Digest: Four share second-round lead at Travelers Championship

Golf: Marc Leishman birdied his final hole for a 2-under-par 68 and a share of the second-round lead Friday in the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Leishman, the 2012 winner at TPC River Highlands for his lone PGA Tour title, matched 2015 rookie of the year Daniel Berger, Russell Henley and Tyrone Van Aswegen at 7-under 133. Berger had a 67, Henley shot 65, and Van Aswegen 66.

Four players, including 49-year-old University of Hartford graduate Jerry Kelly, were a shot behind. Blayne Barber had the best round of the day at 64 to top the seven players two strokes back.

“The wind got up a little bit today, so you had to be playing good golf to shoot a really good number,” Leishman said.

U.S. Olympians Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Matt Kuchar remained in contention. Kuchar shot a 67 to move to 4 under. Reed, who turned 26 on Friday, also shot a 67 and was tied with Watson at 3 under. Watson, the defending champion, had a 70.

Seventy-three player made the cut by shooting even par or better.

“If you’re close to the lead, you’re close to missing the cut,” said Paul Casey, who lost last year in a playoff and was among those tied for ninth place at 5-under.

Day grabs early lead: Monday qualifier Glen Day shot a 7-under 65 in perfect conditions to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ 3M Championship in Blaine, Minnesota.

“Yes, I have a little more motivation as a Monday qualifier,” Day said. “I didn’t play as well today as I did Monday. I had no expectations this week. I just wanted to get into the tournament.”

On Monday, he topped the five qualifiers with a 7-under 64 at nearby Victory Links.

On Friday playing in the first group off the first tee at TPC Twin Cities, the 50-year-old Day had four straight late birdies in his bogey-free round.

Jeff Maggert and Rod Spittle shot 66.

Women’s Amateur semifinals set: South Korea’s Eun Jeong Seong and Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta advanced to the all-international U.S. Women’s Amateur semifinals in Springfield, Pennsylvania, keeping alive their bids for rare season sweeps.

The 16-year-old Seong is trying to become the first player to win the event and U.S. Girls’ Junior in the same season. The 19-year-old Carta – the oldest of the final four – is attempting to become the second player to win the tournament and NCAA individual title in the same year.

The tournament will have the first all-international championship match since 1910, with 15-year-old Yuka Saso of the Philippines and 18-year-old Mathilda Cappeliez of France also advancing.

Security concerns force race cancelation

Cycling: The European road cycling championships in the French city of Nice have been canceled for security reasons.

Nice mayor Philippe Pradal says the Sept. 14-18 event required a large police presence but that city officials had not received “any guarantee” about their deployment.

The European Cycling Union said the decision was “justified on the grounds of safety” and it plans to hold the event on the same dates in another unspecified location.