GOLF

Amy Olson shot a 9-under 63 Thursday to take a one-shot lead over Brittany Lincicome and Nasa Hataoka after the first round of the LPGA’s season-ending CME Group Tour Championship at Naples, Florida.

Olson had two separate streaks of four consecutive birdies, finished with nine overall and never dropped a shot on what became a fantastic day for scoring at Tiburon Golf Club.

PGA: Charles Howell bundled up from the cold for an 8-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the first round of the RSM Classic at St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Defending champion Austin Cook and J.J. Spaun also were on the Plantation course and each had a 6-under 66.

EUROPEAN TOUR: Francesco Molinari missed two par putts from less than two feet in his opening round of the World Tour Championship at Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to give Tommy Fleetwood a chance of keeping the European Tour season title.

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Molinari was cruising at one stage, having reached 6-under par after 14 holes, but three-putted the 15th and 18th holes to finish on 4-under 68.

Fleetwood, his only remaining rival in the Race to Dubai, completed his bogey-free round with a wonderful 25-foot birdie putt from off the green on the par-5 18th, and finished just one shot behind Molinari at 69.

Fleetwood will have to win the tournament and hope his partner from the Ryder Cup finishes outside a two-way tie for fifth place.

SOCCER

U.S. MEN: Christian Pulisic played just his second match with the U.S. national team in 13 months, and the Americans failed to muster much of an attack in a 3-0 loss to host England that marked Wayne Rooney’s farewell with the Three Lions.

Jesse Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored in a 104-second second span midway through the first half, just after Pulisic was denied by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, and Callum Wilson beat American goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the 77th minute. The United States is 0-3 and has been outscored 7-0 in three matches at old and new Wembley.

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PREMIER LEAGUE: Video review is set to debut next season.

The Premier League’s 20 clubs decided to introduce VAR at a meeting, pending approval from soccer’s lawmakers.

TENNIS

ATP FINALS: Roger Federer advanced to the last four for a record-extending 15th time with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Kevin Anderson at London.

DOPING

RUSSIA: Russian biathletes will have to undergo extra drug testing if their federation is to have a doping suspension lifted, the International Biathlon Union said.

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The IBU has presented a new road map, including extra out-of-competition testing for athletes and cooperation by Russian authorities in a WADA investigation into cover-ups at the Moscow drug-testing laboratory. Russia must also reimburse the costs of the IBU’s investigations and monitoring.

Russia will allow an international delegation to inspect its shuttered drug-testing lab this month, World Anti-Doping Agency President Craig Reedie said.

BASKETBALL

NBA: Carmelo Anthony is done in Houston.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey released a statement saying the team is “parting ways” with Anthony and “working toward a resolution.”

Anthony played just 10 games for Houston after signing a one-year, $2.4 million deal during the offseason.

Anthony, 34, is a 10-time All-Star who has had a tough time over the last two seasons.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo is expected to have surgery this week on his broken right hand. He will be out for at least a few weeks.


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