ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 23, 1997 tennis TAG: 9704230058
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: IN SPORTS
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AND BOSTON GLOBE REPORTS
Phil Mickelson made a brilliant shot to advance to the American final of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf on Tuesday, then was beaten by one that was almost as good.
With winds gusting off Lake Oconee from an approaching storm, Davis Love III hit his tee shot within two feet of the hole on the second playoff hole and knocked in the birdie putt to beat Mickelson for the U.S. title in the match-play event in Eatonton, Ga.
Love's victory on the Great Waters course in east Georgia sends him to play the European, Japanese and International champions in the world finals in January in Scottsdale, Ariz. He also assures himself of at least $500,000 in the $3.65 million event.
In his semifinal match against Fred Couples, with the two golfers tied heading to the par-5 18th hole, Mickelson hit his 228-yard second shot to within six inches of the cup, just short of a double-eagle. Couples conceded the eagle and was forced to go straight at the flag with his second shot. He wound up missing the green to the right and chipped up 15 feet short of the flag to give the match to Mickelson.
COLLEGES
NCAA counting on old rule
The NCAA decided to reinstate basketball's five-second rule, which was dropped four seasons ago. Under the rule, an offensive player may not dribble the ball for more than five seconds if a defender is within six feet of him. The offensive player must shoot, pass or be called for a turnover.
After the rule was abandoned, the number of shots declined as guards protecting a lead would dribble away most of the 35 seconds on the shot clock. During a two-day meeting ending Tuesday, the committee also voted to require most preseason tournaments next year to use a 40-second shot clock, instead of a 35-second shot clock.
In other action, the committee voted to: allow conferences to experiment with changing the held-ball rule, making it an automatic turnover instead of awarding alternate possession; let coaches, not just players, call timeouts; allow substitutions during multiple free throws only before the final attempt or after the final attempt; enforce more aggressively the coaches' box rule.
Liberty promotes from within: Kim Graham was named athletic director at Liberty one day after Chuck Burch resigned to become vice president of athletics at his alma mater, Gardner-Webb.
Graham has served for seven years as assistant athletic director for budget and compliance at Liberty. His new duties include administration of all athletic programs and building competitive sports programs in the Big South Conference and NCAA Division I. He also is responsible for NCAA certification.
Smrcka-Duffy to transfer: Katie Smrcka-Duffy, the ACC's rookie of the year in women's basketball, won't be returning to North Carolina State in the fall after the guard said the school wasn't the ``best fit'' for her.
Smrcka-Duffy, who averaged 12.9 points and five rebounds this past season as a freshman, plans to transfer to another school but hasn't decided which one. She will have to sit out the 1997-98 season under NCAA transfer rules.
``It's not because of the coach or the players or anything like that,'' said Smrcka-Duffy, from Sterling. ``I just don't feel this is the best fit for me. ... I feel this is in the best interest for me and the team.''
BC player ready for rehab: Boston College football player Jermaine Monk will be discharged from St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston after a 13-day stay to have a blood clot removed from his brain, according to a hospital spokesperson. Monk, a 6-foot-2, 222-pound junior linebacker, collapsed during practice April 10. Monk will undergo rehabilitation near his home in Cincinnati and plans to return to BC in the fall.
Nebraska coach leaving: Angela Beck, the winningest coach in Nebraska women's basketball history, is resigning to take a coaching position with the American Basketball League's San Jose Lasers. Beck, who has taken the Cornhuskers to the NCAA Tournament three times, signed Cave Spring High School forward Lisa Bryan to a letter of intent in the fall.
FOOTBALL
Former Buccaneer shot
Lars Tate, a former running back with Tampa Bay, was shot and critically wounded early Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Police said Tate, 32, was shot in the throat as he tried to help a woman who was arguing with another man over custody of a child. The woman, Doris Smith, 45, also was shot and was listed in serious condition. Haywood Rice, 31, of Indianapolis was arrested and likely will face two charges of attempted murder, police Lt. Tim Horty said.
Tate, the No.2 career rusher behind Herschel Walker when he left Georgia, was a second-round NFL draft pick by Tampa Bay in 1988 and led the Bucs in rushing for two years before he was cut in September 1990. He signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent and played on special teams before a pinched nerve midway through the 1990 season ended his NFL career.
Jaguars: Cornerback Mickey Washington, the only player to start every game in Jacksonville's two-year history, was released. Washington, a seven-year pro who signed with the expansion Jaguars as a free agent from Buffalo, had one interception in 1996 and returned a blocked field-goal attempt 65 yards for a touchdown against Cincinnati.
Chiefs: Donnell Bennett, Kansas City's starting fullback, has signed a four-year contract. Bennett, a second-round draft pick from Miami in 1994, is the lead blocker in the Chiefs' offense. He ran for 166 yards on 36 carries and caught eight passes for 21 yards last year.
ETC.
Sampras, Becker, Muster fall
The Monte Carlo (Monaco) Open lost a lot of star power when Pete Sampras, Thomas Muster and Boris Becker, with 15 Grand Slam titles between them, all lost their first matches.
Magnus Larsson of Sweden, a former top-10 player, beat Sampras, the world's top-ranked player 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Renzo Furlan of Italy beat Becker 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4); and Fabrice Santoro of France ousted Muster 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).
Russian hockey official killed: Valentin Sych, president of Russia's Hockey Federation, was shot and killed outside his country house near Moscow in an apparent contract killing.
Gunmen opened fire on Sych as he and his wife prepared to get into their car near the village of Ivantsevo, north of Moscow, said Yuri Korolyov, federation vice president. The attackers shot from a vehicle parked nearby, threw down an automatic weapon, then drove away, Korolyov told The Associated Press. Sych's wife, Valentina, was seriously injured and hospitalized.
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS. Davis Love III watches his chip shotby CNBto the second green during his match against Phil Mickelson on
Tuesday at the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf in
Eatonton, Ga. Love won in a playoff. KEYWORDS: TENNIS FATALITY