No. 1-seeded Steve Stricker falls in Match Play Championship

Ross McGowan of England rolled in a 30-foot par putt on the 19th hole Wednesday to beat Steve Stricker, only the second time in the Match Play Championship that the No. 1-seeded player was beaten in the opening round.

McGowan got into the 64-man field in Marana, Ariz., only because Tiger Woods did not enter while on his indefinite break from golf. That elevated Stricker to the No. 1 seeding, and he became the first top-seeded player since Woods in 2002 to lose in the first round.

The other top four seeded players made it into the second round.

Lee Westwood controlled his match against fellow Englishman Chris Wood, Jim Furyk went 17 holes before beating Ryder Cup teammate Scott Verplank, and Martin Kaymer of Germany beat Chad Campbell.

Ryo Ishikawa, the 18-year-old from Japan, made a sensational debut by winning the last three holes for a 2-up victory over Michael Sim of Australia.

FOOTBALL

Ravens sign Stallworth

The Baltimore Ravens say they have signed wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth to a one-year contract.

Stallworth was recently released by the Cleveland Browns after being reinstated by the NFL following a one-year suspension. He was suspended for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy for a DUI vehicular manslaughter charge.

Stallworth served 30 days in a Miami jail for striking and killing a construction worker with his car while driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Cleveland Browns released running back Jamal Lewis, whose season ended Dec. 2 when he was placed on injured reserve with post-concussion symptoms.

JURISPRUDENCE

Oregon’s James faces charges

Oregon tailback LaMichael James, one of the top freshmen in the nation, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after his girlfriend said he grabbed her neck during an argument outside his apartment and pushed her to the ground.

James, 20, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of menacing, strangulation and assault. He remained in the Lane County Jail in Oregon on $40,000 bail, according to a jail deputy.

Springfield Police Sgt. Tom Borchers said the incident happened Monday evening outside an apartment complex.

Former NBA star Jayson Williams had a blood-alcohol level more than double the legal limit after he crashed his car into a tree in New York’s Manhattan last month, prosecutors said in newly filed court documents.

His level was 0.19%, according to the filing. In New York, the driving-while-intoxicated threshold is 0.08%.

Williams has pleaded not guilty to drunk-driving charges in the Jan. 5 crash.

ETC.

Soccer star out of intensive care

Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas is being moved out of intensive care as he continues his remarkable recovery after being shot in the head in a Mexico City bar last month.

The doctor who has cared for the player since he was shot at point-blank range on Jan. 25 said that Cabanas, who plays for Mexican club America, would be moved to a private room at Mexico City’s Angeles del Pedregal Hospital.

Shahar Peer upset top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2, 7-5, on Wednesday, reaching the quarterfinals of the Dubai Championship a year after she was denied a visa to play in the tournament.

Defending champion Venus Williams advanced with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Olga Govortsova.

Last year, Dubai organizers were fined $300,000 by the WTA for not allowing Peer, of Israel, to play in the event. She was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates government, which cited security reasons.

PASSINGS

Former pitcher Bibby, 65

Jim Bibby, who pitched 12 seasons in the major leagues, died in Lynchburg, Va., on Tuesday. Obituary AA6.