Graeme McDowell was given a “bad timing” on Friday at the Saudi International, in part because of doing an on-course interview. Under new European Tour rules, if he gets another one over the final two rounds, he will be assessed a one-stroke penalty.

McDowell enters the weekend two shots off the lead. He carded a 2-under 68 in the second round and is at 8 under par, in solo third place.

The former U.S. Open champion, who was grouped with Phil Mickelson and Rafa Cabrera Bello over the first two rounds, did an on-course interview with Sky Sports’ Tim Barter while on the fourth hole – his 13th of the day.

McDowell, who estimated he was 50 yards behind his playing competitors while doing the walk-and-talk, was first to play his approach shot.

"I had 215 yards into the wind," he told reporters on site. "It was a difficult shot."

According to the European Tour, McDowell had 50 seconds to play the shot, but took 84. Because the group had previously been put on the clock for being out of position, McDowell was given his first bad time of the tournament.

European Tour rules allow a player to use one “time out” during a round in order to provide for more time to execute a shot. McDowell said doing so didn’t initially cross his mind.

"It's just the last thing I think of out there,” he said. “I called a time out after I hit the shot, but the referee was not really willing to give me any kind of room for error at all. Then that kind of upset my rhythm for a couple holes."

McDowell said that he is in favor of the tour’s stricter policy regarding slow play and that he also supports on-course interviews. But he doesn’t want one to negatively affect the other.

"Tim is great at his job and I don't want a situation where guys won't give him an interview," McDowell said. "But I called him over and said, ‘You might want to have a word with them,’ because if I'm going to do that for you, which I want to because we are in the entertainment business and I think it's a good thing for views to get an insight into what is happening out on the course, only for the referee to give me a bad time, then everyone is going to say no.”

McDowell went on to par the fourth hole and recorded one birdie and four pars of his final five holes.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – After sputtering out of the gates in defense of his Waste Management Phoenix Open title, Rickie Fowler bounced back in a big way during the second round.

Fowler finally broke through last year at TPC Scottsdale, winning the event after a series of near-misses. But he appeared headed for his second missed cut in as many weeks after an opening-round 74, an afternoon that included seven bogeys. For perspective, he made only five bogeys or worse across 72 holes here last year en route to victory.

But rebounding from what he described as “kind of a fluke,” Fowler carded a 6-under 65 that featured a pair of eagles and ensured he would avoid missing the cut at this event for the first time since 2014.

“I’m happy with today, coming back and playing well on the front nine to make it a little easier,” Fowler said. “Just happy with how we turned the driver around. That allowed us to go do what we did today, and I think we’ve got some low ones in us this weekend.”

Fowler hit only six of 14 fairways during the opening round, but he upped that total to 11 on Friday and needed just 27 putts to complete his round. Starting on the back side, he made a 33-footer for eagle on No. 13 and added a 23-footer two holes later for his second eagle of the on his way to an outward 30.

At 3 under, Fowler still trails Wyndham Clark by nine shots, making a successful title defense unlikely. But after missing his first cut since August last week at Torrey Pines, he’s eager to get two more cracks at a course where he has finished 11^th or better each of the last four years.

“It’s hard to keep the momentum going when you’re having to try and make putts for par,” he said. “Today it was nice to hit more fairways, hit more greens and keep it fairly stress-free and move forward.”

CARSON, Calif. -- FC Dallas midfielder Jesus Ferreira has been cleared to play for the U.S. men's national team, with manager Gregg Berhalter stating that Ferreira will start Saturday's friendly against Costa Rica.

The Colombian-born Ferreira had recently received U.S. citizenship, but a FIFA rule requires naturalized citizens to live in their new country for at least five years after their 18th birthday in order to be eligible to play for that country's national team. The rule was instituted to prevent countries from granting citizenship to players and then instantly allowing them to play internationally.

But in the case of Ferreira, the U.S. applied to FIFA for a waiver on the grounds that the player had lived in the U.S. since he was nine years old, and didn't move to the U.S. in order to further his soccer career.

Ferreira is the son of former FC Dallas and MLS MVP David Ferreira, and Jesus Ferreira hadn't played organized soccer prior to moving to the U.S. with his family. The USSF and Ferreira received word early Friday morning that the waiver had been granted. Ferreira's mother, Yudelmira, will be in attendance on Saturday.

"I'm excited," said Ferreira prior to Friday's training session. "I've been working many years for this opportunity to represent our country. It's been a long [process], a lot of paperwork, but it's finally done. I'm excited to get to work."

Ferreira said he had long dreamt of following in his father's footsteps and playing for Colombia, but the opportunity with the U.S. was the one that presented itself.

"Colombia didn't show any interest. I think opportunity that the U.S. has, they've been looking at me since my academy days. That's what's important. That's what helped me decide."

Ferreira has been taking part in the U.S. team's annual January camp for the last several weeks, and has done plenty to impress Berhalter during that time.

"I think he's doing a great job," said Berhalter on Thursday. "We see him as a No. 9 that can drop down and give you an advantage centrally in the midfield but then still be able to finish off plays. He's got excellent finishing, puts a lot of his shots on goal, he challenges the goalkeeper. We noticed that his accuracy is excellent, and he's got a nose for goal. I think that's a quality that you welcome in your team."

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Bruno Fernandes' arrival at Manchester United does not mean Paul Pogba is set to leave in the summer and insists the pair can play together at Old Trafford.

Fernandes moved to United for an initial £46.5 million on Thursday and is set to make his debut against Wolves on Saturday.

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Pogba is still sidelined with an ankle problem but Solskjaer said Fernandes is not a replacement for the France international, who has been linked with summer moves to Real Madrid and Juventus.

"We want to try to build towards a team that will challenge for the title and trophies so we want to keep our best players," Solskjaer said. "We can play them together.

"Bruno can play with good players yes and he can do absolutely everything.

"He is such a good footballer. He can play with good players around him, he can play in a three-man midfield, he can play as a 10 he can play in off the side, he can play in a diamond, we will give him his time to find his best position."

Fernandes scored 15 goals in 28 games for Sporting Lisbon this season before sealing a move to Old Trafford and Solskjaer is hoping the 25-year-old will add more attacking threat to his squad.

United have lacked goals from midfield and the Norwegian has urged Fernandes to follow in the footsteps of one his former teammates.

"He is a goal scoring and assisting midfielder, a little bit like Paul Scholes," Solskjaer added.

"He can strike a ball fantastically. He has got such a wonderful technique but he also is going to get assists from set-plays and from his range of passes.

"He is a similar type to Scholesy, fiery, passionate, hates losing and same number on the back of the shirt."

Fernandes is Solskjaer's fourth permanent signing as United boss as he looks to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League.

There will be more additions in the summer but Solskjaer has told supporters not to expect an overhaul of the squad.

"It won't be six or seven coming in definitely," Solskjaer said. "It will be a similar windows. But here we go again, January is not even done but we are talking about the summer window. Hopefully we can do our business early on."

Manchester United have signed Odion Ighalo on loan, sources have told ESPN.

The Nigeria striker, 30, will move to Old Trafford from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season but there is no option to buy in the agreement.

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Ighalo, who left Watford in 2017, has been brought in on a short-term deal by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to address the issue caused by Marcus Rashford's absence.

Sources have told ESPN that Shanghai Shenhua also received an offer from Tottenham on deadline day but Ighalo chose to join United, the club he supported as a boy.

He has 18 months' experience in the Premier League with Watford, scoring 16 goals including 15 in 37 games during the 2015-16 campaign.

Ighalo is still in China but is expected to travel to Manchester over the weekend to undergo a medical and sign a contract. Solskjaer turned to Ighalo after missing out on Bournemouth striker Josh King.

United had a loan offer for the Norway striker rejected and also failed to agree a fee for a permanent deal.

Ighalo, 30, spent two-and-a-half seasons in the Premier League with Watford from 2014 to 2017, scoring 20 and 17 goals respectively in his two full campaigns in England.

He left for China to sign for Changchun Yatai in January 2017 before joining Shanghai Greenland Shenhua two years later, where he won the Chinese FA Cup in 2019.

Ighalo becomes their United's January transfer signing after Bruno Fernandes and youth goalkeeper Nathan Bishop.

Dallas Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic has been ruled out for at least the next six games with a right ankle sprain, coach Rick Carlisle told ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM on Friday.

Doncic already was ruled out for Friday's game against Houston as he nurses the injury. He sprained the same ankle earlier this season before returning to practice 10 days later.

The earlier Doncic could be available is a Feb. 10 home game against Utah.

Doncic was injured during a brief scrimmage at the end of Thursday's practice when he stepped on a teammate's foot while driving to the basket.

He suffered the previous sprain when he stepped on the foot of Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn on a drive in the opening minutes of the Mavs' Dec. 14 loss.

Doncic missed four games after the earlier sprain. He would miss six games with this sprain if his recovery takes as long.

Doncic, 20, who was voted to be an All-Star starter, is averaging 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. He also was selected Friday to participate in the Rising Stars game during All-Star Weekend.

The All-Star Game will tip off on Feb. 16, with the Rising Stars game taking place Feb. 14.

The NBA's All-Stars will be playing this year with Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant on their minds and on their jerseys.

So, coming soon: No. 24 Giannis Antetokounmpo and No. 2 LeBron James.

As part of what will be a series of tributes to Bryant and his daughter Gianna, the NBA announced Friday that every player on Team Giannis will wear 24 on his jersey and every player on Team LeBron will wear 2 at this year's All-Star Game.

Kobe Bryant spent the final 10 seasons of his career in a No. 24 jersey. Gianna Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and an outstanding young player, wore No. 2 on her jersey.

All players taking part in All-Star Weekend -- including the Rising Stars game Feb. 14 and the Saturday night events such as the 3-point contest, slam dunk contest and skills competition -- will wear a patch with nine stars to commemorate the nine victims of Sunday's helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

The patches for Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 will also bear the Nos. 2 and 24. The patches for the All-Star Game will be slightly different, showing only the nine stars since players will already be wearing the numbers.

The decision means that almost every All-Star is assured of wearing a different number than usual. The only All-Star who regularly wears 2 or 24 is Kawhi Leonard, who dons No. 2 for the LA Clippers.

Antetokounmpo and James, the captains for the Feb. 16 game in Chicago, will pick their teams this coming Thursday.

"It's been a rough week because of Kobe," said Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo, a first-time All-Star who never met Bryant but was a huge fan and was hoping to meet him at All-Star Weekend this year. "Just going through that, it's been rough."

The plan for the jersey numbers is the second known Bryant-related tribute scheduled for this year's All-Star Game. The NBA has changed the format and will add 24 -- Bryant's last number -- to whatever the leading team's score is after three quarters to set a target score. The first team to hit that target score will win the game.

The patches will pay tribute to John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli; Sarah and Payton Chester; Christina Mauser; and Ara Zobayan in addition to the Bryants. The group was on its way to a basketball tournament where Gianna Bryant was scheduled to play when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed. There were no survivors.

Jersey-related tributes have been many in the days since the crash. Connecticut's women's basketball team displayed a No. 2 jersey for Gianna Bryant -- she was a UConn fan and hoped to play there one day -- on its bench for a game earlier this week against the U.S. national team. Hockey star Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals took the ice this week in a No. 24 jersey as a Bryant tribute; Ovechkin usually wears No. 8, the number Bryant used in his first 10 years with the Los Angeles Lakers.

A number of NBA players have announced that they will no longer wear 8 or 24 in tribute. All-Star Joel Embiid of Philadelphia played in a No. 24 jersey instead of his usual No. 21 earlier this week, his way of showing respect to Bryant. Atlanta All-Star Trae Young, who idolized Bryant, started a game in a No. 8 jersey on Sunday before switching back to his usual No. 11.

Bryant is the No. 4 scorer in NBA history and was an 18-time All-Star during a 20-year career, all with the Lakers. He started 15 of those All-Star Games, a record that will be passed this year when James starts his 16th.

Bryant -- still the youngest All-Star in league history -- was All-Star MVP four times, tying Bob Pettit for the most ever. Bryant's 38 career All-Star steals is another game record.

LOS ANGELES -- Hundreds of thousands of people have cycled through the L.A. Live campus outside Staples Center in the days since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died Sunday in a helicopter crash. Flowers, candles, jerseys, stuffed animals, balloons, letters and other tokens line the street outside the home arena where Bryant starred for the Los Angeles Lakers during his 20-season career.

But as the Lakers prepare to play their first game since Bryant's passing, against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday evening at Staples Center, officials are asking that fans do not visit L.A. Live, where the game will not be shown on the LED screens outside the arena.

"If you do not have a ticket tonight for the Lakers game, do not come down to L.A. Live," said Lee Zeidman, the president of Staples Center, Microsoft Theater and L.A. Live. "Stay home with your loved ones. It's going to be a tremendous emotional tribute to Kobe, Gianna and the seven others and you don't want to miss it. We're not showing it on any LED screens here in downtown Los Angeles, so stay home with your loved ones, watch this tremendous tribute by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Bryant family and the others who lost their lives and hug your loved ones tonight, because you just never know."

Zeidman said L.A. Live has been honored by the massive tribute to not only Kobe and Gianna but also the others who lost their lives.

"We fully believed this is where people needed to be and needed to come and we felt that it was our duty to provide that outlet to everybody, and it's worked phenomenally," he said.

Zeidman estimated that the total number of visitors has been "in the hundreds of thousands" in the 24-hour cycle every day since Sunday's crash. He also shared details about what will happen with all the items that have been left outside Staples Center.

"Our plan now is to start to ramp down after the Super Bowl," he said. "We're going to catalog all the items, i.e., the basketballs, the letters, the jerseys, the toys, the stuffed animals, and we're going to box those up and we're going to give them to Vanessa Bryant and the girls.

"We're going to take all the perishables, i.e., the flowers and the plants, and we're going to do something that they did [after] the tragic Manchester bombing [in 2017] where Ariana Grande was singing. Our plan is to get with a company and grind up all those flowers into mulch and spread it around L.A. Live and Staples Center in our planters, because we felt what they did was a tremendous tribute.

"This means that all that love and outpouring from all the fans who have brought things down here to donate will still be here around our campus when we're done."

He added, "Once we catalog all that and put it together and get it ready for them, we will assess where we are. We plan on putting signs out Monday morning that due to other contractually obligated events, please do not bring items down to L.A. Live and Staples Center. But we encourage you to make donations of whatever [amount] that you can to MambaSportsFoundation.org and MambaOnThree.org. We encourage you to do that instead of bringing additional items here."

LOS ANGELES -- Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony, a close friend of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, will not play in Friday's game against Los Angeles for what the team is officially calling personal reasons.

Friday's game (10 p.m. ET, ESPN) will be the first for the Lakers since Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday.

"I respect [Anthony's decision to sit out]. I know him and Kobe had a great relationship," Blazers guard Damian Lillard told USA Today Sports. "It's something he was not ready to face and deal with. We all respect his decision."

Anthony became close with Bryant during Olympic gold medal runs in 2008 and 2012. Anthony posted a heartfelt note on Instagram on Tuesday, in which he said Bryant told him he had been planning to go to Friday's game.

"I hate when I have so much to say, but I can't put any of it into words," Anthony posted. "The times I have the most to say are the times that I can't talk. I'm screaming inside but I can't be heard. YOU don't know how hard it is to try to pretend to smile when I have these clouds of emotions.

"... This pain is almost unbearable Champ! Why you bro? Why GiGi? Why leave Vanessa with this Sadness and Pain. WHY? This will never make sense to me. I know I'm not suppose to question GODs Will. I know GOD doesn't make mistakes. It just seems like It always rains the hardest on those who deserve the sun. There are moments in life when there's simply NO words to describe the pain within. This is one of them. YOU will continue to be Loved. YOU will be missed."

View this post on Instagram

Damn Bro!! ? I hate when I have so much to say, but I can't put any of it into words. The times I have the most to say are the times that I can't talk. I'm screaming inside but I can't be heard. YOU don't know how hard it is to try to pretend to smile when I have these clouds of emotions. YOU just called me and told me you were coming to the game Friday and that you were proud of me and "regardless of anything, stay true to myself and STAYME7O" We were just laughing about how hard YOU was working GiGi and her teammates and I told YOU they need a day off ?? This pain is almost unbearable Champ! Why you bro? Why GiGi? Why leave Vanessa with this Sadness and Pain. WHY? This will never make sense to me. I know I'm not suppose to question GODs Will. I know GOD doesn't make mistakes. It just seems like It always rains the hardest on those who deserve the sun. There are moments in life when there's simply NO words to describe the pain within. This is one of them. YOU will continue to be Loved. YOU will be missed. YOU will forever be remembered. YOUR legacy will live on FOREVER. OUR FRIENDSHIP will never be forgotten. I know YOU will be near, Even if I don't see YOU. PEACE KING!!! "There Are No Goodbyes. Where Ever You'll be, You'll be in Our Hearts" All Praise Due #STAYME7O

A post shared by Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) on Jan 28, 2020 at 4:41pm PST

Hundreds of thousands of people have been paying their respects at the L.A. Live campus outside Staples Center in the days since Bryant's death. Flowers, candles, jerseys, stuffed animals, balloons, letters and other tokens line the street outside the arena where Bryant starred during his 20-season career with the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers are set to play a game for the first time since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter accident on Sunday. The Lakers' scheduled game against the Clippers on Tuesday night was postponed in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The Lakers will hold a pregame ceremony for Bryant before tipoff against the Portland Trail Blazers (10 p.m. ET on ESPN) and will continue to honor him throughout the game. We'll have live updates throughout the day and night from both inside Staples Center and the scene around the building as the basketball world mourns the Lakers legend.

Ramona Shelburne: How the Lakers made it to this game

Remembering Kobe: Tonight on ESPN

• 5 p.m. ET: SportsCenter (coverage from Staples Center)

• 7 p.m. ET: NBA Countdown (live from Staples Center)

• 7:30 p.m. ET: Mavericks at Rockets

• 9:30 p.m. ET: Hoop Streams (available on Twitter, YouTube and the ESPN app)

• 10 p.m. ET: Trail Blazers at Lakers (Pregame ceremony from Staples Center)

"Every day can be a chance to lift yourself, just a little bit higher, make yourself just a little bit better. That was the Mamba Mentality."@michaelb4jordan sums up the emotions of the past few days. pic.twitter.com/xlpM6HdGVS

— ESPN (@espn) January 31, 2020

MORE: Kobe Bryant remembrances and reaction

Tributes from inside Staples Center

When fans arrive at Staples Center later tonight, they'll find these shirts on their seats.

The Lakers also made sure Kobe's name and number will be ever present inside the arena.

The House That Kobe Built pic.twitter.com/1exfvaXnE8

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2020

pic.twitter.com/SWtFP34LLe

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2020

2 ♾ 8 pic.twitter.com/DeKsRqcTry

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 31, 2020

L.A. Live asks fans without tickets to watch from home

Thousands have visited the area outside Staples Center in recent days, but fans without tickets are being asked to watch tonight's game from home.

Plus -- details on what will happen to all the flowers, letters, jerseys and more left outside the arena:https://t.co/eklKY8MqyJ pic.twitter.com/aXv5wbNKHk

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) January 31, 2020

Dear Kobe...

Before the Lakers play tonight, an open thread for fans from all over the globe to share a message or memory ?

Dear Kobe, ⬇️

— ESPN (@espn) January 31, 2020

You taught me to be obsessed with improving my game mentally physically and spiritually; love and focus on the work and not the result. That the climb to greatness is a never ending process even when you are at the top. #MambaMentality is more than a mindset... it's a lifestyle.

— Justin Reid (@jreid_viii) January 31, 2020

Thank you for inspiring me to go harder !

— Nick Tanielu (@TanieluN) January 31, 2020

I met Kobe in CHI at the Hilton during breakfast in the Summer of 1999. He was with his wife. He was approached repeatedly and didn't deny any pics or autographs. I didn't want to disturb him so I waited until he was walking out. He stopped for me too. ?

— ™️Marcus (@TheMisterMarcus) January 31, 2020

Lakers pay homage to Kobe on feet

Frank Vogel says the Lakers coaching staff will all wear Kobe Bryant's signature sneakers on the bench tonight.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2020

LeBron James wore an unreleased pair of Kobe's signature Nike sneakers to shootaround Friday. They're called the "Big Stage/Parades" and are inspired by the Kobe 5s that Bryant wore in the 2010 Finals and subsequent championship parade. (h/t @NickDePaula) pic.twitter.com/weqYzaa3o4

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2020

Carmelo to sit out Friday night

Carmelo Anthony played in Portland's game Wednesday night, but will sit out Friday's game against the Lakers.

Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony will not play against the Lakers tonight for personal reasons, the team announced. pic.twitter.com/7d2zsiKEwY

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 31, 2020

For Kobe & Gigi pic.twitter.com/yD8iY4Z5qI

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 31, 2020

NBA announces All-Star tributes

The 2020 NBA All-Star game will pay tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant ?

? Team LeBron will wear No. 2 and Team Giannis will wear No. 24, their jersey numbers.
? Both teams will wear patches with 9 stars, representing those who lost their lives in the helicopter crash. pic.twitter.com/mgOCPpqJ65

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 31, 2020

In addition to the All-Star Game honoring Kobe and Gianna, the Rising Stars Game jerseys will feature patches featuring the Nos. 2 and 24 in the center surrounded by nine stars, the league said on Friday.

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) January 31, 2020