Digest: Mirim Lee ties record with 8-under at US Women’s Open

Golf: Mirim Lee became the fifth golfer to shoot a round of 8-under par at the U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday when she made 10 birdies on the way to a 64 to take the early lead at CordeValle in San Martin, California.

Lee is the first woman to shoot that much below par at the U.S. Open since Lorie Kane and Becky Iverson did it in the second round in 1999 at Old Waverly in Mississippi. The lowest total score in a round in U.S. Open history is a 63 by Helen Alfredsson in 1994 at the par-71 Indianwood in Michigan.

Lee capped her day with birdie from about 8 feet on her final hole at the par-5 ninth to take a three-shot lead over Minjee Lee and Christie Kerr after the morning groupings.

All 17 NFL referees return for 2016 season

Football: All 17 NFL referees are returning for the 2016 season, including Walt Coleman, who will enter his 28th year in the league.

Three new officials were hired among the 124 the league will employ: side judge Alan Eck, who was in the Big 12; umpire Ramon George, who was in Conference USA; and head linesman Jerod Phillips, who also was in the Big 12.

Five officials will not be assigned to crews and will be “swing” officials, working with different crews throughout the season. The league also will do more rotating of officials among crews in hopes of getting more consistency.

Irish, Wolverines resume rivalry: Notre Dame and Michigan, the two winningest programs in college football history, announced that they are resuming their rivalry.

The Fighting Irish will host the Wolverines on Sept. 1 2018, and the series will shift to Michigan Stadium on Oct. 26, 2019.

Notre Dame opted out of its series with Michigan in 2012, canceling games in 2015-2017. The Fighting Irish said at the time the move was a precaution as it began the process of a scheduling commitment to the ACC. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he and his counterpart at Michigan, Ward Manuel, had worked together to renew the series.

Stidham announces transfer from Baylor: Jarrett Stidham says he’s transferring from Baylor, where he was expected to again be the backup quarterback behind senior Seth Russell. Stidham announced his decision in a statement posted on his Twitter account. He appeared in 10 games as a freshman last season, including three starts after Russell suffered a season-ending neck injury. Stidham didn’t say in his post where he was planning to go.

Georgia Souther put on probation: Georgia Southern was put on two years’ probation and the football team will lose two scholarships next season after the NCAA ruled three football players received improper academic assistance. The school escaped a postseason ban.

The football program will also face a 10 percent reduction in official visits and football evaluations for 2016-17. The names of the two former staff members cited and football players were not released by the NCAA or Georgia Southern.

The school must vacate any victories in which the players participated. But Greg Sankey, chairman of the infractions and commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, said those games had yet to be determined. Georgia Southern, an FBS school in Statesboro, will make that announcement.

Sankey said the school self-imposed a $5,000 fine. He added that no member of the coaching staff was subject to penalties.

Bentley leads Sun past Lynx in overtime

WNBA: Alex Bentley made three 3-pointers in the final 2 minutes of regulation and scored seven points in overtime to help the Connecticut Sun rally past Minnesota 93-89 in Uncasville, Connecticut, overcoming Maya Moore’s 40 points for the Lynx.

Minnesota was ahead 77-66 with 1:59 left in regulation, but Bentley made three 3s on four Connecticut possessions to pull to 79-77. After a Minnesota turnover, Chiney Ogwumike went coast-to-coast for a layup to tie it and Lindsay Whalen missed a layup at the buzzer.

The Sun closed regulation on a 13-4 run.

Jones denies PEDs use after positive test

Miscellany: Jon Jones has denied using any performance-enhancing substances after a positive drug test knocked him out of the main event at Saturday’s UFC 200. The UFC interim light heavyweight champion broke into tears at a hastily arranged news conference Thursday, a day after his rematch with Daniel Cormier was canceled.

Jones’ manager, Malki Kawa, said the fighter was informed of a possible PED violation by USADA, which administers the UFC’s anti-drug policy. Jones’ backup sample will be tested by a lab in Utah, and Kawa hopes to get the results later Thursday, although he has little hope the result will change.

Bartoli says virus caused dramatic weight loss: Three years after winning the title at Wimbledon, Marion Bartoli said she has contracted an unknown virus and her life is an “absolute nightmare.” The 31-year-old Frenchwoman is now extremely thin and said it’s because she is ill.

“My life right now, it’s an absolute nightmare,” Bartoli said in an interview on British channel ITV’s “This Morning” show. “What I’m going through, I wish it to absolutely nobody.”

Bartoli won the women’s title at Wimbledon in 2013, and retired from the sport the next month. She now works in fashion and also does TV commentating at tennis events. She is working at Wimbledon, and had planned to play in the women’s invitational tournament for former players but said her doctors told her she couldn’t.

Serena Williams, a longtime rival on the court, praised Bartoli for going public with her problem.

“I was really proud to hear she did say something,” Williams said Thursday after reaching her ninth Wimbledon final. “She took it upon herself to acknowledge what she’s been fighting through. I really admire anyone that is courageous like that.”

Bartoli said she believes she contracted the disease while on a long flight in February. She said she can only eat organic leaves and cucumbers without skin because her body rejects other food. She said she has been seeking treatment.

“As a Wimbledon champion, I’m trying to fight my hardest to go through it and to survive,” Bartoli said. “I think my Wimbledon title is actually the strength I have inside me. I just really want people to understand I don’t do that to myself on purpose.”

Devils re-sign Palmieri: The New Jersey Devils have re-signed leading scorer Kyle Palmieri to a five-year, $23.25 million contract. The contract has an average annual value of $4.65 million.

Commissioners propose more time off for athletes: Power Five conference commissioners want to change NCAA rules to give college athletes more time away from team activities, including no longer counting travel as an off day, a mandatory seven-day break after the season and an additional 14 off days from athletic activity during the academic year.

The agreement in concept was announced Thursday by the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference. The leagues said they believed they had found the “right balance” to help tens of thousands of athletes with a proposal they are calling Flex 21. The extra 21 days off would be in addition to the current mandatory off days, and could be tailored to fit each team’s schedule with input from coaches and athletes.

Formal proposals still need to be submitted, but the conferences could vote to turn them into NCAA rules at the next convention in January.

Byron wins 4th Trucks race at Kentucky

Auto racing: Rookie William Byron took the lead on lap 82 and withstood several challengers to win at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, and make Kyle Busch Motorsports the winningest Camping World Truck Series team in NASCAR history.

Daniel Hemric and John H. Nemechek battled side-by-side at time down the stretch in hopes of catching Byron but neither could chase down the series points leader, who passed Timothy Peters and didn’t look back en route to KBM’s 51st career victory.

The 18-year-old Byron led two times for 70 laps in the 225-mile race in the No. 9 Toyota for his fourth win this season and second in three starts. Nemechek finished second in a Chevy, followed by Hemric (Ford), rookie Christopher Bell (Toyota) and Johnny Sauter (Chevy).

Byron’s win offered some consolation for the team owner and Sprint Cup Series champion, who finished 30th after hitting the wall following contact with Spencer Gallagher on lap 58.

Haas dies: Carl Haas, co-founder of Newman-Haas Racing with late actor Paul Newman, has died. He was 86. His company, Carl Haas Automobile Imports Inc., posted a statement on its web site saying Haas died on June 29 at his home surrounded by family.

Newman-Haas established itself as one of the most successful open-wheel teams, hiring Mario Andretti as its first driver. Among its other drivers were Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Sebastien Bourdais and Christian Fittipaldi. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway issued a statement Thursday describing Haas as one of the most influential men in motorsports for nearly a half-century.

Newman-Haas cars made 30 starts over a 28-year span at the Indianapolis 500 from 1983-2011, with six top-five finishes. He also fielded teams in in Can-Am, Formula 1 and NASCAR.