Jake Knapp knew he was on the verge of something special early on Thursday, with a run of five straight birdies to open his round at the Cognizant Classic.

In the end, he joined one of golf’s most elite clubs.

Knapp — the No. 99 player in golf’s current world rankings — joined the PGA Tour’s sub-60 club on Thursday, shooting a bogey-free 59 in the opening round at PGA National. It was the 15th time that someone has broken 60 in a PGA Tour event.

“It’s just one of those days where everything was kind of clicking,” Knapp said.

Knapp finished one shot off the tour scoring record of 58, done by Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship. Knapp became the 14th player to shoot a sub-60 round; it has been done 15 times, with Furyk the one who has carded such a round twice.

Knapp had a putt for eagle at the par-5 18th that would have tied Furyk’s mark of 58 — 18 feet, 8 inches was the measurement given by the PGA Tour. The eagle putt didn’t have the speed and he tapped in for 59.

NBA

Popovich says he will not return to the Spurs this season >> Gregg Popovich will not coach this season. He is not ruling out a comeback in the future.

Popovich met with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, releasing a statement afterward to make his decision on this season — and hope for next season — public. The 76-year-old Popovich, the NBA’s all-time coaching wins leader, had a stroke at the team’s arena in San Antonio on Nov. 2 and has been away from the team since.

Popovich’s visit to the team came a week after the Spurs announced that All-Star center Victor Wembanyama — the defensive player of the year favorite at the time and someone who was a serious candidate to make the All-NBA team — will not play again this season after deep vein thrombosis, or a blood clot, was found in his right shoulder.NFL

Chiefs tight end Kelce plans to play next season >> Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce plans to play next season rather than retire.

The 35-year-old Kelce had been mulling whether to return for a 13th season. But the four-time All-Pro made his feelings clear in a text to Pat McAfee that the host read during “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.

“My dawg!!! I’m coming back for sure,” the four-time All-Pro wrote, according to McAfee. “Gonna try to get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth about how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”

The Chiefs’ quest to become the first team to win three straight Super Bowls ended with a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9.

Heisman Trophy winner Hunter says he won’t work out at combine >> Two-way star Travis Hunter said he won’t work out at the NFL scouting combine this week.

The Heisman Trophy winner might play both cornerback and wide receiver in the NFL after doing the same at Colorado.

Hunter said during his media availability that it will be up to the team that drafts him to decide his primary position but that he hoped he would be allowed to line up on both sides of the ball.

He’ll wait until Colorado’s Pro Day in March to give everyone a glimpse of his uncanny skills.

One thing Hunter said he didn’t plan to do in the pros was return kicks or punts, saying he already has two jobs as a ball catcher and pass defender.

MLB

White Sox outfielder Benintendi out 4 to 6 weeks >> Chicago White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi will miss four to six weeks with a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in a spring training game.

Benintendi was hit on the right hand with an 87 mph fastball by Cleveland right-hander Logan Allen in the first inning and left the game. The White Sox announced the diagnosis as a non-displaced fracture, with no surgery required.

The recovery timetable means Benintendi almost will start the season on the injured list. The White Sox open at home on March 27 against the Los Angeles Angels.

Angels don’t expect SS Neto to be ready by opening day >> Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto will not be ready to play by opening day while recovering from right shoulder surgery.

Manager Ron Washington told reporters before the team’s spring training game against the Chicago Cubs that Neto likely will start the season on the injured list, an anticipated move after Neto had the procedure in November. Washington said he expects Neto to be available sometime in April.

Neto injured his shoulder while sliding in a game on Sept. 26, and it didn’t respond to rest and treatment.

Colleges

Mountain West Conference seeks mediation over ‘poaching’ lawsuit >> The Mountain West Conference said it is seeking mediation in the lawsuit the Pac-12 filed against it in an attempt to avoid paying $55 million in “poaching” fees for bringing five Mountain West teams into its own league.

The Pac-12 and some of the schools it is adding filed lawsuits last year, claiming the poaching clause it agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams for last season was invalid.

The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount growing by $500,000 for every additional team. That was on top of the $17 million-plus exit fees schools were responsible for as part of a different agreement.

Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are all set to join the Pac-12 starting in 2026.