Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Seon Hwa Lee share LPGA lead
Cristie Kerr shot a four-under-par 68 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead with Stacy Lewis and Seon Hwa Lee in the LPGA Championship at Pittsford, N.Y.
It’s still anybody’s event at Locust Hill Country Club outside Rochester as the tough conditions — including a persistent and gusting wind — created a logjam behind the leaders in the LPGA Tour’s second major of the season. Inbee Park, Mika Miyazato and Lindsey Wright were a stroke back.
And score one for Juli Inkster. The 31-time LPGA Tour winner celebrated turning 50 with a 71. She was tied for 11th, and 19 players were within three shots of the lead.
Paula Creamer, competing in only her second tournament since having surgery to repair ligament damage in her left thumb, was among those at one under.
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Justin Rose birdied five of his final six holes for a six-under 64 and a share of the first-round lead in the Travelers Championship at Cromwell, Conn.
Rose, the Memorial winner three weeks ago who failed to qualify for the U.S. Open last week at Pebble Beach, missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18, leaving him tied with morning starters Padraig Harrington, Charlie Wi and Mathew Goggin.
ETC.
Sharks keep star forwards
The San Jose Sharks signed star forwards Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski to four-year contracts, keeping them off the free-agent market.
ESPN reported that Marleau, who was eligible to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, will receive $27.6 million. Pavelski, who could have been a restricted free agent, got $16 million.
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The Ducks named former Buffalo Sabres star Mike Foligno an assistant coach. Foligno spent the last seven seasons as head coach of the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. The club qualified for the postseason in six of those seasons, including an Eastern Conference championship in 2006-07. Foligno, 51, also was an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche.
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The NHL’s Board of Governors approved a rule change that provides for a major penalty and a game misconduct for a “lateral or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact.” In addition, a referee is empowered to assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the penalized player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent with an illegal check to the head.
Any player who incurs a total of two game misconducts under this rule, in either the regular season or playoffs, will be suspended automatically for his team’s next game. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty, the automatic suspension will be increased by one game. Supplementary discipline also can be applied.
—Helene Elliott
Veteran cornerback Walt Harris agreed to a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.
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Natasha Watley’s run-scoring single in the top of the seventh inning helped the United States to a 1-0 victory over China in both teams’ opener at the world softball championship in Caracas, Venezuela. Cat Osterman threw a complete game for the U.S.