Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia shared the lead at The Players Championship going into a weekend with strong wind in the forecast and the potential for a wide-open chase at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. That includes Justin Thomas, the biggest surprise Friday.

Thomas opened with a 78 and was tied for 134th when he set the tournament record with 11 birdies. A bogey from the water on the 18th hole forced him to settle for a 10-under 62 to tie The Players record with Tom Hoge.

Lee made a sloppy bogey on his final hole at the par-5 ninth. Bhatia got creative with a wedge to make birdie on the ninth. Both had a 66 and were tied for the lead at 11-under 133.

Thomas was seven shots behind.

Rory McIlroy, who was at the top of the leaderboard during his morning round that featured six birdies in 11 holes, settled for a 68 and finished two shots back.

Collin Morikawa from Cal, the runner-up last week at Bay Hill, shot a 65.

NFL

Ex-Rams star Kupp to sign with Seahawks >> Cooper Kupp and the Seattle Seahawks have agreed on a three-year, $45 million contract. Kupp, the Super Bowl 56 MVP, was released by the Rams on Wednesday.

Kupp, who starred in college at Eastern Washington and is from Yakima, Washington, was the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 when he won the receiving triple crown by catching 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 TDs.

NBA

Siakam helps Pacers rally past 76ers >> Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 112-100 on the road.

Celtics knock off Heat >> Jayson Tatum scored 28 points, Jrue Holiday added 25 and the Boston Celtics pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the freefalling Miami Heat 103-91.

The Heat, who lost their sixth straight and fell a season-low eight games under .500, got 23 points from ex-Warrior Andrew Wiggins.

MLS

Quakes’ Lopez out 3-4 months after surgery >> The San Jose Earthquakes will be without attacking midfielder Hernán López until at least mid-June after the great nephew of international superstar Diego Maradona underwent right shoulder surgery, the team announced.

The Quakes acquired the 24-year-old Argentinian as a designated player a month into last season for a club-record fee of nearly $6 million. López started the first two games of the season for the new-look Quakes but did not play in last Saturday’s loss to Minnesota. The Quakes (2-1-0) play Colorado tonight at PayPal Park.

NHL

Vegas’ Hill gets $37.5 million extension >> The Vegas Golden Knights have signed former Sharks goaltender Adin Hill to a six-year contract extension worth $37.5 million, rewarding him for backstopping them to the Stanley Cup in 2023 and excelling in the starting job since.