Singh Takes Two-Shot Lead Over Woods

Masters champion Vijay Singh shot a three-under-par 69 Tuesday and took a two-stroke lead over Tiger Woods in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Poipu Beach, Hawaii.

Tom Lehman opened with a 73 and Paul Azinger shot a 74 in the four-player, 36-hole event for the year’s major champions.

Because Woods won three majors--the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship--Lehman and Azinger gained invitations based on their finishes in the elite events.

Ernie Els, the runner-up in three of the four major championships, clinched an alternate berth, but withdrew because of a schedule conflict.

After winning the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand on Sunday, Woods arrived at the Poipu Bay course about two hours before his tee time.

After checking in and a quick workout at the spa, he marched to the driving range for a few warmup swings before heading for the first tee.

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Johnny Miller and Beth Daniel combined for a seven-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Hall of Fame Golf Challenge at St. Augustine, Fla. Kathy Whitworth and J.C. Snead were second in the $1-million, 54-hole best-ball tournament. . . . Although the PGA is considering moving its season-ending Senior Tour Championship, organizers are optimistic it will remain in Myrtle Beach, S.C., next year.

Tennis

U.S. Fed Cup captain Billie Jean King said that John McEnroe doesn’t understand the role of the modern tennis coach, and that is the primary reason he resigned as Davis Cup captain after only 14 months. . . . Jan-Michael Gambill defeated Max Mirnyi of Belarus, 7-5, 6-3, at the Stockholm Open, but a recurring back injury may force him from the tournament. . . . Top-seeded Tim Henman of Britain won the first nine games of the match and defeated Michal Tabara of the Czech Republic, 6-0, 6-2, in the first round of the Samsung Open at Brighton, England.

Soccer

The former coach of Brazil’s national team denied accusations that Nike forced Ronaldo to play, against medical advice, in the 1998 World Cup final.

“I am no puppet,” said Mario Zagallo, who testified before a Senate commission in Brasilia investigating Ronaldo’s health problems before the game, which Brazil lost, 3-0, to France.

Ronaldo, one of soccer’s biggest stars, played despite mysterious convulsions shortly before the game. Nike, the team sponsor, has steadfastly denied that it forced Ronaldo to play the game.

An Italian player who punched an opponent unconscious after a game was permanently banned by his team. Massimiliano Ferrigno, who plays for lower-division Como, hit Francesco Bertolotti in the locker room on Sunday. Bertolotti had brain surgery the next day and is still in a coma.

Dennis Robinson, a former soccer player from Bermuda, was sentenced in New York to three years in prison for scheming with his customs agent girlfriend to smuggle cocaine into the United States.

Robinson, 30, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to distribute narcotics. His sentencing was delayed while he sought, unsuccessfully, to withdraw the plea.

The Galaxy will play Real Espana of Honduras, and D.C. United will play Alajuela of Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in January.

The Galaxy-Real Espana game is set for the Coliseum on Jan. 17, which is the same date the United-Alajuela game will be played at Titan Stadium in Fullerton.

The final is Jan. 21 at the Coliseum.

The Champions Cup determines the best club team from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The top two teams advance to the World Club Championship in Spain next summer.

Miscellany

China is contemplating throwing Tiananmen Square--mostly known to the outside world for the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators--into its 2008 Olympic bid as the venue for beach volleyball.

Two-time U.S. figure skating champion Michael Weiss withdrew from Trophee Lalique, the Grand Prix series event scheduled for Paris beginning Thursday.

Weiss, who sat out Skate America in October because of a stress fracture in his left foot, competed at the Cup of Russia in St. Petersburg last weekend, finishing sixth.

Finland’s Sami Uotila had the fastest time on both runs to win a Super Series giant slalom on the 2002 Olympic course at Park City, Utah.

The International Basketball League, which wrapped up its inaugural season last May, will merge with the newly formed ABA 2000 in a 14-team league.

The combined league will play a 56-game schedule starting next month, ABA 2000 and IBL officials announced.

The six IBL teams are the Cincinnati Stuff, Las Vegas Bandits, New Mexico (Albuquerque) Slam, Richmond Rhythm, St. Louis Swarm and Trenton Shooting Stars.

The ABA 2000, which was have begun its inaugural season in January, consists of the Chicago Skyliners, Detroit Dogs, Indiana Legends, Kansas City Knights, Los Angeles Stars, Memphis Houn’Dawgs, San Diego Wildfire and Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs.

John Ogiltree pitched four shutout innings and Jess Bechard hit a two-run homer as Canada defeated the United States, 7-4, at Dunedin, Fla., for a split of a two-game exhibition baseball series in preparation for the 2000 Pan Am Cup. . . . Former Olympic track champion Linford Christie testified in London that a member of the committee that banned runner Diane Modahl believed athletes routinely took drugs. Modahl, the former Commonwealth 800-meter champion, is seeking $1.5 million in damages in her lawsuit. . . . Matt Vasgersian, who does play-by-play for the Milwaukee Brewers, was hired by NBC as its lead announcer for XFL telecasts. . . . Susie O’Neill, the Australian who earned the nickname “Madame Butterfly” for her prowess in the event, is retiring from competitive swimming. O’Neill, 27, holds the world record in the 200-meter butterfly and has won two Olympic gold medals.