Mickelson Violated PGA Gambling Policy

Phil Mickelson picked up $500 in a friendly wager that Jim Furyk would hole a bunker shot for par during a seven-hole playoff against Tiger Woods in the NEC Invitational Sunday at Akron, Ohio.

Mickelson also violated PGA Tour policy by gambling.

Tour spokesman Bob Combs said Thursday that Mickelson and his victim, Mike Weir, committed a “technical violation” of tour regulations that prohibit placing bets on a golf tournament.

He said Commissioner Tim Finchem would speak to both players to review the rules.

Golf World magazine reported the bet in this week’s issue.

Combs declined to say whether the players would be fined.

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Joel Edwards and Greg Kraft shot six-under-par 65s to share the first-round lead in the Air Canada Championship at Surrey, British Columbia. Chris Riley and Brent Geiberger opened with 66s, and defending champion Rory Sabbatini and Jesper Parnevik were in an 11-man group at 67. ... Annika Sorenstam shot a seven-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead with Tina Fischer in the State Farm Classic at Springfield, Ill. Sorenstam took last week off after winning the Women’s Canadian Open, her sixth victory of the year. Marianne Morris, Tracy Hanson and Leigh Ann Mills opened with 66s.

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John Daly made a hole in one on the way to a nine-under 63 and a share of the first-round lead with Australia’s Richard Green in the BMW International Open at Munich, Germany. Daly’s ace came with a nine-iron at the 153-yard 12th hole, his third hole of the round. His shot bounced a foot behind the hole and spun back in.

University Games

The U.S. men’s basketball team’s 46-game University Games winning streak ended at Beijing in an 83-82 loss to China, when 7-foot-5 Yao Ming blocked Melvin Ely’s putback attempt.

The United States had won a record six consecutive gold medals at these sort of mini-Olympics for college students.

Zhang Jingsong led five Chinese players in double figures with 18 points. Dallas Maverick forward Wang Zhizhi had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Yao had 12 points and five blocks.

Lonnie Baxter of Maryland had 12 points and four rebounds, and Fresno State’s Ely added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Elsewhere Thursday, the U.S. men defeated France to win the gold in volleyball, and Kara Lawson of Tennessee scored nine points in the first quarter as the United States beat Lithuania, 70-49, to reach the women’s basketball final.

Hockey

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed free-agent center Wayne Primeau to a new contract.

Primeau, 25, earned $575,000 last season and was eligible for salary arbitration but didn’t file because his agent Don Reynolds said several weeks ago that he was close to striking a deal.

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The Phoenix Coyotes signed goaltender Zac Bierk to a one-year contract with a club option for a second year. ... Steve Martins returned to the Ottawa Senators, signing a one-year deal.

Miscellany

Duke All-American Jason Williams broke a bone in his left hand during a pickup game and will wear a cast for at least four weeks.

Williams hurt his non-shooting hand when he hit it on the elbow of Blue Devil teammate Dahntay Jones while going up for a rebound Wednesday. The game was in a recreation center on the university campus.

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The New Jersey Nets signed forward Brian Scalabrine of USC, the team’s second-round pick in June’s NBA draft. Scalabrine was the 35th overall selection. He averaged 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds last season for the Trojans.

An empty desk delayed the official word on whether pitching star Danny Almonte is too old for Little League. Victor Romero of the public records office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, traveled to Almonte’s hometown of Moca, about 90 miles north of the capital, on Wednesday to try to determine from conflicting documents whether the boy is 12 years old--the Little League limit--or 14.

He was expected to announce his findings Thursday, but the president of the registrar’s office never showed up. Results of the investigation would be released today, Romero said.

Meanwhile, a U.S. official who asked not to be identified said Almonte and his father, Felipe de Jesus Almonte, are in the United States illegally. They had applied to come to the U.S. in June 2000 and were issued tourist visas that expired six months after their arrival, the official said.

Also on Thursday, the New York Daily News reported that Danny had not attended school since moving to the United States. Team officials said he attended a public school in the South Bronx, but records don’t reflect that, and Principal Saul Brodsky said Danny had never enrolled.

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The parents of a former Alabama Birmingham student are suing the school’s football coach and at least 26 current or former athletes, claiming she was sexually exploited. The girl enrolled at UAB in spring 2000 shortly before her 15th birthday, said lawyer John Whitaker. Identified only as Jane Doe because of her age, the suit said she was recruited to attend UAB by President W. Ann Reynolds and other top administrators. The suit, seeking $20 million in damages, names football Coach Watson Brown, assistant Larry Crowe, the current and former players, five administrators, the school’s police chief and trustees. The suit said the coaches told players to stay away from the girl, but did not do enough to stop them from having sex with her.

The NCAA put Jacksonville on five years of probation for violations in its men’s soccer program and for exhibiting a lack of institutional control. The probation added little to self-imposed measures Jacksonville took earlier when it banned itself from postseason play in 2000, forfeited two scholarships per season through 2003 and restructured its compliance department.

Brian McBride, a forward on the U.S. soccer team, had surgery to repair a condition that was causing blood clots in his right arm. ... Tony DiCicco was promoted to commissioner of the Women’s United Soccer Assn., which announced it will move its office from New York to Atlanta.