Off the wire

GOLF

Nordqvist leads in Thailand

Anna Nordqvist, the 26-year old Swede who won both of her LPGA Tour titles in 2009, shot a 6-under 66 Thursday to take a onestroke lead over Michelle Wie after the first round of the LPGA Thailand. She eagled No. 15 after making two consecutive bogeys on Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course. “Had pretty good yardage and it was on the top tier, so I just pitched it five or six paces behind the pin and spun back,” Nordqvist said. “So, obviously, gave me some momentum to finish off. … I just tried to stay in there after the two bogeys, because I didn’t feel like I hit bad shots. I just got flyers out of the rough.” Wie had six birdies and a bogey for her 67.Americans Angela Stanford, Lexi Thompson and Jennifer Johnson shot 68. Stanford had a hole-inone on the 135-yard 8th hole using an 8-iron. Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen opened with a 69. Top-ranked Inbee Park, the defending champion, had a 71 in her first start of the year. Third-ranked Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) and Karrie Webb, the Australian Women’s Open winner last week, also shot 71. Lydia Ko, the 16-year-old New Zealander who turned pro late last year had a 72.

Getting to the round of 16 in the Match Play Championship at Marana, Ariz., was all that mattered Thursday. It proved too difficult for Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy, both top seeds,but Graeme Mc-Dowell staged another rally. One day after he rallied from 3 down with three holes to play to win in overtime, McDowell was two holes behind on the 15th tee when he made an 8-foot birdie, halved the next hole with a 10-foot par, won the 17th with a birdie and then holed a 6-foot par putt on the 18th for a 1-up victory over Hideki Matsuyama of Japan. In his two matches, McDowell has stood on a tee box with his match all square only four times - two of those at the start of the match. Also Thursday, Ernie Els hit a superb chip from the collar of a bunker to knock out Rose in 19 holes. McIlroy went into the desert and couldn’t escape, losing in 19 holes to Harris English. By Rose and McIlroy losing, all four top seeds have been eliminated with four rounds left.

TENNIS

Williams sisters advance

Top-ranked Serena Williams had little trouble joining sister Venus in the Dubai Championships semifinals on Thursday. Serena, playing her first tournament since a fourth-round loss at the Australian Open, had little trouble bypassing fifth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. Serena will play Alize Cornet of France in the semifinals. Cornet scored a 7-5, 6-3 win over Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. Venus Williams reached her fourth Dubai semifinal with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over qualifier Flavia Pennetta of Italy. Venus will play eighth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in today’s semifinals. Wozniacki had little trouble dispatching 27thranked Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-2.

Rafael Nadal showed no problem with his tender back in his second match since returning from the injury, defeating fellow Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Rio Open on Thursday. In the other key men’s match, third-seeded Fabio Fognini reached the last eight beating Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3. Second-seeded David Ferrer advanced on Wednesday. Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine advanced to his second quarterfinals of the year, beating Facundo Bagnis of Argentina 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (4). On the women’s side of the combined ATP-WTA event, fifth-seeded Kurumi Nara of Japan and Lourdes Dominguez Lino of Spain set up a quarterfinal matchup after second-round victories. Nara defeated Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany 6-0, 7-6 (3). Dominguez Lino beat Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1. Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania also made the last eight, as did Brazil’s Teliana Pereira.

Third-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia reached the Open 13 quarterfinals Thursday at Marseille, France, after a hard-fought 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory against Roberto Bautista Agutof Spain. Fourth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy lost 7-6 (3), 6-4 to Michael Llodra of France. Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff also secured an upset, beating seventh-seeded Julien Benneteau 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia, No. 6 Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, and No. 8 Nicolas Mahut of France progressed. Dodig beat Germany’s Tobias Kamke 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-3, Roger-Vasselin advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory against Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine, and Mahut won 7-6 (5), 6-3 against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.

FOOTBALL

Alabama sues ex-assistant

The University of Alabama has sued former assistant coach Mike Groh seeking payment of his contract buyout. The suit filed Thursday in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court said Groh owes the university $57,000, equal to 20 percent of his $285,000 salary. Groh was hired as the Chicago Bears receivers coach in February 2013 after two seasons as the Crimson Tide’s receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. The suit said Tide Coach Nick Saban “elected not to waive the liquidated damages” allowed under Groh’s contract. It said the university has made written requests that the money be paid. The Bears declined to comment.

MOTOR SPORTS Chevy: Wire caused fire

Chevrolet believes a pinched wire caused a pace car fire during last week’s Sprint Unlimited exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. Jeff Chew, marketing manager for Chevrolet Racing, said preliminary reports indicate the pinched wire started the fire in the trunk of the Chevrolet SS pace car. “It appears we had a pinched wire in one of the strobe systems,” said Chew, who was on hand Thursday as the manufacturer unveiled three new pace cars to be used this weekend at Daytona: a Silverado 1500 for the Truck Series opener today, a Camaro SS for the Nationwide opener Saturday and a Chevrolet SS for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. All three have LED lighting systems that don’t use the same kind of wires that seemingly caused the fire.

FOOTBALL Dolphins coach promises better workplace

INDIANAPOLIS - Miami Dolphins Coach Joe Philbin is promising to change the culture inside the team’s locker room and make it a better workplace than the one that forced Jonathan Martin to leave the team last season.

In taking questions for the first time since Ted Wells released his report into the bullying scandal that rocked the league, Philbin made it clear things would be cleaned up.

“We are going to do things about it,” Philbin said at the NFL scouting combine. “We are going to make it better. We are going to look at every avenue. We are going to uncover every stone, and we are going to have a better workplace.

“I’m going to make sure that happens.”

The changes have already begun.

The Dolphins fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and longtime head athletic trainerKevin O’Neill on Wednesday night for their roles in the scandal. While the timing seemed odd, on the eve of a six-day event where Miami and the league’s 31 other teams can interview and test draft hopefuls, Philbin said the Dolphins needed time to contemplate the report’s findings and possible punitive actions.

The Wells investigation found that guard Richie Incognito and two teammates engaged in persistent harassment of Martin, another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. Martin left the team at midseason, and Incognito was suspended for the final eight games.

New General Manager Dennis Hickey insists the team is making a concerted effort to change course.

“We want our organization to be a culture of respect,” Hickey said. “We take this seriously, and we want to set the standard around the league.”