Price Is in Kind of Rut All Golfers Would Love

Nick Price had 10 threes on his card en route to a six-under-par 66 and a two-stroke lead in Thursday’s first round of the Nestle Invitational at Orlando, Fla.

Seven of the threes came on the back nine at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club course, a side he played in six-under-par 30.

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Caroline Keggi, who contracted E-Coli bacteria from drinking water at this tournament last year, shot a six-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead after one round of the LPGA event in Phoenix. . . . Butch Baird shot a 65 to take the first-round lead of a senior tournament in Galveston, Tex.

Olympics

A U.S. Olympic Committee source said its executive committee could try to make Tonya Harding return training money, apparel, a ring and other commemorative items from the Lillehammer Games in the aftermath of Harding’s guilty plea in an Oregon court to a felony charge.

In Portland, Ore., it was announced that a movie firm has signed a deal with Harding for the rights to her story. . . . A group of business leaders in Boston said it is intent on bringing the 2008 Summer Olympics there.

Jurisprudence

Anthony Russell, a former official with the University of Miami athletic department, was sentenced to three years in federal prison after two football players testified about how he worked a financial aid scam involving fraudulent Pell Grant payments to students, many of them athletes, and collected application fees.

Football

The Washington Redskins signed Dallas Cowboy offensive lineman John Gesek, a former Raider, to a three-year, $3.6-million contract and moved him from guard to center. . . . Ray Seals, a defensive end with Tampa Bay last season, agreed to a three-year, $2.8-million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. . . . The Atlanta Falcons agreed to a three-year, $4-million contract with defensive back Kevin Ross, an unrestricted free agent from the Kansas City Chiefs. . . . The Phoenix Cardinals will change their name to the Arizona Cardinals.

Eric Ross, a senior running back at Pacific University of Forest Grove, Ore., who fell into a coma more than two years ago after being injured in a game, died at Hillsboro, Ore.

Swimming

Amy Van Dyken of Colorado State set a U.S. and NCAA record in winning the 50-yard sprint at the Division I Swimming and Diving Championships at Indianapolis. Her time of 21.77 seconds broke the records of 21.92 set by Leigh Ann Fetter of Texas in 1990.. . . Brian Forster of Pomona Pitzer won the one-meter diving title in the NCAA Division III championships at Williamstown, Mass.

Names in the News

Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Cam Russell will undergo surgery to remove a herniated disk from his neck and will be lost for the season. Russell was injured Monday when he was hit from behind by Chris Simon at Quebec.

Russian pentathlete Irina Belova was suspended for four years by the International Amateur Athletic Federation for testing positive for testosterone during last year’s World Indoor Championships. Runner-up Liliana Nastase of Romania will be awarded her gold medal.

Ice that formed on the engines is being blamed for the airplane crash that killed race car driver Alan Kulwicki on April 1, 1993, at Blountville, Tenn. . . . An autopsy performed on the body of Eric Show, the former San Diego Padre pitcher who died Wednesday, could not determine cause of death. Pathologists said more tests are needed, including toxicology results. . . . Fay Vincent’s autobiography, a subject of controversy when the proposal circulated this month, will be published next year.