ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160037
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Larry Rinker, nearing his 40th birthday and still struggling to make a living at golf, shot one of the best rounds of his life Wednesday, a 9-under-par 63 that gave him the opening-day lead at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Indian Wells, Calif.
Rinker, who found out two weeks ago that he was going to be allowed to play in the tournament, started with a par and birdied the next five holes at Bermuda Dunes, one of four courses in use. Even 9-under didn't give him a comfort zone in the tournament, annually decided by very low scores. Last year's U.S. Open champion and former Bob Hope winner, Steve Jones, and Mark Calcavecchia were one shot behind. John Daly was among a group of four another shot back at 7-under.
Chip Sullivan, who earned a PGA Tour card as an assistant pro at Hanging Rock Golf Club in Salem, opened with a 70 in his first tournament. Sullivan played the 6,927-yard Bermuda Dunes Country Club course. (Scores in Scoreboard. B4)
Tiger Woods, the 21-year-old sensation of the tour in 1996, is skipping the tournament after winning the first event of 1997 on Sunday in a playoff with Tom Lehman.
In other golf news:
* Arnold Palmer underwent surgery for prostate cancer and the procedure was considered a success, said doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Palmer, 67, was resting comfortably and was expected to remain hospitalized for several days as he recovers.
Meanwhile, Palmer withdrew from the Senior Skins Game competition Jan.25-26 in Hawaii and was replaced in the four-man field by Lee Trevino. Joining Trevino in the field will be Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd and Hale Irwin.
BASEBALL Wells may be ready for camp
David Wells, expected to be part of the solution to the New York Yankees' pitching puzzle, has instead become part of the problem. Signed to a three-year $13.5 million free agent contract in December, Wells broke his pitching hand during a brawl early Sunday near San Diego. He is expected to be sidelined for four weeks, but should be ready in time to report to spring training for the World Series champions.
Wells had gone to San Diego for his mother's funeral and became involved in a brawl that left two other men injured, police said. Wells and a friend reportedly accosted the two men, accusing them of taking the keys to the pitcher's car. According to police, one of the men injured an eye and the other was taken to Balboa Naval Hospital for a cut on the back of his head.
* Reliever Mark Wohlers and the Atlanta Braves agreed to terms on a three-year contract that will pay him $13.125 million. The Braves have an option for a fourth year at $5.5 million with an $800,000 buyout clause. Wohlers, who will turn 27 on Jan.23, set a franchise record with 39 saves in 1996, striking out 100 in 771/3 innings.
* The Texas Rangers named Julio Cruz manager of the club's Appalachian League team in Pulaski. The Rangers have a one-year agreement with Pulaski for the 1997 season.
* Less than a year after moving a three-game series from San Diego to Mexico, the Padres are considering moving a two-game series against the Houston Astros from Jack Murphy Stadium to Honolulu's 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium on April 22-23. If finalized, they would be the first regular-season major-league games in Hawaii, where the Padres once had a Class AAA affiliate.
* In an effort to keep the Dodgers under local ownership, the Los Angeles City Council decided to recommend owner Peter O'Malley consider taking the team public. The unanimous vote came nine days after O'Malley's surprising announcement that he had put the team his family has controlled since 1950 up for sale. Suitors of all types have been lining up for the team, which is expected to fetch upwards of $300 million.
* The plan to put Arizona in the National League and Tampa Bay in the American hit a bump Wednesday night when AL owners failed to approve it during a straw vote.
Owners split 7-7 during the AL meeting, one owner said on the condition he not be identified. However baseball officials still expected the proposal to be approved during today's major league meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz.
ETC. New league plans spring kickoff
Yet another spring football league is on the horizon, focusing on major markets and structured in a similar manner to Major League Soccer.
The All-American Football League plans to begin play in March 1998. It already has strong financial backing from Credit Suisse First Boston, an investment banking firm that handled more than $200 billion in mergers and transactions in 1996 and has capital of $11 billion. CS First Boston has committed to match $40 million that must be raised by the league from other investors.
The AAFL expects to play in 12 of the top 25 television markets, including the New York, Chicago and San Francisco areas. It hopes to place teams in cities that no longer have NFL franchises, such as Los Angeles-Anaheim, and Houston, which will lose the Oilers to Nashville, Tenn., after the upcoming season.
* Wisconsin will face Syracuse at Giants Stadium on Aug.24 in college football's Kickoff Classic XV, said Robert Mulcahy III, the chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 linesby CNB