The Chicago Cubs have re-signed manager and former World Series hero David Ross for at least two more seasons after two relatively positive campaigns under his watch.
Ross, who guided the Cubs to a division win with a 34-26 record in the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, had different expectations this past season after the organisation opted to trade star players Kris Bryant, Javi Baez and Anthony Rizzo with an eye towards the future.
With a slew of young prospects, and plenty to prove, bookmakers have the Cubs at 100-1 to win the next World Series, indicating that Ross' extension will hopefully provide stability and a consistent voice throughout this rebuild.
The two-year extension through 2024 also includes a third-year team option, which means the organisation can tack on an extra year if things are trending in the right direction.
Ross finished his playing career with the Cubs, hitting a home run in game seven of the 2016 World Series to help break a 108-year championship drought for the franchise.
The Players Championship could drag into Tuesday due to bad weather at TPC Sawgrass, tournament chief referee Gary Young has said.
Five hours of play was lost on day one on Thursday and the 49th edition of the competition in Florida was further disrupted on Friday.
Play was initially suspended at 11:15 local time before round one could be completed, with confirmation following that it would not resume until at least 11:00 on Saturday.
A Monday finish now seems a likely outcome, though the event may yet stretch into a sixth day.
"The potential is there. The potential, but let's hope not," Young said at a news conference.
"I think everything that we're looking at, we feel very confident that we can finish this tournament by Monday."
More thunderstorms, rain and strong wind is forecast for Saturday, forcing tournament officials to put contingency plans in place.
"We're going to make some adjustments to prepare for that overnight," Young added.
"The superintendent and his crew are going to need proper time to pick up debris, get the golf course back in condition. So there's a lot of variables involved.
"I'm talking a little bit about scenarios down the road, but I want to be careful about too many expectations.
"It is highly, highly unusual to have this [weather] pattern for this prolonged period at this time of the year, looking back at the historical data on it. It's just bad luck."
Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge lead at six under par after finishing their rounds as scheduled on Thursday.
Brice Garnett also reached six under with five holes to complete once play resumes.
The likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson are among those yet to complete their first rounds.
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has tested positive for COVID-19, in a blow to his preparations for the first grand prix of the Formula One season.
The team expect the 32-year-old Australian to be out of isolation in time to compete at the Bahrain Grand Prix, with the race scheduled for Sunday, March 20.
The news still comes at an unfortunate time for McLaren, who are looking to build upon their fourth-place finish in last year's constructors' championship.
Ricciardo's positive test was confirmed on Friday's second day of pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.
"McLaren Racing can confirm that after feeling unwell from Wednesday onwards in Bahrain, Daniel Ricciardo has now returned a positive PCR test for COVID-19," a team statement read.
"Daniel is therefore continuing to isolate in accordance with local regulations.
"Under these regulations Daniel will be released in time for next weekend's Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Daniel is already beginning to feel better, and we wish him well for a quick recovery.
"Following this, we can confirm that Lando Norris will remain in the MCL36 for the final day of the official pre-season test in Bahrain tomorrow."
Ricciardo said on Twitter that he was already "starting to feel better".
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner labelled Mercedes' new car as "extreme" but insisted it "ticks all the boxes" as a legal design.
Mercedes unveiled their W13 car on the first day of the pre-season testing session in Bahrain, with their new design featuring minimalistic vertical sidepods on either side of the cockpit.
Horner, who regularly battled with the world champions last season, reportedly told German outlet Auto Motor und Sport that the car was "not legal", but he has since clarified his comments.
"I think comments have been quoted that certainly weren't made," Horner said at Friday's news conference. "The car is obviously innovative, it's an interesting solution.
"As far as we're concerned it looks like the Mercedes car complies with the regulations. It's just a different interpretation, a different solution."
Horner was also quoted as suggesting the 'no side pod car' breached the spirit of Formula One rules, but the 48-year-old believes his words were misconstrued once more.
"There's not really anything that defines the spirit of the regulations, it either complies or it doesn't," he added.
"That's not really for us to judge, the FIA have the access to all of the drawings for a design like that which would have been submitted in advance. It's an interesting concept, it's a radical concept."
While impressed with the concept, Horner wants to wait and see whether it aids Mercedes on the track.
"Is it quick or not? Only time will tell. It's impossible to draw any conclusions other than it looks very different," he continued.
"Visually it is quite a departure from the concepts that certainly we've taken and a few others have taken.
"That's not to say it's naturally better or worse, it's just a different interpretation and compromises have been made with their layout to accommodate that."
Mercedes will look to defend their title at the start of the new campaign, which gets underway in Bahrain on March 20, but Horner believes Ferrari will be the team to beat in 2022.
"For me, the car that looks most settled on the circuit is the Ferrari," Horner said.
"I think they've had a very strong testing period so far, both in Barcelona and in Bahrain. They've looked extremely competitive whenever on track.
"But you have to remember these cars are still very immature, the rate of development will be very fast and intense. Mercedes are going to be a huge factor in this championship, I have no doubt."
Novak Djokovic is set to appear at next month's Monte Carlo Masters after his vaccination status left him unable to compete at Indian Wells.
The world number two has been forced to sit out the first Masters event of the year after not meeting the vaccination requirements to enter the United States, having been deported from Australia ahead of January's Australian Open for similar reasons.
Now, a post on the 20-time grand slam champion's official website suggests he will appear on the clay surface in Monaco, where the 34-year-old resides.
Monaco currently allows those who have recovered from COVID-19 in the previous six months to enter the city-state, with Djokovic claiming to have suffered from the virus in December.
"Novak will open his 2022 clay court season in Monte-Carlo, where he won the Masters 1000 title twice, in 2013 and 2015," the post reads.
The tournament now looks set to be the second to feature Djokovic in 2022 after he lost at the quarter-finals stage of last month's Dubai Tennis Championships.
The Monte Carlo Masters begins on April 10, lasting until April 17, and Djokovic will be looking to make amends after exiting last year's tournament to Dan Evans in the last 16.
Rafael Nadal, who overtook Djokovic for the most men's singles grand slam titles with his January triumph in Australia, holds the record for the most successes in Monaco, winning the tournament on 11 occasions.
Meanwhile, with France having loosened its travel restrictions for unvaccinated people this month, Djokovic will now hope to use the Monaco outing as preparation for a first grand slam appearance of the year at Roland Garros.
The Serbian now looks increasingly likely to be permitted to defend his 2021 French Open title in May after travel restrictions had originally cast doubt on his participation.
England are "really optimistic" Maro Itoje will be fit for Saturday's Six Nations showdown with Ireland.
The British and Irish Lions lock has been struggling with illness ahead of the round four clash at Twickenham.
Red Rose forwards coach Matt Proudfoot provided an encouraging update on Itoje on the eve of the game.
He said: "Maro was a little sick overnight so we're just giving him an opportunity to recover, but we're really optimistic he’ll be alright."
England prop Kyle Sinckler recovered from a back injury and will start against second-placed Ireland.
"Kyle fully trained. He had a great training session and looked really good," Proudfoot said.
England and Ireland have won two and lost one of their three matches ahead of a huge encounter in London.
Proudfoot says Eddie Jones' side are in great shape as they battle to win the title.
"For us it's a great opportunity to go after them. The team has trained really, really well and every week it’s got more and more competitive," he said.
"The preparation has been great and when they walked off the field today (Friday), you could see the confidence in the eyes of the players.
"We know we've got to go after them. Ireland have been together for a big part of the year because of their large Leinster contingent, so we know they have that as an advantage, but we're eager for the opportunity.
"It tends to be the deeper you go into the Six Nations, it gets more and more intense. This is probably going to be the most intense game we've played since the Springboks."
Sara Misir, the Caribbean’s first Formula Woman finalist, earned herself a top-four spot and has made the Formula Woman team that will compete for McLaren in the GT Cup Championships for 2022.
Russell Wilson joining the Denver Broncos is exactly what the team needed, says wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
After Aaron Rodgers opted to stay with the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos – who had been seen as a possible landing spot for the back-to-back NFL MVP – instead struck a blockbuster trade deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos, who went 7-10 in 2021, will send a package of picks including two first-round selections to Seattle along with players, with quarterback Drew Lock among those to move in the other direction.
Even with Seattle's struggles as they themselves went 7-10 last season, Wilson still ranked sixth in big plays (25+ yards) passing with 36.
He now joins an offense boasting an extremely talented receiving corps featuring Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and Tim Patrick.
With Denver also having a competitive defense, they were seen as being an elite QB away from contending, which Sutton hopes has been addressed with nine-time Pro Bowler and former Super Bowl winner Wilson arriving.
"We're so excited," Sutton told NFL Network. "Our room, an offense, team, we've had a lot of guys come in and contribute and every step that we've had, it's been appreciated.
"But to be able to have Russ come in and, having had the success that he's had, having the knowledge that he has, for us as young guys, all the young talent that we have, that's what we need.
"We need that guy who is going come in and be who he is, what he already brings to the table. We're excited.
"It sets the tempo for our entire team – everyone understands the time we are on now."
Wilson becomes the latest top-tier quarterback in a loaded AFC West that also includes Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, Los Angeles Chargers sensation Justin Herbert and Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chiefs have won the division for six straight seasons while the Chargers have just traded for star pass-rusher Khalil Mack to further boost a roster which is led by the impressive Herbert.
Sutton therefore is under no illusions that success will come easily despite the arrival of Wilson.
"We haven't been able to handle the West as we should and as we would like to," he said.
"Getting Russ is definitely going to put us in that spot that we want to be in. It's on us to go out there and put that work together.
"All these things sound really good, on paper but it's on us to go put this work in, all the way from now to the beginning of the season to be able to put ourselves in that spot to be able to say we are the best in the West.
"It's not just gonna be something that's given to us because we picked up Russ. It's on us, all of us, to put that work together and take it to that next level, max out that potential."
Wilson threw for 37,059 passing yards, 292 touchdowns and 87 interceptions during his Seahawks career.
During his 10 seasons with Seattle, only three quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson (8.32), Patrick Mahomes (8.10) and Peyton Manning (7.89) averaged more pass yards per attempt than Wilson's 7.83.
He also ranked fourth in touchdown percentage (6.2) and third in passing plays of 25+ yards (323).
Eddie Hearn says "caged lion" Anthony Joshua wants to fight the likes of Deontay Wilder, Luis Ortiz or Joe Joyce before a rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk outclassed Joshua last September to win the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight titles.
With Usyk in Ukraine to defend his country following the Russian invasion, Joshua must wait for a second fight with the 35-year-old.
Hearn, Joshua's promoter, says Joshua is eager for a big challenge before doing battle with Usyk again.
"If we can't fight him in May or early June, we would like an interim fight before we go into the Usyk fight," he told the 5 Live Boxing podcast.
"AJ's idea of an interim bout is very different to mine. An interim bout while you're waiting should be a nice little stroll in the park.
"He's messaging me saying: 'What about Wilder? What about Otto Wallin? What about Luis Ortiz? What about Joe Joyce?'
"But this is AJ all over. He's like a caged lion."
Hearn added: "The most important thing is he rematches Oleksandr Usyk. He's turned down a lot of money not to and he's not about to let that opportunity go.
"I think now's the time to have an easy touch. He doesn't. He wants to prepare. Maybe Ortiz, maybe Wilder in that southpaw gearing him up for Usyk.
"I expect if he does have an interim, knowing Anthony Joshua, it'll be a real fight."
Stephen Curry said "I'm going to enjoy it for sure" after surpassing 20,000 career NBA points in the Golden State Warriors' defeat of the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
The superstar shooter needed 28 to reach the milestone and finished with 34 in the 113-102 triumph, with 24 of those coming in a resurgent second half.
It was a textbook three-pointer from just inside the midcourt logo at the end of the third quarter that brought up the latest achievement, the shot measuring in at an impressive 33 feet.
Consequently, Curry becomes the 49th player in NBA history to rack up 20,000 points and Antawn Jamison (20,042) and Tom Chambers (20,049) are within his sights in the coming days on the all-time highest scorers list.
Curry intends to celebrate the latest impressive addition to a career resume that includes three NBA titles and two MVP accolades.
"A wise man once said 'celebrate all the little moments that happen','" Curry said.
"I've done something that only 48 other people have done at this level and that's pretty crazy. I'm going to enjoy it for sure.
"This whole year has kinda been a steady reminder of just how blessed I am to play this game at the highest level, to be healthy, still enjoy the game and still love what I do.
"I don't see that changing any time soon but also, just a reminder that all the work you put in, everybody that helped you get to this point.
"Any accomplishment that you do, whether individually or as a team, is special. You work every day to keep getting better. The longer you stay at this level good things will continue to happen.
"I've been blessed to play this game and do it with some amazing people with hopefully a lot more to come. It's pretty special for sure."
The Warriors sit fourth in the Western Conference with a 45-22 record and face defending NBA champions the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
France are rolling towards a possible Grand Slam as they arrive in Cardiff for game four in their Six Nations mission, but Fabien Galthie's team must not switch off now.
The championship may yet see a France versus England title decider at the Stade de France next weekend, but whether 'Le Crunch' proves crucial will hinge on results this time around.
A mighty Welsh effort in Cardiff could knock the French juggernaut off course, while Ireland will believe they can achieve a result at Twickenham.
Scotland and Italy, meanwhile, tussle in Rome. That was once typically a Wooden Spoon decider; this time, the Scots are heavy favourites.
Ahead of the fourth round of fixtures, Stats Perform previews each match with help from Opta.
WALES V FRANCE
FORM
Wales have lost each of their last two meetings with France in the Six Nations, after winning seven of their previous eight clashes in the championship. France's 27-23 win at the Principality Stadium two years ago was their first success in Cardiff in the competition since 2010, and France have not won back-to-back away games against Wales since reeling off four in a row from 2000 to 2006.
Wayne Pivac's Wales won at home against Scotland last month but have lost on the road to Ireland and England. The Welsh have pulled off 10 wins from their last 11 matches in Cardiff in the Six Nations, with France the only side to beat them during that sequence.
This France team are living up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites and have won their last six Test matches, their best run since also winning six on the bounce in 2006. They have not won more consecutive internationals since a run of eight in 2004, which included a victory in Cardiff.
ONES TO WATCH
Among players to hit 20 or more attacking rucks in this season's Six Nations, Wales' Ross Moriarty has the best ruck effectiveness rate, cleaning out the opposition or securing possession at 96 per cent of the attacking rucks he has hit (27 of 28). Moriarty is not a starter this week, as Pivac rings the changes, but will surely have a role to play off the bench.
France's Damian Penaud would have been a strong contender here, having beaten 10 defenders in this year's Six Nations, the joint most of any player alongside Scotland's Darcy Graham, with Penaud also achieving a championship-best tackle evasion rate of 77 per cent. Penaud is ruled out by a COVID-19 positive test, so can his fellow wings Yoram Moefana and Gabin Villiere prove as elusive?
ITALY V SCOTLAND
FORM
There was a time when Scotland dreaded facing Italy, but those days appear long gone. The Scots have won their last six matches against the Azzurri in the Six Nations, last losing at Murrayfield in 2015. Prior to this dominant era, Scotland had won nine and Italy had won seven of their first 16 clashes in the championship. The Scots have won their last four away games against Italy.
Italy's losing run in the competition has now reached a dismal 35 games, and that Murrayfield victory seven years ago was their last success. Kieran Crowley's team have failed to score a try in their last two Six Nations games, the first time this has happened for Italy since they went on a run of three games without a try in the 2009 championship.
Ali Price is set to win his 50th cap for Scotland. The Glasgow Warriors scrum-half has scored just one try in his seven appearances against Italy, although he has four try assists across his last two Tests against the Azzurri.
ONES TO WATCH
Michele Lamaro has made 59 tackles in this year's Six Nations, at least 13 more than any other player. That is the upside. The downside is that he has also missed the most tackles of any player (13); however, only one of those missed tackles led to a break, with the other 12 seeing the opposition player tackled by a team-mate.
By contrast, Scotland's Hamish Watson has made 31 tackles without missing one so far in this year's competition. Only Ireland's Caelan Doris has made more without missing (36/36). Watson has now made 180 tackles in the championship since his last miss, which came back in 2019 against England.
ENGLAND V IRELAND
FORM
England have tended to like this fixture of late, having won four of their last five home games against Ireland in the Six Nations. A 24-15 defeat in 2018 was the exception in this run which started in 2012. England have also won 22 of their last 25 home matches – taking all opponents into account – in the Six Nations (D1, L2).
Yet Ireland are the only side that England have a losing record against in the Six Nations era, winning just 45 per cent of their meetings in the championship (W10, L12).
Whoever leads at half-time seems nailed on for the win. None of the previous 22 Six Nations matches between England and Ireland have seen an interval deficit overturned to bring about a victory for the trailing team.
ONES TO WATCH
England's Marcus Smith is the leading points scorer so far in this year's championship. He has 48 points, meaning Smith is two shy of becoming the fifth different England player to notch up 50 points in an edition of the Six Nations (Jonny Wilkinson 7 times, Toby Flood once, Owen Farrell 6 times, George Ford once).
Ireland's Doris has been a 'nuisance' (slowing the opposition ball) at more rucks (7) than any other player in this year's tournament, Opta data shows.
Wild card Nick Kyrgios admitted he was "pretty good" as he won in the opening round at the Indian Wells Masters over Sebastian Baez on Thursday.
The Australian cruised past Baez in one hour and 12 minutes, winning 6-4 6-0 to secure a second-round meeting with another Argentine, 32nd seed Federico Delbonis.
Kyrgios, who had not competed since January's Australian Open, was full of his typical flair, highlighted by 27-15 winners and 12-1 aces.
"When I play good, I'm pretty good," Kyrgios said after the match. "I'm just going back to basics."
Fabio Fognini made history in his 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Pablo Andujar, with his 392th career ATP win clocking up the most ever for an Italian, surpassing Adriano Panatta.
Compatriot Lorenzo Musetti also progressed on Thursday with a 6-3 7-5 win over American Marcos Giron.
Rising American talent Jenson Brooksby defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-4, while countryman and wild card Jack Sock brushed aside Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-1 6-1 in little over an hour.
Pedro Martinez made light work of Joao Sousa 6-4 7-5, while Tomas Machec got past Alexei Popyrin 6-3 7-5.
Naomi Osaka produced a spirited performance as she defeated Sloane Stephens in three sets at Indian Wells on her return to the court.
Osaka was in action for the first time since a shock early exit at the Australian Open in January, but she ultimately had too much for Stephens in a 3-6 6-1 6-2 success.
Stephens initially looked the sharper of the two former major champions in the second-round clash, impressively taking a first-set lead, but Osaka found her groove after a slow start to level the contest.
Osaka then had to save three break points at 2-0 down in the decider, and that appeared to inspire another surge as she rattled off six successive games to roar to an emphatic win.
Shelby Rogers got past Nuria Parrizas-Dias in almost three hours, winning 6-1 5-7 7-6 (7-3), and last week's Monterrey Open runner-up Camila Osorio retired down 6-4 5-0 against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Yulia Putintseva got past Ashlyn Krueger 6-3 6-2 and Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk won in three hours and nine minutes over Maryna Zanevska 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5.
Last month's Abierto Zapopan runner-up Marie Bouzkova eased past China's Wang Qiang 6-3 7-6 (7-5), while American Amanda Anisimova defeated compatriot Emma Navarro 6-2 6-2.
The Brooklyn Nets silenced the Philadelphia crowd that came to jeer Ben Simmons on his return to the Wells Fargo Center in a surprise blowout 129-100 win over the 76ers on Thursday.
Kevin Durant top scored with 25 points along with 14 rebounds and seven assists, while Seth Curry – who was also involved in last month's trade which saw Simmons and James Harden swapped sides – added 24 points with five steals.
Kyrie Irving landed five three-pointers for his 22 points along with five assists, while Harden endured a difficult night against his former teammates.
Harden only managed 11 points, shooting three-of-17 from the field, with six rebounds and five assists. Joel Embiid had 27 points with 12 rebounds for the 76ers.
Simmons did not play, sitting on the Nets bench and enduring boos, but his teammates did their best to silence the home crowd by opening up a 21-point half-time lead.
The win boosted the Nets' playoffs hopes, improving their record to 34-33, while the 76ers are third in the east with a 40-25 record.
Curry reaches milestone in GSW win
Stephen Curry reached 20,000 career NBA points as the Golden State Warriors reaffirmed their top three status in the west with a 113-102 win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets, playing their fourth game in five days, led by 14 points in third quarter but fell away, with Nikola Jokic (23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists) entering foul trouble.
Curry finished with a game-high 34 points including three three-pointers, shooting 11-of-21 from the field, while Jordan Poole drained two clutch triples in the final minute as the Warriors went on a late 13-0 run.
The win makes it back-to-back victories for Golden State who improve to 45-22 after recent wobbly form, while the Nuggets are 40-27 with their four-game winning run ended.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant said he was happy to quiet the raucous Philadelphia crowd after downing the 76ers 129-100 on the road.
It was one of the most highly-anticipated regular season fixtures in some time after James Harden and Ben Simmons sensationally switched teams just weeks ago, with Philadelphia undefeated in five games with Harden in the lineup.
With the game taking place in Philadelphia, Brooklyn guard Kyrie Irving was allowed to play, with his inability to play in home games due to New York’s vaccine mandate reportedly a major factor in Harden’s desire to move on from the situation.
Durant said that the chants, particularly aimed at new Net Ben Simmons who had an acrimonious split with the 76ers, died down after Brooklyn took a 21-point lead into half-time.
"It was good to quiet them all down mid-way through the game," Durant told TNT. "It was very quiet towards the end – we ain’t hear no more Ben Simmons chants from the 76ers fans, there were more Nets fans here than anything."
Later on in the post-game news conference, Durant touched on the poor performance of his former teammate after Harden finished with 11 points, shooting 3-17 from the field.
"He relies a lot on the free throw line," Durant said. "Getting to the rim and getting to the free throw line gets him in rhythm, and we didn’t let him do that.
"He was three-of-17 – he was trying to get to the rim, but we were all there swarming.
"He hit a few open threes – but you know – when he’s getting to the rim, and getting downhill and to the free-throw line, that’s when they’re tough to stop, and we eliminated a lot of that stuff."
He sure is. pic.twitter.com/v4vOEI30UN
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 11, 2022
While he downplayed the importance of a regular season game in March, Durant said the Nets were aware of the hostility that would meet Simmons, and that he was determined to make it a night to remember for his new teammate.
"I think all of us were [trying to quiet the crowd] – we look at Ben as our brother," he said.
"We knew this would be a hostile environment, and that he didn’t have the opportunity to play, so we wanted to come out there and get [the crowd] focused on the court, more-so than [Simmons].
"They were focused on the court tonight – it’s hard to chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by so much."
The Chicago Bears are sending defensive end Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, according to reports.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Chargers were expected to send a 2022 second-round draft pick and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to Chicago in exchange for the six-time Pro Bowler.
Mack has been on the Bears since 2018, recording 12.5 sacks in his first season with the team for a fourth consecutive year in double figures.
Those numbers have tailed off a little since and the 31-year-old only played in seven games in 2021 due to injury.
However, across his Bears career, Mack still ranked as high as 12th league-wide for pressures. He will now line up opposite Joey Bosa, who ranked eighth over the same period.
Mack is also to be reunited with Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who was the Bears' outside linebackers coach in that strong first season in Chicago.
Staley will hope Mack can have a transformative impact for the Chargers' defense, which gave up 27.0 points and 138.9 rushing yards per game last year.
Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge shared the lead at the end of Thursday at The Players Championship, but the pair had not yet seen all of their challengers in action.
Dismal weather in Florida pushed back the start to the opening round and then further delays followed, with heavy rainfall and storms in the area hampering the tournament.
Fleetwood and Hoge were the players best able to negotiate the tricky conditions, although others were yet to start at the close of play.
Big names including Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson were still early in their rounds when play was suspended due to darkness.
Fleetwood, who missed the cut last year after top-10 finishes at The Players in 2018 and 2019, started a little slowly on the back nine but found his rhythm at the turn.
Seven birdies and a bogey saw the Englishman card a six-under 66, which was matched by Hoge – who also started on the back nine – after his eagle at the par-five second.
"For sure, that was the most I could have got out of the round," Fleetwood said. "So, days like that are very, very pleasing."
It could still have been a three-way tie at the top, with Saudi International champion Harold Varner III denied at least a share of the lead by a late-round collapse.
After seven birdies through 16 holes, including five on the back nine, Varner became the first player to find the water at the 17th and signed for a triple-bogey.
That was followed by a bogey at the last that left him three adrift of Fleetwood and Hoge.
"That's what you get a lot out here," Varner said. "Either you get it done or you don't."
Major League Baseball has announced an agreement with the MLB Players Association that will end baseball's lockout in time for the 2022 regular season to start on April 7.
A full 162-game schedule is to be played this year after a new collective bargaining agreement was belatedly secured.
MLB had previously cancelled Opening Day and then games up until April 14 as part of the lockout, vowing a shortened season would be the result, with players not compensated for lost games.
Finally, though, on Thursday, the two sides came to terms on a deal that was ratified by owners in a unanimous 30-0 vote and sets the new season in motion.
And the four series that had been removed from the calendar will now be rescheduled.
Detailed the new CBA, MLB said: "The new five-year CBA includes increased minimum salaries, a new pre-arbitration bonus pool to reward the top young players in the game, a raise in competitive balance tax thresholds, the introduction of a universal designated hitter, the widest-ranging Draft lottery in pro sports, a system to prevent alleged service-time manipulation and limits on the number of times a player can be optioned in a season to address concerns regarding 'roster churn'.
"The deal also includes an expanded 12-team postseason format, bringing playoff baseball to two additional markets each year."
Commissioner Rob Manfred said of the news: "I am genuinely thrilled to say Major League Baseball is back and we're going to play 162 games.
"I want to start by apologising to our fans. I know the last few months have been difficult."
Eddie Jones has told England to attack their clash with Ireland at Twickenham as though they are playing a tournament semi-final.
The hosts' Six Nations hopes rely on them beating Ireland, and both teams head into the game with two wins and a loss from their opening three games.
Head coach Jones has included Sam Simmonds at number eight for the big game in London, with Alex Dombrandt on the bench after recovering from COVID-19.
Courtney Lawes again skippers the team, with vice-captain Tom Curry fit to feature after recovering from a head injury sustained in the win against Wales last time out.
Joe Launchbury features in an England match squad for the first time since December 2020 after being named among the replacements.
Jones said: "We've been looking at this game as a semi-final. Ireland are the most cohesive side in the world right now and it will be a good test this weekend.
"We've prepared really well for this game. We did some good team togetherness work in Bristol and had a solid week of training on the pitch here.
"We are looking forward to going after them in front of a great home crowd at Twickenham."
England can look at the game in a semi-final sense because their last match in the championship will be a tussle with France, who have a 100 per cent record so far, in Paris.
That has the potential to be a title decider, although Andy Farrell's Ireland could undo England's hopes this weekend.
Ireland have made six changes to the side that beat Italy 57-6 last time out, with veteran fly-half Johnny Sexton restored to the starting XV as captain, taking the place of Joey Carbery.
England team: Steward, Malins, Marchant, Slade, Nowell, Smith, Randall; Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Lawes (captain), Curry, Simmonds.
Replacements: Blamire, Marler, Stuart, Launchbury, Dombrandt, Youngs, Ford, Daly.
Ireland team: Keenan, Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe, Sexton (captain), Gibson-Park; Healy, Sheehan, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris.
Replacements: Herring, Kilcoyne, Bealham, Henderson, Conan, Murray, Carbery, Henshaw.
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