Jim Furyk shares lead with Jonathan Byrd at Memorial

One last birdie for Jim Furyk put him one more stroke under par, which he found more gratifying than being in a share of the lead with Jonathan Byrd on Friday at the Memorial at Dublin, Ohio.

A blue sky and a warm sun translated into fast greens at Muirfield Village, leading to a crammed leaderboard going into a weekend loaded with possibilities.

Tiger Woods had his worst score in nearly two years -- a two-over 74 -- and still was only six shots behind.

Furyk had two bogeys from the bunker on the back nine but finished with an eight-iron that stopped on the top shelf about eight feet away for birdie on 18, which gave him a two-under 70.

Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak maintained a share of the State Farm Classic lead with another bogey-free performance, and Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson shot into contention with a second-round 63 in the LPGA Tour event at Springfield, Ill. Pak shot a four-under 68 to match Suzann Pettersen (66) at 10-under 134 on the Panther Creek course.

Bernhard Langer birdied the par-three 18th hole for a seven-under 65 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Triton Financial Classic Champions Tour event at Lakeway, Texas. David Eger birdied the final two holes for a 66 and Michael McCullough followed at 67.

SOCCER

Howard signs long-term deal

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard has agreed to a five-year contract with Everton after helping the team to fifth place in the English Premier League and a berth in next season’s Europa League.

The 30-year-old Howard started all 38 league matches for Everton. He also made 10 more appearances in the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup.

American midfielder Maurice Edu, who plays for Glasgow Rangers in Scotland, is expected to be sidelined for three months after surgery to repair his injured left knee.

MOTOR RACING

NASCAR takes Mayfield to court

NASCAR accused suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield of willfully violating its substance abuse policy in a court filing and argued his failed drug test shouldn’t be overturned.

In federal court papers, NASCAR accused Mayfield of breaching his contract and of defrauding NASCAR and its competitors of earnings.

NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Tony Stewart will start from the pole for the Pocono 500 in Long Pond, Pa., after rain washed out qualifying at Pocono Raceway. Jeff Gordon will start second in Sunday’s 500-mile race. . . . Dario Franchitti won his first pole of the season for tonight’s Indy Racing League race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Franchitti earned the pole with an average speed of 214.513 mph on his four-lap qualifying run.

ETC.

La Russa, Twitter settle lawsuit

St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa and Twitter have reached a settlement in his lawsuit against the social networking website. La Russa said that Twitter has agreed to pay legal fees and make a donation to his Animal Rescue Foundation.

Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri had surgery on his right hip this week and is expected to be ready for the regular season. . . . Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook had surgery on his right ankle and is expected to be ready for the regular season.

Hollywood Park has received permission to maintain its four-day racing schedule through the rest of the spring-summer meeting that ends July 19. The California Horse Racing Board approved the track’s request at its meeting Friday.

PASSINGS

Randy Smith, 60, former NBA player

Randy Smith, a blindingly fast All-Star with the Buffalo Braves in the 1970s who once held the NBA record for consecutive games, died of a heart attack in Hartford, Conn., while working out on a treadmill. He was 60. Story, Section A.

Richard E. Jacobs, the former Cleveland Indians owner, has died. He was 84. Jacobs and his brother David bought the Indians in late 1986 for $40 million.