Els’ 64 Makes It Look Easy as He Takes Two-Shot Lead

Ernie Els was both steady and spectacular Friday in cool rain, warm sunshine and blustery conditions for an eight-under-par 64 that gave him a two-shot lead in the American Express Championship at Thomastown, Ireland.

Els was at 11-under 133 after two rounds and led by two over Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Todd Hamilton (69), who beat Els in a four-hole playoff at Royal Troon to win the British Open.

Tiger Woods’ back injury was much improved, but he three-putted twice, missed a couple of short putts and finished with 19 putts on the back nine for a 70 that left him five shots behind.

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Bubba Watson shot a seven-under 64 to take a one-shot lead over Jeff Quinney after the second round of the Nationwide Tour’s Mark Christopher Classic at Empire Lakes Golf Course in Rancho Cucamonga. Watson is at 12-under 130. Quinney shot a 67. Defending champion James Oh, who shot a 74 to put him at 12-over 154, didn’t make the cut.

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Steve Pate closed his seven-under 65 with two birdies and shared the lead with Harrison Frazar after two rounds of the Southern Farm Bureau Classic at Madison, Miss. Pate is at 12-under 132. Frazar had two eagles in his 67.... Wayne Levi tied a tournament record with an eight-under 64 and held a one-shot lead over Rodger Davis after the first round of the Constellation Energy Classic at Hunt Valley, Md.

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Tennis

Second-seeded Andy Roddick had 21 aces in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Sweden’s Thomas Johansson to reach the semifinals of the Thailand Open in Bangkok. Switzerland’s Roger Federer, seeded No. 1, defeated Sweden’s Robin Soderling, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Roddick will play Marat Safin, the third-seeded Russian who beat Brazil’s Flavio Saretta, 6-2, 6-1. Federer will play Paradorn Srichaphan, the fourth-seeded Thai who beat Netherlands’ Dennis van Scheppingen, 6-2, 7-5.

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Motor Racing

Joe Nemechek won his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series pole of the season for Sunday’s EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He drove his Chevrolet around the 2.66-mile track at 190.749 mph. Ricky Rudd was second in a Ford at 190.609.

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Pro Basketball

DeMya Walker made a leaning underhand shot at the buzzer in overtime, giving the Sacramento Monarchs a 74-72 victory over the Seattle Storm in Game 1 of the WNBA’s Western Conference finals at Sacramento.... The Connecticut Sun defeated the New York Liberty, 61-51, at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Single-game tickets for Laker and Clipper home games go on sale this morning at 10. Laker tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com and by telephone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX. They will not be available at Staples Center, and there is a limit of four tickets per person, per game and a six-game limit.

Clipper tickets also can be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets, through ticketmaster.com and at 1-800-4NBA-TIX, as well as at clippers.com or at Staples Center. There are no limits.

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Horse Racing

Trainer Julio Canani will saddle Amorama for the $500,000 Yellow Ribbon and run Sweet Catomine in the $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes, Breeders’ Cup preps, today at Santa Anita. Also on the card is the $500,000 Goodwood Handicap. Amorama, a French-bred filly who had never won in the U.S., was 19-1 when she nosed out Ticker Tape in the Del Mar Oaks. Amorama will be stretching out to 1 1/4 miles on the grass after winning at an eighth of a mile less at Del Mar. Sweet Catomine had run only once, finishing second in a maiden race, when she won the Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs.

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Pro Football

The NFL fined three New York Giants for illegal hits during last Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Safety Gibril Wilson and cornerback Terry Cousin were each fined $7,500 for helmet-to-helmet hits, and linebacker Barrett Green was fined $5,000 for hitting quarterback Jeff Garcia in the back with his helmet.... Tony Graziani, the Avenger quarterback the last three seasons, signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Soul, according to an Arena Football League source.

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Figure Skating

Tim Goebel, the 2002 Olympic bronze medalist who had battled injuries related to boot problems last year, won the top men’s prize at the International Skating Classic in St. Paul, Minn. Michelle Kwan delivered a near-flawless program to claim the top women’s prize.