Jordan Leads B.C. Open; Woods Three Back

With all the attention on Tiger Woods, Pete Jordan birdied five consecutive holes to take the second-round lead in the B.C. Open at Endicott, N.Y.

With only a smattering of fans watching, Jordan shot a seven-under-par 64 on Friday for a three-stroke advantage over Woods, Fred Funk and Brian Claar.

“I’ve been struggling lately. I’m just trying to play solid and not do anything crazy. Everything peaked and came together today,” said Jordan, who had an 11-under 131 total.

Woods, the three-time U.S. Amateur golf champion making his fourth professional start, birdied the final three holes for a 66.

“I shot five-under and moved up the leaderboard. I’m in good position and that’s all I can hope for,” Woods said.

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Beating Laura Davies isn’t always such a good idea, which the U.S. women’s team learned in escaping with a 5-3 lead over Europe in the opening day of the Solheim Cup at Chepstow, Wales.

Davies and partner Alison Nicholas lost their morning foursomes match to Americans Patty Sheehan and Rosie Jones. And they weren’t alone as Europe managed only half a point of a possible four.

In the afternoon, Davies, teaming with Trish Johnson in the first match, had seven birdies in the first 13 holes to defeat Kelly Robbins and Pat Bradley, 6 and 5, seeming to spark the European team, which rallied to narrow the U.S. lead.

Today’s format is the same as Friday’s with 12 singles matches set to end the event on Sunday.

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After struggling on the Senior PGA Tour for the last several months, Simon Hobday, last year’s Brickyard Crossing winner, fixed his swing and turned in the top first round at Indianapolis with a seven-under-par 65.

Hobday outpaced the 66s of Bob Betley and Tom Wargo and the 67s of Bud Allin and Bobby Stroble.

Tennis

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Wang Shi-Teng of Taiwan, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1, to advance to the semifinals of the Nichirei Ladies tournament at Tokyo.

Sanchez Vicario will play Kimberly Po, who defeated Mary Pierce of France, 7-5, 6-4.

Monica Seles also advanced, downing Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan, 6-1, 6-4. Seles plays Kimiko Date of Japan, who cruised past Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6-3, 6-0.

Stefan Edberg put Sweden within reach of another Davis Cup when he defeated Daniel Vacek of the Czech Republic.

Edberg put Sweden ahead, 2-0, with a 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory in Prague. A victory in doubles today will put Sweden into its ninth final in 14 years.

At the other semifinal in Nantes, France, Italy pulled ahead of France, 2-0.

Barbara Paulus of Austria led the way into the semifinals of the Warsaw Cup women’s tournament in Poland with a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Romanian Catalina Cristea.

Sixth-seeded Katarina Studenikova was upset by fellow Slovak Janette Husarova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Karina Habsudova of Slovakia easily defeated Italy’s Silvia Farina, 6-1, 6-2, and Henrietta Nagyova of Slovakia defeated Flora Perfetti of Italy, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4.

Miscellany

Pokey Allen, on leave from his job as Boise State football coach, says test results show his cancer lesions have grown and his condition has deteriorated.

“The doctors seem to think I am in trouble,” Allen said. “And I’m starting to think that I probably am.”

The University of Louisville’s president and its basketball coach, Denny Crum, will be among those appearing today before an NCAA “jury” looking into 10 allegations against the school.

It probably will be mid-October before President John Shumaker and Crum learn what punishment, if any, the NCAA will hand out.

Bobby Hamilton took the pole position for Sunday’s Hanes 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va.

Hamilton got around the flat .526-mile Martinsville oval at 94.120 mph.

Rusty Wallace took the outside of the front row at 93.882. Then came Mark Martin at 93.770, Dale Jarrett at 93.488 and John Andretti and Morgan Shepherd, both at 93.318.

The California Horse Racing Board gave final approval to a 1997 racing calendar that challenges various racing associations and fairs to cut back on the number of races they will run next year while allowing them greater flexibility in carding programs within the number of days allocated.

The 1997 thoroughbred calendar: Santa Anita, Dec. 26, 1996-April 21, 1997; Hollywood Park, April 25-July 21; Del Mar, July 23-Sept. 10; Santa Anita/Oak Tree, Oct. 1-Nov. 2; and Hollywood Park, Nov. 5-Dec. 22.