Watney stays hot on golf tour

Nick Watney, coming off a one-shot loss to Phil Mickelson at Doral, rolled to a four-under-par 67 Friday at the PGA Tour’s Transitions Championship at Palm Harbor, Fla., to share the 36-hole lead with Steve Stricker.

It will be the third consecutive weekend round that Watney will be in the final group.

Lorena Ochoa shot a seven-under 65 to tie the course record at Huixquilucan, Mexico, and take a two-shot lead in the LPGA Tour’s Mastercard Classic.

MOTOR SPORTS

Martin takes pole at Bristol

Mark Martin won his second consecutive pole with a lap of 125.773 mph around Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, giving him the top starting spot in consecutive races for the first time in 20 years.

Two weeks ago in Atlanta, Martin, 50, became the second-oldest NASCAR driver to win the pole. That pole had been Martin’s first since May 5, 2001, at Richmond, Va.

SOCCER

National team announces roster

Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley headlined a 22-man roster announced for the U.S. World Cup qualifiers at El Salvador on March 28 and against Trinidad and Tobago on April 1 in Nashville.

Goalkeeper Tim Howard is suspended for the match at El Salvador because of an accumulation of yellow cards. The roster includes goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Marcus Hahnemann, who hasn’t played for the national team since 2007.

WINTER SPORTS

Novotny gets a World Cup win

Michal Novotny of the Czech Republic and Maelle Ricker of Canada won snowboardcross events in Valmalenco, Italy. Novotny earned his first World Cup victory in three years, edging runner-up Nick Baumgartner of the United States and David Speiser of Germany.

MISCELLANY

Komlo killed in car crash

A former NFL quarterback who failed to show for sentencing on drunk-driving charges nearly four years ago was killed in a car crash in Greece, authorities said.

The State Department used fingerprints to determine that the victim of the crash was William “Jeff” Komlo, according to Jim Vito, Chester County’s acting chief detective. Vito said he was initially skeptical, concerned because of Komlo’s history that he might have faked his own death. Komlo was under investigation for fires at his home in Chester Springs, Pa., and another home in Palm Beach County, Fla.

Iowa starting defensive end Adrian Clayborn has been charged with assault causing bodily injury, stemming from a Jan. 18 incident in which he allegedly punched a cab driver who honked at him in Iowa City.

A federal judge in San Francisco says she is inclined to deny a former elite cyclist’s bid for a new perjury trial. Tammy Thomas had asked for another trial because of a newly disclosed investigation into allegations that the government’s top sports doping investigator discussed writing a book about the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative scandal.

USC senior Rebecca Soni won the 100-yard breaststroke in 58.36 seconds at the NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships at College Station, Texas. It was her fifth career NCAA title. USC is in ninth place with 116 points.