Confident Nicklaus Will Play at British Open

Jack Nicklaus will extend his unbroken run of playing in major golf tournaments to 139 when he tees off in the 125th British Open at the Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club.

Organizers confirmed Tuesday that Nicklaus, who won the British Open in 1966, 1970 and 1978, had decided to enter the tournament that runs July 18-21 after his solid performance earlier this month in the U.S. Open.

Nicklaus, 56, had said he wouldn’t go to England unless he felt he could be competitive. He will be joined by 11 other former British Open champions, including Americans Mark Calcavecchia (1989), five-time winner Tom Watson and defending champion John Daly.

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Scott Hoch shot consecutive eight-under-par 64s for an eight-stroke victory in the Family House Invitational at Ligonier, Pa.

Hoch, who earned $170,000 in the two-day event, tied the Laurel Valley course record set by Orville Moody in the 1989 U.S. Senior Open. He played 28 holes Tuesday after rain forced the suspension of play Monday.

Steve Stricker closed with a 66 to finish second. Vijay Singh (69) and Kirk Triplett (68) tied for third at sever-under 137.

Football

The San Diego Chargers signed wide receiver Bryan Still, their top pick in the April draft, to a three-year contract. Details were not released.

Still was a second-round pick, the 41st player selected, out of Virginia Tech. The Chargers also waived rookie free agent tackle Tim Camp.

Safety Vince Buck, the New Orleans Saints’ second-round draft choice in 1990, was released with three seasons left on his contract. He had started at free safety the last two seasons.

“This move was not necessary to get under the salary cap or to make room for the signing of our 10 draft choices,” General Manager Bill Kuharich said.

Jurisprudence

A judge rejected a motion by attorneys for Dallas Cowboy receiver Michael Irvin that the pool of potential jurors for his drug possession trial in Dallas did not reflect the area’s racial mix.

State District Judge Manny Alvarez denied the motion without comment as the trial began, with Irvin facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted on felony cocaine and misdemeanor marijuana charges.

The jury will be selected from a pool of 67 people, most of whom are white. Twelve are black, one is Asian and one is Hispanic.

An arrest warrant has been issued in Phoenix for former Arizona Cardinal offensive lineman Luis Sharpe, who vanished between drug treatment programs.

Sharpe, 36, was placed on three years’ probation last month for attempting to assault a police officer and possessing a crack-cocaine pipe. Patrick Healy, deputy probation officer, told Maricopa County Superior Court on Monday that officials had lost track of Sharpe on Saturday. Sharpe’s attorney, Marc Budoff, said he didn’t know Sharpe was missing.

University of Miami offensive lineman Ricky Perry is scheduled to be tried July 1 on felony charges including aggravated battery with a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm in an incident last November in which police say he held a loaded gun to a man’s throat and beat him.

Soccer

A full-strength England, brimming with confidence after three wins in a row, faces a depleted German team that already has sent three players home in the semifinals of the European Championships.

German striker and captain Juergen Klinsmann is likely to be among those watching the Euro 96 semifinal at Wembley Stadium.

“We are playing against the host and a co-favorite, and our chances have sunk,” German Coach Berti Vogts said. “Klinsmann very probably won’t be able to play. But with our medical department, everything is possible.”

The other semifinal is between France and the Czech Republic at Old Trafford, Manchester, with the French a heavy favorite.

Miscellany

Oscar De La Hoya, as expected, will make the first defense of the World Boxing Council super-lightweight title against No. 1 challenger Miguel Angel Gonzalez of Mexico on Sept. 14 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Less than a year after promising there would be no permanent overhead lights at Notre Dame stadium, the university announced it’s changing its mind. NBC, which paid a reported $40 million over five years for the rights to Irish home games, will pay for the project, which could be ready for the final two home games in November. . . . The Mighty Ducks promoted Angela Gorgone to assistant to the general manager. Gorgone, 28, has been coordinator of computer scouting and video for the past three years and will take on additional duties in the areas of contracts and player transactions. . . . Daren Kalish, an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount, joined the Oregon men’s basketball program as an assistant coach.