In-form Jon Rahm surged into contention at the Farmers Insurance Open on Moving Day at Torrey Pines but Sam Ryder remains two shots clear ahead of the final round.

The Spaniard, who started the day at four-under overall, carded an impressive six-under-par 66 on Friday to fly up the leaderboard to 10 under and be within two strokes of Ryder (12 under).

Ryder had held a three-stroke advantage at the halfway point and maintained his lead despite an even round that included one birdie, where he made a great save after hitting the cart path, and one bogey as the event switched to the South Course for the final two days.

World number three Rahm seemed to relish the conditions in an ominous sign ahead of the final round, with the second-best round of the day underlining his surge, that included a run of three straight birdies before an eagle on the ninth.

Rahm moved into outright second with the eagle, with an excellent approach on to the green followed by an 11-foot putt. The 28-year-old claimed his first PGA Tour victory in 2017 at Torrey Pines.

Tony Finau enjoyed the best round of the day, carding an eight-under-par 64 to move into outright third at eight-under overall.

Finau, who was the only player to go bogey-free, had six birdies plus an eagle on the par-four first hole when he holed out from 138 yards on his approach.

A group of four players are tied for fourth at seven-under overall, in Sungjae Im, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa and Sahith Theegala.

LeBron James' jersey from Game 7 of the Miami Heat's triumphant 2013 NBA Finals has been bought in New York for $3.68million, making it the third most expensive game-worn jersey ever sold by Sotheby's.

The figure comes in behind Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals Chicago Bulls jersey at $10.91m and Diego Maradona's Argentina jersey from the 1986 World Cup game where he scored the 'Hand of God' goal against England, at $9.28m.

The highest previous figure for a game-worn James jersey was $630,000 from the 2020 All-Star Game.

The Heat clinched the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 95-88 with James scoring 37 points with 12 rebounds and four assists.

James won his fourth NBA MVP crown during the 2012-13 season along with the 2013 NBA Finals MVP, the second of four in his career.

"Today's tremendous result comes at a pivotal time in LeBron James' career, where he is in arm's reach of clinching the all-time points record," Sotheby's expert Brahm Wachter said.

James (38,210) is on track to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA all-time points scoring record (38,387) in the next fortnight.

Xavi has backed Marcos Alonso to play a big part in Barcelona's quest for more trophies after he signed a new contract on Friday.

Alonso arrived at Camp Nou in September as a free agent after leaving Chelsea, putting pen to paper on a deal until the end of this season.

The left-back has extended his stay with the LaLiga leaders by a further 12 months, with his buyout clause remaining at €50million.

Alonso has made 19 appearances in his first season with the Blaugrana, scoring twice and celebrating a Supercopa de Espana triumph this month following a win over fierce rivals Real Madrid.

Barca head coach Xavi welcomed the 32-year-old's decision to sign a new deal.

He said: "I am really happy with Marcos. Firstly, as a person and as a professional inside the dressing room, where he has adapted really well.

"But also as a player. He is solid, mature and experienced. He has been a top-level signing and will be really important for us moving forward."

Teenager Angel Alarcon has also signed a new contract with the Catalan giants, keeping him at the club until 2025 with a mammoth €400m release clause.

Moises Caicedo has told Brighton and Hove Albion the time has come for him to leave after Arsenal launched a reported £60million bid for the Ecuadorian midfielder.

The 21-year-old said the Seagulls would be preventing him taking a "magnificent opportunity" if they refuse to sell him.

Chelsea have also been interested in Caicedo, while Brighton are reluctant to sell having already lost Leandro Trossard to Premier League leaders Arsenal last week after the Belgium winger fell out with head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

De Zerbi has urged the in-demand Caicedo to remain at the Amex Stadium – for the time being at least – but the player appears to have made his mind up.

Caicedo mentioned club owner Tony Bloom in a statement on Instagram, also saying he hoped supporters of Brighton would understand why he wants to move on.

"I am grateful to Mr Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart," Caicedo's statement read.

"I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream [was] always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.

"I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.

"The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity."

De Zerbi, speaking earlier on Friday, said he felt Caicedo was "focused only on Brighton", expressing the hope he would stay for the rest of the campaign.

Now, though, the situation has changed.

Brighton sit sixth in the Premier League and could qualify for Europe next season, but if they continue to leak talent that will become more difficult.

Before the player's statement emerged, De Zerbi said of Caicedo's situation: "I spoke with him on Wednesday and I told him my opinion.

"I think it's always difficult to change inside the season because you can find more problems. It is important to stay another four months."

Mikel Arteta saw Arsenal's FA Cup hopes ended by Manchester City and took issue with the defending that allowed Nathan Ake to score the only goal at the Etihad Stadium.

The Spaniard has been a winner in the competition as a player and as a head coach with the Gunners, but this will not be the London club's year for Wembley glory.

Their chief focus is on the Premier League, which they lead by five points from City with a game in hand, but these teams must meet twice in that competition before the end of the season.

Arsenal have now lost 13 of their past 14 games against City in all competitions, including six in a row, and Arteta was left to rue one lapse in concentration in Friday's fourth-round tussle.

He told ITV: "We're disappointed. I think we could have got much more from the game.

"It was a really tight match, a really competitive game, and an action decided the game and unfortunately we are out."

Assessing Ake's 64th-minute winner, Arteta said: "I think we could have defended that much better, in the discipline that we need in the box to stay with their runners."

Arsenal only had five goal attempts, with just one in the second half as City dominated, but their boss felt they still had opportunities to get at the Premier League champions.

"We had big situations there, and we didn't put them away and in these games we need to do that," he said.

"We can take lots of positives. The way we approached the game and the way we competed in the game was really good, because it's very hard to do it against this incredible team.

"We played face to face against them. [We] know that in big moments, in big matches, you have to make a difference and that's how you win against these teams."

Reports have claimed Gabriel Martinelli, used as a substitute in this game, has agreed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with Arsenal, but Arteta refused to discuss the Brazil winger's future.

"I don't talk about anything about our players till it's done," he said.

The Kansas City Chiefs will have Patrick Mahomes under center for Sunday’s AFC Championship game – not that there has been much doubt this week.

Despite suffering a high ankle sprain in last weekend's 27-20 Divisional-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes was able to practice three times this week and declared "I'm ready to go” on Wednesday.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has confirmed that Mahomes would play in the AFC title game for the fifth year in a row on Sunday when the Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals.

"He looks good," Reid said on Friday. "I mean, he's moving around good. He's going to go out and play."

After Mahomes said on Wednesday that he would be fit, the quarterback began fielding questions about how much a sprained ankle might change his effectiveness or style of play.

"I feel like I can still do a lot of things," he said. "We'll see as we get closer and closer, and we'll see during the game.

"You can't fully do exactly what you're going to be doing in those moments in the game [in practice], but all I can do is prepare myself the best way possible and then when we get in the game, you hope adrenaline kind of takes over."

Mahomes returned to last Saturday’s game to help lead the Chiefs over the Jaguars, but he was clearly limping and was unable to pull off some of his signature improvisation due to his injury.

After a week of rehabilitation, neither Mahomes nor Reid are willing to say publicly if the 2018 NFL MVP will be able to run the entire playbook.

"We have enough in the game plan where you can kind of pick and choose where you want to go with it," he said. "You have a variety of things that you can go to. Obviously, you don't use all the plays in the game plan, but they're available and so if you have to go a certain direction, you can go that direction with the calls."

Meanwhile, the Bengals are not expecting Mahomes to be any less potent.

Cincinnati pass rusher Sam Hubbard said: "We're preparing for Patrick Mahomes like he's 100 per cent, because I'm sure he's going to be playing 100 per cent. That's all you can do."

Kieran Trippier signed an extension to his Newcastle United contract on Friday, as the England defender compared Eddie Howe's Magpies to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.

The 32-year-old was a LaLiga winner with Simeone's industrious Atletico team before making the switch to Newcastle in January 2022, becoming the first major signing of the club's new Saudi-led ownership era.

He and Newcastle have enjoyed a strong year, fending off relegation worries last season before soaring up the Premier League table this term, sitting third and winning the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final against Southampton 1-0.

Tripper's new deal means he is adding 12 months to the deal he signed when arriving at St James' Park.

It is a reward for helping Newcastle keep 12 clean sheets in 20 Premier League games this season, conceding a league-low 11 goals so far.

Trippier recognises parallels between the teams coached by Howe and Simeone.

The former Burnley and Tottenham full-back told the club's official website: "With Simeone it was crazy in the way we trained, the way he was obsessed with keeping clean sheets, and I think here it's a similar mindset. We need to stop goals going in. I think we've showed this season how difficult we are to play against."

Trippier said there was never any doubt he would commit to an extended stay on Tyneside, believing he and the team are only going to keep improving.

"I think I'm playing the best football of my career here at Newcastle," Trippier said. "We're challenging for a cup and a good position in the league, and it's a bright future ahead for Newcastle."

Asked about working with Howe, Trippier said: "I feel like he's brought an extra level out of me this season.

"You only need to look from last season, the position we were in before the takeover happened, how many goals we were conceding, and the progression that we've made in a year and a bit.

"It's massive progress, but we're only halfway through, and we know how relentless the Premier League is, so we need to stay focused because we've got some massive games coming up."

Head coach Howe said Trippier's new deal was "a fitting reward for the season he's had", describing him as "outstanding both on and off the pitch".

Conor McGregor avoided major injury when he was hit by a car while out cycling and the UFC superstar said it was his sporting expertise that saved his life.

The former featherweight and lightweight champion, who has not fought since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, posted a picture and videos on Instagram after the incident.

It appeared to have occurred on a country road, but it was not specified where the incident happened. McGregor has a home in Straffan, County Kildare.

The 34-year-old Irishman wrote: "Got a bang of [sic] a car just now from behind. A sun trap, the driver couldn't see me. Full speed straight thru me.

"Thank you God, it wasn't my time. Thank you wrestling and judo also. Having an awareness on the landing saved my life."

In a video, a panting McGregor tells the driver of the vehicle, who came to check on his wellbeing: "I could have been dead there mate."

The driver responds by saying: "I'm so sorry."

McGregor, who showed his trousers were torn, looked to brush off the incident and accepted the driver's apology before taking the offer of a lift home with his damaged bike.

In a video filmed while being driven back to his house, McGregor said: "I'm still here, thank God. That's all that matters."

Jason Roy's magnificent century was in vain as a hostile spell from Anrich Nortje inspired South Africa to a dramatic 27-run win over England in the first match of the ODI series.

With little margin for error as the Proteas battle to qualify for this year's World Cup in India, Rassie van der Dussen made a brilliant 111 and David Miller 53 as the hosts posted 298-7 at Mangaung Oval on Friday.

Jofra Archer (1-81) was expensive on his long-awaited international return in Bloemfontein, where Sam Curran (3-35) was the pick of the England bowlers.

Roy struck a sublime 113 from 91 balls, combining with Dawid Malan (59) for an opening stand of 146, but the world champions collapsed to 271 all out to go 1-0 down.

Paceman Nortje claimed 4-62, while Sisanda Magala (3-46) and Kagiso Rabada (2-46) also played a big hand as the tourists capitulated and South Africa made a great start to the three-match series with so much at stake.

Captain Temba Bavuma (36 off 28 balls) and Quinton De Kock (37 off 41) put on 61 for the first wicket before both were both sent packing by Curran.

Van der Dussen and Miller added 110 for the fifth wicket, the number three pacing his knock superbly, with Archer given the treatment in his first England match for almost two years.

It had looked like being a procession for England when South Africa-born Roy and Malan got them off to a flyer, only for the latter to strike a Magala bouncer high in the air for Bavuma to take.

Magala also removed ODI debutant Harry Brook after Nortje saw the back of Ben Duckett, but Roy raced to his hundred in only 79 balls as the boundaries flowed. 

England were 196-4 in the 30th over when Rabada dismissed Roy and Jos Buttler kept them ticking along with a patient 36, but they crumbled after Nortje had the skipper caught behind in a brilliant spell.

Tabraiz Shamsi sealed a stunning win by getting Olly Stone caught and bowled in the 45th over.

Roy returns to form in spectacular fashion

Opener Roy was left out of England's T20 World Cup-winning squad last year, but he showed what he is capable with a powerful knock that included 11 fours and four sixes.

He has now passed the 4,000-run milestone for England in ODIs with 4,106 in total. Among England batters, only Joe Root (91 innings) reached that mark in quicker time than Roy's 105 innings.

Rapid Nortje burst decisive

Van der Dussen was outstanding with the bat as he ensured South Africa posted an imposing total, but it did not look like being enough as England appeared to be cruising to victory.

That was until the rapid Nortje came to the fore with a brilliant spell, taking 3-14 in four overs to turn the tide and rock England. Buttler, David Willey and Archer – out for a duck on his return – all fell to the fired-up fast bowler, who totally changed the game.

Daryl Mitchell bludgeoned a rapid unbeaten half-century before New Zealand's brilliant spinners consigned India to a 21-run defeat in the first T20I of a three-match series.

India condemned the Black Caps to a 3-0 ODI whitewash this week, but the tourists claimed their first victory of the tour in impressive fashion at JSCA International Stadium Complex on Friday.

Conway (52 from 35 balls) and Finn Allen (35 from 23) got New Zealand off to a flying start after they were put in by Hardik Pandya in Ranchi.

Washington Sundar (2-22) and Kuldeep Yadav (1-20) contained the Black Caps, but Mitchell provided the fireworks to get them up to 176-6 by scoring 59 not out from only 30 deliveries.

He took 27 off a nightmare final over from Arshdeep Singh, hitting three consecutive sixes to silence an expectant crowd.

India were in deep trouble on 15-3 in the fourth over of the run chase, Ishan Kishan bowled by a peach of a delivery from Michael Bracewell before Rahul Tripathi and the in-form Shubman Gill fell cheaply.

Newly crowned ICC T20I player of the year Suryakumar Yadav gave India hope with a classy 47, but he was on his way after holing out to Allen when trying to launch Ish Sodhi into the stands.

Stand-in captain Mitchell Santner (2-11) and Bracewell (2-31) bowled beautifully, while Lockie Ferguson (2-33) and Jacob Duffy (1-27) also made their mark as a maiden T20I half-century from Sundar (50no off 28) was in vain with India restricted to 155-9.

It was just a second win in 12 matches against India in the shortest format, giving New Zealand – without the likes of Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult – a 1-0 lead in the series.

Consistent Conway and Mitchell give Black Caps upper hand

Conway has been a revelation in all formats for the Blacks Caps since making his debut in 2020, and he continues to churn out the runs.

He laid the foundations for an imposing total with a ninth T20I half-century, finding the rope seven times and clearing it once before being dismissed by Arshdeep in the 18th over.

Mitchell then took centre stage, taking Arshdeep's bowling apart with final-over fireworks as he hit five sixes in all to register a fourth T20I half-century and give New Zealand the momentum.

New Zealand spin in to win it

The New Zealand spinners were outstanding, generating sharp turn and giving little away.

Bracewell set the standard, cleaning up Kishan with a brilliant delivery that pitched around middle and struck the left-hander's off stump.

Skipper Santner bowled 18 dot balls, while he saw the back of Gill – superb in the ODI series – and had Deepak Hooda stumped before running out Shivam Mavi with a direct hit.

Bernard Laporte resigned as president of the French Rugby Federation on Friday as his hopes of returning to power in time for the Rugby World Cup crumbled.

The former France head coach stepped back from his latest position with the federation (FFR) in December after being given a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine for corruption.

He denied wrongdoing and intends to appeal against his court punishments, which meant the FFR did not immediately oust Laporte and instead decided to render him effectively powerless pending the attempt to clear his name.

Sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera called for Laporte to go in December, however, and he chose to permanently step down in the wake of clubs this week voting against his choice of president-delegate, Patrick Buisson.

Around 2,000 clubs took part in the vote, with 51.06 per cent saying they did not approve of Laporte proposing Buisson for the interim role.

The Rugby World Cup gets under way in France in September, and Laporte, president since 2016, had appeared eager to be back in charge of the FFR by then.

Les Bleus won the Grand Slam last year, and Laporte departs just eight days before the 2023 Six Nations begins.

Reports said Laporte delivered news of his resignation to the FFR executive committee on Friday morning at a meeting in Marcoussis, on the outskirts of Paris.

Oudea-Castera later told reporters: "I can give you confirmation of the resignation of Bernard Laporte. I welcome this decision, it was necessary at the end of this consultation in which the clubs were massively mobilised.

"The ethics committee played its role of supervision in this time of consultation which went well with dignified debates. Bernard Laporte drew the conclusions, which is a good thing for French rugby, its values ​​and the future."

Laporte stepped down from his role as vice-chairman of World Rugby within hours of his conviction in December, which also saw him banned from rugby involvement for two years pending the outcome of any appeal.

Laporte was released without charge on Tuesday of this week after being detained as part of a tax fraud investigation.

His lawyer, Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, told the AFP news agency that Laporte had "neither been accused of having defrauded nor of having received any money".

Roberto De Zerbi feels it would be in Moises Caicedo's best interests to stay at Brighton and Hove Albion until the end of the season after Arsenal reportedly failed with a big-money bid for the midfielder.

The Gunners are said to have tabled a £60million offer for Caicedo, but the Seagulls are eager to ensure the 21-year-old is still at the club when the transfer window closes next Tuesday.

Chelsea are also keen on the Ecuador international and had a bid of their own turned down last week.

The Seagulls have already lost Leandro Trossard to Premier League leaders Arsenal last week after the Belgium winger fell out with De Zerbi.

Seagulls head coach De Zerbi has urged the in-demand Caicedo to remain at the Amex Stadium – for the time being at least.

The Italian said: "I think he's [Caicedo] a good guy. He's focused only on Brighton. I hope he can stay with us until the end of the season because, in my opinion, it's the best solution for him and us. 

"I can understand the other big teams want our young players – [Alexis] Mac Allister, Caicedo, [Kaoru] Mitoma, [Solly] March – but the decision is for the players and the club.

"I spoke with him on Wednesday and I told him my opinion.

"I think it's always difficult to change inside the season because you can find more problems. It is important to stay another four months."

Quizzed about his conversations with Caicedo, De Zerbi added: "He's relaxed. He’s a good guy. I spoke with him like a father, not like a coach.

"I understand when one player has the possibility to change teams and go to a very big team, but my work is to give the style of play and also advice for his career and his life."

Rory McIlroy put himself firmly in the mix at the Dubai Desert Classic after a flourish that disguised the "rusty" golf he feared would put him way down the leaderboard.

The lucrative DP World Tour event was again hit by wet weather on Friday, after a six-hour delay on Thursday, and with McIlroy among many in the field yet to begin the second round, organisers decided it would be extended to finish on Monday rather than Sunday.

McIlroy got his work for the day done in the morning at Emirates Golf Club, polishing off an opening round he left in a promising place overnight, having reached two under through 15 holes and given himself a short-range putt at the next that he elected to leave for Friday.

The world number one made that putt, then holed out from 107 yards for eagle at the eighth hole, his 17th, and finished with another birdie to complete a six-under 66 for what was a share of the lead at the time.

McIlroy summed up his performance on Thursday as "honestly not very good", so he was thankful to shoot such a low score.

"I struggled out there most of yesterday," McIlroy said. "I thought did I well to be under par by the end of the day. I fought back after some very sloppy rusty golf over the first 14 holes.

"And then today I came out and I don't really know if anything clicked because I don't think I hit enough shots to know. But it was definitely needed. I would have been happy with anything around 70 the way I played, and then to come in and shoot 66 is quite the bonus."

American Patrick Reed, involved in a pre-tournament spat with McIlroy and alleged to have thrown a tee at his rival, joined the Northern Irishman on six under through the opening 18 holes thanks to a 15-foot eagle putt at the last.

Reed, who missed the cut in Abu Dhabi last week, said: "I'm obviously really happy with the way I played. I felt like last week wasn't really a reflection of all the hard work I've been doing in the off-season.

"To come out this week and feel like I was able to put everything together and to have my mind right on game planning and course management was definitely a plus. I feel like I had full control of the golf ball and made a couple of putts."

Reed and McIlroy will play their second rounds on Saturday, but others began their second circuits before darkness brought an end to Friday's play.

The first-round joint lead was snatched away from Reed and McIlroy by Swedish amateur Ludvig Aberg and Englishman Ian Poulter, who both carded seven-under 65s.

Aberg then stumbled in the early stages of his second round, slipping back to five under through seven holes, but Poulter had a share of the overnight lead on eight under after making birdie at the third, the last hole he completed.

Alongside Poulter was fellow English veteran Richard Bland, who followed a 67 by picking up three shots in the opening four holes of his second round.

Spain's Angel Hidalgo held third place on seven under after he followed a 66 with an early birdie in round two, while South African Louis de Jager joined McIlroy and Reed in a share of fourth position.