Brisky a Cut Above in Western Open

Mike Brisky, who has missed six cuts in in 14 tournaments this year, shot a six-under-par 66 Thursday for a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Motorola Western Open in Lemont, Ill.

Brisky, 34, got his round rolling with an eagle on the par-five fifth hole, made a big par save on the ninth and had three birdies on the back nine. He leads rookie Briny Baird, 1998 Western runner-up Vijay Singh and veteran Hal Sutton by one stroke.

Tiger Woods was among four at 68.

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Mardi Lunn finished a six-under 65 to grab a one-stroke lead before violent wind gusts created havoc for the rest of the field in the opening round of the Jamie Farr Kroger Classic in Sylvania, Ohio.

Those teeing off early in the day had the benefit of a light rain that softened the greens. Just as the morning groups were completing play, the wind picked up to 30 mph with strong gusts.

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John Daly, rebounding from a disastrous performance at the U.S. Open, shot a two-under 69 and trailed leader Craig Hainline by four strokes after the first round of the Irish Open in Dublin.

Hockey

Ron Hextall was waived by the Philadelphia Flyers, perhaps ending his 13-year career.

Hextall, the Flyers’ winningest career and playoff goaltender and a former Vezina Trophy winner, will wait 48 hours for another team to claim him. If no one does, the Flyers will buy out the final year of his contract and perhaps offer him a job in the front office or as an assistant coach.

The Mighty Ducks signed right winger Jeff Nielsen and center Ted Drury to multiyear contracts, leaving six of their free agents unsigned. Nielsen had five goals and nine points in his first full season with the Ducks in 1998-99. He was an effective checker, playing on the third line. Drury, who has been with the Ducks three seasons, had five goals and 11 points last season.

Goalie Mike Vernon, defenseman Bill Houlder and right wing Tony Granato have decided to remain with San Jose Sharks, signing up for option years rather than pursuing free agency.

Auto Racing

Jesse Jackson’s push for greater minority inclusion in professional American sports got a boost as leaders from two top racing organizations, NASCAR and CART, agreed to work to better diversify the $5-billion-a-year industry.

Brian France, senior vice president of NASCAR, said his organization would begin a diversity management council within its group to help address the needs of minority race drivers, mechanics and support staff who say they have been overlooked by the white race structure for decades.

Meanwhile, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and her husband, Bob, announced the formation of Joyner-Kersee Racing, a joint partnership with Kurt Roehrig and Roehrig Motorsports. The team plans to compete in Winston Cup next season.

Should they succeed, the Kersees would become the first black owners to enter a car on NASCAR’s top circuit since Wendell Scott in the 1970s.

Joe Nemechek won the pole position for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona Beach, Fla., his first top qualifying effort in more than two years. . . . The maker of Skoal tobacco is severing its longtime advertising ties with NASCAR, in part because of litigation against tobacco companies.

Miscellany

A 14-year-old Special Olympian from Egypt died in his sleep early Thursday, probably from an epileptic seizure, officials of the Special Olympics World Summer Games said in Cary, N.C.

Mohamed Abdul Baset Barin, a volleyball player, was pronounced dead in his room at North Carolina’s Morrison Hall at Chapel Hill, N.C., after his coach called paramedics, officials said.

Eric Metcalf, a wide receiver and running back who holds the NFL record with 11 kick-return touchdowns, agreed to terms with the Baltimore Ravens. . . . The San Francisco 49ers signed former Stanford quarterback Steve Stenstrom to a two-year contract worth $1.2 million. . . . Jerry Sandusky, who turned Penn State into “Linebacker U” in 31 seasons as defensive coordinator, will retire after the 1999 season.

Spain upset Lithuania, 74-72, to earn a semifinal berth against France in the European basketball championships in Paris. France reached the final four with a 66-63 victory over Turkey. Two-time defending champion Yugoslavia beat Germany, 78-68, to set up a semifinal game against Italy, which beat Russia, 102-79.

Jurisprudence

One week after a jury could not decide whether a respected cardiologist was negligent in her husband’s death, the widow of Boston Celtic captain Reggie Lewis said the inconclusive end to the lengthy trial was the result of a lack of courage by the panel. She also vowed to push for a retrial.

Speaking for the first time since a judge declared a mistrial in the malpractice trial, Donna Harris-Lewis said she was “numb” and “wordless” when the verdict was announced, adding: “I couldn’t believe the jurors did not see the medical evidence and did not have the courage to assign responsibility.”

A judge in Tulsa, Okla., ordered retired heavyweight Tommy Morrison to undergo a competency evaluation, rather than sentencing him on a drunk-driving charge.