Tiger Woods enters Players Championship

Though Tiger Woods might be among the walking wounded, his name now is on the roster for the Players Championship next week in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Woods officially entered the PGA Tour’s flagship event at midday Friday, ending speculation about his availability after taking himself out of this week’s Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina with knee and Achilles’ tendon problems.

“Looking forward to the competition next week,” Woods told his Twitter followers in announcing his entry.

The former world No.1 has been sidelined with a sprained left knee and sore left Achilles’ tendon, which he hurt while hitting a shot off pine straw near the end of his third round at the Masters.

He still fired a final-round 67 at Augusta National, tying for fourth, but sought treatment when the pain persisted. Doctors ordered rest and soft-tissue therapy, and swing coach Sean Foley told reporters Woods has been wearing a protective boot.

Seve Ballesteros gravely ill

Golf great Seve Ballesteros has suffered “severe deterioration” in his recovery from a cancerous brain tumor and is being cared for at his home.

The 54-year-old Spanish star was resting at his home in the northern Spanish town of Pedrena, where he has mostly been since undergoing four operations in late 2008, his family said Friday.

Spanish golfers Jose Maria Olazabal and Miguel Angel Jimenez were visibly upset after finishing their second rounds at the Spanish Open in Terrassa and declined to speak to reporters.

“We tried to talk to them after their rounds but they couldn’t even speak because they were crying. They couldn’t even talk,” Spanish Open spokeswoman Maria Acacia Lopez-Bachiller told the Associated Press.

News of his deterioration also hit hard on the PGA Tour.

“He really blazed the trail for Europeans,” said Paul Casey of England, who was clearly upset after his round at the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C. “Not only in the Ryder Cup, but also on the PGA Tour in how he played at Augusta and his victories over here. We owe a huge amount to him.”

Pat Perez leads at Wells Fargo Championship

Pat Perez went from watching a great round of golf to playing one himself.

Perez was four shots behind playing partner Lucas Glover, then birdied five of the last six holes Friday in the Wells Fargo Championship at Charlotte, N.C., for a seven-under 65 and a two-shot lead.

Over two days at Quail Hollow, Perez has made 18 birdies and is at 12-under 132. Perez had a two-shot lead over Bill Haas and Jonathan Byrd, with Glover and Phil Mickelson another shot behind.

Mark Calcavecchia up at Tradition

Mark Calcavecchia opened a three-stroke lead in the Regions Tradition, shooting a seven-under 65 on Friday to run his bogey-free streak to 35 holes at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala.

Calcavecchia birdied Nos. 10-12 to pull ahead and added another birdie on the par-five 17th to reach 11 under. He had a chance to get to 12 under, but missed a birdie putt a few inches on No. 18. He hasn’t made a bogey since opening the tournament with a double on the first hole.

Kenny Perry was second, matching Calcavecchia with a 65.

Jay Haas — whose son, Bill, is contending in the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship — and Michael Allen were tied for third at seven underFirst-round leader Tom Lehman and Tom Pernice Jr. were six under.

Lenny Dykstra indicted in bankruptcy fraud case

Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra has been indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury in a bankruptcy fraud case.

The 48-year-old filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and is accused of later stealing and selling property from an $18.5 million estate.

Federal prosecutors brought 13 counts against Dykstra, including bankruptcy fraud, obstruction of justice, concealing property from the bankruptcy estate and other charges.

If found guilty on all charges, Dykstra could face a maximum of 80 years in prison.

Dykstra’s attorney, Mark Werksman, said the case stems from a dispute with the bankruptcy trustee and no fraud was committed.

MLB wants authority to deal with alcohol abuse among players

Major League Baseball and its players’ association are considering a formal plan for dealing with alcohol-related incidents in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Alcohol use has become a hot-button issue in baseball, following a spate of six drunk-driving incidents involving high-profile players already this season.

The current CBA, which expires Dec. 11, has provisions for dealing with “drugs of abuse” such as cocaine and marijuana, but does not provide Commissioner Bud Selig with the authority to discipline players for alcohol-related offenses.

Instead, players arrested for DUI and other incidents are typically offered confidential counseling and treatment on a case-by-case basis.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said Friday that alcohol abuse should be treated in a matter similar to drug abuse.

Kyle Busch wins Nationwide race at Darlington

Kyle Busch finally broke through to win a Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina after near misses the past two years.

Busch moved past Elliott Sadler 23 laps from the end and stayed in front of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to win the Royal Purple 200 on Friday night, his fifth Nationwide victory this season and 48th overall — one behind Mark Martin’s series record.

Meantime, Kasey Kahne won the pole for Saturday’s Southern 500 Sprint Cup event with a record run at Darlington.

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer to face off at Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal will face Roger Federer at the Madrid Open for the third straight year after both men came through their quarterfinal matches Friday in straight sets.

Nadal scored a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Michael Llodra and Federer was a 7-6 (2), 6-4 winner over Robin Soderling.

Novak Djokovic stretched his season’s perfect start to 30 matches, beating David Ferrer, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Djokovic will face Thomaz Bellucci in the semifinals

Julia Goerges beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the women’s semifinals. She will play Victoria Azarenka of Belarus for a place in Sunday’s final.

Li Na of China beat American player Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and will play Petra Kvitova in the semifinals.

Canada beats U.S. in ice hockey

Jordan Eberle and captain Rick Nash scored in a penalty shootout to lift Canada to a 4-3 victory over the United States in the second round of the ice hockey world championship at Kosice, Slovakia.

Canada goalie James Reimer made 17 saves and stopped Jack Johnson and Blake Wheeler in the shootout.

Ty Conklin made 49 saves for the U.S.

Canada is tied with Sweden for the Group F lead with seven points and plays Norway on Saturday. The U.S. has four points with two games left. The U.S. faces France on Saturday in a must-win game.