Associated Press
GREENSBORO ó Bon Heintz and rookie Martin Laird matched the course record Thursday with 7-under 63s at Sedgefield Country Club to share the lead in the Wyndham Championship, the PGA Tour’s last event before the FedEx Cup playoffs.
They joined three other players who previously shot 63s at the Donald Ross-designed course ó nobody had done it since Gary Player in 1970, although the pros haven’t played Sedgefield since 1976 ó and surpassed the venue’s opening-round record by one stroke.
Garrett Willis birdied his final five holes to join Scott Sterling, Tim Clark and Carl Pettersson one stroke back at 64. Steve Marino, Bob Sowards, Ken Duke and Scott McCarron were two strokes behind at 65.
– OTTAWA ó Defending champion Lorena Ochoa shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Annika Sorenstam in the Canadian Women’s Open, leaving Michelle Wie nine strokes back in her final LPGA Tour event of the year.
– SUNRIVER, Ore. ó Defending champion Mark McNulty shot a 5-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead in the JELD-WEN Tradition, the fourth of the Champions Tour’s five major tournaments.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
WILBERFORCE, Ohio ó Pro football Hall-of-Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. was hired Thursday as the athletic director at Central State University.Winslow, a tight end for the San Diego Chargers from 1979-87, will take over the program located 15 miles east of Dayton.
Winslow will help the university transition into full NCAA Division II membership this fall.
– TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ó A magazine has declared Nick Saban the most powerful coach in sports.
Forbes Magazine’s upcoming issue features Saban on the cover. The article said no other coach boasts Saban’s “combination of money, control and influence.”
He will be the first college football coach to make the Forbes cover since the magazine was started in 1917.
The issue comes out Friday.Alabama gave Saban an eight-year, $32 million contract last January.
– COLUMBIA, S.C. ó South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier might have to hold off on any more high-profile comparisons for new quarterback Tommy Beecher.
Beecher, the fourth-year junior named Spurrier’s starter in April, had a ragged scrimmage and acknowledged he’s got some work to two before leading the Gamecocks offense into the season.
“I’m discouraged right now. It’s not the best feeling in the world,” Beecher said. “But I’ve got to forget about it and get better tomorrow.”
BASEBALL
WASHINGTON ó Major League Baseball is working out technical issues to start instant replay for boundary calls such as home runs, hoping to institute the system later this year.
– NEW YORK ó Kansas City Royals pitcher Juan Garcia and catcher Juan Fortuna and Chicago Cubs pitcher Starling Peralta were suspended for 50 games each after testing positive under the drug program.
LITTLE LEAGUE
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. ó His shirt tinged with sweat, Rapid City manager Doug Simons trudged up a hill behind his giddy players sporting a big smile after morning practice.
It was hard to tell who was more excited to be at the Little League World Series.
“It’s bigger than life,” the South Dakota coach said Thursday as he filed past the gates to Volunteer Stadium. “I’ve watched it for years, but it’s even more spectacular than I even thought.”
Wait until Simons takes in the view from the field: The 2008 series begins today as the South Dakotans open the tournament with an afternoon game against Tampa, Fla.
CBS DEAL
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ó The Southeastern Conference has agreed to a 15-year contract extension with CBS Sports to broadcast football and basketball games.
The agreement announced Thursday takes effect next year.
CBS will carry a football game of the week along with prime-time games and doubleheaders and continue to broadcast regular-season SEC basketball games.
MCENROE TANTRUM
NEWPORT, R.I. ó Just like old times for John McEnroe.
Volatile as ever, McEnroe got tossed from his opening-round match at the Hall of Fame Champions Cup on Thursday for a new kind of triple fault: cursing, arguing with the chair umpire and making an obscene gesture at fans.
Hardly the guy who played up his mellow side in those TV commercials last year before the U.S. Open.