Greensboro, N.C. – Charles Warren shot a 30 on the front nine and tied the course record with a 10-under-par 62 to take the first-round lead Thursday in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, beating his previous best on the PGA Tour by four shots. Warren is two shots clear of K.J. Choi and three ahead of D.J. Trahan.
“I’ve never had a round like that,” said Warren, who has made only two cuts in his past 15 starts. “That’s as close to a perfect round of golf as I’ve ever played.”
Scoring in the afternoon improved greatly as Forest Oaks didn’t quite dry out as expected, and the top seven enjoyed the easier conditions. John Rollins had the best round of the early starters – he was in the first group off No. 10 at 7:30 a.m. – carding a 67 that left him tied for eighth. Sergio Garcia had a 69, as did U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman, and Adam Scott put himself in danger of missing the cut with a 73.
GOLF
Trio shares lead at Dunhill Links
Rich Beem, David Howell and Alessandro Tadini each shot 5-under 67 at Carnoustie to lead the rest of the field after the opening round of the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. The tournament is being played at three courses. Those who played Carnoustie on Thursday will move to St. Andrews today and Kingsbarns on Saturday.
TENNIS
U.S. to host Romania in ’06 Davis Cup
The United States will host Romania in the first round of the 2006 Davis Cup, while the draw also set up another showdown between Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt.
The U.S. team, which likely will include Andy Roddick and James Blake or Robby Ginepri, will get to pick the site and surface for its Feb. 10-12 World Group series.
Top-ranked Federer and Switzerland will be at home against former No. 1 Hewitt and Australia in February.
The other first-round matches will be Croatia at Austria, Slovakia at Chile, Sweden at Argentina, Spain at Belarus, France at Germany, and Russia at Netherlands.
Croatia, which upset the United States in March, will face Slovakia from Dec. 2-4 for the 2005 championship.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Florida’s Brooks out after knee surgery
Florida defensive back Nick Brooks had surgery Thursday to repair cartilage damage in his left knee and will miss at least four weeks. Brooks, a junior, could return for the Gators’ game against Vanderbilt on Nov. 5.
BASEBALL
Strawberry charged for false report
Former major-league star Darryl Strawberry was charged with filing a false police report after making up a story alleging his SUV had been stolen, Delray Beach (Fla.) police said. Strawberry reported his rented Nissan Murano stolen Sept. 17, saying it disappeared from outside a gas station while he was inside buying cigarettes.
But investigators who watched a gas station surveillance video saw him drive off in a different car than the one he reported stolen, police spokesman Jeff Messer said. An anonymous caller later told police Strawberry’s SUV was behind a sports bar in Lake Worth, about 15 miles away. Police found the SUV there with no damage and with Strawberry’s wallet inside, Messer said.
Strawberry, 43, admitted to police he lied in the original report. He was not arrested because the charge, filing a false police report, is a misdemeanor.
Officials said they expect Cuba to participate in the first World Baseball Classic in March.
“They’re not formally in yet,” said Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players association. “There’s a process that you have to go through to play with the Cubans, through the United States government. The license has been applied for. We’re hopeful for a favorable response.”
The 16-country event, the first international tournament to feature major-league players, begins March 3. San Diego’s Petco Park will host the semifinals March 18 and the final March 20.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Midnight Madness returns to ESPN
Midnight Madness, the hoopla surrounding the official start of college basketball practice, will return to ESPN next month after an eight-year absence. The national cable network announced ESPNU will televise five hours of Midnight Madness coverage Friday, Oct. 14.
