GOLF
Schenk holds 1-shot lead
Adam Schenk is playing for the 10th consecutive week on the PGA Tour and finally seeing some good results, making enough putts Friday for a 2-under 69 that gave him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla. Schenk had four birdies, all but one of them from inside 10 feet, and finished with a bogey from the bunker short of the 18th on the Copperhead course at Innisbrook. That didn't bother him too much because of the 20-foot putt he made for par on the par-3 eighth, the 10-footer for par he made on the 10th and the long up-and-down for par on the par-5 11th. He was at 7-under 135, one shot ahead of Kramer Hickok, who had a 68. Jordan Spieth is a big part of the weekend, wasting a great round of driving with some suspect short irons. He still posted a 70 and was only two shots behind. Former University of Arkansas Taylor Moore moved into contention with a 4-under 67 on Friday, leaving him at 4-under 138 and in a tie for seventh place. David Lingmerth (Razorbacks) is tied for 20th after shooting a 68 on Friday. Lingmerth is at 2-under 140 overall. Andrew Landry (Razorbacks) shot a 1-over 72 on Friday and is at 1-over 143 overall. Nico Echavarria (Razorbacks) and Austin Cook (Jonesboro, Razorbacks) missed the cut.
Three tied for Hoag lead
Chris DiMarco, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Bernhard Langer all posted scores of 7-under 64 to share the first-round lead at the Champion Tour's Hoag Classic in Newport Beach, Calif. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) shot a 2-under 69. John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) turned in a 1-over 72,
Hot putter spurs Leishman
Marc Leishman holed a series of long birdie putts and even a few big putts for par to post a 6-under 65 for a one-shot lead Friday in the LIV Golf League in the high desert of Marana, Ariz. The second LIV Golf event of the season is at The Gallery north of Tucson, where the former Match Play Championship was held for two years. For stroke play, the undulated greens and pins tucked on crowns made it difficult in spots to find birdies. That wasn't an issue for Leishman. The Australian made from 20 feet on the 14th, from the same range on the 16th and then rolled in a 40-foot putt on No. 3. He also made a 12-footer for par on No. 4. With only one bogey on his card, he led by one shot over Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen and Matthew Wolff.
FOOTBALL
Cowboys re-sign QB Rush
The Dallas Cowboys are re-signing quarterback Cooper Rush as Dak Prescott's backup on a two-year contract. Rush signed the deal worth up to $6 million Friday after leading Dallas to a 4-1 record when Prescott was out with a broken thumb last season. Defense did most of the work after Prescott was injured in the season opener, but Rush was efficient and avoided turnovers in winning the first four games without the Dallas star. During Prescott's five-game absence, Rush threw for 956 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, all three picks coming in a 26-17 loss to Philadelphia that ended a four-game winning streak.
Chiefs add two defenders
The Kansas City Chiefs added two more pieces to their rapidly evolving defense Friday by agreeing to terms with former Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards III and former Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill on one-year deals, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The two moves came after the Chiefs released defensive end Frank Clark to create some salary cap space and signed Charles Omenihu, who had been with the 49ers last season, to replace him on a two-year, $16 million contract. Edwards should help in the secondary alongside safety Eric Reid in the spot created when Juan Thornhill agreed to a deal with the Browns this offseason. Edwards was a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2019 draft and started a career-high 12 of the 13 games he played last season, making 82 tackles while picking off two passes and returning one for a score. Tranquill was a fourth-round pick of the AFC West-rival Chargers in the same draft. He's coming off his best season, too, leading the team with 146 tackles along with five sacks and an interception in the regular season and another in the playoffs.
Eagles, Mariota reach deal
The Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Marcus Mariota have agreed on a one-year, $5 million contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Friday. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't announced the deal, said Mariota's contract is worth up to $8 million, including incentives. Mariota, who was released by Atlanta last month, will be the backup for Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. Mariota completed 61.3% of his passes last season for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 13 starts for the Falcons. He also had a career-high 438 yards rushing and four TDs.
Bills cut WR McKenzie
The Buffalo Bills released receiver Isaiah McKenzie in a salary cap-saving move on Friday, and following a season in which the sixth-year player struggled in an expanded offensive role. Cutting McKenzie on the day he was due a roster bonus frees up about $2.2 million in salary cap space for a team General Manager Brandon Beane projected had about $9 million to work with a day earlier. The move also comes days after the Bills signed free agent receiver Deonte Harty, who is more than two years younger and possesses similar speedy qualities as the 27-year-old McKenzie. McKenzie had one year left on his contract after completing his fourth-plus season in being the longest-tenured receiver on Buffalo's current roster. Drafted by Denver in 2017, he was claimed off waivers by Buffalo the following season and eventually established himself as a multi-use specialist on offense and as a returner.
Pats re-sign long snapper
Free agent long snapper Joe Cardona is returning to the New England Patriots on a new four-year contract worth $6.3 million, a person with knowledge of the negotiation said Friday. The Patriots also announced the signings of receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, safety Jabrill Peppers and running back James Robinson. Cardona has been a staple part of New England's special teams since joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He appeared in every game each of his first seven years in the league, but missed the finals three games last season after being placed on injured reserve with a foot injury.
TENNIS
Sabalenka advances
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 on Friday to move into the BNP Paribas Open final in Indian Wells, Calif. Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion, improved to 17-1 this year. She will be seeking her 13th career title in Sunday's final. Sabalenka took control against Sakkari, seeded seventh, from the start. She attacked the Greek's second serve, winning 20 of 26 points off it. Sakkari, runner-up in last year's final, fell to 3-5 in her career against Sabalenka. Sakkari reached the semifinals by rallying from a set down three times and going 4-0 in deciding sets. But Sabalenka was too dominant. She won the final three games, including two services, to take the first set, 6-2.
BASKETBALL
Brooks fined for shove
The NBA fined Memphis Grizzlies guard-forward Dillon Brooks $35,000 on Friday for shoving a camera person on the sideline after chasing a loose ball in a loss in Miami. Joe Dumars, the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, announced the fine. Brooks shoved the person with 2:40 left in the second quarter of Memphis' 138-119 loss in Miami to the Heat on Wednesday night. Brooks was suspended for Memphis' 135-129 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers on March 5 after picking up his 16th technical of the season in a loss at Denver two days earlier.