Briefly
Becky Morgan shot an 8-under-par 64 in cool, rainy conditions Thursday to take a three-stroke lead over Lorena Ochoa after the opening round of the Rochester LPGA at Pittsford, N.Y.
Ochoa closed with three straight birdies for a 67, one ahead of Maria Hjorth (68) and two in front of 2003 U.S. Women’s Open champion Hilary Lunke (69). Se Ri Pak, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz and Rachel Hetherington were at 2-under 70.
Morgan, a two-time runner-up, has struggled this season. Her best 2005 finish is a tie for 27th at the season-opening SBS Open in Hawaii, and she has missed the cut in five of 10 tournaments this year.
Cristie Kerr, second on the money list behind Annika Sorenstam, withdrew after six holes because of a knee injury. Sorenstam skipped the tournament to prepare for next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Cherry Hills. Despite 62 career LPGA victories, the Swede’s best finish in four tries in Rochester was second in 1996.
Tracy Hanson of Rathdrum, Idaho, shot a 74, one shot better than Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash.
Cycling
Dajka receives three-year ban
Former world keirin champion Jobie Dajka was suspended for three years for assaulting the Australian cycling track team’s head coach.
The penalty was handed down by Cycling Australia after Dajka, 24, admitted to assaulting Martin Barras two weeks ago. Cycling Australia said Dajka could reapply for his license to compete after serving one year of the suspension if he took anger management courses and performed community service.
Dajka, the 2002 keirin world champion, was suspended for four months and dropped from the Olympic team last year for lying during a doping inquiry.
Hockey
NHL approves Anaheim sale
The sale of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to Henry and Susan Samueli was approved by the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors.
The board granted unanimous approval pending completion of the sale, which is expected shortly.
Mighty Ducks spokesman Alex Gilchrist said the new owners wouldn’t comment until the sale becomes final. The sale for a reported $75 million was announced Feb. 25 and includes Disney Ice, a Mighty Ducks practice facility.
Samueli is co-founder, chairman of the board and chief technical officer of Broadcom Corp. He also owns the company that manages Anaheim Arena, the Mighty Ducks’ home ice.
College sports
Florida A&M lists problems
Florida A&M will report “well over 200” violations by the athletic department to the NCAA and recommend scholarship cuts in every sport after a nearly three-year internal investigation.
The announcement comes days after football coach Billy Joe was fired for purported recruiting and eligibility violations.
The school’s findings were forwarded to the NCAA earlier this week, with a list of recommended restrictions, sports information director Alvin Hollins said.
Among the violations announced by the school in a release were: Ineligible athletes allowed to compete, improper conduct of coaches concerning a change of grade, recruiting violations and violations of practice time rules.
The NCAA is in the midst of its own investigation of Florida A&M, and a ruling on the infractions and any restrictions is expected this fall. The investigation was the continuation of the one that showed 196 NCAA rules violations throughout Florida A&M’s athletics program and led to the school stripping itself of 11 conference titles, including two in football.
“The Air Force Academy has hired Hans J. Mueh as athletic director, a position he has held on a temporary basis for about a year.
Mueh, 61, was hired last July without a national search after another candidate backed out. Air Force policy dictated that he be given only a one-year contract.
Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. John Rosa interviewed two others for the position before hiring Mueh, the academy’s first civilian athletic director. Mueh, a 1966 academy graduate, retired from the military in July.
Olympics
Two injured in chopper crash
A helicopter crashed on the slalom ski slope for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, injuring the pilot and a worker on the ground.
The helicopter was ferrying a load of light poles to illuminate the slope in Sestriere at night during the Feb. 10-26 Olympics, said Claudio Agnese, spokesman for the management arm of the organizing committee for the games.
Neither the pilot nor the worker appeared to be seriously injured and were taken to a hospital in Turin, Agnese said.
Horse racing
Herpes quarantine lifted
The last three horses quarantined at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., because of an equine herpes outbreak have been cleared.
Test results show all traces of the virus are gone from their systems, the track said in a statement.
The horses, trained by Steve Asmussen, will be allowed to return to training with other horses and resume racing, the statement said.
An earlier round of blood scans detected traces of the virus, and the horses were ordered Saturday to remain in quarantine in the track’s detention barn.