PGA:
The professional golfer Phil Mickelson has agreed to forfeit nearly $1 million that the Securities and Exchange Commission said was unfairly earned on a tip from an insider trading scheme conducted by a former corporate director and a professional gambler.
Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges Thursday against a gambler named William Walters and a former director of Dean Foods, Thomas Davis, alleging that the pair used inside information about the company to make millions of dollars in illicit stock trades between 2008 and 2012.
In 2012, the SEC says, Walters called Mickelson, who owed him money, and urged him to trade Dean Foods stock. The SEC says Mickelson did so the next day and made a profit of $931,000.
The golfer was not charged criminally in the case. As a relief defendant, Mickelson hasn't been accused of participating in the insider trading, but only of profiting from the scheme.
Mickelson's management group issued a statement Thursday saying that he felt "vindicated" because prosecutors hadn't charged him with violating securities law.
Sergio Garcia, Johnson Wagner and Danny Lee were clubhouse co-leaders when the first round of the Byron Nelson Classic was suspended by darkness. Garcia opened with a 7-under 63 that included five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole. Lee had seven birdies, including three straight to start the back nine. Wagner also birdied seven holes in a bogey-free round. Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson completed 6-under 66s, as did Freddie Jacobson. Tom Hoge was 6-under through 14 before he was one of 30 players still on the course when play was stopped.
Kenny Perry fired an 8-under 64 for a two-stroke lead over Bernhard Langer and Gene Sauers through one round of the Regions Tradition, one of five Champions Tour majors. Perry birdied five of the first eight holes in a bogey-free round, but he was tied for the lead until he birdied the final hole while Langer bogeyed it. Sauers birdied four of the final six holes, including 18.
LPGA:
Mika Miyazato had five birdies in a six-hole stretch en route to a 6-under 65 and the first-round lead in the Kingsmill Championship. Miyazato closed her opening nine with the birdie run, dropped a stroke on the par-5 third, and rebounded with birdies on the par-4 sixth and eighth holes. Defending champion Minjee Lee and Brittany Lincicome were a stroke back.
NBA:
In the NBA playoffs, Cleveland beat Toronto 108-89 to take a 2-0 series lead.
The Orlando Magic have quickly filled their head coaching vacancy by hiring Frank Vogel. Vogel was just let go after five seasons as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, where he posted a 250-181 record. Vogel replaces Scott Skiles, who surprised the organization when he resigned last Thursday.
Minnesota forward Karl-Anthony Towns and New York forward Kristaps Porzingis have been unanimously selected to the NBA All-Rookie first team. Each player received all 130 first-team votes from a panel of sports reporters.
NHL:
In the NHL playoffs, San Jose blanked St. Louis 3-0 to take a 2-1 series lead.
MLB:
In baseball, in the American League, the Yankees beat Oakland 4-1, Toronto edged Minnesota 3-2 in 11 innings, the White Sox slid past Houston 2-1, and it was Seattle over Baltimore 7-2. The Red Sox had a day off.
In the National League, Washington crushed the Mets 9-1, Milwaukee won against the Cubs 5-3, Pittsburgh topped Atlanta 8-2, St. Louis bested Colorado 13-7, and it was San Francisco over San Diego 3-1.
In interleague play, Cleveland defeated Cincinnati 7-2, and it was the Angels over the Dodgers 7-4.
WNBA:
In the WNBA Connecticut beat San Antonio 72-68.
NFL:
New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, one of the NFL's highest-paid players among non-quarterbacks the past several years, has fired his longtime agents. ESPN first reported Thursday that Revis had parted ways with Neil Schwartz and Jonathan Feinsod, the cornerback's agents since his rookie year in 2007.
Three new funds honoring the legacy of the late founder of the Buffalo Bills are giving out $250,000 in grants to Detroit-area organizations. The endowments were established at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan with a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to support projects and initiatives that reflect Wilson's charitable interests. The money announced Thursday is being shared by 14 groups.
The endowments are for supporting cancer care, the Grosse Pointe area and youth sports. Grants include $20,000 for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center, $25,000 for the Grosse Pointe Historical Society and $20,000 for expansion of a Detroit squash program called Racquet Up Detroit. Ralph Wilson was 95 when he died at his Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, home in 2014.
Horse Racing:
Zippity Zoom rallied strongly through the stretch Thursday to win the $65,000 allowance feature for New York-bred fillies and mares at Belmont Park. The 5-year-old trained by Linda Rice swung three wide turning for home and rolled to a second straight win, her fourth in 11 career starts.
IndyCar:
Race fans who bought tickets for IndyCar's now canceled Labor Day weekend race in Boston may have to wait up to two months to get their money refunded. The head of the local race effort tells The Boston Globe he hopes fans will be patient, although many voiced their frustration online, at least until the IndyCar Boston website shut down this week.
NCAA:
Play kicks off today in the NCAA's national softball championships with regional action at 16 sites. Maine, Marist and Boston University are among the 64 tourney schools but all are facing seeded regional hosts in the first round in Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana-Lafayette respectively in this weekend's double-elimination round.
Olympics:
USA Swimming is taking a precautionary measure due to the threat of the Zika (ZEE'-kuh) virus. A person familiar with the situation said national team athletes and coaches have been told the team has moved a pre-Olympic training camp from Puerto Rico to Atlanta. The U.S. team is still scheduled to hold a training camp in San Antonio from July 11-21. After that, the team had been planning to make a stop in Puerto Rico for several more days of training before traveling on to Rio de Janeiro. The Olympic swimming competition begins Aug. 6.
FIFA:
FIFA ethics prosecutors have asked for a two-year ban for FIFA Council member Wolfgang Niersbach in an investigation of Germany's 2006 World Cup bid and organization.
The judging chamber of the FIFA ethics committee says it has received the final investigation file and opened formal proceedings against Niersbach. The judging chamber says "the investigatory chamber recommends a sanction of a two-year ban from all football-related activity and a fine of 30,000 Swiss francs ($30,300)."
An investigation was opened in March against Niersbach, who was elected to the FIFA and UEFA executive committees last year, for "possible failure to report" unethical conduct and conflicts of interest. Niersbach resigned as president of the German soccer federation last year but retained his FIFA and UEFA positions.
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