Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. ó Christina Kim’s second-round 68 at the LPGA State Farm Classic looked ordinary compared to her opening 63, but it included a birdie putt on her last hole that gave her a one-stroke lead over the charging Michelle Wie and three others.
Kim was the first-day leader, but said Friday was, by comparison, a fight. She bogeyed the par-5 sixth hole and saved par on her opening hole only after finding the green with her second shot from behind a line of trees well off the fairway.
Right behind her is the 18-year-old Wie, playing easily her best golf of the year while shooting a 65 that pulled her to 12 under for the tournament.
– MILWAUKEE ó First-round leader Richard S. Johnson shot 3-under par 67 and Nick Flanagan had a 7-under 63 to share the second-round lead at 10-under at the U.S. Bank Championship over the 6,579-yard Brown Deer Park Golf Course.
– BLAINE, Minn. ó Dana Quigley shot a tournament-record 10-under 62 and leads after the first round of the Champions Tour’s 3M Championship.
TENNIS
STANFORD, Calif. ó Top-seeded Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic with little trouble Friday, beating Patty Schnyder 6-3, 6-1.
Schnyder had won three of five meetings against Williams, including a match in Zurich last year when Williams retired after losing the first nine games. But Schnyder was unable to find her groove against Williams this time and went down meekly in just 54 minutes.
– CARSON, Calif. ó Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport withdrew Friday from next week’s East West Bank Classic, with both citing right knee injuries.
NHL
PITTSBURGH ó The Pittsburgh Penguins’ march to the Stanley Cup finals has paid off for coach Michel Therrien, who agreed to a new three-year contract on Friday. The deal includes a raise for this season and goes through the 2010-11 season, expected to be the team’s first in a planned $290 million arena.
– BUFFALO, N.Y. ó After watching Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Brian Campbell leave over the past year, the Buffalo Sabres were determined to keep Ryan Miller off the list of high profile departures.
The Sabres locked up their franchise goalie with a five-year, $31.25 million extension on Friday, ending speculation that Miller might be gone after this season.CYCLING
NIMES, France ó Britain’s Mark Cavendish has won his fourth stage in the doping-stained Tour de France.
Cadel Evans kept the yellow jersey by finishing in the main pack after the 113-mile 13th stage from Narbonne to Nimes.
COLLEGE HOOPS
COLUMBUS, Ohio ó Seven-foot center Zisis Sarikopoulos has transferred from UAB to Ohio State, Buckeyes coach Thad Matta announced.