U.S. Takes Charge in Presidents Cup

The American team was good from start to finish Friday, winning seven of 10 matches to build a 9 1/2-6 1/2 lead over the International team in Presidents Cup golf at George, South Africa.

Tiger Woods, Justin Leonard and Kenny Perry made sure there was no repeat of Thursday’s opening session, when the International team rallied on the final three holes of the final three matches to take the lead.

Woods, playing with Charles Howell III, missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 16th in the alternate-shot format, and a 4-up lead with five holes to play was reduced to 1 up.

Retief Goosen hit a second shot 15 feet behind the hole on the par-five 18th, but Tim Clark missed an eagle putt that would have halved the match. Howell chipped to four feet, and this time Woods made the putt.

Justin Leonard teamed with Jim Furyk to beat Masters champion Mike Weir and Vijay Singh, 5 and 4. Perry won his third match -- the only undefeated American -- teaming with Jerry Kelly for a 2 and 1 victory over K.J. Choi and Peter Lonard.

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Laura Davies shot a three-under 69 and Meg Mallon had a 71 to share the second-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s season-ending ADT Championship at West Palm Beach, Fla. They are at two-under 142.

Rosie Jones (67), Cristie Kerr (69) and Se Ri Pak (70) were a stroke behind. Annika Sorenstam (70) was another shot back at even par.

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Nick Faldo and Tony Jacklin beat Arnold Palmer and Rocco Mediate, 1 up, to help the Rest of the World team take a 3 1/2-2 1/2 lead over the U.S. in the UBS Cup at St. Simons Island, Ga.

Baseball

Kevin Appier is staying with the Kansas City Royals. The 35-year-old right-hander and the Royals agreed to a one-year contract for the $300,000 minimum. The Angels, who released Appier in July, are responsible for the rest of his $12-million salary in 2004, the final season of a $42-million, four-year contract he agreed to with the New York Mets in December 2000.... The St. Louis Cardinals traded 35-year-old first baseman Tino Martinez to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for minor league pitcher Evan Rust, 25, and a player to be named.

Miscellany

The U.S. short-track speedskating team pulled out of next week’s World Cup event in South Korea after team member Apolo Anton Ohno received death threats via e-mail.

“There was substantial security concerns surrounding Apolo and the majority of the other athletes did not feel safe in competing at the event,” U.S. Speedskating executive director Katie Marquard said.

Ohno won two medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, including a disputed gold over South Korea’s Kim Dong-sung.

The U.S. clinched two spots for female weightlifters at the 2004 Olympics by virtue of the team’s showing at the world championships in Vancouver, Canada.

Rachel Hearn lifted 489.5 pounds, five more than Biliksu Musa of Nigeria in the 165-pound division. That moved the U.S. ahead of Nigeria and guaranteed that two Americans will go to Athens. Carissa Gordon, who competed in the 138 1/2-pound class, was the other qualifier.

Retests of samples taken at the world track and field championships have turned up one positive test for THG, a track official said, adding that the athlete is one of the five who had previously tested positive for the designer steroid at the center of a widening scandal involving drug use in sports. The official did not identify the athlete.

The one positive test from the world championships turned up in the first 360 samples retested. Complete results are expected to be provided this weekend to the IAAF, whose governing council is meeting in Berlin.

New Zealand defeated France, 40-13, in the third-place match at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney. France trailed, 14-13, early in the second half, but New Zealand took control.... The U.S. men’s volleyball team beat Egypt, 25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 25-14, at Hiroshima, Japan, in the World Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the Athens Olympics. The U.S. improved to 4-1.

Tennis player Kim Clijsters threatened to boycott the Athens Olympics if she is not allowed to wear apparel from her sponsor. Clijsters has a contract with the manufacturer Fila, and is refusing to wear gear from the Belgian Olympic Committee’s sponsor, Adidas.... Fox Sports Net has stopped production on “54321,” the first national daily show devoted to action sports. The cable network, which comprises 20 regional networks -- two in Los Angeles -- will show reruns until the end of the year.