GOLF
Donaldson leads in China; McIlroy blames headache
Jamie Donaldson of Wales set a course record 10-under 62 Thursday en route to a four-stroke lead after the opening round of the BMW Masters at Shanghai.
Meanwhile, defending champion and top-ranked Rory McIlroy had a 67 and blamed a headache on the air pollution over China’s financial capital.
Sweden’s Peter Hanson and Italy’s Francesco Molinari shot 66s.
Donaldson needed only 24 putts to break the record of 63 set by Noh Seung-yul of South Korea last year.
CIMB CLASSIC: Tiger Woods birdied five holes on the back nine in his first trip back to Malaysia since winning the 1999 World Cup to end the day three strokes behind first-round leader Troy Matteson at Kuala Lumpur.
LPGA: South Korea’s Inbee Park shot a 7-under 65 to take a two-stroke lead over local favorite and top-ranked Yani Tseng after the first round of the LPGA Taiwan Championship at Yang Mei, Taiwan.
Americans Nicole Castrale and Danielle Kang were three strokes back at 68, along with South Korea’s Hee Young Park and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum.
CYCLING
DOPING: Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond is urging the leaders of cycling’s governing body to resign, calling them “the corrupt part of the sport.”
LeMond posted an open letter on his Facebook page that asked those who care about cycling to join him in telling International Cycling Union President Pat McQuaid and honorary president Hein Verbruggen to step down.
LeMond’s letter came three days after Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for his involvement in what has been described as a massive doping program.
SKIING
TOP SKIER: Defending overall World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher of Austria was voted skier of the year by journalists.
Hirscher beat Swiss rivals Beat Feuz and Didier Cuche, as well as the women’s overall champion, Lindsey Vonn of the United States.
BOXING
STEWARD DIES: Emanuel Steward, the owner of the legendary Kronk Gym and one of boxing’s greatest trainers, has died. He was 68.
The International Boxing Hall of Famer made his name training title holders such as Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis and current heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
SUSPENSION: Amateur boxing’s international governing body has suspended USA Boxing for three months over its response to several controversial statements by its former president.
AIBA also suspended ex-president Hal Adonis from all amateur boxing for two years. Adonis was quoted in the New Yorker magazine earlier this year, claiming connections between childhood abuse and successful boxers.
TENNIS
DUPONT DIES: Margaret Osborne duPont, the winner of more than 30 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles spanning three decades, died in El Paso, Texas. She was 94.
WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Serena Williams extended her dominance over the top-ranked player in the world, defeating Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-4 at Istanbul.
Williams improved to 11-1 against Azarenka.
VALENCIA OPEN: David Ferrer cruised to a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Albert Ramos to reach the quarterfinals at Valencia, Spain.
Marcel Granollers also won, beating Gilles Simon, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2.
SWISS INDOORS: Juan Martin del Potro had 10 aces in defeating Brian Baker 7-5, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals in Basel, Switzerland.
BASKETBALL
WNBA: Bill Laimbeer is returning to the WNBA as the New York Liberty’s general manager and coach. The former Detroit Pistons star led the Detroit Shock to three WNBA titles, and was 137-93 as the team’s general manager and coach from 2002-09.
– From news service reports
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