Wie in position for first LPGA win
Michelle Wie put herself into contention for her first LPGA Tour victory, shooting a 2-under-par 70 in difficult conditions Friday in the second round of the season-opening SBS Open in Kahuku, Hawaii.
Making her debut as an LPGA card-carrying member, Wie used a three-birdie run to surge to the top of the leaderboard and finish with an 8-under 136, where she was tied with Angela Stanford (71) heading into today’s final round.
The 19-year-old Wie is seeking her first title in her 49th start on the LPGA Tour.
“It feels good,” Wie said of being in contention again. She will be in the final group for the first time since the 2006 Evian Ladies Masters, where she tied for second and picked up her biggest tour paycheck of her career.
Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., was at 144.
•Goosen on fire: Retief Goosen shot an 8-under 64 in the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach (Calif.) National Pro-Am for a two-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.
Goosen hit a 3-iron to 8 feet for an eagle on the second hole at Pebble Beach, then picked up even more momentum by holing a 70-foot chip on the par-3 fifth green for birdie. With short birdies on two of the last four holes, he was at 12-under 132 over two rounds.
•Pate, Langer lead seniors: Jerry Pate and Bernhard Langer share the lead at 8 under after the opening round of the Allianz Championships. Pate had an eagle and six birdies in his round of 64, matching his best score since joining the senior circuit.
College basketball
West Virginia stuns ’Nova
Da’Sean Butler scored a career-high 43 points to lead West Virginia to a 93-72 home win over No. 13 Villanova.
Butler scored 24 in the first half as the Mountaineers (17-8, 6-6 Big East) built a 20-point lead en route to their first win this season against a team in the top half of the conference standings.
Hockey
Sabres’ victory somber
Derek Roy scored the decisive shootout goal, and had a goal and an assist in regulation in the Buffalo Sabres’ 6-5 victory over the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks in Buffalo.
It was an emotional night a day after 50 people were killed when Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed into house in suburban Buffalo. The Sabres, who turned down the NHL’s offer to postpone the game, had a moment of silence before the game.
•Devils blank Bruins: Scott Clemmensen had his second straight shutout after going nearly five years without one in the NHL, and Bryce Salvador provided a rare bit of offense in New Jersey’s 1-0 home win over NHL-leading Boston.
•Blue Jackets snap Wings’ streak: Jason Williams scored with 6:55 to go to help Columbus snap Stanley Cup champion Detroit’s winning streak at six games with a 3-2 win at Columbus, Ohio.
NFL
Falcons want to trade Vick
Atlanta general manager Thomas Dimitroff said the Falcons will try to trade the contract rights on Michael Vick to another team.
Vick is in federal prison on felony charges related to dogfighting and is scheduled to be released in July. He has a contract that runs to 2013 and calls for him to receive a base salary of $9 million and a bonus of $6.43 million in 2009.
•Giants tag Jacobs: Brandon Jacobs, the 264-pound running back who has been a mainstay of the New York Giants’ offense the past two seasons, was designated by the team as its franchise player. It guarantees Jacobs $6.6 million next season.
Baseball
Bright spot for A-Rod
Alex Rodriguez briefly addressed the drug scandal that has enveloped his life for the last week when Miami formally renamed its baseball field in his honor.
With his name affixed to the scoreboard in left field, Rodriguez – who was greeted by a 45-second standing ovation – spoke in public for the first time since acknowledging he took banned substances as a member of the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003.
“I have been so fortunate to have received so much from a game I love so much,” Rodriguez said. “That doesn’t mean I haven’t made mistakes, and unless you’ve been in a cave under the ocean this last week, you know that I’ve made some. What it does mean is that I understand only in America can you dream big, work hard, and be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.”
Skiing
Vonn to race today
Lindsey Vonn will compete in today slalom at the world championships in Val d’Isere, France, despite slicing her thumb on a broken champagne bottle.
She decided to race after testing out her grip during training runs on Friday. Vonn has already won two golds at the world championships.
•Ligety third: Carlo Janka of Switzerland won the giant slalom at the world championships in Val d’Isere, France, while American Ted Ligety was third and Bode Miller did not finish.
Boxing
Three pounds costly
Nate Campbell lost his three lightweight titles on the scales when he failed to make weight for his fight with Ali Funeka in Sunrise, Fla.
Campbell, who won the IBF, WBA and WBO titles by beating Juan Diaz last year, weighed 138 pounds – three over the lightweight limit.
The fight will go on as scheduled. Funeka would win the IBF and WBO titles with a victory, but Campbell can’t reclaim the belts with a win.
Track and field
Rupp breaks record in 5K
Galen Rupp broke two 5,000-meter records that had stood since the early 1980s, setting American and collegiate marks at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., with a time of 13 minutes, 18.12 seconds. Rupp, an Oregon senior, actually finished second in the event. Bekana Daba of Ethiopia won in 13:17.89.
Doug Padilla had the American record since 1982 after running the 5,000 in 13:20.55. Suleiman Nyambui of Texas-El Paso set the collegiate record of 13:20.40 in 1981.