Howell Gets in a Zone for Course-Record 61

Charles Howell III set a course record with a 10-under-par 61 -- including a 28 on his final nine holes at the TPC at Avenel -- and held a three-shot lead Thursday after the first round of the Booz Allen Classic in Potomac, Md.

On a perfect day with the wind calm and the greens soft and smooth, Howell carded the lowest opening-round score this year on the PGA Tour.

Howell, who shot a final-round 83 at the U.S. Open, went birdie-eagle-eagle on the three par-fives and made six putts of 15 feet or longer.

“It was one of those funny days where everything tends to work your way,” said Howell, who called the round the best of his career. “The best you can do is get out of the way and let it continue to happen. Some people call it a ‘zone’ or ‘flow’ or whatever.... You get that feeling that you can do nothing wrong.”

Howell leads Rich Beem and Olin Browne by three strokes. Jeff Sluman is four back.

Howell’s round is one shot better than David Duval’s year-old course record.

The 28 over nine holes tops the mark of 29 shared by Brad Bryant (1991) and Jay Williamson (2000).

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Kim Saiki took a step toward ending a winless run of 13 years on the LPGA Tour with a bogey-free 66 that gave her a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Rochester tournament in Pittsford, N.Y.

Candie Kung was second on the par-72 Locust Hill course.

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Defending champion Michelle Wie and medalist Brittany Lang were among the winners during match play in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in Williamsburg, Va.

Wie overcame a shaky putter with solid iron play in a 3-and-1 victory against Brooke Goodwin, and Lang beat Amber Jean Kuss, 5 and 4, in the day’s first match.

Pro Football

The Tennessee Titans finished their final mini-camp with running back Eddie George’s future unsettled.

The Titans have wanted to rework George’s contract since February, but he declined and was paid a $1-million bonus in March.

George is due $4.25 million in base salary this season, counting $7.3 million against the cap. The Titans need at least $3 million in salary cap space to sign their rookie class.

College Football

The New York Times pulled its computer college football rankings out of the formula used by the bowl championship series to determine which teams play for the national championship.

Richard Meislin, editor of news surveys for the newspaper, said that the rankings’ inclusion in the BCS was a conflict of interest, according to the Times’ ethics guidelines. The newspaper also withdrew from the BCS formula in 2001, citing editorial policy, but rejoined in 2002.

Times reporters also are not allowed to vote for the Heisman Trophy or the Tony Awards, Meislin said.

The Times’ poll was one of seven used by the BCS.

Miscellany

The University of La Verne will eliminate its men’s volleyball program, citing budgetary reasons. The program had been a perennial power in NCAA Division III, with four Final Four appearances in the last seven years, including three national finals appearances and a national championship in 1999.

Five pitchers, including USC’s Ian Kennedy and UC Irvine’s Blair Erickson, combined on the first no-hitter in Team USA history in a 9-0 victory over Canada at Durham, N.C.

Sixteen players will compete in the fifth U.S. men’s professional squash championships today through Sunday on a portable glass court at Macy’s Plaza in Los Angeles. Play will also take place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Details: (213) 630-5238.