*GOLF: Padraig Harrington broke par for the second straight day, something he hasn’t done in four months. Without a victory since the PGA Championship, Harrington shot a 1-under 69 for a one-shot lead over Tim Clark at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron. Tiger Woods, a six-time winner at Firestone, was among 20 players within five shots of the lead after an even-par 70. He is tied for 13th, the first time after any round at Firestone he has been out of the top 10. … John Rollins matched the course record with a 10-under 62 to take a two-shot lead over Shaun Micheel in the Reno-Tahoe Open. Rollins is 12 under through 36 holes. … Jennifer Song moved within two matches of becoming the second woman to win two U.S. Golf Association championships in the same year, beating Stephanie Kono 2 and 1 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur quarterfinals in St. Louis. Song, 19, won the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in June and will face Tiffany Lua on Saturday. In the other semifinal, 14-year-old Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla., will play Jennifer Johnson of La Quinta, Calif.
*NFL: Running back Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos’ top draft pick, agreed to a five-year, $23 million contract that includes $13 million in guarantees, ending an eight-day holdout. … Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson appeared to aggravate a knee injury that caused him to miss three days of practice earlier in the week. Jackson came up gimpy after planting on his left knee while dropping back to pass. He limped noticeably after the injury but continued to participate
*SOCCER: Led by captain Carlos Bocanegra, the United States will play a key World Cup qualifier at Mexico next week with a roster loaded with players from its upset of Spain in June. Coach Bob Bradley is bringing 17 players from that team, which finished second to Brazil in the Confederations Cup. Notably absent are defender Frankie Hejduk and midfielder DaMarcus Beasley. The Americans have never won in Mexico. … Galaxy star David Beckham says he is thinking about buying an MLS franchise when his contract is up. He says his deal gives him the right to buy a franchise or start a new one.
*AUTO RACING: Jimmie Johnson captured the first road-course pole of his career, turning a lap at 123.633 m.p.h. in 71.34 seconds over the 11-turn, 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International circuit to edge Kurt Busch. Busch finished just 0.01 seconds behind Johnson for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race. … Former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran will retire as a driver of his American Le Mans Series team at the end of the season. He said he wants to concentrate on the business side of his de Ferran Motorsports program. … FIA president Max Mosley has settled a lawsuit with the publisher of Germany’s largest newspaper over reports that he played sex games involving a Nazi theme with prostitutes. Axel Springer AG agreed to pay $290,000 to two charities and publish an interview with Mosley in its top-selling Bild newspaper. In return, Mosley agreed to drop his $1.4 million suit.
*TENNIS: Andy Roddick defeated big-hitting Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the quarterfinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington. Fourth-seeded Fernando Gonzalez defeated Tommy Haas 7-5, 6-4 and will play second-seeded and defending champion Juan Martin del Potro, who advanced after Robin Soderling withdrew before their match with a right elbow injury. … Samantha Stosur rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Zheng Jie of China at the LA Women’s Tennis Championships in Carson, Calif. … Tamira Paszek of Austria will not be suspended while officials investigate whether a medical treatment she received for a back injury violated doping regulations. Paszek, ranked No. 88, had blood taken for homeopathic enrichment and reinjected into her lower back. Reinjecting one’s own blood is banned under international anti-doping rules.
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EDITED BY STEVE HUANG FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
