GOLF
De Jonge in lead
Brendon de Jonge rolled in two long putts on his way to a 2-under 69 for the 36-hole lead Friday in the Valspar Championship at Palm Harbor, Fla. Halfway home, it felt like a long way to go considering all the players behind him. The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is such a demanding test that the players who made the cut on the number were still only seven shots behind. De Jonge rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 7 and finished with a birdie on the uphill ninth hole for a one-shot lead over Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Ryan Moore, Derek Ernst and Kevin Streelman. Lucas Glover, Sean O’Hair and Ian Poulter were two shots behind. De Jonge, who has never won on the PGA Tour, was at 6-under 136. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had seven birdies and three bogeys for a 4-under 67 (140). John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) and Bryce Molder (Conway) did not make the cut.
m Adrian Otaegui of Spain shot an 8-under 62 Friday to take a two-shot lead at the Tshwane Open in Pretoria, South Africa. Otaegui had a small chance to shoot the first 59 in European Tour history when he needed to pick up two shots on the last two holes. But he settled for par on No. 17 after just missing a chip-in for birdie, and then bogeyed his last hole, his only dropped shot of the day. The 22-year-old Otaegui still made nine birdies at the par-70 Pretoria Country Club, jumping 18 places up the leaderboard and moving to 11-under 129. South Africa’s Merrick Bremner was second with 9 under after a 66. Overnight co-leader David Horsey dropped three shots off the lead in a tie for third on 8 under with Keith Horne, Edoardo Molinari and Trevor Fisher Jr. Morten Orum Madsen of Denmark, who shared the first-round lead with Horsey, dropped to a tie for 13th after a 72.
m Tommy Gainey had the clubhouse lead Friday with a 7-under 64 in the rain-delayed Brasil Champions at Sao Paulo. Gainey finished with an eagle and a birdie to get to 12-under 130, good enough for a 1-stroke lead over Ryan Spears (64). Tyler Duncan (64) and Cameron Wilson (65) are two strokes off the lead after 36 holes, which half the field was unable to complete Friday. Thunderstorms halted play at noon, and when lightning and the threat of more storms halted play again about 4 p.m., play was called for the day. First-round leader Matt Weibring had a 2-under 69 and is 9 under at the halfway point. Sebastian Cappelen (Arkansas Razorbacks) had five birdies and one bogey for a 4-under 67 (137). Zach Fischer (Little Rock) had three birdies and four bogeys for a 1-over 72 (140). Scott Gardiner (Farmington) had two birdies and five bogeys for a 3-over 74 (148). Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) and Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) were unable to complete their rounds.
m Tiger Woods will not be at Bay Hill next week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the second tournament he has missed since stating a month ago that he would not return to golf until his game is ready. Woods still wasn’t ruling out the Masters in a brief statement Friday on his website. “I’ve put in a lot of time and work on my game and I’m making strides,” Woods said. “But like I’ve said, I won’t return to the PGA Tour until my game is tournament ready and I can compete at the highest level.” He said he spoke to Palmer on Friday to tell him he would not be at his tournament. Woods is an eight-time winner at Bay Hill. This will be the second consecutive time he has missed the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A year ago, he had a back injury that led to surgery a week after the tournament, causing him to miss the Masters for the first time.
FOOTBALL
Ex-Hog McFadden signs with Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys and Darren McFadden agreed on a contract Friday, a day after NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray bolted for NFC East rival Philadelphia on a big contract that Dallas owner Jerry Jones said he couldn’t match because of the strain it would have placed on the salary cap.
McFadden (North Little Rock, Arkansas Razorbacks) had seven mostly disappointing seasons in Oakland after the Raiders drafted him fourth overall in 2008. His agent, Ian Greengross, tweeted Friday that McFadden was joining the Cowboys. The deal is reportedly for two years and worth up to $5.9 million with a $200,000 signing bonus.
McFadden, 27, arrived at Valley Ranch on Friday.
Murray signed a five-year, $42 million contract with the Eagles on Thursday, with $21 million guaranteed. Jones said Murray would have remained in Dallas without salary cap restraints.
It’s an Arkansas reunion for McFadden and Jones, who played football for the Razorbacks in the 1960s.
Jones has drafted only one player from his alma mater since buying the Cowboys in 1989. It was McFadden’s backfield teammate, Felix Jones, who went 18 picks after McFadden in the first round seven years ago. That’s the only time Dallas has taken a running back in the first round since getting all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith at No. 17 in 1990.
McFadden has 4,247 career rushing yards with highs of 1,157 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2010. That has been his only 1,000-yard season in an injury-riddled career. He finally had a full 16-game season in 2014 but averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and scored only two touchdowns.
The Cowboys added McFadden a year after rejuvenating the career of linebacker Rolando McClain, another former high draft pick that had a disappointing career in Oakland.
McClain, dumped by the Raiders three years after going eighth overall in 2010, had a hard time staying on the field for the Cowboys because of injuries but still finished second to safety Barry Church with 108 tackles. He skipped the 2013 season and twice walked away from football after Baltimore signed him. The Cowboys acquired him in a trade.
BASEBALL
Darvish to have surgery
Yu Darvish said he didn’t need any more opinions once the first doctor recommended season-ending surgery on the ailing right elbow of the Texas Rangers ace. The Japanese right-hander waited for two more reports anyway before the announcement that Dr. James Andrews will perform elbow ligament-replacement surgery on Tuesday in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Andrews was the last of three doctors to review images of the 28-year-old’s elbow. Tommy John surgery likely will sideline Darvish until early 2016. “I feel nothing but positive,” Darvish said Friday through an interpreter. “Obviously, this is a bump in the road for me and my team.” An MRI last week revealed partially torn ligaments and inflammation after Darvish felt tightness in his triceps while warming up for his spring training debut.
m The Milwaukee Brewers will have to find a new way to celebrate for the next few spring training games. The team has banned high fives to avoid the spread of pink eye. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy and pitching coach Rick Kranitz became the latest victims and will be staying home for 48 hours in hopes of stopping the spread of the annoying and highly contagious malady. “We’ve been going through it for a while and it seems like a couple of more show up every day,” manager Ron Roenicke said Friday. The team won’t high five until the outbreak is over.
BOXING
Pair to follow drug rules
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to follow World Anti-Doping Agency rules for their fight in May. That was a major sticking point that led to the end of negotiations in 2010, when the boxers first tried to put together a fight. As part of the agreement, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency can take blood and urine samples from both fighters at any point between now and the bout May 2 in Las Vegas. They will also be tested after the fight. Samples will be sent to labs that can test for human growth hormone, EPO and anything else on WADA’s prohibited list. USADA CEO Travis Tygart said that by making the agreement, the fighters were sending “a strong statement of the importance of clean and safe competition.”