Americans start out strong at Senior British Open

Jay Don Blake shot a four-under-par 67 to lead a strong American showing in the opening round of the Senior British Open at Carnoustie, Scotland, on Thursday.

Blake is in a three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard alongside Germany’s Bernhard Langer and England’s Carl Mason.

Below that trio the only non-American in the next 17 places was Scotsman Sam Torrance, who shot a 69.

Among the Americans chasing the leaders were U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin (69) and former captain Tom Lehman (71).

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Brent Delahoussaye shot an eight-under 62 to match the Canadian Open record, making an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey in perfect scoring conditions at historic St. George’s in Toronto.

Delahoussaye, the 29-year-old whose lone professional victory came in the 2006 Hooters Tour Classic, teed off on the ninth hole and played the front nine — his first and last eight holes — in six-under 28.

Vance Veazey and Brock Mackenzie opened with 64s.

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New British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen sits at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of the Scandinavian Masters at Stockholm, alongside Australia’s Richard Green and Dustin Johnson of the United States, after shooting a five-under 67.

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Sun-Ju Ahn of South Korea birdied the final hole for a six-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead at the Evian Masters with Morgan Pressel and Melissa Reid in Evian-les-Bains, France.

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Medalist Danielle Kang of Thousand Oaks won two matches to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls Junior Championship at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst.

The quarterfinals and semifinals are Friday.

ETC.

UCLA’s Hasiak is ineligible

Stanley Hasiak, a part-time starter at offensive guard for the UCLA football team as a freshman last year, is academically ineligible for the upcoming season, the school announced. He will redshirt and have three seasons of remaining eligibility.

“I expect Stanley to work hard to ensure this situation does not occur again,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said in a statement. The school also announced that junior college transfers Darius Bell, a quarterback, and Casey Griffiths, an offensive guard, have signed scholarship papers and are on campus.

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Miami and Notre Dame agreed to renew a football rivalry that during the 1980s helped define each program and decide several national championships.

The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish will play Oct. 6, 2012, at Soldier Field in Chicago, then play a home-and-home starting in 2016 at South Bend, Ind. They’ll play in Miami the next season.

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The California Horse Racing Board voted in closed session to allow jockey Patrick Valenzuela to resume riding in California under terms of a stipulated agreement that includes requiring him to submit to hair follicle testing.

Valenzuela, 47, had his license revoked in 2007 after an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. He has been riding in Louisiana the last two years. The CHRB said that Valenzuela has passed all drug and alcohol tests in Louisiana.

Valenzuela was regarded as one of the top jockeys in California. He rode Sunday Silence to victory in the 1989 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and has won seven Breeders’ Cup races. He received a series of suspensions in the 1990s while dealing with a drug abuse problem.

—Eric Sondheimer

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Former King Jeremy Roenick and defensemen brothers Kevin and Derian Hatcher were selected for induction into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

The three former NHL All-Stars were chosen by USA Hockey, along with administrator Art Berglund and longtime University of Minnesota physician V. George Nagobads.

This year’s class will be inducted into the Hall — founded in 1973 — on Oct. 21 in Buffalo, N.Y.

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Top-seeded Andy Roddick weathered high temperatures to beat Rajeev Ram, 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-3, in the second round of the Atlanta Tennis Championships at Johns Creek, Ga.

Roddick, who will face seventh-seeded Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the quarterfinals, is aiming for his 20th tournament title on hardcourts.

Malisse defeated Ukraine’s Illya Marchenko, 6-3, 6-3.

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Dez Bryant agreed on terms of a contract with the Dallas Cowboys, making the receiver the first of this year’s NFL first-round picks with a deal.

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Jennie Finch hit a two-run homer in her first at-bat after announcing she’ll retire from softball, leading the United States to a 9-0 victory over Canada in the opening game of the World Cup of Softball at Oklahoma City.