Sports News Roundup: James takes over the lead in All-Star fan voting;WADA requests CAS ruling on Russia's ban and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Golf: Reed's lawyer asks analyst Chamblee to back off critical comments

Golfer Patrick Reed's lawyer has sent a letter to the Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee that the analyst says "hints at legal action" over recent critical remarks about the 2018 Masters champion. Chamblee confirmed to Reuters on Thursday that he had received a letter in the wake of last month's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where Reed incurred a two-stroke penalty for improving his lie in a sandy waste bunker.

Tennis: Wozniacki ends Goerges' Auckland run

Caroline Wozniacki ended not only her hex at the hands of Julia Goerges but also the German's 12-match unbeaten run in New Zealand's largest city on Friday to join good friend Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic. Wozniacki, who has been ever-present at the tournament since 2015, had lost her two previous matches in Auckland to the two-time defending champion Goerges, including in the final in 2018.

NBA: James takes over the lead in All-Star fan voting

LeBron James surpassed Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to take the lead in fan voting for the 2020 All-Star Game. In the second fan, returns released Thursday, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar had 82,001 more votes than Western Conference runner-up Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and 100,488 more votes than the Eastern Conference leader Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Golf: Dye, designer of famous island green hole, dead at 94

Golf course architect Pete Dye, best known for designing the famous island green par-three hole at the TPC Sawgrass in Florida, died on Thursday aged 94, his company announced on Twitter. Dye designed more than 100 courses, including Whistling Straits in Wisconsin which will host this year's Ryder Cup, but it was the island green 17th hole at the course that hosts the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach for which he was best known.

Reports: NFL investigating if Bills violated reporting rules

A tweet by Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes explaining that he played with torn ligaments in his wrist has the NFL looking into whether the team violated rules on reporting injuries, according to multiple reports. Hughes shared the injury news on social media this week in the wake of the Bills' 22-19 loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday in the AFC wild-card round. Doping:

WADA requests CAS ruling on Russia's ban

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) formally asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday to rule on Russia's four-year ban for doping, after the agency handed down the punishment for manipulating laboratory data. The move was expected after the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) sent a letter to WADA last month formally disputing the punishment, which bars Russia from competing in this year's summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 winter Games in Beijing.

Woods to take first stab at record 83rd victory at Farmers Insurance Open

Tiger Woods will have his first crack at securing a record-setting 83rd PGA Tour victory in two weeks in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, the former world number one said on Thursday. Woods, who tied Sam Snead at the top of the all-time PGA Tour wins list when he triumphed at the Zozo Championship in Japan last October, has won eight times at Torrey Pines with his most recent triumph there coming at the 2008 U.S. Open.

NFL notebook: Ingram getting closer to return

Baltimore Ravens running back Mark Ingram II returned to practice Thursday and participated for the first time since injuring his calf in Week 16 -- albeit mostly limited work with the rehab group. Ingram is listed as questionable for Saturday's AFC divisional game against the Tennessee Titans. Tight end Mark Andrews (ankle) also is questionable.

Golf: Rising star Morikawa tames strong winds to lead in Hawaii

Collin Morikawa displayed a wise head beyond his 22 years in strong winds to vault to a two-shot lead after his opening round at the Sony Open in Hawaii on Thursday. The Californian handled the windswept conditions with aplomb, though riding his luck at times after some errant drives while running up five birdies in a five-under-par 65 at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Djokovic pulls Serbia into ATP Cup semi-final after surviving Shapovalov challenge

Serbia's Novak Djokovic battled through a stirring challenge from rising Canadian star Denis Shapovalov on Friday to propel his country into the semi-finals of the inaugural ATP Cup team event in Sydney with a 4-6 6-1 7-6(4) victory. It was Djokovic's fifth victory over the 20-year-old Canadian in as many clashes but by far the toughest, after Shapovalov controlled significant portions of the match played in Australia's intense summer heat.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)