FROM THE WIRE

McIlroy shares lead in Dubai

Rory McIlroy made his chances of winning the European Tour title even better Thursday when he shot 5-under 67 and was tied for the lead with Tyrrell Hatton after the first round of the season-ending World Tour Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. A top-10 finish will guarantee McIlroy wins the year-long points race formerly known as the Order of Merit for the sixth time.

Birdies push Springer to top

Hayden Springer birdied three of his last four holes Thursday for a 6-under 65, giving him a share of the lead with Justin Lower before darkness kept the opening round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship from finishing in Southampton, Bermuda.

Hull takes lead at LPGA event

Charley Hull, who ended a two-year drought by winning in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago, tied for the lead at 64 with Jiwon Jeon after one round of The Annika on the LPGA Tour in Belleair, Florida. Nelly Korda, who hasn't played in nearly two months, chipped in for birdie on the last hole and birdied four of her last five holes for a 66.

France, Italy advance in Nations League

France and Italy qualified for the quarterfinal stage of the revamped Nations League, while England got its revenge on Greece. France drew 0-0 with Israel, the Italians won 1-0 in Belgium and England won 3-0 in Athens to make amends for a humbling first loss to Greece last month.

Argentina falls in World Cup qualifying

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Vinicius Júnior had frustrating nights in South American World Cup qualifying. While Messi could not help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat at Paraguay, Vinicius Junior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday.

Son scores 50th international goal

Son Heung-min scored his 50th international goal on Thursday as South Korea beat Kuwait 3-1 to take a big step toward an 11th successive World Cup appearance. The Tottenham forward converted a penalty to make it 2-0 in the 19th minute and help South Korea earn a fourth successive win in Group B of Asia's World Cup qualifiers to move five points clear at the top with five games to go. In Group C, Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Melbourne after the visitors had a late goal disallowed.

Ranieri named Roma's third coach

Claudio Ranieri was named Roma's third coach of the season. He takes over for the fired Ivan Juric at the crisis-hit club. It's the 73-year-old Ranieri's third time coaching his hometown club.

FIFA unveils golden World Cup trophy

FIFA unveiled a golden trophy on Thursday that was created in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. for the contentious and newly-expanded Club World Cup. With a 24-carat gold-plated finish, the trophy will be lifted by the winners of the tournament, which will be held in the United States next year.

Sporting KC, captain part ways

Sporting Kansas City will not bring back captain Johnny Russell, goalkeeper Tim Melia or defender Andreu Fontas as part of a major roster overhaul that followed the second-worst season in franchise history. The team announced the moves Thursday. They come after the club hired Mike Burns as its sporting director in June. The 34-year-old Russell, whose contract had expired, joined the MLS club in 2018 and appeared in 232 matches, scoring 67 goals with 39 assists.

Sinner stays unbeaten in ATP Finals

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and U.S. Open finalist Taylor Fritz advanced to the semifinals at the ATP Finals. Sinner won the round-robin group with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev. Fritz advanced in second after rallying past Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Tiafoe fined $120K for outburst

U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe has been fined a total of $120,000 but will not be suspended for cursing repeatedly at a chair umpire after losing a match last month at the Shanghai Masters last month.

U.S. falls in Billie Jean King Cup

Ashlyn Krueger and Taylor Townsend saved six match points but ultimately lost the decisive doubles match and the United States was defeated 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 by Slovakia and was eliminated in the first round of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain. Japan reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 after rallying to defeat Romania 2-1.

Penske buys Grand Prix of Long Beach

Roger Penske has added the most prestigious street race in North America to his portfolio with the purchase of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. He bought the race from Gerry Forsythe, who owned half the event with the late Kevin Kalkhoven. Forsythe sold the entire package to Penske Entertainment in a deal that ensures the Southern California race remains an IndyCar event at least through its contract with the city of Long Beach that runs through 2028.

Women's pro league debuts in February

The Premier Lacrosse League will begin a women's professional league in February during its championship series in Washington, D.C., and feature the world's top players. The Women's Lacrosse League will debut in four cities to be announced by the end of the year along with initial rosters.

Vonn, 40, coming out of retirement

Lindsey Vonn says she is coming out of retirement to rejoin the U.S. Ski Team in an attempt to race again at age 40. Thursday's announcement comes more than six years after Vonn's last Olympics. She is a three-time Olympic medalist, including a downhill gold and super-G bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Games, and a bronze in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She is also a four-time overall World Cup champion and owns eight world championships medals. Her 82 World Cup race victories stood as the record for a woman until that total was eclipsed by Mikaela Shiffrin.

— Associated Press