Els Leads by 6 After Shooting Another 64

Ernie Els closed with four consecutive birdies Friday, giving him his second consecutive seven-under 64 and a six-shot lead at the midway point of the Johnnie Walker World Championship at Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Els broke the tournament record with a 30 on the back nine.

Tom Lehman shot a 65 and is tied for second with Nick Faldo. Another stroke back is David Gilford, who matched Els with a 64.

Baseball

The Dodgers signed reliever Rudy Seanez to a guaranteed two-year contract and reliever Al Osuna to a one-year deal.

They also traded pitcher Ben VanRyn to the Cincinnati Reds for left-hander William Brunson.

Outfielder Dave Clark signed a $1.35-million contract that will keep him with the Pittsburgh Pirates for another two years. . . . Outfielder Mike Kingery signed a $600,000, one-year contract to stay with the Colorado Rockies.

Track and Field

Following the four-year ban on 800-meter runner Diane Modahl, the International Amateur Athletic Federation nullified the results of the British women’s team at the World Cup.

Modahl was banned by British officials for testing positive for the male hormone testosterone at a meet in Portugal June 18.

Brent Noon, University of Georgia shotputter, appealed a San Diego Superior Court judge’s decision to overturn a verdict and order a new trial in his drug-testing suit against USA Track & Field.

Miscellany

An informal negotiating session involving representatives of the NHL and its players union is scheduled today in New York, the third such session this week. Commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow were not expected to attend.

Although union sources said the league might consider a 44-game schedule if the lockout is not settled by Christmas, a league spokesman said Bettman has not changed his stance since Monday, when he said the minimum would be a 50-game schedule and a full slate of best-of-seven playoff series.

After months of squabbling with the NFL over the nickname Colts, the owner of Baltimore’s CFL team announced its new name: The Baltimore Football Club.

A red-suited, white-bearded Santa Claus interrupted an address to the Assn. of National Olympic Committees in Atlanta to endorse Salt Lake City’s bid to play host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The Olympics’ top anti-doping official said that drug use by athletes in China was no worse than in any other country.

Prince Alexandre de Merode, chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s medical commission, downplayed the recent spate of positive tests involving Chinese athletes as isolated cases.

China’s swimming team, beset by drug scandals, still has not applied to compete in the Epson Swimming World Cup on Jan. 3-4, Asia’s first major swimming event of 1995, organizers said.

Siran Stacy, a former Philadelphia Eagle running back, has been arrested on charges he assaulted his girlfriend inside their hotel room, said police in Atlantic City, N.J..

Josef Strobl of Austria streaked out of a late starting position at Val D’Isere, France, to win the opening World Cup men’s downhill of the season.

The leaders of the Knight Commission sent a letter to university presidents asking them to help reject attempts to relax higher academic standards for student-athletes.

Ronnie Arrow resigned as South Alabama men’s basketball coach, effective immediately. Assistant Judas Prada will coach the Jaguars against Southern tonight and has been named interim head coach.