KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Rory McIlroy is rebounding quite nicely after his collapse in the final round of the Masters.
The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland shot an 8-under-par 64 in the rain-shortened second round of the Malaysian Open on Friday and shares the lead with Sweden’s Alexander Noren (69) at 11-under 133.
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel was among 77 players who failed to complete their rounds. Simon Dyson of England was one stroke off the lead after shooting a 64, while top-ranked Martin Kaymer of Germany was eight strokes back after a 71.
• PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele double-bogeyed the par-4 15th hole to lose a two-stroke lead at the Texas Open in San Antonio, then finished with an even-par 72 to fall into a rare seven-way tie atop the leaderboard at 3-under.
It ranks as the second-most crowded leaderboard in PGA Tour history after 36 holes, one shy of the record of eight set in the 2001 Greater Hartford Open.
Geoff Ogilvy (72), Rich Beem (70), Kevin Sutherland (70), Charley Hoffman (73), Brandt Snedeker (72), and Kevin Chappell (73) also held a share of the lead.
• Russ Cochran shot a 7-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead at the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in Lutz, Fla. He leads John Cook and Jay Don Blake at the Champions Tour event, even though the left-hander hit only 10-of-14 fairways and averaged just 270 yards off the tee.
Stern says new proposal coming
NEW YORK — NBA commissioner David Stern said the league plans to submit to the players union a revised proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement within the next couple of weeks.
Stern also said Sacramento Kings owners Gavin and Joe Maloof have been granted an extension until May 2 to file paperwork requesting a move to Anaheim, Calif.
Neither Stern nor deputy commissioner Adam Silver would offer details of what would be in their proposal to replace the current CBA.
Armstrong linked to banned physician
ROME — Lance Armstrong and a banned Italian physician have met repeatedly in Europe since severing formal ties in 2004, including as recently as last year before Armstrong’s final Tour de France, a high-ranking Italian law enforcement official said.
Despite his ban, Italian authorities suspect Michele Ferrari of continuing to work with 20 to 30 top-level cyclists, including Armstrong, and are actively pursuing that line of investigation.
Footnotes.
A panel in Geneva investigating the death of open-water swimmer Fran Crippen during an October race in the United Arab Emirates said there is an “urgent need” to improve the sport’s safety standards.
• Roger Federer lost to Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 6-4 at the Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals in Monaco, his earliest tournament exit since Wimbledon last year.
• Quarterback Ammon Olsen, Utah’s Gatorade player of the year while leading Alta High School to the 2008 state championship before leaving for a two-year church mission, will enroll at Brigham Young.
