Wells Fargo Championship

Nick Watney answered what he referred to as a wake-up call at the Wells Fargo Championship by taking the lead. Tiger Woods might need one after missing the cut. Watney had gone nine straight rounds on the PGA Tour without breaking 70 and had failed to crack the top 10 in all nine of his stroke-play tournaments this year. He worked hard to change that, and it paid off Friday with an eight-under 64 that gave him a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson going into the weekend at Charlotte, N.C. A two-time winner last year, Watney had failed to crack the top 30 in a full-field event this year, and missed the cut in New Orleans for his first weekend off at a tournament since July.

LeBron James is getting his fourth Most Valuable Player award - and the only mystery left is whether the vote was unanimous. The Miami Heat star will be introduced Sunday as the award winner, according to a person familiar with the results and who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league has not publicly announced this year's recipient. James will become the fifth player with at least four MVP awards, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Though Tiger Woods might be among the walking wounded, his name now is on the roster for the Players Championship next week in Ponte Vedra Beach. Woods officially entered the PGA Tour's flagship event at midday Friday, ending speculation about his availability after taking himself out of this week's Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina with knee and Achilles' tendon problems. "Looking forward to the competition next week," Woods told his Twitter followers in announcing his entry.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The week off before the Masters didn't work, the Phrankenwood club and the jumbo grip club didn't work and, well, basically nothing worked for Phil Mickelson at the Masters. The three-time champion closed with a one-over 73 on Sunday, leaving him at nine over for the event. Mickelson didn't crack 70 in any round, and the uncertainty that worried him entering the week dogged him all weekend. "I just had an off year, I don't know what to tell you," Mickelson said.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The week off before the Masters didn't work, the Phrankenwood club and the jumbo grip club didn't work and, well, basically nothing worked for Phil Mickelson at the Masters. The three-time champion closed with a one-over 73 on Sunday, leaving him at nine over for the event. Mickelson didn't crack 70 in any round, and the uncertainty that worried him entering the week dogged him all weekend. "I just had an off year, I don't know what to tell you," Mickelson said.

Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee before the New York Yankees lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. The 42-year-old right-hander was carted off the field at Kansas City after twisting his right knee shagging fly balls during batting practice. Manager Joe Girardi revealed the severity of the injury after the game. Royals team doctor Vincent Key diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament after looking at the MRI. Baseball's career saves leader was tracking down a ball hit by Jayson Nix in deep center field when his right knee appeared to buckle a step before the wall.

Webb Simpson , who lives about a mile from the course, emerged from a crowded leaderboard with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. He finished with a three-under 69 for a one-shot lead in the Wells Fargo Championship. Simpson was among seven players who had a share of the lead at some point in the third round. One of them was Rory McIlroy , who can return to No. 1 in the world this week. McIlroy was slowed by a three-putt, but had a 66 and was among those two shots behind.

LeBron James is getting his fourth Most Valuable Player award - and the only mystery left is whether the vote was unanimous. The Miami Heat star will be introduced Sunday as the award winner, according to a person familiar with the results and who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league has not publicly announced this year's recipient. James will become the fifth player with at least four MVP awards, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Tiger Woods did not hold a news conference before this week's Wells Fargo Championship. Instead, he answered questions from fans in a video posted on his website. The questions were submitted through Facebook and Twitter. Writers from around the Tribune Co. discuss whether this is a sign of things to come in sports. Feel free to join the conversation with a comment of your own. Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times Tiger Woods is coming back on the tour this week to play the Wells Fargo Championship, and being such a man of the people he has chosen to answer questions received on his website or his Twitter account rather than do an interview session with actual journalists.  First question came from Beth and it had to do with how many practice rounds he'll play, and he took 14 minutes of questions, more than he would have done for the working media.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Rickie Fowler and the Masters clash. Let us count the ways. First, there is the color thing. Masters green has a pureness that presents a cooling combination of grass and lime. Fowler green, a shirt-and-pants outfit he wore during the first round here Thursday, is a jarring tone of faded emerald overdosed in yellow. Reports that headache pills were handed out in his gallery proved to be unfounded. Then, there is Masters golf and Fowler golf. The Masters is best handled, and usually won, by those who adhere to the cliches.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The way these first two days have played out, the Players Championship could just as easily have been contested about 90 minutes up the highway. Call it the Frederica Golf Club member-guest. All that seems to be missing are their fellow Sea Island denizens — and who knows how many might be heading down for the weekend anyway. "We have a great crew of guys up in Sea Island," said Matt Kuchar, whose four-under-par 68 Friday lifted him alongside neighbor Zach Johnson — and "ringer" Kevin Na — after two rounds at TPC Sawgrass.

When Tiger Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in late March, many speculated that the former No. 1 player in the world had finally righted the ship and rediscovered the swing that used to rule golf. Of course, then he finished 40th in the Masters and missed the cut in last week's Wells Fargo Championship and the questions resurfaced about his revamped swing and recovery from a two-year slide. The Players Championship, which Woods has pulled out of the last two years, would be another testing ground.

Webb Simpson , who lives about a mile from the course, emerged from a crowded leaderboard with a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. He finished with a three-under 69 for a one-shot lead in the Wells Fargo Championship. Simpson was among seven players who had a share of the lead at some point in the third round. One of them was Rory McIlroy , who can return to No. 1 in the world this week. McIlroy was slowed by a three-putt, but had a 66 and was among those two shots behind.

Nick Watney answered what he referred to as a wake-up call at the Wells Fargo Championship by taking the lead. Tiger Woods might need one after missing the cut. Watney had gone nine straight rounds on the PGA Tour without breaking 70 and had failed to crack the top 10 in all nine of his stroke-play tournaments this year. He worked hard to change that, and it paid off Friday with an eight-under 64 that gave him a one-shot lead over Webb Simpson going into the weekend at Charlotte, N.C. A two-time winner last year, Watney had failed to crack the top 30 in a full-field event this year, and missed the cut in New Orleans for his first weekend off at a tournament since July.

Mariano Rivera tore a ligament in his right knee before the New York Yankees lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. The 42-year-old right-hander was carted off the field at Kansas City after twisting his right knee shagging fly balls during batting practice. Manager Joe Girardi revealed the severity of the injury after the game. Royals team doctor Vincent Key diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament after looking at the MRI. Baseball's career saves leader was tracking down a ball hit by Jayson Nix in deep center field when his right knee appeared to buckle a step before the wall.