Sorenstam Slips Into a Tie

Annika Sorenstam three-putted for bogey on the final hole and slipped back into a tie for the lead in the second round of the LPGA Tour Championship at Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Swedish star finished with a one-under 71 to match Dottie Pepper (71), Leta Lindley (71) and Meg Mallon (72) at five-under 139 on LPGA International’s Legends course. Grace Park (71) and Lorie Kane (73) followed at 140.

“I shouldn’t be so down, but I just threw two shots away and I worked so hard for all of them,” said Sorenstam, who also had a three-putt bogey on the 16th. “It’s hard to enjoy this, even though I’m in good shape for the weekend. It ruined my whole day.”

Karrie Webb, who needs to win to become the LPGA’s first $2-million player, had a 71 for a 146 total.

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Tiger Woods took a one-stroke lead in the Johnnie Walker Classic at Bangkok, Thailand, shooting a seven-under 65.

Woods had eight birdies and one bogey over the soft greens of the Alpine Golf and Sports Club and was at 11-under 133 after two rounds.

Australia’s Rodney Pampling was second after a 66.

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Scott McCarron and Brad Faxon combined for an eight-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead after the opening alternate-shot round in the Shark Shootout at Miami.

NCAA champion Charles Howell and Adam Scott shot a 66, with Howell acing the par-three eighth hole on Greg Norman’s newly designed Great White Course at Doral.

Olympics

Organizers of the 2004 Athens Olympics received a vote of confidence when International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch said he was certain the Games will be a “big success.”

Samaranch, speaking at a two-day general assembly of the European Olympic Committees at Warsaw, said he was “very pleased” with what he called a “very drastic change” by the 2004 organizers.

Warren Brown, who has served as executive director of USA Basketball for eight years, said he will resign, effective Jan. 1. NCAA Senior Vice President Tom Jernstedt was elected president of USA Basketball for the 2000-2004 period, succeeding Russ Granik.

Jurisprudence

The family and estate of the late Greg Moore have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against CART, International Speedway Corp., owners of California Speedway, and Penske Speedways in the Superior Court of San Bernardino County.

The suit alleges that Moore’s death, which occurred during the 1999 Marlboro 500, a CART race, at California Speedway, was caused by “dangerous track conditions” that included a grassy area across which Moore’s car slid after leaving the track, an access road that launched his car into a concrete wall, and lack of protective energy-absorbing material in front of the concrete barrier.

Miscellany

Tab Ramos, a mainstay of the U.S. soccer team for the last decade, retired from the national team, two days after the midfielder helped the Americans to a 4-0 win at Barbados in a crucial World Cup qualifier.

Ramos, 34, had eight goals in 87 international appearances and played for the U.S. in the 1990, 1994 and 1998 World Cups. Ramos will continue to play for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer.

Soccer officials will announce Sunday where and when Guatemala and Costa Rica will play a rematch that will decide which country advances to the third round of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup.

Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon won the pole for Sunday’s season-ending NAPA 500 at Hampton, Ga., with a lap of 194.274 mph over the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jerry Nadeau, Gordon’s teammate, took the outside of the front row at 193.299.

Michael Moorer, the former heavyweight champion fighting for the first time in three years, stopped Lorenzo Boyd in the fourth round at Burlington, Iowa. Moorer, 33, improved to 40-2 with his 32nd knockout.

Jennifer Capriati was added to the U.S. Fed Cup team, replacing injured Chanda Rubin. The selection by captain Billie Jean King means Capriati will join Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles and Lisa Raymond for the Fed Cup world finals starting Tuesday at Las Vegas.

Skier Michael Von Gruenigen of Switzerland won a World Cup giant slalom at Park City, Utah, earning his first victory in almost a year and leaving Austrian star Hermann Maier in third place. Von Gruenigen was seventh after the first run of his specialty but was fastest in the second run and finished with a combined time of 2 minutes 32.92 seconds, winning by nearly a half second. . . . Joni Vastamaki of Finland won the men’s snowboard cross event and Karin Ruby of France won the women’s in snowboard World Cup competition at Tignes, France.

Larry Donald, the editor and publisher of Basketball Times who was honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, died Thursday of an apparent heart attack. He was 55.