Howell Holds One-Shot Lead in Atlanta

Charles Howell III shot a one-under-par 69 at a windy East Lake on Friday in Atlanta and held a one-stroke lead halfway through the Tour Championship.

Howell finished with eight pars and was at five-under 135, one stroke ahead of David Toms, Steve Lowery, Len Mattiace and Vijay Singh.

Toms had the best score of the day, a bogey-free 66.

Chris DiMarco bogeyed his final two holes for a 68 and was in the group at 138 that included Retief Goosen (69) and Fred Funk (71).

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Australian star Karrie Webb joined Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak on the sidelines, losing her second-round match in the World Ladies Match Play Championship at Narita, Japan. South Korea’s Grace Park beat Webb 1-up in wet conditions.... Brad Elder shot a five-under 67 to push his lead to two strokes after two rounds of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic at Madison, Miss.

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Tennis

Second-seeded Andre Agassi was beaten by Carlos Moya, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.

Moya will face third-seeded Marat Safin, a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 winner over Nicolas Escude, in the semifinals.

Lleyton Hewitt beat Switzerland’s Roger Federer, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the semifinals.

Hewitt will face Paradorn Srichaphan, a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) winner over Andy Roddick.

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College Basketball

UCLA sophomore Brianna Winn, who averaged 4.7 points last season, will transfer, Coach Kathy Olivier announced.

Illinois assistant Billy Gillispie will be named coach at Texas El Paso, a university source told the Associated Press. His hiring was expected to be announced today.... Iowa sophomore Pierre Pierce was put on probation for a year in a plea agreement after being charged with sexual assault last month and will sit out this season.

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Motor Racing

Ryan Newman won his fifth pole when he took the top spot at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. Newman turned a lap in his Ford at 155.836 mph to earn the first starting spot for Sunday’s Pop Secret 400.

Jeff Green (153.335 mph) won the pole for today’s Sam’s Club 200 at North Carolina Speedway.

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Miscellany

William Ligue Jr., the man who ran onto the field with his teenage son and attacked Kansas City Royal coach Tom Gamboa during a game in Chicago, pleaded innocent to three counts of aggravated battery and one felony count of mob action.

Le Defi of France beat Italy’s Mascalzone Latino by 1 minute 10 seconds in an elimination match today to clinch a spot in the America’s Cup challenger quarterfinals at Auckland, New Zealand.

Chris Kenady had a hat trick to lead the Ice Dogs past the Anchorage Aces, 5-2, in a West Coast Hockey League game at Long Beach Arena.

Passings

Gene Rock, a three-time letter-winner at USC who played one season for the Chicago Stags in the NBA, has died. He was 80. Rock died of cancer Thursday in San Diego, the school said.