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Akshay Bhatia fired a bogey-free, 8-under-par 64 at Spyglass Hill Golf Course to tie Japan's Ryo Hisatsune for the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Friday in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Hisatsune was the solo first-round leader thanks to a 62 at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Thursday but settled for 67 at Spyglass Hill that featured his first two bogeys of the tournament. He and Bhatia sit at 15-under 129 for the week so far.

Rickie Fowler is in the hunt for his first win in more than 2 1/2 years after shooting 64 at Spyglass Hill. He moved to 14 under for the tournament, one back of the leaders and tied with Sam Burns (67, Spyglass) for third.

The field played one round apiece at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill before spending the weekend rounds at Pebble Beach. There is no 36-hole cut at the $20 million signature event.

Bhatia, 24, is searching for his third career title and biggest achievement on tour. He tied for third last week at the WM Phoenix Open.

"Yeah, just building off last week. Played really nice last week," Bhatia said. "Then, yeah, just starting to kind of catch my groove or my stride."

Bhatia's round began on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 10 and 11 before he chipped in for eagle from the greenside rough at the par-5 14th. He made four more birdies the rest of the way and remained bogey-free for the tournament.

"Some days are easier than others but I have such a good feel with just trying to get the golf ball in play now, don't care necessarily like how my golf swing looks aesthetically," Bhatia said. "I would love it to look perfect, but I'm just trying to be myself and play a bunch of shots and that's how I play good golf."

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Hisatsune was also in contention at Phoenix but settled for a T10. His performance there helped him qualify for this week's elite field through the Aon Swing 5 pathway.

He called his consecutive bogeys at Nos. 18 and 1 a "missed decision" and was satisfied with how he recovered, including making a 10-footer for eagle at his third-to-last hole.

Fowler, who spread nine birdies and one bogey across his card, said he's in this position right now thanks to the work he put in last season to make the top 50 of the FedEx Cup playoffs, earning him a spot in the first two signature events this year.

"My body and shoulder feel a lot better than it did last year," Fowler said. "So it was nice to be able to play the way I did during the summer and grind that out, ultimately get inside the top-50 to kind of secure some starts for the year. So to have that time off to kind of rest, work on some things, be a dad at home, I enjoy it. I was excited to get back out."

Burns finished both Thursday and Friday one off the pace. He could be ready to win his sixth PGA Tour title and his first in nearly three years.

"That's what we train for, that's what we practice for," Burns said. "I'm always excited when I'm up there and I have a chance to win. So it's going to be a great weekend, a good test of golf, and it's always fun to get to do it at Pebble Beach."

Min Woo Lee of Australia had a 65 at Pebble Beach to move into a tie for fifth place at 12 under. The low round of the day belonged to Harris English, whose 63 at Pebble Beach represented a 10-stroke improvement from his over-par round at Spyglass the day before. English is 8 under.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (67, Pebble) is part of a group tied at 9 under, while Scottie Scheffler is tied for 34th at 6 under. Scheffler followed a pedestrian 72 at Pebble with a 6-under 66 at Spyglass, highlighted by a five-hole stretch on his second nine where he made three birdies and an eagle.

--Field Level Media

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Brigham Young University said Friday that standout wide receiver Parker Kingston is no longer a student at the Utah private school after he wasarrested this weekon a first-degree felony rape charge.

Kingston, 21, made his initial court appearance Friday in St. George, where prosecutors say a woman who was 20 years old at the time told officers that Kingston assaulted her at her home last February. He was arrested following a yearlong investigation in which detectives collected digital and forensic evidence and interviewed witnesses, Washington County Attorney Jerry Jaeger said.

"I found by clear and convincing evidence that Mr. Kingston was a danger to the community," Judge John Walton said during the hearing.

Still, Walton allowed Kingston to be released Friday on a $100,000 bond with $10,000 cash immediately paid to the court after he was held initially without bail.

His defense attorney, Cara Tangaro, agreed that Kingston could have no contact with his accuser or any potential witnesses, must stay off social media and would wear a GPS ankle monitor to ensure he doesn't return to the southwestern Utah county, except for court appearances. He appeared before the judge by remote video link from jail Friday.

If convicted, he could serve five years to life in prison.

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BYU spokesperson Jon McBride said the administration and coaches were only made aware of the investigation and the allegations against Kingston after his arrest this week. He declined to answer whether Kingston was kicked out or left the school voluntarily.

Tangaro told The Associated Press on Friday night that she had not yet talked to BYU and could not comment about the case, per a court order.

Kingston told St. George Police that "all sexual activity" with the woman accusing him of rape was "consensual," according to an affidavit unsealed Thursday. The woman told investigators she had made clear to Kingston before he came to her house that she did not want to have sex with him, and she told him to stop several times when he initiated sex, the affidavit said.

BYU, the flagship university of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, has a strict honor code for students that prohibits all sexual relations outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Those who violate it can face suspension, and for athletes, many weeks riding the bench.

Other top athletes including Tulane quarterbackJake Retzlaffhaveopted to leave BYUwhen faced with lengthy suspensions for violating the honor code.

Kingston was BYU's leading receiver last season.

He is expected to make his next court appearance Feb. 25.

PHOENIX — Fans lined up and raced around the back fields at theLos Angeles Dodgersspring-training complex Friday, shrieking at the sight of him.

Photographers lugged their equipment around the complex, scurrying to see where he was going to go next.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spent his media session talking about him more than anyone.

It was Day 1 of the Dodgers spring training camp, and once again, all the buzz was about Shohei Ohtani.

When will he pitch in spring training? When is he leaving for the World Baseball Classic? Are you sure he won't pitch in the WBC? How can he prepare to pitch while he's with Team Japan for three weeks? Will he continue to bat leadoff on the days he starts for the Dodgers? How often will he pitch this season? Is he the opening day starter?

So many questions, so few answers.

Yep, just like ol' times.

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The difference this year is that there will be no limitations on Ohtani. He is fully healthy after undergoing two Tommy John surgeries. He had a completely normal offseason where he was able to pitch, as well as hit. And he feels as strong as he ever has in his spectacular career.

"I think it's fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation,'' Roberts said, "but we just want him to be healthy, make starts, and all of the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves. But man, this guy is such a disciplined worker and expects the most from himself. …

"Regardless of my expectations for him, his are going to exceed those.''

Yes, when you're the winner of four unanimous MVP awards − including three in a row − win two World Series championships, and are the only player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in the same season, why not try to check off the final box on the Hall of Fame resume?

Cy Young award, anyone?

"If the end result is getting a Cy Young, that's great,'' Ohtani said. "Getting a Cy Young means being able to throw more innings and being able to pitch throughout the whole season. So, if that's the end result, that's a good sign for me. What I'm more focused on is just being healthy the whole year.''

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Ohtani, 31, began pitching in games again last June, for the first time in 22 months. He pitched just 47 innings, yielding a 2.87 ERA, but not only was his 100-mph velocity back, so was his control, striking out 62 batters with nine walks.

And while he was coming back from his second Tommy John surgery in September 2023, and shoulder surgery in November 2024, he still hit 55 homers with 102 RBI, leading the National League with 146 runs with a slash line of .282/.392/.622.

"I think the thing that was most surprising was his command,'' Roberts said, "and I'll say that he still feels his command wasn't up to par. But given the Tommy John (surgery) and what typically command looks like the year after … it was impressive. Just his ability to command the couple of different breaking balls, to change the shape of his breaking balls, was pretty impressive. Everything he does is with a purpose.

"So, I'm really excited to see with the full offseason to just prepare and not rehab, what he can do this year. … When you're in rehab mode, it's a little bit of survival going into the season as opposed to just going into a regular offseason preparing for the next season and not in the rebab mode.

"We'll see what it looks like, but I'm pretty encouraged on both sides of the baseball.''

Ohtanti concedes he felt fatigue as a two-way player in the playoffs for the first time. He hit eight homers with 14 RBI as the Dodgers' DH, and pitched 20.1 innings in the postseason, yielding a 7.56 ERA in his two World Series starts.

"It was a really good experience overall, but being able to go deeper into the season as a two-way player,'' Ohtani said, "I did feel the effect of it.''

The Dodgers, wanting to keep Ohtani as fresh as possible, along with the rest of their rotation, tentatively are planning on a six-man rotation to at least start the season.

"How beholden we are to that, for how long, I don't know,'' Roberts said. "But I think it's easy to say that because the early part of the season we're very mindful of giving guys rest to keep guys built up. I think that lends itself to that.''

Yet, even with the short offseason, even being a two-way player the second half of the season, Ohtani feels as fresh and strong entering spring than at any time in his eight-year career. He has already thrown three bullpen sessions since coming to Arizona two weeks ago, and plans to face batters for the first time next week.

"I was finally able to have a normal offseason,'' Ohtani said. "Although the offseason was pretty short, I thought it was a good thing actually to have a shorter offseason.''

Yes indeed, short offseasons mean long postseason runs, and the Dodgers are coming off two World Series titles with dreams of making it a three-peat.

And after watching Ohtani perform in camp, well, the Dodgers know just the man who can lead them back to the promised land.

"He looks strong,'' Roberts said. "Just watching him throw, watching him run, his body moving well, I think he's in a sweet spot.''

Another magical season awaits.

Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Can Shohei Ohtani win Cy Young Award? 2026 expectations high

Feb 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary, in an interview on Friday, urged Americans to ‌get vaccinated for measles, as the country faces its ‌largest measles surge in more than three decades.

"When we hear about cases of ​measles in an outbreak in South Carolina, that should serve as a good reminder for parents to make sure that their kids are vaccinated," Makary said during an appearance on MS NOW's "Chris Jansing ‌Reports".

The measles, mumps ⁠and rubella (MMR) two-shot protocol remains recommended at the federal level starting at 12 months of age, with ⁠a second at 4 to 6 years of age.

South Carolina reported 950 measles cases on Friday, including 17 new infections since Tuesday, ​according to ​state health officials. No deaths ​have been reported by the ‌state.

Among those infected, a significant majority of 883 individuals were unvaccinated, and 19 were partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccines.

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"I think everyone in this administration has been pretty clear that the best way to prevent measles is to ‌get your kid vaccinated against measles," ​Makary added.

Earlier this week, National Institutes of ​Health Director Jay Bhattacharya ​also expressed his support for Americans getting vaccinated ‌against measles.

"The answer is yes," Bhattacharya ​said about the ​vaccines when asked by Reuters about recent outbreaks.

On Sunday, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz also ​urged Americans to ‌take the measles vaccine in an interview with CNN. "Take the ​vaccine, please," he said.

(Reporting by Sneha S K in ​Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)

The acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement says that two of its officers appear to have made "untruthful statements" about shooting a migrant in Minnesota and may face federal charges for their actions.

"Today, a joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements," Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement.

"Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation. Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. The U.S. Attorney's Office is actively investigating these false statements," the statement said.

"The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct. Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation's immigration laws," Lyons added.

The statement from Lyons comes a day after the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota asked a judge to dismiss charges against two men, including one who was shot in the leg by an immigration agent, citing "newly discovered evidence" in what was initially framed as a "violent" attack on law enforcement during an enforcement operation.

"Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the complaint affidavit. ... as well as the preliminary-hearing testimony,"  U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen wrote in the filing Wednesday evening. It remains unclear what specific new evidence Rosen was referencing.

Rosen has asked the court to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled.

"Accordingly, dismissal with prejudice will serve the interests of justice," Rosen wrote.

In the wake of the shooting on Jan. 14 --  a week after an ICE agentfatally shot Renee Goodin Minneapolis -- the Trump administration said the man who was shot, Julio Cesar Sosa-Selis, attacked a federal law enforcement officer with a "shovel or a broom stick" and that the incident was part of "an attempt to evade arrest and obstruct law enforcement."

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Lawyers for another man charged in the incident, Alfredo Aljorna, said surveillance videos did not corroborate the FBI's claims that an agent was assaulted and said Sosa-Celis was shot while standing at his doorway some distance away from the officer.

Earlier this month attorneys for Aljorna also urged a judge to prohibit the government from deporting key witnesses who they said cast doubt that an agent was repeatedly struck with a broom or a snow shovel, Judge Paul Magnuson granted the request.

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The reversal on the assault charges for Sosa-Celis and Aljorna comes after several discrepancies emerged between statements from Department of Homeland Security officials and details outlined in court records regarding their arrests.

DHS initially said in statements to media that officers were conducting a "targeted traffic stop" for Sosa-Celis when he fled in his vehicle, crashed into another car and attempted to evade arrest. The agency alleged that Sosa-Celis "violently" assaulted an officer and that two other individuals exited a nearby apartment and joined the attack "with a snow shovel and broom handle."

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According to DHS, Sosa-Celis struck the officer with "a shovel or broom stick," prompting the officer to fire what the agency described as a defensive shot "to defend his life," striking Sosa-Celis in the leg.

"What we saw last night in Minneapolis was an attempted murder of federal law enforcement," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in the Jan. 15 statement.

However, an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Timothy Schanz, who investigated the shooting, stated that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents were attempting to stop a different man identified as Joffre Stalin Paucar Barrera -- not Sosa-Celis -- whom they believed was in the country illegally. According to Schanz, agents later identified the driver DHS agents stopped as a different man, Aljorna.

Schanz wrote that Aljorna struck a light pole and fled on foot toward his apartment building.

Sosa-Celis was allegedly standing on the porch and yelling at Aljorna to run faster, the affidavit says. Aljorna slipped and allegedly "began tussling" with the agent before Sosa-Celis grabbed a broom and began striking the agent, according to the affidavit.

The agent "then saw who he believed was a third Hispanic male approach with a snow shovel, and this male also began striking" him, Schanz said in the affidavit. The third man was identified as Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma by DHS, who accused him of also assaulting the officer.

Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg as he attempted to go inside the apartment, the affidavit says.

Video reviewed by ABC News' Visual Verification team includes a 911 call from individuals identified as relatives of Sosa-Celis, who said agents fired as he was attempting to close the door.

After Lyons issued his statement on Friday, attorney Brian D. Clark shared a reaction from the families of Sosa-Celis and Aljorna.

"Julio, Alfredo, and their families are overjoyed at this news. The charges against them were based on lies by an ICE agent who recklessly shot into their home through a closed door," they said in the statement. "They are so happy justice is being served by the government's request to dismiss all charges with prejudice. The identify of the ICE agent should be made public and he should be charged for his crime."