Kerr Shoots 64 to Share LPGA Lead With Hjorth

Cristie Kerr shot an eight-under-par 64 Friday and earned a share of the lead at the LPGA State Farm Classic at Springfield, Ill.

After the second round, Kerr is tied with Maria Hjorth at 12-under 132, one stroke ahead of Il Mi Chung, who shot 66. Hjorth shot a 67.

Lorena Ochoa (70) was five shots off the lead, with Annika Sorenstam (68) at six under -- six shots behind but still in striking distance.

After a disappointing two-under 70 Thursday, Sorenstam got off to an ominous start when she hit her first shot wide right and into a bunker. Her second landed on the green, and she made a 30-foot putt for birdie

Se Ri Pak, bothered lately by a neck injury, was seven over for the tournament when she withdrew after nine holes.

Kerr, seeking her third victory this year, teed off on the 10th hole with Sorenstam and Ochoa. She was consistently in the fairway and birdied eight holes.

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D.A. Weibring shot an eight-under 64 and held a two-stroke lead over Tom Purtzer and Jay Haas after the opening round of the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach.

Weibring, whose best finish this season was a third place in the MasterCard Championship, the opening tournament on the Champions Tour, had six birdies and an eagle at the Del Monte Golf Course.

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Martin Erlandsson shot a four-under 68 for a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the BMW International at Munich, Germany. He is at nine-under 135.

David Howell, the first-round leader, had a 69, joining Alejandro Canizares (65), Mattias Eliasson (66) and Soren Hansen (66) a stroke back at 136.

Paul McGinley shot 72 and missed the cut but seems likely to make the European Ryder Cup team, which will be completed Sunday.

SOCCER

Totti Will Not Play for Italy Until 2007

Francesco Totti announced that he doesn’t plan to return to world champion Italy’s team until next year.

Totti broke his left leg and strained ligaments in his ankle while playing for AS Roma in February. He underwent surgery and hurried to return for the World Cup, but the star midfielder couldn’t perform his best at the tournament. Totti will not play in Italy’s first four qualifying matches for the 2008 European Championship.

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Sao Paulo said it reached a deal to transfer 18-year-old midfielder Denilson to Arsenal of the English Premier League. Arsenal will pay $6.5 million for the Brazilian player, Sao Paulo said on its website.

HIGH SCHOOLS

Sanctions Reduced for Katrina Transfers

Suspensions for two former Louisiana football players who were part of Bastrop High School’s 2005 championship team were reduced to two games.

Hurricane Katrina evacuees Randall Mackey and Jamal Recasner initially were ruled ineligible because then-assistant coaches picked them up and drove them to Morehouse Parish in northeastern Louisiana, violating state high school recruiting rules, after the hurricane destroyed Port Sulphur, the players’ south Louisiana town.

Louisiana High School Athletic Assn. Commissioner Tommy Henry reduced the players’ suspensions, required the players and coaches involved to issue public apologies and put the school’s football program on probation through 2009.

BOXING

Vabaza-Molitor Title Fight Is Called Off

The International Boxing Federation junior-featherweight title fight between Gabula Vabaza of South Africa and Steve Molitor of Canada has been canceled.

The bout between the unbeaten southpaws -- Vabaza is 23-1-0 and Molitor is 22-0 -- scheduled for Friday at Johannesburg, was called off after Vabaza failed a medical test.

MISCELLANY

Two Temple Starters Academically Ineligible

In a big blow for Temple and new basketball Coach Fran Dunphy, starters Wayne Marshall and Mark Tyndale were declared academically ineligible.

Marshall, a 6 foot 11 center, averaged 7.2 points and four rebounds last season. Tyndale, a 6-5 forward, led the Owls in rebounding, averaging 5.1, and was third in scoring at 10.9 points.

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Skip Schumaker hit a grand slam to propel the U.S. to a 12-2 victory over the Dominican Republic on the first day of the second round of the Americas Baseball Olympic qualifying tournament at Havana. Schumaker led the Americans in their first win in the final round of a tournament that gives the top two teams slots in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

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The Japanese 18-under national team that will be playing in the World Championships later this month will be playing a three-game “goodwill series” against an American team that includes seven local players at USC’s Dedeaux Field today through Monday starting at 1 p.m.

The U.S. roster includes infielders Jonathan Singleton of Long Beach, Ray Anthony of Los Angeles and Mike Moustakas of Northridge; outfielder Aaron Hicks of Long Beach and pitchers Matt Hiserman of Mission Viejo, Jeff Grijalva of San Clemente and Jake Thompson of Cerritos.

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The Federal Communication order that required Time Warner Cable to restore NFL Network to its channel lineup expires at midnight tonight, but Time Warner agreed not to drop the network until Sept. 15.

“The encouraging thing is that, for the first time, discussions took place,” NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky said. “We can get back to the negotiating table.”

-- Larry Stewart