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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woods shoots lowest round in three years

Not even an opening score of 7-under-par 64 could land Tiger Woods in the top spot. He sits in a three-way tie for third. (Associated Press)
From Staff And Wire Reports

Golf: Tiger Woods had his lowest opening round in three years Friday in the Deutsche Bank Championship. It still wasn’t enough.

Seung-yul Noh, a rising star from South Korea in his first season on the PGA Tour, ran off four straight birdies early in his round and closed with back-to-back birdies on the TPC Boston for a 9-under-par 62 in Norton, Mass.

That gave him a one-shot lead over Chris Kirk, whose 23 putts included an eagle on the new 18th hole.

Woods wasn’t too shabby. He stirred up a big gallery on a glorious summer day in New England with six straight birdies, which featured four putts of at least 12 feet and a flop shot executed so perfectly that it cleared a steep bunker and landed in an area of the green no larger than a hula hoop. His lone bogey on the final hole gave him a 7-under 64, putting him in a three-way tie for third with Jeff Overton and Ryan Moore.

The average score was just less than 70 on a perfect day for scoring, except for the deceptive wind that swirled through the trees.

Rory McIlroy struggled off the tee, though he judged one of the lies in the rough beautifully on the ninth hole, a 7-iron into tap-in range that led to a 65.

NHL breaks off talks after union’s offer

NHL: NHL labor negotiations hit a standstill after talks broke off, two weeks before the league has threatened to lock out its players.

NHL Players’ Association executive director Don Fehr announced that the NHL asked that talks be “recessed” after the union presented its latest proposal during negotiations held at the league’s headquarters in New York.

The NHLPA’s latest offer came three days after the NHL made its first counterproposal. After asking the players to cut their share of hockey revenue from 57 to 43 percent, the NHL upped its proposal to have the players get a 46 percent share over a six-year deal.

The two sides took a break from talks on Thursday after the union said it was preparing a counterproposal.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he doesn’t see a need to continue negotiations until new ideas can be brought to the table.

This is not the turn in negotiations the commissioner was hoping for, especially after the NHL altered its proposal this week.

The NHL was optimistic that its latest proposal would bring the two sides closer together.

Dempsey transferred to Tottenham

Soccer: U.S. soccer star Clint Dempsey is moving from Fulham to Tottenham, and national team captain Carlos Bocanegra was loaned from Glasgow Rangers to Racing Santander through the end of the season.

Dempsey was transferred for a reported $9.5 million. The 29-year-old midfielder and forward scored a team-high 23 goals last season, including 17 in the Premier League, and had 60 goals in 5 1/2 seasons with Fulham.

Tottenham also signed French national team goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, which means American Brad Friedel is likely to lose his starting job.

Stewart claims rare pole at Atlanta

Auto Racing: Defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart claimed the pole for Sunday night’s NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga.

Stewart turned a fast lap of 186.121 mph night to take his first pole of the season and second of his career at the 1.54-mile tri-oval. He also was on the pole at Atlanta for the season finale in 2002, setting him up to clinch the first of his three Cup titles.

Greg Biffle (185.648) will start on the outside of the front row for the AdvoCare 500. Kyle Busch (185.493) and Matt Kenseth (185.319) took spots on the second row.

• Dillon passes Busch for first Trucks win: Ty Dillon raced to his first NASCAR Trucks victory, passing Kyle Busch with six laps to go and pulling away in Hampton, Ga.

Busch appeared to be in command with the race winding down, running several truck lengths ahead of the field. But Dillon quickly closed the gap and passed the 30-time Camping World Truck Series winner going into turn one.

Texas Tech coach Gillispie hospitalized

Miscellany: Texas Tech men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, the same day the university announced it was scrutinizing his leadership of the struggling program.

Athletic department spokesman Blayne Beal said Gillispie, 52, was admitted to University Medical Center early Friday but declined to provide further details.

Hospital spokesman Eric Finley said Gillispie was in satisfactory condition and likely to be held overnight. Finley said he had no other details on why Gillispie was admitted.

Gillispie was hospitalized on the same day that Beal said the university is looking into matters stemming from the coach’s dealings with his players.

• Cummings wins 13th Vuelta stage: Stephen Cummings won the 13th stage of the Spanish Vuelta cycling event in Ferrol, Spain, and Joaquin Rodriguez maintained his overall lead.

Rodriguez stayed 13 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador and 51 seconds ahead of Tour de France runner-up Christopher Froome of Britain after all three crossed the line with the peloton. Alejandro Valverde of Spain trails by 1:20.

• Saginaw Valley players suspended after allegations: A freshman Saginaw Valley State football player told police he was the victim of sexual abuse by veteran teammates after refusing to sing at dinner, according to a university police report.

The 25-page report details an investigation into the claim of the 17-year-old, who has since left the university. The teen alleged he was approached by teammates and asked if he would sing in front of the team at dinner on Aug. 13, a tradition for new players. After he said no and indicated he’d already sung twice, numerous teammates responded by surrounding him in the locker room, including some who touched him with their genitals, according to the report.

The report says the teen’s version of events changed during his three interviews.

University spokesman J.J. Boehm said five players were suspended for today’s game as a result of the investigation.

• Ex-NFL player guilty in tax fraud: Former NFL and University of Miami player William Joseph pleaded guilty to federal charges arising out of an undercover FBI tax fraud investigation.

The 32-year-old Joseph pleaded guilty to theft of government money and identity theft.

Joseph faces a mandatory minimum two years in prison when sentenced in November.

• Rahal to chair USA Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation: Three-time IndyCar champion Bobby Rahal has been appointed chairman of the recently created USA Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation.