Jonathan Byrd leads PGA Tour’s opener

A new PGA Tour season began with a familiar name atop the leaderboard at Kapalua, Hawaii.

Defending champion Jonathan Byrd ran off six straight birdies early in his round Friday and opened with a six-under-par 67 that gave him a one-shot lead in the Tournament of Champions.

Byrd hasn’t won since his playoff victory a year ago in the season opener. He is trying to become the third player in the last eight years to win in consecutive years at Kapalua.

Steve Stricker, Webb Simpson, Martin Laird and Michael Bradley opened at 68.

The winners-only field has 27 players, the fewest since it moved to Kapalua in 1999. Lucas Glover had to withdraw because of a sprained knee suffered in a paddleboard accident.

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Paul Casey dislocated his right shoulder while snowboarding in Colorado, sidelining him for the first two months of the year and damaging his chances of qualifying for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. The 20th-ranked Englishman said he does not need surgery and “should be back hitting balls in a few weeks.”

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Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen shot 11-under 62 and took a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Africa Open at East London, South Africa. The South African had nine birdies and an eagle on the East London Golf Club course. Retief Goosen (68) and three others were tied for second place.

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Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman were announced as part of the field for the Humana Challenge — formerly the Bob Hope Classic — on Jan. 19-22 in La Quinta.

Norman, a two-time British Open champion, and Mickelson, who has won four major tournaments including three Masters titles, join a field that also includes defending champion Jhonattan Vegas, 2011 FedExCup champion and 2010 event champion Bill Haas, 2001 PGA Championship winner David Toms and 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson.

— Diane Pucin

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Angels’ Morales continues rehab

Kendrys Morales has begun regular running and was cleared Friday to increase baseball activities.

The Angels slugger has not played since breaking his left ankle while jumping on home plate in celebration of a game-winning home run May 29, 2010. He hit .306 with 34 home runs and drove in 108 runs in 2009.

The Angels also signed veteran utility infielder Jorge Cantu, who had a 29-homer season in 2008 and a 100-RBI season in 2009 for the Florida Marlins, and outfielder Doug Deeds to minor league deals. Both will be invited to spring training.

— Mike DiGiovanna

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Chicago police are investigating an allegation that Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro sexually assaulted a woman last fall. Castro, 21, has not been charged with a crime, and police otherwise declined to comment.

“It’s an ongoing investigation,” Officer John Mirabelli said.

Castro was unavailable for comment, but his attorneys said the allegation is false.

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The Chicago Cubs traded right-hander Andrew Cashner and minor league outfielder Kyung-Min Na to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Anthony Rizzo and minor league right-hander Zach Cates.

Cashner was slated to be the Cubs’ fifth starter last season but strained his shoulder in early April and made only seven appearances, including one start.

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The St. Louis Cardinals retooled their coaching staff while Dave Duncan takes a leave of absence that could lead to his retirement, elevating Derek Lilliquist to pitching coach and Dyar Miller to bullpen coach. Duncan is on leave so he can be with his wife, Jeanine, who is recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor.

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Penn State announced the hiring of New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien as its football coach, the first change in leadership for the storied program in nearly 50 years.

The announcement caps a turbulent two-month period that began with the firing of Joe Paterno on Nov. 9 in the aftermath of child sex abuse charges against retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

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Western Kentucky fired men’s basketball coach Ken McDonald after a 5-11 start capped by a controversial ending to the team’s game Thursday night. In a statement released Friday, Athletic Director Ross Bjork said the program needed a new direction.

McDonald finished with a 67-49 record after a 72-70 overtime loss to Louisiana Lafayette in which the Ragin’ Cajuns appeared to have six players on the court for the final possession. Bjork named assistant coach Ray Harper as interim head coach.

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Charlotte Bobcats Coach Paul Silas said forward Corey Maggette will sit out two to four weeks because of a strained left hamstring.

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Chuck Hayes is expected to be out for three to four weeks because of a dislocated left shoulder, the latest injury to sideline the Sacramento Kings big man.

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New Orleans Hornets guard Eric Gordon is expected to sit out two to three weeks because of a sore right knee.

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Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry is facing a misdemeanor battery charge amid accusations that he threw a basketball at a referee and threatened her during a game in Las Vegas in September.

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Gael Monfils upset Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals of the Qatar Open, setting up an all-French final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after Roger Federer pulled out of the tournament because of back spasms.

Federer, who was trying to win his fourth title in Doha, apologized to organizers but said he did not want to risk further injury ahead of the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 16.

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Kim Clijsters quit her semifinal match against Daniela Hantuchova because of an ailing hip, becoming the second top player in the Brisbane (Australia) International to sustain an injury ahead of the Australian Open.

Clijsters won the opening set 7-6 (4) but told Hantuchova she couldn’t continue after falling behind 3-1 in the second set. Serena Williams withdrew after injuring her left ankle during a second-round victory.

In the men’s quarterfinals, top-seeded Andy Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis, 6-2, 6-2. The Scot will next play eighth-seeded Bernard Tomic.

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The vice president of the World Boxing Assn. called for a rematch of the light-welterweight title fight between Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson after questions were raised about the legitimacy of the Peterson’s victory last month.

The WBA is studying images of an unidentified man accused by Khan of interfering with the judges and leaning over WBA supervisor Michael Welsh during the fight Dec. 10 at Washington.

Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, WBA vice president, said the man in question is unknown to his organization and questioned what he was doing at ringside.

Khan lost his IBF and WBA titles in the fight on a split decision after being docked two points for pushing.

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The first major prep for the Santa Anita Derby is set for Saturday at Santa Anita with the running of the $100,000 Sham Stakes at one mile.

It’s the third race in a nine-race program and features Secret Circle, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint who is trying to prove as a 3-year-old that he has the stamina to win beyond the sprint distance. Trained by Bob Baffert, Secret Circle is unbeaten in three races.

— Eric Sondheimer