Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — GOLF

Lewis shares LPGA lead

Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), Cristie Kerr and Seon Hwa Lee each shot a 4-under-par 68 Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the LPGA Championship on the Locust Hill Country Club course in Pittsford, N.Y., outside of Rochester. The 25-yearold Lewis, who started on the back nine, made an eagle on the par-5 11th hole, her second. She had four birdies, all on the front nine, and two bogeys, on Nos. 13 and 16. The early afternoon downpour, which briefly stopped play, had just begun when Lewis reached the green at No. 9, her final hole. Facing an 8-foot putt for birdie, Lewis acknowledged she had plenty of incentive to sink it before quickly escaping to the dry confines of the scorers’ tent. “I was glad to hit the tee shot before it started to pour,” Lewis said. “I knew I was going to get soaked. And I knew I could go inside and dry off. I just didn’t worry about it.” Lewis showed potential in finishing in a tie for third atthe 2008 U.S. Women’s Open - a tournament she had led after three rounds. This year, her second on the LPGA Tour, Lewis is coming off two top-16 finishes, and also earned a career-best second-place finish at the Tres Marias Championship last month. Inbee Park, Mika Miyazato and Lindsey Wright each shot a 69. Starting on No. 10, Kerr opened with two birdies and got to 4 under after a birdie at No. 17, a 478-yard par-5. After a bogey on 18, she made a birdie on No. 2 and then parred out. She saved par on her final hole - the 172-yard par-3 nine - by two-putting from 35 feet on a tricky green. After opening with a three-putt bogey on No. 10, Lee chipped in a 127-yard shot for eagle at the 386-yard par-4 12th. She followed with four birdies and two bogeys before closing by holing out of the bunker for birdie. Stacy Prammanasudh (Conway) shot a 3-over 75 with two birdies and five bogeys.

Justin Rose birdied five of hisfinal six holes for a 6-under-par 64 and a share of the first-round lead with Padraig Harrington, Charlie Wi and Mathew Goggin in the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn. Rose, the Memorial winner three weeks ago who failed to qualify for the U.S. Open, missed a 12-foot birdie putt on 18. Bubba Watson, Corey Pavin, Ben Curtis, Kevin Sutherland, Vijay Singh, Matt Jones and Aron Price each shot a 65. Bryce Molder (Conway) shot a 2-under 68 with four birdies and two bogeys. John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 1-over 71 with three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. Brenden Pappas (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 2-over 72 with four birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. Glen Day (Little Rock) shot a 4-over 74 with a birdie and five bogeys.

Bradley Dredge and Peter Whiteford each shot an 8-underpar 64 for a one-stroke lead over Ariel Canete, Jeppe Huldahl, Chapchair Nirat and Phil Prices after the first round in the PGA European Tour’s BMW International Open in Munich.

Peter Tomasulo shot an 8-under-par 64 for a one-stroke lead over Jamie Lovemark in the first round in the Nationwide Tour’s Mexico Open Bicentenary in Leon, Mexico. Play was suspended because of darkness. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) shot a shot a 3-under 69 with seven birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a par 72 with six birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) shot a 5-over 77 with three birdies and eight bogeys. Nick Beach (Fayetteville, Razorbacks) was 2 over after 15 with a birdie and three bogeys.

HOCKEY

Thrashers name coach

Craig Ramsay, 59, had to wait a decade for his next chance to be an NHL head coach. His old friend and former roommate, Rick Dudley, provided that opportunity. Ramsay, who spent the past three years as an assistant with the Boston Bruins, was named the Atlanta Thrashers coach Thursday. He joins Dudley, recently promoted to general manager. Ramsay said he wasn’t sure he would have another chance to direct a team after a successful but short stint as an interim head coach for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2000. “It goes through your mind,” Ramsay said. “I’ve been in this business an awfully long time as a player and a coach. ... You start to look at it and think maybe that opportunity won’t present itself again. When this came up and Rick and I got to talk, I relished the opportunity.” Ramsay replaces John Anderson, who was fired after the Thrashers (35-34-13) missed the playoffs. Dudley and Ramsay played together with the Buffalo Sabres and American Hockey League’s Cincinnati. When Dudley was the Tampa Bay Lightning’s general manager, he hired Ramsay as an assistant coach on a team thatwon the 2004 Stanley Cup. Ramsay also was an interim head coach for the Buffalo Sabres during the 1986-1987 season. He also has worked as an assistant with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. Ramsay played 14 seasons with Buffalo from 1971-1985, finishing his career as a player-coach.

SOFTBALL

U.S. wins opener

Natasha Watley hit an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning and Cat Osterman pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts as the United States beat China 1-0 in the teams’ opener at the world softball championship Thursday in Caracas, Venezuela. The United States has won this event six consecutive times and is a strong favorite to reach the final of the 16-team tournament.

ODDS & ENDS

Proposal: End early offers

An NCAA committee announced that it will back a proposal to prohibit making scholarships offers to recruits before July 1 in the summer between their junior and senior years in high school. If passed, it would apply to all sports. Coaches also would have to receive high school transcripts documenting at least five semesters or seven quarters worth of academic work for a young recruit before they can offer a scholarship. It is the first recommendation to come out of the Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Issues Cabinet, which is reviewing recruiting conduct. Committee Chairman Petrina Long, senior associate athletic director at UCLA, said the committee was compelled to propose a change after recruits and their families said they had felt pressured to make decisions before knowing enough about the school’s academic programs. Coaches also told the cabinet they were under increased pressure to “keep up” by making offers to younger and younger players or lose out on top recruits.