ATLANTA — Paul Casey was the only player among the top five in the FedEx Cup standings to break par Thursday, running off three straight birdies around the turn at East Lake for a 4-under 66 and a share of the lead with Geoff Ogilvy and Luke Donald in the Tour Championship.
It was the seventh time Casey has shot in the 60s in the nine rounds since European captain Colin Montgomerie left him off the Ryder Cup team. Whether that’s motivating him to play well, the Englishman isn’t saying.
At stake is a $10 million bonus to the FedEx Cup champion. The top five in the standings — Casey got to No. 5 with his runner-up finish two weeks ago at Cog Hill — can claim golf’s biggest payoff by winning.
“I’ve got an opportunity to accomplish one of the goals which I set for myself at the beginning of the year,” Casey said.
Jim Furyk had a 67, while K.J. Choi was at 68. The group at 69 included Hunter Mahan, Jason Day, Kevin Na and Phil Mickelson.
Beckham to file lawsuit
LOS ANGELES — A spokesman says David Beckham will file a suit in Germany against a U.S. magazine that published allegations that the former England captain solicited a prostitute in 2007.
Los Angeles publicist Jeff Raymond said the midfielder will sue In Touch magazine in several jurisdictions beginning today but declined to provide more details. In Touch’s publisher, Bauer Media, is based in Hamburg.
Beckham’s management company, 19 Entertainment, said in a statement that the allegations in the weekly In Touch are “completely untrue and totally ridiculous as the magazine was clearly told before publication.”
Beckham has been married to former Spice Girl singer Victoria Beckham for 11 years. The couple has three sons.
Red Wings’ Franzen sidelined
DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings expect forward Johan Franzen to miss at least three preseason games because he has a charley horse from a collision with Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik in Wednesday’s game.
Footnotes.
Angel McCoughtry and Swin Cash each scored 16 points to lead the U.S. to a 99-73 victory over Greece in the opening round of the women’s basketball worlds in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
• Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh has been elected to the USA Volleyball Board of Directors.
• Rock N Roll Heaven won the $604,100 Little Brown Jug horse race at Delaware (Ohio) County Fairgrounds.
The Associated Press
