GOLF
Wild ride for leader Munoz
The scorecards of Sebastian Munoz and Tiger Woods were unusual for different reasons Thursday in the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks, Calif. That was only good news for one of them. Munoz twice holed out for eagle from a combined distance of 219 yards. He also had eight birdies. Throw in a wild tee shot for double bogey, three bogeys and only five pars and it added to an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead. "Not a normal round," Munoz said. That especially was the case for Woods. For the first time in his 1,277 rounds on the PGA Tour as a pro, he made bogey or worse on three par 5s in a single round. That led to a 4-over 76 -- by two shots his worst score in 49 rounds at Sherwood Country Club -- that left him 12 shots out of the lead and in no mood to talk. Munoz, the Colombian who played his college golf at North Texas, finished off his bizarre round by saving par from a narrow section of the front bunker with a 15-foot putt on the 18th hole. He was one shot ahead of Tyrrell Hatton and Justin Thomas. They each had a 65. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) is tied for 26th after a 3-under 69.
Kang, Song share LPGA lead
Danielle Kang leads the Race to CME Globe and, at No. 5 in the world, is the top-ranked player in the LPGA Drive On Championship-Lake Reynolds Oconee. She showed why Thursday. Kang shot a 7-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead with Jennifer Song. The event is the second tournament added to the schedule because of the covid-19 pandemic that shut down women's golf for five months. The other "Drive On" tournament was in Toledo, Ohio, in late July and marked the return. Kang won that event at Inverness and followed with a victory the next week in the LPGA Marathon Classic in Sylvania, Ohio. She has five LPGA Tour victories after winning the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2010 and 2011. Kang birdied three of the four par-5 holes in the bogey-free afternoon round on the Great Waters Course. Song closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th, her fifth in the final seven holes. The former University of Southern California player is winless on the LPGA Tour. In 2009, she swept the U.S. Women's Amateur and Public Links. Former University of Arkansas golfers Stacy Lewis and Gaby Lopez are both at 2-under 70 after the first round. Alana Uriell (Razorbacks) turned in a 1-under 71 and Maria Fassi (Razorbacks) is at 1-over 73.
FOOTBALL
Vikings trade DE to Ravens
The Minnesota Vikings traded defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens for draft picks on Thursday, less than two months after acquiring the fifth-year pass rusher in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ngakoue is tied for fourth in the NFL with five sacks in six games but the Vikings entered their bye week with a 1-5 record and thus more incentive to focus on the future than stay competitive in 2020.
Holiday Bowl calls off game
The Holiday Bowl has become the fourth bowl game to be called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Holiday Bowl officials announced Thursday that the board of directors voted unanimously to cancel what would have been the 43rd consecutive edition of the game. It would have been the first year of a six-year deal to match teams from the Pac-12 and Atlantic Coast Conference in San Diego.
TENNIS
Upsets at Ostrava Open
Qualifier Veronika Kudermetova upset second-seeded Karolina Pliskova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Ostrava Open (Czech Republic) on Thursday. The Russian will face American Jennifer Brady, who eliminated qualifier Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 6-2. Third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka came from two breaks down in the deciding set to eliminate American teenager Coco Gauff 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2). The 16-year-old Gauff beat Sabalenka in Lexington, Ky., in August en route to the semifinals and held a 5-2 lead in the third set before Belarusian came back.
Schwartzman wins in return
Diego Schwartzman returned to action after his run to the French Open semifinals by beating Oscar Otte 6-3, 6-2 at the Cologne (Germany) Championships on Thursday. The ninth-ranked Schwartzman was playing his first match since breaking into the top following his loss to Rafael Nadal in the French Open semifinals. He will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals. Third-seeded Denis Shapovalov lost 6-1, 4-6, 2-6 to French veteran Gilles Simon.
HOCKEY
NHL cancels Winter Classic
The NHL won't take it outside and open 2021 with the Winter Classic in Minnesota but still hopes to get the hockey season going around the start of the new year. The league on Thursday canceled the Winter Classic scheduled for Jan. 1 at Target Field in Minneapolis and All-Star Weekend that was set for late January in Sunrise, Fla. It said those moves don't change the league and players' target date to begin on or around Jan. 1 in the hopes of each team playing a full 82-game season. No guarantee of being able to host fans led to the cancellation of the two signature events. The league hopes to bring them back to those cities in future years. The Minnesota Wild were supposed to host their first Winter Classic next season at the home of Major League Baseball's Twins against the 2019 Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. That will have to wait until at least 2022.
Stars re-sign right winger
The Dallas Stars re-signed Denis Gurianov to a $5.1 million, two-year contract Thursday that counts as $2.55 million each season through 2021-22. The 23-year-old Russian right winger ranked second on the team with nine postseason goals and scored two game-winners during the Stars' Stanley Cup Final run. Gurianov made his NHL playoff debut in the bubble and had 17 points in 27 postseason games. He had 29 points on 20 goals and 9 assists in 64 games during the shortened regular season. His 20 goals tied for second among rookies.
Devils sign defenseman
The New Jersey Devils added experience to their defense, signing Russian Dmitry Kulikov to a one-year, $1.15 million contract. Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the deal Thursday. Earlier this month, the Devils acquired defenseman Ryan Murray from Columbus for a draft pick. The 29-year-old Kulikov had 2 goals and 8 assists in 51 games with Winnipeg last season. He averaged more than 20 minutes a game. He added two assists in four playoff games.