GOLF

Cook shoots 62 to lead Gay by one at RSM Classic

PGA Tour rookie Austin Cook sank a 6-foot birdie putt on his final hole Friday for an 8-under 62 and a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the RSM Classic at St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Cook has gone 36 holes without making a bogey on the Plantation Course and the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club. He played Seaside on Friday and ran off four straight birdies on his opening nine holes.

Cook was at 14-under 128 and had a one-stroke lead over Brian Gay, who shot 64 on Seaside. No one else was closer than five shots going into the final two rounds.

Brandt Snedeker is looking strong in his first start in some five months because of a sternum injury. Snedeker shot a 67 on the Plantation course and was six shots back.

LPGA: Sung Hyun Park made five straight birdies and seized control late in the round with an eagle for a 7-under 65 and a three-shot lead in the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

Not only was Park three ahead of Caroline Masson and Sarah Jane Smith, none of the other players vying for all the awards was within five shots. Lexi Thompson shot a 67 and lost ground, falling six shots behind.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick shot a second straight 5-under-par 67 to secure a one-stroke lead halfway through the season-ending Tour Championship at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

At 10 under after two rounds on the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estate, Fitzpatrick was ahead of English compatriot Tyrrell Hatton, whom he beat by one shot to win the title last year. Hatton moved into contention with a brilliant 9-under 63.

BASEBALL

MAJOR LEAGUES: Aaron Boone became the first person with no experience as a manager or coach to interview to become Joe Girardi’s successor with the New York Yankees.

The 44-year-old interviewed Friday, becoming the fourth to go through the process.

Boone is a third generation major leaguer and played in the majors from 1997-2009. He has been an analyst for ESPN since his retirement.

• John Hart left the Atlanta Braves, less than a week after being stripped of his role as president of baseball operations.

The decision was not unexpected given the hiring of General Manager Alex Anthopoulos, who now has autonomy over all baseball-related decisions. Hart was given the title of senior advisor, but clearly had no real power.

• The Oakland Athletics hired former San Francisco Giants star Matt Williams as their third-base coach.

Williams spent five years as a coach with the Diamondbacks before managing Washington for two seasons from 2014-15. He had a 179-145 record and won the NL Manager of the Year award his first season.

TENNIS

ATP FINALS: No. 7-seeded David Goffin beat Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-1 in London to set up a semifinal meeting with Roger Federer.

From 0-3, 0-15 down in the opening set, Goffin won 15 consecutive points to take control of the match and never looked back.

The victory took Goffin to 2-1 in the round-robin stage of the elite season-ending tournament.

Grigor Dimitrov defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-1 in the late match to become the first player to win all three round-robin matches in his debut since Andy Murray in 2008. He will meet Jack Sock in Saturday’s other semifinal.

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