GOLF
Walker leads by 1
Jimmy Walker shot a 5-under 67 on Friday in the Texas Open in San Antonio to take a one-stroke lead in his hometown event. After a 35-minute drive from his suburban home, Walker enjoyed a neighborly stroll at TPC San Antonio to reach 6-under 138. Walker overtook first-round leader Charley Hoffman with three consecutive birdies late in his round. Hoffman, 8 under at the turn, uncharacteristically let a good round get away on the Oaks Course with three bogeys on his second nine. He finished with a 72 to drop into a tie for second with Aaron Baddeley. Baddeley had a 71. Kevin Na, who infamously took 16 strokes on a par 4 in the event four years ago, had a 68 to join Texan Jordan Spieth at 4 under. The 21-year Spieth followed his opening 71 with a 69. The gusts near 40 mph that blew Thursday morning continued to subside, though play started Friday with temperatures in the 40s. The improved conditions packed the leaderboard with nine players within four strokes of Walker. That included Phil Mickelson, continuing to cram for the Masters less than two weeks off, at 2 under after a second-round 72. He was tied for sixth. FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel (70), Zach Johnson (71), Chris Kirk (71) and 2011 winner Brendan Steele (68) also were 2 under. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 1-under 71 (145). Bryce Molder (Conway) had a 2-over 74 (147). Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) failed to make the cut.
Rhein Gibson had seven birdies and two double bogeys for a three-under 68 (130), retaining the lead after the second round of the Louisiana Open at Broussard, La., on Friday. Gibson was 12 under and two strokes ahead of Cameron Wilson, who had a 3-under 68 (132). Eight players were tied for third, including Glen Day (Little Rock), Hao Tong Li, Ryan Blaum, Hunter Haas, Bronson Burgoon, Harold Varner III, Rick Cochran III and Ryan Spears. Andrew Landry (Arkansas Razorbacks) had six birdies, one bogey and a triple bogey for a two-under 69 (141). Scott Gardiner (Farmington) had five birdies and three bogeys for a 2-under 69 (141). Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) had three birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys for a 3-over 74 (143). Zach Fischer (Little Rock) had three birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey for a 2-over 73 (145).
Colin Montgomerie and Joe Durant shared the lead at 5-under 67 on Friday after the breezy first round of the Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic in Saucier, Miss. Montgomerie finished with a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole at Fallen Oak. The Scot won the Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open last year. The players faced 10-20 mph wind out of the northwest with stronger gusts. Durant also closed with a birdie on No. 9. The four-time PGA Tour champion is winless on the 50-and-over tour. Gene Sauers, Kevin Sutherland, David Frost, Woody Austin and Brad Faxon shot 68. Fred Couples, the 2012 champion, had a 71. Jeff Maggert, the winner last year in his tour debut, shot a 73. Miguel Angel Jimenez closed with a double bogey for a 76. The Spaniard won the season-opening event in Hawaii in January for his second victory in three career Champions Tour starts.
Welshman Oliver Farr missed the chance to take the outright lead at the Trophee Hassan II in Agadir, Morocco, on Friday after making a bogey on the last hole, and was in a four-way tie after a 4-under 68. Farr had four birdies on the back nine to share the lead with Scotsman Richie Ramsay, Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Australian Richard Green at 6-under 138. Ramsay surged up the leaderboard with a 66, while Cabrera-Bello had five birdies and two bogeys in his round of 69. Green shot a 70. South African George Coetzee, who needs to win to reach the Masters in two weeks, is in a group of five players who are a shot behind the leaders. Overnight leader Adrien Saddier of France tailed off after making a 77 and is four shots behind the front four. Englishman Daniel Gaunt, who was one shot behind Saddier at the start of play, fared even worse with an 82 featuring seven bogeys and two double bogeys to drift way out of contention.
BASKETBALL
Durant out for season
Reigning MVP Kevin Durant will have bone graft surgery next week to deal with a fractured bone in his right foot, and he will miss the rest of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder announced Friday. Durant had surgery on a broken bone in his right foot in October. He had been healing well, but in late February, he had a procedure to replace a screw that was rubbing up against another bone and causing discomfort. At the time, the Thunder expected him to be able to return in one to two weeks. Last week, the Thunder said he likely would be shut down for the season as they tried to figure out why his pain wasn’t subsiding. On Friday, the team said the initial injury, which had been healing well, had shown regression. The team expects Durant to return to basketball activities within the next four to six months.
BASEBALL
Last defendant pleads
A cousin of New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge, the last remaining defendant to do so in the investigation into performance-enhancing drugs illegally provided to athletes through a South Florida clinic. Yuri Sucart admitted Friday in Miami federal court that he conspired with others to distribute human growth hormone to athletes, some of high school age. Seven others , including former Biogenesis of America clinic owner q, have previously pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from probation to four years in prison. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Sucart faces between eight and 14 months in prison at sentencing June 4. Baseball’s investigation into use of banned substances resulted in the suspensions of 14 players, including Rodriguez for all of last season.
David Rollins’ opportunity to make the Seattle Mariners opening-day roster ended Friday. Major League Baseball announced that Rollins, who the Mariners acquired from the Astros in the Rule 5 draft in December, has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug stanozolol. Rollins was notified of the positive test and suspension a few days ago. He will accept the suspension and not appeal. Before Friday, Rollins appeared to be the favorite to win the second left-handed reliever spot in the Seattle bullpen. General Manager Jack Zduriencik said that based on what he’s been told from MLB, Rollins will be removed from the 40-man roster and placed on the suspended list and remain the Mariners property for the duration of the suspension. Rollins will be able to participate in extended spring training games, but no official minor league games.
MOTOR SPORTS
Johnson breaks pelvis
Michael Johnson was hospitalized after breaking his hip and pelvis in a crash in the Pro Mazda Series at St. Petersburg, Fla. Johnson hit the Turn 3 wall in the opening practice session Friday on the temporary street course through the streets of St. Petersburg. Dr. Jeffery Johnson of the Bayfront Medical Center said Johnson was in the intensive care unit undergoing observation. Johnson was paralyzed from the mid-chest area down in a 2005 racing accident on a motorcycle when he was 12.
Justin Wilson will race in the Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport. The British driver doesn’t have a full-time ride in IndyCar this season, but on Friday announced a two-race deal with Andretti. He’ll drive the No. 25 Honda in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500. Wilson is an 11-year veteran of the IndyCar Series. He has seven career wins and 26 podium finishes. Andretti fields full-time cars for Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz and reigning Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. The organization fielded five Indy 500 entries last year. The team has a fourth car entered in Sunday’s season-opening race, where Simona de Silvestro will drive for Andretti in a one-race deal.