Inkster Has 66 for a Share of Lead in LPGA

Juli Inkster shot a five-under-par 66 to gain a share of the lead Friday at the LPGA Championship at Wilmington, Del., keeping her in position to become the second woman to win the modern career Grand Slam.

Inkster, who won the U.S. Open three weeks ago, finished the second day at 134, tied with Liselotte Neumann (67), Jenny Lidback (67) and Cristie Kerr, who tied the course record for the LPGA Championship with a 64.

Kelli Kuehne, who challenged Inkster at the U.S. Open, shot a 67 and is one stroke behind at 135. Two-time LPGA champion Laura Davies is only two strokes behind and defending champion Se Ri Pak is at 137.

“I would love a shot come Sunday,” Inkster said. “But there’s a lot of time between now and then. There’s a lot of good players behind me.”

Only Pat Bradley has won the Dinah Shore, U.S. Open, LPGA Championship and the du Maurier Classic in a career. Mickey Wright also won the Grand Slam when it consisted of the Open, LPGA, Titleholders and Western Open from 1955-1966.

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Graham Marsh of Australia had a two-under 70 for a 136 total and a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the Senior Players Championship at Dearborn, Mich.

Hale Irwin, Larry Nelson, Vincente Fernandez of Argentina, Isao Aoki of Japan and John Bland of South Africa were tied for second at 138 at the TPC of Michigan, which was a different course from the first round after an overnight rain and a northeast wind.

Aoki’s five-under 67 was the day’s best round. Fernandez and Bland each shot 70, Irwin had 71, and Nelson, whose second shot at No. 18 hit a tree, finished at 72.

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Chris Perry and Jeff Maggert both shot five-under 66s and were tied for the halfway lead at the Buick Classic at Harrison, N.Y.

The co-leaders were at six-under 136, one shot better than first-round leader Stephen Ames, who shot a one-over 72, and Duffy Waldorf, who had a 67.

Fred Couples, who eagled the last hole he played, the par-five ninth, and Lee Janzen were among those at 138. Ernie Els, the 1996 and 1997 Buick Classic champion, was at 139.

J.L. Lewis had the day’s low round, a 65, and was at 140.

Hockey

The Pittsburgh Penguins, newly acquired by former star Mario Lemieux, were able to resolve their biggest hurdle in emerging from bankruptcy by negotiating a new lease with their landlord.

The team, which Lemieux bought Thursday after hours of contentious negotiations with Civic Arena manager SMG, now appears poised to remain in Pittsburgh “indefinitely,” said Tom Reich, Lemieux’s agent and lawyer.

“The teamwork of Pittsburgh came together today,” said Bill Newlin, the city’s chief negotiator in the bankruptcy case, in describing efforts to forge a truce between the two sides.

SMG feared it would be evicted from the arena it has managed for years after investing millions in the team. The company argued unsuccessfully against the Lemieux plan for hours in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Thursday, and players on both sides acknowledged Friday evening that SMG could have severely hampered the deal by fighting it in court.

Auto Racing

Brazilian Gil de Ferran gained the provisional pole position for the Medic Drugs Grand Prix of Cleveland with a lap of 131.294 mph. De Ferran, who can lock up the sixth pole of his career if he remains the fastest today in final qualifying, had a faster time than Paul Tracy, the 1993 Cleveland winner, who was second at 131.199. Brian Herta was third at 131.120.

Michael Schumacher of Germany recorded the fastest qualifying lap at the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours at 121.994 mph. Schumacher, the two-time series champion, leads his teammate, Eddie Irvine, who finished at 118.199.

Olympics

The Swiss government turned a blind eye to International Olympic Committee tax fraud in an effort to sway the 2006 Winter Games selection, according to the weekly magazine L’Hebdo.

“The IOC took astonishing liberties with several federal laws. A year later--thanks to someone--these accusations disappeared,” L’Hebdo reported.

The magazine printed what it said was a secret internal memorandum, in which a Swiss government official described how the IOC was involved in tax fraud, falsifying documents and bending the law on foreign workers.

Employees, backed by false documents from the IOC, declared 70% to 85% of their salaries, and illegal work permits were obtained for workers at the Olympic Museum, according to the memo.

There was no immediate comment from the IOC. Phone messages left for Franklin Servan-Schreiber, the committee’s spokesman, were not immediately returned.

Miscellany

The Angels plan to import two of Mexico’s most prestigious soccer clubs, Chivas of Guadalajara and Cruz Azul of Mexico City, for an exhibition match in December that promoters say could attract more than 30,000 fans to Edison Field.

Chivas, which attracts a particularly passionate following because it never has fielded a foreign player, drew 26,000 to San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium for a January exhibition against rival Nexaca.

Chris Carrawell, a starter last season for Duke, and junior forward Kevin Freeman of NCAA champion Connecticut are among the dozen players chosen for the USA Basketball men’s team that will play next month in the World University Games.

Also selected were Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd of Ohio State, Pete Mickeal and Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati, Erick Barkley of St. John’s, Brendan Haywood of North Carolina, Mark Madsen of Stanford, Cory Bradford of Illinois, Chris Mihm of Texas and Matt Santangelo of Gonzaga.

The NFL sued the Coors Brewing Co., saying the company’s effort to promote Coors Light as the “Official Beer of NFL players” falls flat legally.