Golf
Rose takes lead at Farmers as Tiger leaves early
SAN DIEGO — Justin Rose made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 1-under 71 to take a one-shot lead Friday in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Rose goes into the weekend at Torrey Pines that suddenly is missing some of the stars.
Tiger Woods missed the cut in his return to the PGA Tour after a 17-month layoff. More shocking were the early departures of Jason Day, the No. 1 player in the world, and Dustin Johnson, the PGA Tour player of the year.
Rickie Fowler also missed the cut.
Rose overcame back-to-back bogeys on the back nine of the South Course with a final birdie that gave him the lead over Brandt Snedeker (69) and Adam Hadwin (71), the Canadian who shot 59 last week in the California desert.
NFL
Pro Bowl sold out
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Pro Bowl will be played in front of a capacity crowd at Camping World Stadium on Sunday night.
The NFL announced Friday that the Pro Bowl will be played in front of a sold out crowd at the stadium.
Standing room-only tickets are available for $20 each, which is an indication that interest in the NFL’s all-star game is picking up in its year in Orlando.
The Pro Bowl is Sunday night at 8 p.m. and will be on ESPN.
Most of the recent Pro Bowls at Honolulu’s 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium were announced as sellouts or close to capacity.
When the Pro Bowl was played at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium in 2010 the crowd was announced at 70,697. And the attendance was 63,225 when the Pro Bowl was in Glendale, Arizona, in 2015.
Baseball
Futures League will use hR derby to settle ties
CHELMSFORD, Mass. — The Futures Collegiate Baseball League digs the long ball.
The unaffiliated minor league said on Friday it will use a home run derby to determine a winner for regular-season games that remain tied after the 10th inning. Much like in the NHL, each team will receive one point toward the league standings for reaching the tie-breaker, with the winner getting two points for the victory.
Commissioner Christopher Hall says the change is designed to protect pitchers and also make the games more exciting for fans.
The short-season, wooden-bat Futures League has nine teams scattered around New England. Last year, the league had 26 extra-inning games — about three per team in a 55-game schedule — with 15 longer than 10 innings and one lasting 21 innings.
Oklahoma coach Pete Hughes said the format gives him confidence that he can send his pitchers to the Futures League without worrying about undue strain on their arms.
Horse Racing
California Chrome will race for final time at Pegasus
California Chrome, beloved since he captured the nation’s imagination with his Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories in 2014, will run the final race of his remarkable career on Saturday at Gulfstream Park’s $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. If he wins the $7 million first prize in the richest race in thoroughbred history, he’ll retire to the breeding shed as the first horse to pass $20 million in earnings.
Chrome is the 6-5 favorite in a rematch with fellow California-bred Arrogate, the 7-5 second choice who overtook Chrome to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic by a neck in November at Santa Anita.
Both Chrome jockey Victor Espinoza and Arrogate jockey Mike Smith will have to navigate a tricky start, with Chrome in the outside post in the 12-horse field and Arrogate in the inside post for the 11/8-mile distance.