Johnson, Turnesa on top of Vegas leaderboard
Zach Johnson had another “boring” day on the course. Not that that’s a bad thing for a player who relates boring to efficient.
Coming off an unexpected victory last week in the Texas Open, the 2007 Masters champion shot a 10-under-par 62 Thursday for a share of the first-round lead with Marc Turnesa in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at Las Vegas.
“All in all, it was pretty boring,” Johnson said. “I feel boring golf is one where you hit the ball on the fairway, hit the ball on the green and give yourself a chance at a birdie. It was boring because I hit a lot of fairways. I missed one on seven just because I hit it too far. Then, I believe I missed a fairway on the 11th, and that was it. I picked my target, swung at it and dun, dun, dun, da, da.”
The 62s were a stroke off the course record set by Davis Love III in 2001.
•Hanson’s ace leaves her in second: At Kapalua, Hawaii, Suzann Pettersen birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 68 to take the early first-round lead in the inaugural Kapalua LPGA Classic. Former Rathdrum resident Tracy Hanson aced the 165-yard 12th hole to match Brittany Lang at 69.
Hanson opened with 11 straight pars and aced the 165-yard 12th to reach 2 under. She birdied three holes later to finish a stroke behind Pettersen.
Hanson is trying to finish strong after a difficult season. She has missed the cut in eight of 17 events with a 38th-place tie in the Sybase Classic as her best finish.
Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., opened with a 73.
•Ballesteros has complication: Seve Ballesteros developed a complication following brain tumor surgery, requiring doctors to remove a piece of the golf star’s skull to relieve pressure.
The 51-year-old Spaniard was stable but still in intensive care, La Paz Hospital said.
•Watson has hip replaced: Eight-time major champion Tom Watson is recovering from hip replacement surgery, saying he wanted to improve the quality of his life and still be competitive on the golf course.
The surgery to replace his anterior approach hip was Oct. 2 at St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
Basketball
Haywood may miss season
Washington Wizards starting center Brendan Haywood could miss the entire season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist.
He had the operation in New York and will spend 2 1/2 months in a cast before starting rehabilitation. The team said Haywood will be out four to six months.
•Heat lose Jones for 3 months: The Miami Heat will be without forward James Jones for three months because of a ruptured tendon in his right wrist, adding to the team’s injury woes.
Jones ruptured the tendon while shooting on Wednesday.
•Nevada issues suspensions: Nevada starting guard Brandon Fields and two incoming freshmen have been suspended from the team indefinitely after being cited for misdemeanor petty larceny, Wolf Pack coach Mark Fox said.
London Giles, a 6-foot-3 guard from Dallas, and Ahyaro Phillips, a 6-8 forward from New Orleans, were suspended along with Fields after their release by Sparks, Nev., police following an undisclosed incident on Wednesday.
Football
Romo could play
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who wants to play despite a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, practiced and threw passes to receivers.
Coach Wade Phillips didn’t rule out the possibility of Romo playing Sunday at St. Louis even though he said the quarterback was limited in practice and that Brad Johnson took most of the snaps.
•Winslow back, return uncertain: Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow rejoined the Cleveland Browns, one week after he was hospitalized with an undisclosed illness that sidelined him for one game and could keep him out for another.
He’s back with the team, but the timing on Winslow’s return to the field is still unclear.
•UW regents approve first steps: The University of Washington Board of Regents gave approval for the Huskies athletic department to move forward with the pre-development phase of a proposed renovation to the aging Husky Stadium.
•Mountain West to Humanitarian in 2009: The Mountain West Conference will send a team to the Humanitarian Bowl in 2009 after the conference and bowl reached an agreement.
Hockey
Koivu has four assists
Mikko Koivu had a goal and four assists to help the Minnesota Wild stay unbeaten with a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers at Sunrise, Fla.
Koivu’s four assists tied a franchise record and gave him eight assists in three games.
Miscellany
Jankovic’s streak ends
Top-ranked Jelena Jankovic’s 12-match winning streak ended in a second-round tennis match that left her bruised and bleeding, a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 loss to Italy’s Flavia Pennetta at the Zurich (Switzerland) Open.
•AIG out as Davis Cup sponsor: Insurance giant AIG is out after nearly a decade as the main U.S. Davis Cup sponsor, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press.
American International Group Inc. will not renew its contract when it expires at year’s end, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement was planned.
•IOC: no missing test results: The results of 300 doping tests from the Beijing Games – reported as “missing” by independent observers – have been traced by the International Olympic Committee. All were negative.