GOLF
Garcia, Thompson share lead
Sergio Garcia made an eagle, avoided an alligator and wound up in a share of the lead Thursday in the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Garcia holed out with an 8-iron from 142 yards into the wind on the second hole for an eagle, and he narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 18th hole at PGA National. The Spaniard shot 5-under 65 and shared the lead with Michael Thompson, the 2013 Honda Classic winner, who also birdied the last hole. They were one shot ahead of Rickie Fowler and William McGirt. The biggest excitement for Garcia was on the par-4 sixth hole, where he made his lone bogey. His tee shot found the water left of the fairway, shallow enough for him to roll up his pants and try to play it out to the fairway. That part was easy. He looked over his shoulder because of an alligator on the island, making sure it wasn't going anywhere soon. Phil Mickelson extended his good play from a runner-up finish at Pebble Beach and shot 69, among 10 players who managed to break par in the morning. The wind eased slightly and the warmth returned briefly in the afternoon, and the crowd had a lot more to cheer. David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) had four birdies and a bogey for a 3-under 67 and is tied for fifth place. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had a birdie, four bogeys and a double bogey for a 5-over 75.
• Lexi Thompson had two eagles in an 8-under 64 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over Q Baek at the LPGA Tour's Thailand tournament. Amy Yang, the defending champion, shot 66 and was two strokes behind after the first round. Two golfers were tied for fourth after opening 68s -- Azahara Munoz and Jenny Shin. Baek, 20, won her first and only LPGA title on home soil in South Korea in 2014. She had an eagle and five birdies in her round of 65. Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) had two birdies and five bogeys for a 3-over 75.
• American Peter Uihlein shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Perth International at Perth, Australia. India's Shiv Kapur, recovering from a shoulder injury, and Romain Wattel of France shot 66s, both in morning groups when the conditions were more conducive to low scoring. Australian Rhein Gibson was in fourth place after a 67, while Australian Brett Rumford and Northern Ireland's Cormac Sharvin were among those three strokes behind after 68s on the Lake Karrinyup Country Club course. Uihlein was among the few afternoon starters to move up the leaderboard in tough, blustery conditions. He bogeyed his first hole, the par-4 first. Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion playing for the first time in Australia, shot 70. Defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark had a 71.
FOOTBALL
Manziel case to grand jury
Dallas police said they are taking their domestic violence case against Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel to a grand jury to decide whether he should be charged. Police said Thursday they had completed their investigation into a Jan. 30 incident in which the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner's ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, alleged he attacked her. Crowley has alleged that the former Texas A&M star accosted her several times at a Dallas hotel, then later struck her when they drove back to her apartment in Fort Worth. She said she tried to escape a car Manziel was driving, but that he dragged her back into the vehicle. She says Manziel hit her so hard that she temporarily lost hearing in one ear. A grand jury referral means that Dallas police will not make an arrest as they do in most cases. A small number of cases are instead referred to a grand jury. Usually, these happen in police shootings or cases where a homeowner shoots an intruder.
• Tennessee Athletic Director Dave Hart stood by his embattled football coach during a news conference Thursday at the university, two weeks after a federal lawsuit was filed Feb. 9 in Nashville alleging that Tennessee mishandles assault complaints against athletes. An amended complaint filed Wednesday stated former Tennessee football player Drae Bowles assisted a woman who said she had been raped by two other players and that later he was attacked by teammates and told by Coach Butch Jones he had "betrayed the team." "I trust Butch Jones implicitly," Hart said. "I know who he is, I know what his work ethic is." The amended complaint also added two more plaintiffs to the lawsuit, which alleges Tennessee has violated Title IX regulations and created a "hostile sexual environment" through a policy of indifference toward assaults by athletes. The suit now includes eight unidentified women as plaintiffs.
BASEBALL
Royals set deals with 11
The Kansas City Royals have agreed to terms with 11 players, including backup infielders Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi Jr., leaving six unsigned players in spring training. The World Series champions announced the moves Thursday. Cuthbert will be paid at a $509,425 rate while in the major leagues this season. Relief pitcher Scott Alexander will make $508,800, and hard-throwing pitcher Miguel Almonte and speedy utility man Terrance Gore will make $508,500 apiece. Mondesi will make $507,500, along with outfielders Jorge Bonifacio, Brett Eibner, Jose Martinez and Bubba Starling, and pitchers Alec Mills and Kyle Zimmer -- one of the club's top prospects. The remaining unsigned players are left-handers Brian Flynn and Matt Strahm, infielders Christian Colon and Ramon Torres and outfielders Reymond Fuentes and Paulo Orlando.
BASEBALL
Rolling block slides banned
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball and the players’ union have banned rolling block slides to break up potential double plays, hoping to prevent a repeat of the takeout by Chase Utley that broke the leg of New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in last year’s playoffs.
Under the rules change announced Thursday, a runner must attempt a “bona fide slide,” defined as making contact with the ground ahead of the base, being in position to reach the base with a hand or foot and to remain on it, and sliding within reach of the base without changing his path to initiate contact with a fielder.
An umpire can call both the runner and batter out for a violation. Baserunners may not elevate or kick a leg above the fielder’s knee or throw his arm or upper body.
A runner who makes a permissible slide cannot be charged d interference, even if he makes contact with a fielder.
“Our goal in amending the slide rule was to enhance player safety, reduce incidents of injury and to do it in a way that respects and preserves the bona fide hustle plays that are integral to our game,” union head Tony Clark said in a statement. “I am optimistic that this new rule will accomplish those goals.”
Utley barreled into Tejada at Dodger Stadium in the NL division series last year. Tejada missed the World Series and Utley was suspended for two games, which is still under appeal.
In addition to timing batters going from home to first and runners sprinting from first to third, baseball might have a new drill this spring training: the race from the dugout to the pitcher’s mound.
Managers and pitching coaches will be limited to 30 seconds on their visits to the mound, Major League Baseball announced Thursday. The goal is to inject some hustle and further speed the pace of games.
Visits will be timed by the countdown clocks that were installed at big league ballparks last year, starting when the manager or coach leaves the dugout and an umpire grants time. Unless there’s a pitching change, they’ve got to leave before the clock reaches zero.
Baseball and the union also agreed to cut the countdown clock for between-innings breaks by 20 seconds, to 2:05 for most games and 2:25 for nationally televised matchups.
Sports on 02/26/2016