Duval, Lehman Share Third-Round Lead

David Duval shot a four-under-par 66 and Tom Lehman a 67 Saturday to share the lead after three rounds of the $3.5-million Williams World Challenge at Scottsdale, Ariz.

The event, with today’s winner getting $1 million, has drawn 12 of the top-ranked golfers in the world to the Arizona desert.

Duval and Lehman are at 10-under 200, with Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Paul Lawrie tied at 206.

Woods, the No. 1-ranked player in the world with eight victories and earnings of $7.6 million worldwide in 1999, again struggled on the 7,036-yard Grayhawk Golf Club course. After making a run at the lead with three birdies on the front nine, he shot a 39 on the back for a one-over 71.

Miscellany

Dennis Conner’s Stars and Stripes, AmericaOne and Prada opened the America’s Cup challenger semifinals with victories today at Auckland, New Zealand.

Stars and Stripes beat Nippon by 55 seconds, AmericaOne edged Le Defi Francais by 22 seconds, and Prada beat America True by a minute to extend the Italian syndicate’s winning streak over the American boat to four.

The six-team semifinals, with each boat racing the others twice, continue Monday with Prada taking on Stars and Stripes, America True facing AmericaOne, and Nippon racing Le Defi Francais.

The top two teams will advance to a nine-race series, with the winner facing Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup.

Josephat Kiprono of Kenya was the overall winner in 2 hours 8 minutes 27 seconds and countrywoman Tegla Loroupe won the women’s division at 2:32:04 in Rome’s inaugural New Year’s Day marathon. . . . Firefighter Mark Hutchinson of Auckland won the Hamilton Millennium Marathon in New Zealand in 2:21:59.

Andreas Widhoelzl of Austria won the second of the Four Hills Ski Jumping World Cup events by soaring 121 meters on his second leap in front of 35,000 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. . . . Barrett Heisten broke a 1-1 tie with a second-period power-play goal and the United States went on to upset Sweden, 5-1, in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Hockey Championships at Stockholm.

Thailand secured the final spot in the Hopman Cup field by defeating Japan in a qualifying tennis match at Perth, Australia.

Names in the News

Rae Carruth’s 6-week-old son was released to the mother of the girlfriend the former Carolina Panther receiver is charged with conspiring to kill. Chancellor Lee Adams was released Friday to Cherica Adams’ mother, Saundra, who has temporary legal custody of him, a spokesman at Charlotte’s Carolinas Medical Center said.

Jeff Price, the 43-year-old estranged husband of the woman who unsuccessfully sued Charlotte Hornet owner George Shinn for sexual assault, has been missing since Tuesday, but police have found his abandoned car, locked and undamaged, in South Carolina.

Track star Mary Slaney was kicked in the thigh by a man on a bicycle while running along a bike path in Eugene, Ore. Slaney suffered cuts and bruises, but the extent of the damage won’t be known until the swelling subsides, according to Slaney’s husband, Richard.

Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly was stable at a Toronto hospital, a day after suffering a heart attack at his home. The 71-year-old Kelly, who ended his 21-season NHL career with the Kings, had just completed 50 push-ups Friday when he felt a sharp pain up his left arm.

Sportscaster Newy Scruggs has left Channel 13. Scruggs called it a mutual parting, saying he and the station could not come to terms on a new contract. Channel 13’s other sportscaster, Michelle Bonner, is expected to fill the void.