It’s Not Crowded at Top, but Tiger Trails by Four

Tiger Woods had the fans. Larry Nelson, Joey Gullion and Charlie Rymer were content with the birdies.

Nelson, Gullion and Rymer shot five-under-par 65s Thursday to share the first-round lead in the Quad City Classic at Coal Valley, Ill. Denis Watson and Ed Fiori opened with 66s on the Oakwood Golf Club course.

Woods, making his third start as a pro, was four behind with a 69.

“When you’re not shooting well, it’s nice to be under par,” the three-time U.S. Amateur champion said. “I didn’t play very well.”

With six birdies and a bogey, Gullion found himself in an unfamiliar position.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen my name as No. 1,” he said. “It felt good, seeing my name at the top of the scoreboard.”

Crowds estimated at more than 2,500 followed Woods, limiting the viewing for many.

“I never had this much trouble seeing at the Masters,” said one spectator.

“The bad thing is he’s such a nice guy,” Rymer said of Woods. “If he was a weasel, you could hate him.”

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Patty Sheehan, seeking her fourth victory in the LPGA Safeco Classic, shot a seven-under-par 65 at Kent, Wash., to take a one-stroke lead over Australian rookie Karrie Webb and Sharon Barrett.

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Gordon Brewer Jr. of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., won three of the final six holes to claim his second USGA Senior Amateur title, beating Heyward Sullivan of Greenville, S.C., 2 up at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Mass. . . . Canada’s Gayle Borthwick rolled in two late birdie putts for a 74 and a three-stroke lead after the second round of the 35th USGA Senior Women’s Amateur at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle. First-round leader Susan Rennie of Venice shot a 79 and trails by four.

Basketball

The Philadelphia 76ers have reached contract terms with Allen Iverson, the former Georgetown star and No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Iverson has agreed to a three-year contract, which, according to sources, is worth $9.6 million, the most money allowed under the NBA’s rookie salary cap.

The Atlanta Hawks signed veteran forwards Tyrone Corbin and Willie Burton.

Tickets to the third annual John Wooden Classic college basketball doubleheader will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Pond of Anaheim. The doubleheader, featuring Arizona vs. Utah in the first game and Louisville vs. Louisiana State in the second, will be Dec. 7.

Tickets, priced at $150, $75, $54, $38, $24 and $15, can also be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Tennis

Top-seeded Alberto Costa trailed, 3-1, in the first set, but won 11 of the next 13 games and crushed David Skoch of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-1, reaching the quarterfinals of a clay-court tournament in Bournemouth, England.

Eighth-seeded Len Lindborg of Laguna Beach upset No. 1 Gordon Davis of Encino, 6-4, 6-3, in the men’s 60-and-over singles at the USTA National Grass Court championships in Lawrence, N.Y. Lindborg will face third-seeded Jim Nelson of Newport Beach, the defending champion, in the semifinals. Nelson ousted fifth-seeded Rey Garrido of Miami, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

Top-seeded Val Wilder of Springfield, Mass., the defending champion, moved into the semifinals of the USTA National Men’s 35 Grass Court Championships in Southampton, N.Y., with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over David Kramer of East Hanover, N.J. Wilder plays fourth-seeded Hans Carlson of Richardson, Texas, who beat Neil Levinson of Santa Monica, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).

Jurisprudence

Walker Lee Ashley, former Minnesota Viking linebacker, received a stayed jail sentence in Hastings, Minn., for stealing about $1,300 in public money. Ashley was put on probation for one year and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.

A federal court judge in Denver reluctantly declined to force a Colorado athletic body to bend its rules on age to permit Gabriel Lane, a 20-year-old with Down syndrome, to play high school football. U.S. District Court Judge Zita Weinshienk said it was not appropriate for the court to act as a rule maker for the Colorado High School Activities Assn.

A judge dismissed Kentucky basketball Coach Rick Pitino and Athletic Director C.M. Newton as defendants in a discrimination lawsuit filed by former men’s basketball trainer JoAnn Hauser. The summary judgment doesn’t pertain to guilt or innocence but only to personal liability should Hauser win a judgment. Hauser is seeking more than $2 million in damages, lost wages and legal fees. She contends she was discriminated against when Newton asked her to move from trainer of the men’s team to the same position with the women’s team.

Names in the News

Greg Lakey, a 6-8 forward from Lynwood High, made an oral commitment to attend USC next fall. Lakey is the second top recruit to commit to the Trojans. Mater Dei’s Kevin Augustine committed last month. . . . Trina Kightlinger, a 6-2 outside hitter for Esperanza, orally committed to attend Loyola Marymount, Esperanza volleyball Coach Kurt Kersten said. . . . Kansas point guard Jacque Vaughn is scheduled to undergo wrist surgery today.