Gay builds 2-shot lead at Chrysler tourney
Brian Gay isn’t on any bubble at the Chrysler Championship at Palm Harbor, Fla. He’s simply in the lead.
Too far down the money list to make the Tour Championship, too high up to sweat over losing his PGA Tour card, Gay played without worries and without a bogey Thursday at Innisbrook to post a 7-under-par 64 for a two-shot lead over Mark Calcavecchia.
In the tournament where the emphasis is on money, the 34-year-old Gay is interested only in his first PGA Tour victory.
“At Sonoma, Calif., Jim Thorpe, who won the season-ending tournament in 2003, was back in his familiar spot atop a Champions Tour leaderboard in wine country, taking a one-stroke lead over Tom Kite with a 6-under 66 in the opening round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.
“At Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Annika Sorenstam shot a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Ladies European Tour’s season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters.
Running
Lagat won’t appeal
Former Washington State University middle-distance runner Bernard Lagat is giving up his legal claims for lost income against track and field’s international governing body.
Lagat was seeking $630,000 from the International Association of Athletics Federations and the World Anti-Doping Agency for lost income during the three months he was suspended following a positive test for the endurance enhancer EPO. The suspension was overturned when a second, or “B” sample, was negative.
Basketball
Hawks lose Williams
Marvin Williams of Bremerton, Wash., the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s NBA draft, broke a bone in his left hand during practice and will be out up to eight weeks.
“Adam Morrison hit 8 of 15 shots and scored 18 points in Charlotte’s 126-124 double-overtime victory over Milwaukee in Green Bay, Wis. Another former Gonzaga star, Ronny Turiaf, had five points in the Lakers’ 126-108 loss to Denver in Anaheim, Calif.
“The Phoenix Mercury won the WNBA draft lottery, overcoming the longest odds of the six competing teams to get the No. 1 pick in the April draft.
Miscellany
Klinsmann, U.S. talk
Former German national team coach Juergen Klinsmann is engaged in informal talks with the U.S. Soccer Federation that could lead to him taking over as coach of the American national team. He coached his native Germany to a surprising berth in the World Cup semifinals this summer.
“The 2007 Tour de France will feature a start in Britain for the first time, organizers revealed.
“Marlin McKeever, a two-time All-American at Southern California who played 13 years in the NFL, was comatose and in critical condition following a fall at his Los Angeles home, a longtime friend said.
“Women’s ski jumping, ski-cross and a team event in Alpine skiing could be considered for inclusion at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.