Calcavecchia Doesn’t Shortchange Himself

A good short game and some luck can save a golf score. Mark Calcavecchia proved that Thursday.

Calcavecchia made three miraculous pars in the middle of his round, then needed only 11 putts over his last 11 holes to shoot a seven-under-par 65 for the first-day lead in the PGA’s Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic in North Carolina.

Calcavecchia’s bogey-free round at Forest Oaks Country Club was good enough for a one-shot lead over Paul Stankowski. Four others are two shots off the pace, including 1995 GGCC champion Jim Gallagher Jr.

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Allen Doyle, who turned pro at age 47 and has became one of the top players on the Senior PGA Tour, shot a six-under 66 to take the first-round lead in the Countrywide Tradition at Superstition Mountain, Ariz.

Jack Nicklaus, returning to play after withdrawing from the Legends of Golf and the Masters because of a back injury, shot a one-over 73 on the 7,228-yard course.

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Gary Player, Tommy Aaron and Charles Coody will be playing their final Masters next year under a new policy that will allow past champions to play only until they are 65--if they remain active in tournament golf.

The policy takes effect in 2004. Player, a three-time Masters champion, will be 67 at next year’s Masters, while Aaron and Coody will be 66.

Tennis

Pete Sampras overpowered Argentina’s Mariano Puerta with 16 aces, including four in a row to close out a 6-4, 6-2 victory in the second round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Courts Championships at Houston.

Sampras advanced to a quarterfinal match against seventh-seeded Todd Martin, a 7-6 (4), 6-3 winner over Russia’s Nikolay Davbydenko.

Third-seeded Andy Roddick defeated Alex Calatrava of Spain, 6-1, 6-2, to set up a quarterfinal pairing with fifth-seeded James Blake, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Michael Chang.

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Lleyton Hewitt, ranked No. 1 in the world, defeated Argentina’s David Nalbandian, 6-2, 6-4, in the third round of the Open Seat Godo tennis tournament at Barcelona.

Hewitt’s opponent in today’s quarterfinals will be Younes El Aynaoui, a 6-4, 7-6 (6) winner over Spain’s David Sanchez.

Pro Football

Miami Dolphin rookie guard James Wagstaff injured his left hand and was in serious condition after his sport utility vehicle flipped over on Interstate 595, near the team’s training camp in Davie, Fla.... The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Chicago Bear tight end John Allred, who sat out last season with the St. Louis Rams while rehabilitating an injured right knee.... Tight end Tony McGee was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals after nine seasons.... Former Dallas Cowboy linebacker Robert Jones and former UCLA running back Ed Stansbury were among 15 roster additions announced by the expansion Houston Texans.

College Sports

Guard Brian Morrison will transfer to UCLA from North Carolina. A sophomore, he must sit out next season under transfer rules and will have two seasons of eligibility. Morrison averaged 7.1 points and led the Tar Heels in three-point baskets last season.... Homer Drew retired after 14 seasons as Valparaiso’s men’s basketball coach, and son Scott will take over the Crusaders.... Tod Kowalczyk, an assistant at Marquette the last two seasons, was hired as head basketball coach at Wisconsin Green Bay.... Former Seattle SuperSonic forward Russ Schoene has joined the Washington basketball coaching staff under new men’s Coach Lorenzo Romar.

Boxing

Lightweight Julio Diaz (24-1, 18 knockouts) will headling an ESPN2 televised boxing card tonight at the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, Calif. Diaz, of Coachella, will meet Juan Valenzuela (14-4, 5 KOs) of Culiacan, Mexico, in a scheduled 10-round bout. Super lightweights Jose Aguiniga (12-0, 9 KOs) of Oxnard, Larry Mosley (10-0-1) of Culver City and Dagoberto Najera (14-3, 5 KOs) of Bell also will fight on the card.