GOLF
Thomas shoots 64 to set PGA’s 36-hole record at 123
Justin Thomas finished with another eagle and got into the PGA Tour record book again on Friday at the Sony Open in Honolulu.
Thomas holed an 8-foot putt on the par-5 18th for a 64 to set the 36-hole scoring record at 123. He also had a five-shot lead over Gary Woodland going into the weekend, when the focus shifts from records to a trophy.
Coming off a 59, Thomas started slowly but ran off four straight birdies around the turn. He bogeyed the 17th hole from the bunker, then hit out of the rough to 8 feet on the last hole to atone for it.
Woodland had a second straight 64 and was at 12-under 128.
Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose (64) and Zach Johnson (61) were in the group seven shots back.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Rory McIlroy stayed close to the leaders at the SA Open in Johannesburg despite hurting his back.
The second-ranked Northern Irishman (68), who said he would try to remain in the tournament, made five birdies on the first six holes of the back nine but bogeyed the final two to finish in a five-way tie for fifth after two rounds.
Graeme Storm took a two-stroke lead after shooting a course record 9-under 63 at the Glendower Golf Club.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Woody Austin shot a 12-under 59 in the Diamond Resorts Invitational at Orlando, Florida, scoring 43 points in the modified Stableford event for PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour and celebrity players.
The 52-year-old Austin closed with a 3-foot par putt in pouring rain. He holed a 47-yard pitch for eagle on the par-5 ninth and had 10 birdies.
Kevin Sutherland shot the only 59 in official PGA Tour Champions play in 2014.
COLLEGES
FOOTBALL: Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and wide receiver ArDarius Stewart are skipping their senior seasons to enter the NFL draft.
The trio announced their decisions four days after the Crimson Tide lost to Clemson in the national championship game. Robinson and Humphrey are both projected as first-round picks.
Robinson started every game at left tackle during his three-year career. He won the Outland Trophy this season as the nation’s top interior lineman.
Humphrey, a two-year starter, had 36 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown this season.
Stewart led the Tide in receiving with 864 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing two games.
SKIING
WORLD CUP: Swiss skier Niels Hintermann won an Alpine combined race beset by heavy snowfall at Wengen, Switzerland.
Twenty-third in the morning slalom, the 21-year-old completed his downhill run as falling snow in the afternoon made the course slower for the higher-ranked racers.
Hintermann, who had no top-20 finishes in his career, finished 0.26 ahead of Maxence Muzaton of France. Frederic Berthold of Austria was third, 0.35 behind Hintermann.
OLYMPICS
2028 GAMES: Still mired in a doping scandal and with a track team banned from international competition, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee said his country may put forth a bid to host the 2028 Games.
Alexander Zhukov said Friday that Russia is considering three cities as candidates for a 2028 bid, even as it battles accusations of a mass doping cover-up at the Sochi Olympics three years ago.
– News service report