Fred Couples’ 63 gives him Senior Players Championship lead

Defending champion Fred Couples birdied the final three holes for a seven-under 63 and the second-round lead in the Senior Players Championship in Pittsburgh.

Couples, the winner last year at Westchester Country Club in Harrison, N.Y., had an 11-under 129 total on the Fox Chapel course. Joe Daley was a stroke back after a 64.

Tom Lehman was third at seven under after a 66.

Olin Browne had a tournament-record 62 to reach five under. He opened with a 73.

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Veronica Felibert shot a career-best six-under 65 to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s NW Arkansas Championship at Rogers, Ark.

China’s Shanshan Feng, the LPGA Championship winner this month, was a stroke back.

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At Portrush, Northern Ireland, Frenchman Gregory Bourdy opened a one-shot lead in the second round of the Irish Open as Rory McIlroy edged his way back toward the leaderboard.

Bourdy had an eagle on his second hole and six birdies and three bogeys to move to 12-under 132 after a 67. Englishman Mark Foster also shot a 67 and was in second.

FormerU.S. Openchampion McIlroy climbed 29 places and into a tie for 24th at 139 with his three-under 69 with five birdies and two bogeys on the Royal Portrush links course.

ETC.

Pistorius’ Olympic quest ends

Oscar Pistorius’ four-year quest to run in the 400 meters at the London Olympics came down to less than half a second at the end.

The South African double-amputee missed out on qualifying in his individual event by an agonizing 0.22 seconds at Porto Novo, Benin, in his last chance ahead of next month’s games.

He still could be picked for South Africa’s 1,600 relay team.

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Chris Bosh told USA Basketball he is withdrawing from consideration for the London Olympics so he can fully recover from the strained abdominal muscle that sidelined him for part of Miami’s run to the NBA championship.

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Pole-sitter Austin Dillon, driving the legendary No. 3 car, led most of the final 113 laps to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

It was the first Nationwide victory for Dillon, a rookie who captured the Truck Series title a year ago.

Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch was a distant second, 9.828 seconds back.

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Georgia tailback Isaiah Crowell was dismissed from the team Friday by Coach Mark Richt after the sophomore was arrested on felony weapons charges.

Police found a gun in Crowell’s vehicle early Friday morning. Georgia announced the dismissal Friday afternoon.

As a freshman in 2011, Crowell led Georgia with 850 yards rushing.

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The NHL and the players’ union have opened negotiations on a new labor deal.

A league spokesman said Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly met with NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr, union special counsel Steve Fehr and several player reps at the league’s New York City offices.

The collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15.

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The Philadelphia Flyers named Terry Murray coach of their AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms. Murray, 61, was fired in December by the Kings.