HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — A grueling Masters finally caught up to K.J. Choi on Friday at the Verizon Heritage, and Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III and Greg Owen took advantage to top the second-round leaderboard.
Furyk (68), Howell (67) and Owen (69) were tied at 7-under- par 135, a stroke ahead of a group that included two-time Verizon champ Boo Weekley (68) and Stuart Appleby (67).
Choi, who played alongside Tiger Woods all four rounds at Augusta National, opened with a 64; however, he couldn’t maintain that pace and fell three shots off the lead after a 74.
“Yeah, the fatigue is setting in right now,” said Choi, who tied for fourth with Woods last week. “But no excuses today, I had a tough time reading the greens.”
• Masters champion Phil Mickelson announced he will participate in the Quail Hollow Championship that begins April 29 in Charlotte, N.C.
• Mark O’Meara shot a 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Mike Reid and defending champion Nick Price in the first round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am in Lutz, Fla.
Fred Couples, trying to match the Champions Tour record for victories in consecutive starts of four set by Chi Chi Rodriguez in 1987, opened with a 71 — his first score higher than 68 in 13 senior rounds.
• Anna Nordqvist won the inaugural Mojo 6 Jamaica LPGA Invitational, beating Amanda Blumenherst 1-up in the six-hole championship match in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Ducks courting Mizzou’s Anderson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One year after signing a seven-year contract extension at Missouri, Mike Anderson is talking with Oregon about its head coaching job.
The Ducks have been without a coach since Ernie Kent was fired a month ago after a 16-16 season and ninth-place finish in the Pac-10.
• Michigan State guards Durrell Summers and Kalin Lucas said they will return for their senior seasons to chase a championship and continue their education.
Meanwhile, Spartans forward Delvon Roe underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He is expected to return to the basketball court in about six weeks.
• Trey Thompkins, Georgia’s leading scorer (17.7) and rebounder (8.3) and a first-team all-Southeastern Conference player, announced he will return for his junior season.
• Buzz Peterson was named coach of UNC Wilmington after a second stint at Appalachian State lasted just one season.
• Holy Cross hired Milan Brown of Mount St. Mary’s to replace Sean Kearney as its coach.
Footnotes.
NBC lost $223 million on the Winter Olympics in the first quarter, slightly better than the most recent estimate of $250 million in losses.
• Aided by the all-around victory by junior Chris Cameron, Michigan won its first NCAA men’s gymnastics team title in 11 years with a narrow victory over Stanford in West Point, N.Y. Oklahoma was third, followed by Illinois, California and Ohio State.
• Jack Campbell stopped 30 shots to lead the U.S. to a 5-0 victory over Canada at the under-18 hockey world championships in Bobruisk, Belarus.
