Tommy Paul earlier in the day. In women's action at the hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, Nao Hibino withdrew before her match against No. 6 seed Belinda Bencic because of an injured abdominal muscle.
FOOTBALL
Elliott sued
A suburban Dallas man is suing Ezekiel Elliott for at least $1 million in damages, alleging the Dallas Cowboys running back caused him "serious, life-altering injuries" when Elliott's truck rammed the man's car. The lawsuit by Ronnie Barnard Hill of Frisco was filed Thursday in a state district court in Collin County, just north of Dallas. Hill's attorney, Quentin Brogdon, said his client sued Elliott reluctantly after failing to reach a private settlement. A Frisco police report on the Jan. 11, 2017, crash said Elliott "accidentally ran a red light" and struck Hill's luxury sedan on the driver's side panel, totaling the car. In Texas, drivers aren't allowed to sue another driver's insurer, only the driver. Elliott's attorney, Frank Salzano, said Elliott expects his insurer to "handle the matter appropriately."
Briles gets job in Italy
Former Baylor football coach Art Briles is going to Italy to try to revive his career. Briles was fired by Baylor in 2016 amid a sexual assault scandal at the Baptist school and hasn't coached since. He told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he has been hired to coach an American football team, Guelfi Firenze, in Florence. Briles said he will join the team in October. Baylor fired Briles after a school investigation found his football program operated as if it was "above the rules" and that staff interfered with assault investigations and witnesses. Briles has denied wrongdoing or attempts to cover up assaults. Per IRS records, Briles received nearly $18 million when he left Baylor.
BASKETBALL
Mavericks, Rockets trade
The Dallas Mavericks have acquired center Chinanu Onuaku from the Houston Rockets for the rights to forward Maarty Leunen. The Mavericks also get cash in the trade announced Thursday, along with the right to send Houston the 2020 second-round pick they obtained from Golden State in 2016. The 6-foot-10 Onuaku was a second-round pick by the Rockets two years ago and averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6 career games. The Maryland native played two years at Louisville before turning pro. Leunen goes back to the Rockets 10 years after they drafted him in the second round out of Oregon. The native of Washington state has been playing professionally in Turkey, Italy and Germany. Dallas got Leunen from the Clippers last month as part of a deal that sent forward Johnathan Motley to Los Angeles.
OLYMPICS
Walsh Jennings to retire
Kerri Walsh Jennings will retire from competitive beach volleyball after the Tokyo Olympics in two years. Walsh Jennings made it clear Thursday in a sit-down with The Associated Press she will call it a career after the 2020 Games. The three-time Olympic gold medalist said she absolutely plans to go out with another gold around her neck after she and partner April Ross wound up with bronze at Rio in 2016, a heartbreaking disappointment that still stings for Walsh Jennings yet fuels her at the same time.
Sports on 08/03/2018