Wie Wins First Match on Last Hole

Michelle Wie took another step Wednesday toward a possible Masters invitation.

Wie made a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to edge Will Claxton, 1-up, in her first match at the men’s Amateur Public Links at Lebanon, Ohio.

“I’m very relieved I got through today,” Wie said. “It was really tough out there. It felt good after I made that putt. I have a lot more days to go, so hopefully I can keep that trend going.”

The 15-year-old, who will be a high school junior this fall, is the first female to qualify for a men’s U.S. Golf Assn. championship. She’s playing in the APL because the winner gets an invitation to Augusta.

Wie still has a long way to go. To win the tournament, she has to win five more matches. She will play C.D. Hockersmith of Richmond, Ind., in the second round today.

The third round of match play follows in the afternoon. Hockersmith said he’s looking at the match as an opportunity.

“This would be great to beat her, to give me some confidence,” the Ball State junior said.

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Co-medalists Mari Chun and Angela Park won first-round matches in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at Kansas City, Mo.

Chun, 17, of Pearl City, Hawaii, defeated Patty Chawalitmetha of Bellflower, 4 and 3. Park, a 16-year-old from Torrance, birdied four of the first five holes at Swope Memorial in a 7-and-6 victory over Felicia Johnston of Tigard, Ore.

Jurisprudence

Kentucky Speedway filed suit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp., alleging the companies have violated federal antitrust laws by illegally restricting the awarding of Nextel Cup races.

The speedway has NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck series races on its schedule. It’s one of several tracks that have unsuccessfully sought races in the elite Cup series.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky at Covington, also alleges antitrust violations relating to various restraints of trade involving the Busch and Craftsman races.

Adam Jones, the Tennessee Titans’ top draft pick, surrendered to police on charges of assault and felony vandalism stemming from a fight at a nightclub in Nashville. Jones was released from custody after posting bond.

Nathan Maxcey, a former University of Colorado football recruiting aide, pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a prostitute and official misconduct. He was sentenced to a year of probation and 48 hours of community service. He was ordered to pay about $1,000 in restitution, fines and court costs.

Nevada Las Vegas receiver Terry Furlow was suspended from the football team after he was arrested and charged with trying to spend counterfeit $20 bills. He was being held at the Clark County jail on $8,000 bail.

Michigan State running back Jason Teague has been charged with assaulting a woman in East Lansing, Mich.

Swimming

The four-day Janet Evans Invitational begins today at McDonald’s Swim Stadium at USC, returning to the venue after a one-year hiatus.

The meet, the last of the Grand Prix Series, will feature Olympians Kalyn Keller and Gabe Woodward along with 10 members of the U.S. team that will be competing at the 2005 World University Games.

Only two events are scheduled today, the men’s and women’s 800 freestyle. For the final three days, preliminaries start at 9 a.m., finals at 5 p.m.

High Schools

Stanford-bound volleyball standout Cynthia Barboza of Long Beach Wilson was honored as the Gatorade high school female athlete of the year during a ceremony in Hollywood. Greg Paulus, an all-state football and basketball player at Syracuse (N.Y.) Christian Brothers Academy, received the honor for males.

Barboza, The Times’ volleyball player of the year the last three years, received the award from Spark center Lisa Leslie and U.S. soccer standout Mia Hamm. She beat out four other girls for the award, including Amy Rodriguez, a forward from Santa Margarita who plays on the U.S. women’s national soccer team.

Paulus, a quarterback in football, intends to concentrate on basketball at Duke. He averaged 26.8 points last season. He also passed for 3,677 yards and 43 touchdowns.

College Basketball

A matchup between Arizona and Kansas highlights the first-round pairings for the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which has five schools in its eight-team field that were ranked in the top 15 of the final poll last season.

The other game in the lower half of the bracket has Connecticut against Arkansas. The other bracket has Gonzaga against Maryland and Michigan State facing Chaminade, the Division II host of the tournament that starts Nov. 21 at the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center.

Miscellany

Cuban soccer player Maikel Galindo, who was in Seattle for two CONCACAF Gold Cup matches, has begun the process of trying to defect to the United Sates, immigration officials said.

NBC has hired former player Cris Collinsworth as a studio analyst for Sunday night NFL telecasts starting next year.

Jonathon Foster, a forward who played for two-time NCAA hockey champion Denver, has agreed to terms with the Long Beach Ice Dogs.

Florida State starting cornerback Antonio Cromartie will sit out the season after tearing a ligament in his left knee during a workout.

South Carolina officials released a report that acknowledged 10 NCAA violations committed under former football coach Lou Holtz.

Stars & Stripes, an America’s Cup sloop once owned by Dennis Conner, took on water during a cruise on San Diego Bay and had to be towed to a boatyard.