Triplett, Estes Share Record and Lead at 64

Kirk Triplett and Bob Estes took advantage of favorable morning weather Thursday and tied the course record with six-under-par 64s to share the first-round lead at the Greater Hartford Open in Cromwell, Conn.

Triplett, who played in the first group off the first tee, and Estes, who played five groups behind, finished a stroke ahead of Dave Stockton Jr., also an early starter.

Triplett and Estes joined nine previous players who shot 64s at the TPC at River Highlands course since it was renovated in 1991.

U.S. Open champion Corey Pavin was one of the late starters off the 10th tee. He parred every hole on the back nine, then had two bogeys and two birdies after the turn and finished at 70.

At 66 were John Cook, Brian Henninger, Grant Waite and Emlyn Aubrey. Defending champion Greg Norman, runner-up at the U.S. Open, Paul Azinger and Chip Beck were among those at 67.

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Defending champion Steve Woods of Pomona, trying to win consecutive California Amateur championships, advanced a step closer with a second-round victory over Patrick Duncan of Rancho Sante Fe, 4 and 3, at Pebble Beach. Bob Niger, from the small Northern California community of Cool, ousted medalist Mark Johnson of Helendale, 2 and 1.

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Jenny Lee, 18, of Fullerton shot a three-under-par 70 for a two-day total of 144 to take medalist honors at the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship at Colts Neck, N.J.

Tennis

Spanish clay-court specialists Sergi Bruguera and Alberto Berasategui withdrew from Wimbledon, citing unspecified injuries.

There was also a report that five-time winner Steffi Graf had injured her right wrist and had flown to Germany for treatment.

Jimmy Connors moved into his first ATP tour quarterfinals in four years, defeating Martin Sinner in the $725,000 ATP tournament at Halle, Germany, 7-6 (11-9), 6-0.

Top-seeded Kimiko Date blamed a tabloid report suggesting that she had had an affair with her coach for her 6-3, 6-0 loss to Chanda Rubin at the Eastbourne grass-court championships at Eastbourne, England.

The Monica Seles-Martina Navratilova exhibition on July 29, Seles’ return to tennis after a two-year absence, will be at the Atlantic City, N.J., Convention Center.

Four days before opening the defense of his Wimbledon title, Pete Sampras stood alongside three other tennis celebrities at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London at a memorial service for former champion Fred Perry.

Sampras, Virginia Wade, John Newcombe and Navratilova paid tribute to Perry, the three-time Wimbledon champion who died in February at 85. Perry was Britain’s last men’s champion in 1936.

Basketball

Chuck Daly reportedly is the front-runner to become coach of the New York Knicks.

The New York Times reported that Daly had planned to notify the Knicks on Thursday of his intentions but delayed making a decision. It is not clear whether Daly is uncertain about his desire to return to coaching or is trying to strengthen his negotiating position.

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Arvidas Sabonis dominated the boards and Sarunas Marciulionis scored 28 points as Lithuania beat host Greece, 89-73, for its second victory at the European Championship at Athens.

The 7-foot-3 Sabonis had 23 rebounds and 18 points. The entire Greek team had 26 rebounds.

Croatia, another contender led by NBA stars Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja and NBA prospect Arijan Komazec, opened a bid for its first European title with a 91-83 victory over Slovenia.

Arizona Coach Lute Olson said he expects to sign a five-year contract that will keep him at the school into the next century. His current contract expires in 1998 and pays about $512,000 a year.

Assistant Coach Don Casey is staying with the Boston Celtics under a new four-year contract.

District Attorney Greg Valdez says he has appointed a prosecutor and staff to look into allegations of forgery involving New Mexico State players’ exams in correspondence courses.

Names in the News

Wide receiver Anthony Carter, an unrestricted free agent, has re-signed to play with the Detroit Lions in 1995. . . . Colorado State wide receiver Donovan Burks has been ruled ineligible because his five years of Division I eligibility expired this spring, a review panel ruled. . . . Cathy Gainey, wife of Bob Gainey, the coach and general manager of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, died in an Ontario hospital after a five-year battle with cancer. She was 39.

Miscellany

The Rams’ caravan of 16 moving vans and two flatbed trucks are scheduled to depart Anaheim today and arrive in St. Louis on Monday or Tuesday. The Rams begin training camp July 16 in St. Louis. . . . Sailing’s annual Trimble-North Sails Race Week will be held at Long Beach today, Saturday and Sunday. . . . Washington State will merge its men’s and women’s track and field teams under current men’s Coach Rick Sloan rather than fill a coaching vacancy for the women’s team.