Rose blossoms with 8-under round at BMW

Golf: Feeling as though he had nothing to lose, Justin Rose put himself in position for a big gain with his best round of the year Thursday in the BMW championship in Lemont, Ill.

Rose made birdie on half of his holes at Cog Hill, a tough course that played even longer in chilly conditions, giving him an 8-under-par 63 and a two-shot lead over Webb Simpson and Mark Wilson.

“Didn’t expect that going out there today,” Rose said. “I looked to the weather, looked at the temperature, and I thought today was going to be a day to hang in there. Little did I know I was about to play so well – certainly my best round of the year by a long, long way. And could have been top five, top 10 rounds I’ve ever played for sure.”

Since a solid spring through the Masters, the 31-year-old player from England lost his way and went 10 straight tournaments without a top-10 finish. He is No. 34 in the FedEx Cup, and only the top 30 advance to the Tour Championship for a shot at the $10 million bonus.

• Johnson leads with career best: Jennifer Johnson shot a career-best, 7-under 65 to take the first-round lead over teenager Lexi Thompson in the Navistar LPGA Classic at Prattville, Ala.

Johnson was 6 under on the back nine on the Senator course at the Robert Trent Jones Trail’s Capitol Hill complex. She eagled the par-4, 389-yard 15th hole and had birdies on Nos. 10, 13, 17 and 18.

Wendy Ward of Edwall, Wash., shot a 74.

Schlichter pleads guilty to charges

Football: Former Ohio State and NFL quarterback Art Schlichter pleaded guilty in Columbus, Ohio, to state theft charges linked to a sports ticket-fraud scheme and apologized to a woman who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the plot.

In a deal worked out with state and federal prosecutors, Schlichter pleaded guilty to 13 counts and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He also was ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution, although a prosecutor conceded victims were likely to never see the money.

Schlichter will appear today in federal court, where he faces related charges of bank and wire fraud and filing a false tax return. Schlichter has indicated he’ll plead guilty to those charges, though no date for accepting the plea has been set.

Schlichter, 51, whose professional football career was derailed by a gambling addiction, apologized to the victims of the scheme, in which he charged hundreds of thousands of dollars for sports tickets he never delivered.

“I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you and all the other victims that are involved in this,” he said, paying particular attention to Anita Barney, a 69-year-old widow whose homes are being foreclosed according to her attorney, William Loveland.

• Oklahoma affiliation on agenda: University of Oklahoma officials are scheduled to discuss the school’s Big 12 affiliation on Monday.

The school’s board of regents has posted an agenda for the meeting. It’s a single paragraph that says the board will consider switching conference affiliation, and any legal ramifications of such a move.

• Urlacher returns: Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher returned to practice after the death of his mother and is expected to play at New Orleans this weekend.

Urlacher had missed Wednesday’s practice following the sudden death of his mother, Lavoyda, at her home in Texas on Monday night.

Both sides claim unification in talks

NBA: Eleven weeks into the lockout, NBA players and owners have at least one thing in common. Each side is unified, and wants everyone to know it.

Solidarity among the ranks was the loudest message that emerged from separate gatherings to provide their constituents an update on collective bargaining talks.

The meetings came two days after a session between the union’s executive committee and the owners’ labor relations committee brought no progress after the league refused players’ desire to keep the current salary cap system.

The union emerged from that setback saying the Nov. 1 scheduled start of the regular season could be in jeopardy. Training camps would open Oct. 3.

• NBA League, referees reach five-year deal: The NBA and its referees approved a new five-year deal, just two years after a contract dispute nearly caused the league to open the season with replacements.

Prenup left nothing to Gatti’s wife

Boxing: A prenuptial agreement would have left boxer Arturo Gatti’s wife nothing – not even alimony – in the case of divorce.

A court in Montreal heard that Gatti had insisted on the prenuptial agreement. He later tore up a copy of the agreement in a demonstration of love for his wife, but the original document was still valid.

Gatti’s widow, Amanda Rodrigues, is in a court battle with the late boxer’s family over his estate. Gatti’s family doesn’t believe Brazilian authorities’ conclusion that he committed suicide.