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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Shin leads at Samsung Championship

Jiyai Shin celebrates making birdie on the second green in the second round of the Samsung World Championship.  (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
From Staff And Wire Reports

Golf: Jiyai Shin of South Korea shot a 3-under-par 69 to take a one-shot lead over No. 1-ranked Lorena Ochoa and Ai Miyazato in the second round of the Samsung World Championship at Torrey Pines on Friday in San Diego.

Shin, who was tied for the lead after the opening round, has a 36-hole total of 135 atop the elite field of 20. She was 10 under for the tournament after sinking a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-5 13th, but followed with a bogey and finished with four straight pars.

Ochoa, of Mexico, had a seesaw round of 69 that started with a bogey on No. 1 – her first of four – and ended with a 20-foot chip for eagle on 18. Her chip was from behind the hole, heading down toward the water.

Miyazato, of Japan, made a late charge and might have tied Shin, but her second shot on the par-5 18th splashed into the big pond that protects the green, leading to her only bogey of the day. As she stood over her third shot, the fountain in the pond – known as Devlin’s Billabong – suddenly turned on. It was quickly turned off. She finished with a 68.

Miyazato had birdied 15 and 16 before her misadventure on 18.

Torrey Pines, the site of Tiger Woods’ epic win in the 2008 U.S. Open, was shrouded in light fog but the golfers once again benefited from calm conditions.

Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson shot a 70 and was fourth at 137.

There was a four-way tie for fifth at 138 among defending champion Paula Creamer (69), Cristie Kerr (66), Song-Hee Kim (72) and Na Yeon Choi (67). Kim had been tied with Shin after the opening round.

Haas three shots clear of field: Jay Haas shot a 10-under 62 during the first round of the rain-delayed Greater Hickory Classic, taking a three-shot lead into the weekend at Conover, N.C.

Haas is the 2005 tournament champion and tied for second two years ago. He played a bogey-free round at Rock Barn Golf and Spa’s Robert Trent Jones course.

Gil Morgan was second after his 65, with Tom Jenkins, Jerry Pate and three-time major champion Nick Price another stroke back.

Americans up at PGA Cup: Former club pro champion Scott Hebert made a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole to complete a dominant opening day by the Americans, who took a 6-2 lead over Great Britain & Ireland in the PGA Cup at Luss, Scotland.

Hebert won his fourball and foursome matches with different partners, while Sonny Skinner and Kyle Flinton were partners in two U.S. victories on The Carrick course at Loch Lomond. It was the largest lead for the Americans on the road in PGA Cup history.

The PGA Cup, patterned after the Ryder Cup, is for club professionals.

Mayweather fails to make weight

Boxing: Floyd Mayweather Jr. weighed a surprising 146 pounds for his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, paying a big financial penalty for two extra pounds.

Mayweather stepped on the MGM Grand Garden stage in Las Vegas, weighing four pounds more than Marquez, and two pounds more than the fight’s 144-pound catch weight limit. The fighters’ contracts contained an overweight penalty clause that likely moved a six-figure portion of the purse from the undefeated Mayweather to the underdog Marquez, but won’t cancel the bout.

“He loses a substantial amount of money,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, the fight’s promoter. “His advisers and his team are quite upset that he’s going to have to come up with that substantial amount of money.”

Federer gives Swiss 2-0 lead at Davis Cup

Miscellany: Roger Federer rolled to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 win over Simone Bolelli to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead against Italy in the Davis Cup playoffs at Genoa, Italy.

Playing four days after his five-set loss to Juan Martin del Potro in the U.S. Open final, Federer shook off two break points in the opening game and was never in trouble against the 64th-ranked Bolelli.

Federer, who struggled with his serve in the U.S. Open final, had 10 aces to go with 35 winners.

Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in the first match.

Greece, Slovenia win at European championships: Greece hung on for a 76-74 overtime win against Turkey, and Slovenia overcame a 15-point deficit to beat Serbia 67-65 in the quarterfinals of the European basketball championship semifinals at Katowice, Poland.

Greece will play Spain in the semifinals today and Slovenia will face Serbia, a team it beat by 11 in the opening round. Slovenia is in the semis for the first time.

Turkey, led by Toronto Raptors star Hedo Turkoglu, won its first five games but lost its last two in the closing seconds and can finish no better than fifth.

NCAA rules on Oklahoma State infraction: The NCAA has determined Oklahoma State did not commit a major infraction when a church group gave a baseball player a used car.

University spokesman Gary Shutt said the NCAA has informed OSU that it instead committed only two secondary violations and that the school’s self-imposed sanctions are sufficient.

The player, whose name was redacted from all documents in the case, did not play for the Cowboys after receiving the car and is no longer on the team.