Lexi Thompson, Meena Lee share lead at LPGA Championship

Lexi Thompson and South Korea’s Meena Lee shot six-under-66 on Thursday to share the first-round lead in the LPGA Championship, the fourth major championship of the season.

Thompson, the Kraft Nabisco winner in April for her first major title, and Lee each made eight birdies and a pair of bogeys at Monroe Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y., to finish a stroke ahead of ahead of Brittany Lincicome, Colombia’s Lisa McCloskey and Canadian rookie Jennifer Kirby.

Shanshan Feng of China, the tournament winner two years ago, was tied for sixth at 68 with 2010 champion Cristie Kerr. Catriona Matthew of Scotland, runner-up a year ago to South Korea’s Inbee Park, was tied at 69 with seven other players. Park was at even-par 72, one shot better than Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis, a three-time winner this year, started on the back nine and birdied three of the first five holes, then faltered with three straight bogeys before the turn. She finished at 71.

Camilo Villegas opened with a seven-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead in the Wyndham Championship, the final event before the PGA Tour’s playoffs.

North Carolina natives Webb Simpson and William McGirt shot 64, and Scott Langley, Heath Slocum, Paul Casey, Andrew Loupe and Martin Laird were another stroke back at Sedgefield in Greensboro, N.C.

Simpson, the 2011 winner, hopes to make an impression on U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson. His three captain’s picks are due next month. Simpson finished 15th on the Ryder Cup points list.

South Korea’s Gunn Yang, a San Diego State sophomore, advanced to the U.S. Amateur quarterfinals, birdieing the final three holes to beat top-ranked Ollie Schniederjans, a senior at Georgia Tech, 1 up, at Atlanta Athletic Club at Johns Creek, Ga.

In the morning, Yang beat England’s Paul Howard, 4 and 3. Yang will play Cameron Young of Scarborough, N.Y., in the quarterfinals. Young beat Kyle Jones of Taylor, Ariz., 1 up.

Danish star Thomas Bjorn shot a five-under 66 for a share of the first-round lead in the Made in Denmark tournament in Aalborg, boosting his chances of securing a spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup team.

Chile’s Felipe Aguilar and Wales’ Bradley Dredge also shot 66.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic tumbled out of the Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio, and second-seeded Roger Federer avoided an upset in the round of 16.

Tommy Robredo, seeded 16th, beat Djokovic, 7-6 (6), 7-5, in the afternoon, and Federer escaped with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Gael Monfils in the night session.

Andy Murray also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over John Isner. Seeded players Milos Raonic and Fabio Fognini also stayed alive.

In women’s play, top-seeded Serena Williams continued her pursuit of her first title in the Cincinnati-area tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Flavia Pennetta.

Simona Halep also reached the quarterfinals, where she will meet Maria Sharapova. Agnieszka Radwanska, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic moved on.

Pierce Jones had three home runs and four runs batted in in to lead Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West team to a 12-2 victory over Lynnwood, Wash., in five innings in pool play at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa.

In the other U.S. game, Las Vegas beat Rapid City, S.D., also by a 12-2 score in five innings.. In international play, South Korea beat the Czech Republic, 10-3, and Puerto Rico routed Australia, 16-3, in four innings.

The casualty list of horse deaths at Del Mar during this summer meeting, which opened July 17, reached 12 Thursday. In the eighth race, Steppingood broke down and had to be euthanized. Also euthanized Thursday was Serious, who had broken down on the turf course July 31. An effort had been made to save Serious, but the horse’s condition had worsened.

Luis Suarez will train with his Barcelona teammates on Friday after his ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup was softened but not shortened.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Thursday that the Uruguay forward, who recently left Liverpool for Barcelona, deserves his four-month ban from playing official matches for both his club and his country.

The court did, however, clear Suarez to start training with his club, and Barcelona said he will join practice for the upcoming season on Friday, and have his formal introduction to the media and fans on Tuesday. He could play in a club friendly on Monday.

Suarez bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder during Uruguay’s 1-0 win at the World Cup on June 24. He denied it at first, but later admitted it and apologized.

Suarez can next play a competitive match on Oct. 25, and it should be worth watching. Barcelona has an away match against Real Madrid that weekend, the first clasico of the Spanish league season.

Suarez remains banned for Uruguay’s next eight competitive matches and will miss next year’s Copa America and some World Cup qualifying matches.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland to a four-year contract through the 2017-18 season.

Holland has been Detroit’s GM for 17 seasons, and since he took over in July 1997, his teams have won more regular-season games (746) and postseason games (115) than any other organization. The Red Wings won Stanley Cups in 1998, 2002 and 2008 — and another in 1997 while he was an assistant GM.