In brief: Five share top spot after long first round

A foggy morning and a brutal 18th hole made for a long day from start to finish at the Senior Players Championship in Timonium, Md.

After an intense fog forced two delays totaling more than two hours at the outset of the tournament, Mark Wiebe and four others shot 3-under-par 67s to share the lead after the opening round Thursday.

The stalled start was a mere inconvenience compared to the horror that was the 496-yard, par-4 18th. Only one player in 78 birdied the hole, and Gil Morgan blew a chance to claim the lead when he carded a triple bogey.

R.W. Eaks, Scott Hoch, Loren Roberts and Walter Hall also shot 67s. Five players, including Fred Funk, Nick Price and Dana Quigley, were at 68. Price was the only player to shoot a bogey-free round.

“Jesper Parnevik shot a career-best 9-under 61 to take a four-stroke lead after the first round of the PGA’s Texas Open in San Antonio, overcoming an opening bogey to birdie eight of the next 11 holes.

Major champions Justin Leonard and Bob Tway were at 65 along with 2005 champion Robert Gamez, Mathias Gronberg, Matt Hendrix, Neal Lancaster, Shigeki Maruyama, Daniel Chopra, Richard S. Johnson and Dan Forsman.

“At Danville, Calif., Pat Hurst and Inbee Park share the lead at 67 after the first round of the Longs Drug Challenge. Inland Northwest golfers Wendy Ward and Tracy Hanson shot 72 and 73, respectively.

“Trip Kuehne won his first U.S. Golf Association title, routing Dan Whitaker 9 and 7 in the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.

“Hall of Famer Beth Daniel will captain the U.S. Solheim Cup team for the 2009 matches at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois.

Miscellany

Williams arraigned

A former Montana State football player who authorities say oversaw a Bozeman-based drug ring that involved at least one other Bobcats football player was arraigned on federal drug charges.

Demetrius Williams, 24, was arrested in Sacramento, Calif., on Sept. 11. He is charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine.

“Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee’s top draft pick, joined his new team for his first practice, but dodged the question that’s hounded him since announcing he was coming to the NBA. Yi’s birth certificate lists him as being born Oct. 27, 1987, which would make him 19, but he’s long been rumored older.

“I have no comment on that,” Yi said through translator Roy Lu.

“Ana Ivanovic was upset by qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, and top-ranked Justin Henin beat Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-1.

Ivanovic was the runner-up at the French Open and a Wimbledon semifinalist.“Top-seeded Venus Williams defeated Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo