Record Round Puts Kerr in the Lead

Cristie Kerr capped a course-record 64 with her second eagle of the round Friday and took a one-shot lead over Annika Sorenstam after two rounds of the Samsung World Championship at Vallejo, Calif.

Kerr’s eight-under-par round at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club left her at 12-under for tournament.

She chipped in from off the green on the par-five 18th to complete her round with a birdie-birdie-eagle finish.

Sorenstam, who had seven birdies in a 67, was at 11 under, one stroke ahead of Rosie Jones, who shot a 66.

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Billy Mayfair didn’t have a five on his scorecard in a bogey-free, eight-under 63 to grab a share of the second-round lead with David Duval, who shot a 69, at nine-under 133 in the Michelob Championship at Williamsburg, Va.

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Jim Albus shot a four-under 68 that left him in a three-way tie for the lead after the first round of the Turtle Bay Championship at Kahuku, Hawaii. Steve Stull and R.W. Eaks also had 68s. Defending champion Hale Irwin was in a group one stroke behind.

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Sam Torrance won’t be Europe’s captain in 2004 when it defends the Ryder Cup. He said Friday that he doesn’t want to be considered.

Tennis

Top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt lost to 31st-ranked Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open at Tokyo. Hewitt, the tournament’s defending champion, served nine aces but made a number of errors and was never in the match. Paradorn is ranked 31st in the world.

In the women’s draw, Silvija Talaja upset top-seeded Ai Sugiyama, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

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Lindsay Davenport came back to beat Elena Bovina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinals of the $2.2 million Kremlin Cup at Moscow. Davenport will play Amanda Coetzer.

In the men’s draw, top-seeded Marat Safin, still seeking his first title this season, beat Roger Federer, 7-5, 6-4.

Miscellany

As expected, the Nevada State Athletic Commission filed a formal complaint against Fernando Vargas for testing positive for a banned substance.

Vargas is expected to request a hearing. He is entitled to a hearing within the next 45 days.

A urine test taken after Vargas’ loss to Oscar De La Hoya on Sept. 14 at Las Vegas revealed the presence of stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

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Sterling Marlin won’t be racing in the EA Sports 500 Sunday, but the second-generation NASCAR star was the center of attention at Talladega, Ala.

Qualifying for the race was rained out and the 43-car field for Sunday was determined by season points.

Marlin will miss the final seven races of the season after fracturing a vertebra in his neck in a race crash.

Marlin, who led the points for 25 weeks before falling into a slump, was wearing the Hutchens device, a series of straps that hook onto the helmet and the existing seat belt system.

Drivers also use the Head and Neck Support (HANS), a U-shaped device, resembling a set of shoulder pads that fit behind the neck and over the shoulder, attaching to the helmet with two leather straps.

“You look at all the research NASCAR has done and the studies and it looks like the HANS is a little safer deal,” said Marlin, who added he will “go with the HANS next year.”

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Seattle’s OneWorld Challenge earned its third consecutive win in three days at the America’s Cup, beating Britain’s GBR Challenge today at Auckland, New Zealand. Stars & Stripes of New York became the first American syndicate to lose a race in this regatta when it finished 33 seconds behind Victory of Sweden.

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Forward Alexandre Daigle, who walked away from hockey at age 25 two years ago before trying out with Pittsburgh this year, signed a one-year deal worth $700,000 with the Penguins.

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Kristi Candau’s goal in the 92nd minute helped No. 11 Santa Clara, the defending women’s soccer champion, beat third-ranked UCLA, 2-1.