Golf: Tiger Woods roared back after over a year in the wilderness to tie for the Wyndham Championship lead. Less than three months after the worst round of his career, Woods looked more like the 14-times major champion that he is as he recovered from a three-putt bogey at the first hole to card a five-under 65 in the second round at Sedgefield Country Club. It’s the first time Woods has held an end-of-round lead since he won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in August 2013. On 11-under 129, the 39-year-old shared the halfway lead with PGA Tour rookie Tom Hoge, one stroke ahead of Americans Davis Love III (66) and Chad Campbell (65).
Cricket: Alastair Cook stood defiant for five-and-a-half hours only to fall just before stumps at The Oval yesterday with England staring at the near certainty of a wide-margin defeat in the fifth Investec Test. England had to follow on 332 runs behind after being bowled out for 149 on the third morning but Cook (85) then dug in for 234 balls, immovable against any bowler Australia deployed until going bat-pad to the sole over of part-time leg-spin from Steve Smith. The hosts therefore closed on 203 for six, still 129 short of making Australia bat again, and the prospect of compromised Ashes ‘celebrations’ therefore looming large at some point over the next two days.
Tennis: Defending champion Serena Williams reached the semi-finals of the Western & Southern tournament in Cincinnati but not before having her mettle tested in a 3-6 6-4 6-2 win over sixth-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic. Williams, who will be chasing a calendar sweep of the four grand slams at the US Open, struggled with her serve and was forced to come from behind several times in a rematch of last year’s final.
Men’s SF: Djokovic bt Dolgopolov 4-6 7-6 6-2.
Motor Racing: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone met disgruntled Belgian dairy farmers yesterday after fears they could blockade the country’s grand prix circuit in a campaign for higher milk prices. The 84-year-old Briton talked to a farmers’ leader in front of a plastic cow in the fan village at the Spa circuit and then chugged from a litre of milk – jokingly pretending to faint as he did so. A police spokesman said the farmers had agreed not to stage a more serious protest, such as blocking access roads, in return for being allowed to make a symbolic gesture and meet Ecclestone.