Golf

Tiger leads by 7 after sizzling 61

World No 1 Tiger Woods matched the low round of his career with a 9-under-par 61 on Friday to seize a seven-stroke lead after the second round of the World Golf Championships' Bridgestone Invitational. Woods fired an eagle and seven birdies to finish 36 holes on 13-under 127. Woods matched the Firestone Country Club record of 61 he posted in 2000, when he won by 11 strokes with a record-low 72 hole total of 21 under par, and flirted with breaking the PGA record-low of 59 before settling for par on each of the final five holes.

Basketball

Hawks waive Stevenson

The Atlanta Hawks continued to overhaul their roster on Friday when they waived DeShawn Stevenson, who started 31 games for them last season. Stevenson had a $2.2 million contract. He was replaced on the roster by DeMarre Carroll, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Carroll agreed to a two-year, $5 million contract on July 5. The delay in the signing was the result of salary cap issues.

Soccer

Curtain raised on 125th season

Sheffield United kicked off the English soccer league's 125th season with a 2-1 victory over 10-man Notts County on Friday. United marked the first competitive game of the 2013-14 English domestic season with a hard-fought win thanks to Harry Maguire's second half header. The third tier fixture at Bramall Lane was one of six matches on the opening weekend of the season to be given "anniversary" status as part of the league's celebrations.

Baseball

Nike cuts ties with Braun

Nike has terminated its deal with Milwaukee Brewers' drug-tainted slugger Ryan Braun, the company said on Friday. A longtime endorser of Nike products, Braun accepted a season-ending 65-game suspension last month for his links to Biogenesis, the now-shut, Miami anti-aging clinic alleged to have distributed performance enhancing drugs to some of Major League Baseball's biggest names. Braun, the NL's MVP in 2011, becomes the latest high-profile endorser dropped by Nike.

Cricket

England left in a pickle

Australia's remarkable Ashes fightback left England staring at a first innings deficit of 527 on Friday and the loss of two late wickets on day two of the third Test made the task look even more imposing. England was 52 for two at stumps after painstaking play. With his under-pressure side 2-0 down in the five-match series, Australia captain Michael Clarke led from the front and moved on from his overnight 125 to craft a near chanceless 187 - his highest Test score against England.

Reuters

(China Daily 08/04/2013 page7)