Nick Watney leads Wells Fargo Championship, Tiger Woods misses cut

Nick Watney answered what he referred to as a wake-up call at the Wells Fargo Championship by taking the lead. Tiger Woods might need one after missing the cut.

Watney had gone nine straight rounds on the PGA Tour without breaking 70 and had failed to crack the top 10 in all nine of his stroke-play tournaments this year. He worked hard to change that, and it paid off Friday with an eight-under 64 that gave him a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson going into the weekend at Charlotte, N.C.

A two-time winner last year, Watney had failed to crack the top 30 in a full-field event this year, and missed the cut in New Orleans for his first weekend off at a tournament since July.

Woods wound up in rare position.

He failed to make a birdie on any of the par fives or any hole on his back nine, missing a four-foot birdie putt on his 17th hole with the cut on the line. Woods wound up with a 73 — his eighth consecutive round in the 70s — for an even-par 144 to miss the cut by one shot.

It was only the eighth time in 267 events on the PGA Tour that Woods missed the cut, and the first time it happened at the same place twice — Quail Hollow, where in four trips before the downfall in his personal life Woods had won once and never finished worse than 11th.

Watney was at 12-under 132 and will play in the final group with Simpson, who had a 68. Watney is staying with Simpson, who lives about a mile away. One side benefit from his 64 was that he has a bet with his host that high score takes out the garbage each day.

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Tom Lehman had an eagle and five birdies on the first eight holes on the back nine, then bogeyed the par-four 18th for a seven-under 65 and a one-shot lead after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Insperity Championship at the Woodlands, Texas.

Fred Funk and Houston native Tom Jenkins were tied for second, and past winners John Cook and Bernhard Langer topped a large group at 68.

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France’s Gregory Bourdy shot a six-under 66 in windy conditions to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the 100th Spanish Open in Seville.

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New York Islanders forward Kyle Okposo scored twice to help the United States beat France, 7-2, in the first game of the world hockey championships at Helsinki.The United States will face Canada on Saturday.

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The painful saga of ex-Ohio State and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter came to a close when a federal judge in Columbus, Ohio, sentenced him to nearly 11 years in prison for scamming participants in what authorities called a million-dollar sports ticket scheme.

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Rosie Napravnik became the first female jockey to win the Kentucky Oaks, keeping Believe You Can near the front from the start and pulling away from Broadway’s Alibi in the $1-million race at Churchill Downs on Friday.

The victory gave trainer Larry Jones his first Oaks victory since 2008 with Proud Spell.

Napravnik lost her Kentucky Derby mount this weekend, but the win in the filly version of the Derby was a good consolation prize at the Louisville, Ky., track.

Sent off at 13-1 odds, Believe You Can paid $29.60, $11.80 and $6.40. Broadway’s Alibi returned $6 and $4.20, and favorite Grace Hall paid $3.20 to show.

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The wife of St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial has died at the age of 91. The team said Lillian Musial died Thursday.

Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement that the organization has lost a member of its family and that Lil Musial was the love of Stan Musial’s life. Stan Musial, who is 91, has been in poor health the last few years.

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UCLA’s spring football game will be played Saturday at the Rose Bowl beginning around 5 p.m.

Admission is free but parking will be $10. The parking lot will open at noon for tailgating and the stadium gates will open at 4 p.m.

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UCLA will get an early start on its most anticipated basketball season in years with an exhibition tour in China during August.

The Bruins, who have the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class according to Scout.com, will benefit from being allowed 10 practices.

The tour is part of the Pac-12 Conference’s efforts to gain a foothold in Asia.

The Bruins were 19-14 during a tumultuous 2011-12 season and missed the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons. But UCLA is expected to be among the top-ranked teams heading into the season after signing forward Shabazz Muhammad, guard Kyle Anderson, center Tony Parker and forward Jordan Adams. Larry Drew II, a transfer from North Carolina, will be eligible, adding to the influx of talent.

--Chris Foster

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The State Federated Council voted in favor of a series of proposals revising high school transfer rules that reduce the time students need to sit out competition after transferring.

Previously, students who transferred without moving were declared ineligible for one year unless they received a hardship waiver. Under the new rule, there will be a sit out period between 30 and 35 days.

Athletes in fall sports will become eligible on Oct. 1, winter sports on Dec. 31 and spring sports on April 1.

Also approved was the new Open Division for the state basketball championships. There will be 12 championships next season in boys’ and girls’ basketball.

—Eric Sondheimer

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Cycling fans will be permitted to ride a five-mile section of the eighth and final stage of the Amgen Tour of California on May 20 before race competitors complete the 42.6-mile stage. The five-mile section will start and end at L.A. Live and be available from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Participation is free. Registration is required, at amgentourofcalifornia.com/nissan.