Lohr Uses 11 Birdies to Shoot a 61 and Take First-Round Lead

Bob Lohr, a 10-year PGA Tour veteran with only one victory, more than offset a three-putt bogey with 11 birdies Thursday as he posted a 61 in the opening round of the Anheuser-Busch Classic at Williamsburg, Va.

There have only been two scores better than Lohr’s 10-under-par round, the 59s of Al Geiberger at Memphis in 1977 and Chip Beck at Las Vegas in 1991, and nine rounds of 60, the latest by Davis Love III at Hawaii in January.

“I’ve never made 11 birdies in a round before,” Lohr said.

Lohr’s score was one stroke lower than his previous best round. He opened with a 10-under 62 on the way to winning the 1988 Walt Disney World Classic.

“I don’t think I’d even know how to pencil in a 61,” said Nike Tour regular John Wilson, whose 64 put him in a second-place tie with PGA Tour rookie Glen Day.

Jurisprudence

Sprinter Butch Reynolds’ request for a full court hearing of his lawsuit seeking damages from the International Amateur Athletic Federation was rejected by a federal appeals court in Cincinnati.

“The panel has further reviewed the petition for rehearing and concludes that the issues raised in the petition were fully considered upon the original submission and decision of the case,” the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.

Reynolds, the world record-holder in the 400 meters, sued the international track sanctioning body in a drug-test dispute and was awarded a $27.3-million settlement by a U.S. District Court judge. But a three-judge 6th Circuit panel threw out the award this year.

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Nevada Las Vegas must pay $150,726 plus interest to cover former basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian’s costs in a long legal fight against the school.

Hockey

The New Jersey Devils have matched the four-year, $17.1-million offer the St. Louis Blues gave all-star defenseman Scott Stevens, the New York Times reported.

The Kings will open the 1994-95 season at San Jose on Oct. 1 and play their next five games at home, beginning Oct. 5 against Detroit.

The Mighty Ducks will also open their season on the road, playing the Stars at Dallas on Oct. 1. They will play their first home game on Oct. 9 against Calgary.

Football

Neal Anderson, the second-most productive rusher in Chicago Bears’ history, is retiring after eight seasons.

Baltimore, still prohibited from using the nickname Colts after a court in Chicago denied owner Jim Speros’ appeal of a preliminary injunction, defeated the Toronto Argonauts, 28-20, in its Canadian Football League debut.

Basketball

The Clippers will open the 1994-95 season in Japan when they play the Portland Trail Blazers at the Yokohama Arena Nov. 5-6.

A federal judge in Minneapolis said he doesn’t plan to hear any further emergency motions in the lawsuit involving the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the NBA and Top Rank of Louisiana, which has been rebuffed in its effort to buy the team and move it to New Orleans.

Names in the News

Nicola Minali of Italy won the fifth leg of the Tour de France, a 116-mile stage that began and ended in Portsmouth, England. Another Italian, Flavio Vanzella, maintained the overall lead. . . . Former heavyweight boxing champion Buster Douglas remained in serious but stable condition while being treated for a form of diabetes in the coronary care unit of a hospital in Columbus, Ohio. . . . Michael Tejera and Hansel Izquierdo, 17-year-old pitchers on Cuba’s national junior baseball team, defected at Miami International Airport, bringing to 11 the number of players from the island who have sought political asylum in the United States in the last three years.