Galloway Township, N.J. ? Kate Golden parlayed her midweek swing change into a 7-under-par 64 and had a one-stroke lead Friday after the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic, the final tuneup for next week’s U.S. Women’s Open in Hutchinson.

Juli Inkster and Lorie Kane were tied for second, while Annika Sorenstam put herself in position for a sixth win in 12 events this year by shooting a 3-under-par 68 the Bay Course of the Marriott Seaview Resort.

Golden

Coming into this week’s 54-hole event not far from Atlantic City’s casinos, it would have been hard to find anyone to bet on Golden. Her best finish has been a tie for 24th place two weeks ago in the LPGA Championship. Golden’s round of eight birdies and a bogey was her best of a poor season in which she has missed four cuts.

Tracy Hanson, who missed her fourth cut of the season last week, was in fourth place after a bogey free 66 on a course made easier by overnight rain and no wind. Michelle Redman, Johanna Head, Jenny Lidback, Stephanie Keever and Julie Piers were at 67.

Joining Sorenstam at 68 was defending champion Betsy King.

Golf

Hnatiuk leads St. Jude

Memphis, Tenn. Glen Hnatiuk shot a second consecutive 6-under 65 Friday and held a one-stroke lead after the second round of the St. Jude Classic. Notah Begay turned in a 65 that was his best score in 73 rounds. That tied him with Pat Bates (63) and Jay Haas (64) at 11-under 131 total. Justin Leonard and Matt Kuchar were tied a stroke back after consecutive 66s. Tim Petrovic, who had shared the first-round lead with Hnatiuk, was two strokes back with a 68.

Hall tops leaderboard

Owins Mills, Md. Walter Hall shot a 6-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead over Tom Kite and Jose Maria Canizares at the midway point of the $2.5 million U.S. Senior Open. E.W. Eaks, who tied a tournament record with a 64 on Thursday, finished with a 73 for a 137. Fred Gibson, Tom Watson and Isao Aoki were at 138.

O’Malley in front in Ireland

Cork, Ireland Peter O’Malley of Australia fired a 4-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Irish Open on Friday. O’Malley was 9-under after two rounds on the Fota Island course. Defending champion Colin Montgomerie, Carl Petterson and Alex Cejka were tied for second.

Ballesteros withdraws

Muirfield, Scotland Seve Ballesteros withdrew from the British Open on Friday, choosing to pass on a tournament he has won three times. The event begins July 18 at Muirfield, Scotland. Ballesteros has played in the last 27 British Opens, but he missed the cut the last six years.

College Basketball

Kentucky guard ineligible

Lexington, Ky. Kentucky junior point guard Cliff Hawkins will be academically ineligible next fall. Hawkins started 29 games last season and led the Wildcats in assists (136) and steals (95). Hawkins will be allowed to practice with the team and could rejoin the team in the second semester.

NBA

Raptors make Clark offer

Toronto Toronto made a qualifying offer to restricted free agent forward Keon Clark in order to retain his rights. Under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, Clark would have become an unrestricted free agent on Monday had the Raptors not tendered an offer. Clark, 27, can receive contract offers from other teams, but the Raptors have the right to match the offer. Clark averaged 11.3 points and 7.4 rebounds last season.

Sponsor accuses Suns coach

Phoenix A major Phoenix-area homebuilder who says he is ending his company’s $600,000 per year sponsorship agreement with the Phoenix Suns over “integrity issues” accused coach Frank Johnson of having an affair with his estranged wife. Greg Hancock, president of Hancock Communities, said his wife Linda and Johnson had an affair. Hancock and Johnson had been neighbors for six years. Johnson and his wife had been separated for a year.

Track and Field

Chambers stuns Greene

Oslo, Norway Dwain Chambers ran the race of his life Friday night, beating Maurice Greene and Tim Montgomery in the men’s 100 meters at the Bislett Games.

Greene, the world-record holder, rocketed out of the blocks and seized the early lead. But the Olympic and world champion couldn’t hold off Chambers and lost by one-hundredth of a second.

Chambers, of Britain, won the race in a relatively slow 10.05 seconds. Montgomery, second to Greene in last week’s U.S. Championships, finished third in 10.10.

American Toby Stevenson was taken to a hospital after he fell on the track in the pole vault. He was able to walk from the stadium and organizers said Stevenson was not seriously injured.

College Football

Mumme gets second chance

Hammond, La. Hal Mumme, who coached Kentucky to the postseason before the Wildcats were placed on probation, will oversee the reinstatement of the football program at Southeastern Louisiana, which has not fielded a team in nearly two decades.

Mumme built an offensive powerhouse at Kentucky that went to two bowl games during his four years there. But the NCAA placed Kentucky on probation for three years and stripped the football program of 19 scholarships for more than three dozen recruiting violations committed during Mumme’s tenure.

Southeastern athletic director Frank Pergolizzi said he had no qualms about hiring the 50-year-old Mumme. Although there are no special rules or regulations governing the coach, the program will be closely monitored.

Mumme’s contract that will run through the 2007 season. His base salary is $75,000 a year.

Southeastern Louisiana begins playing again as a Division I-AA independent in 2003.

Ex-Clemson player sentenced

Clemson, S.C. Ex-Clemson football player Travis Zachery was sentenced to probation and fined $250 after pleading guilty to marijuana distribution Thursday. Circuit Court Judge John Few suspended Zachery’s four-month prison sentence and said the ex-player could end his two years’ probation early if he pays the fine and gets his degree.

Miami recruit faces charge

Miami A prosecutor said Friday that an armed robbery charge would be filed against Miami recruit Nate Harris, who was projected as one of the team’s top freshmen next season. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker was arrested June 6 after his companion was accused of pulling a gun on a man playing checkers and stealing his necklace, bracelet and ring. The charge could cost Harris his scholarship and a possible prison sentence of four to 10 years.

Colleges

Arkansas State AD quits

Little Rock Arkansas State athletic director Paul Griffin quit after seven months because of a change in focus at the university. Without giving specifics, Griffin blamed “intrusion of state entities” outside of the university. Last month, the university was criticized for attempting to shift $1.9 million among academic accounts to erase a deficit in the athletic department. Griffin was hired Dec. 6 after 15 years at South Florida.

Minnesota narrowing field

Minneapolis Jim Livengood, the athletic director at Arizona since January 1994, is the leading candidate to become the athletic director at Minnesota. Also in the running for the Gophers’ job is Joel Maturi, AD at Miami-Ohio. Meanwhile, Santa Clara AD Cheryl Levick, who was rumored to be a candidate for the Gophers job, said “I’m not involved in the position.”

Indications are that if Livengood and Maturi turn down the job, the search committee will interview Gophers associate athletic director Jeff Schemmel.

Former Kansas University assistant AD/senior women’s administrator Betsy Stephenson of UCLA also was believed to be a candidate.

Idaho may drop athletics

Lewiston, Idaho With a flagging state economy, the Idaho Board of Education may end intercollegiate athletics at public colleges and universities and shift $13 million to academics. Higher education in the state faces a total $23 million reduction over this budget year and the next. The board is evaluating options such as ceasing all state and student funding for athletics, shifting to an intramural athletics program, reducing athletic expenditures or continuing the programs unchanged.

World Cup Soccer

Reyna first U.S. All-Star

Yokohama, Japan The United States has its first World Cup all-star. Midfielder Claudio Reyna was among 16 players voted to the All-Star Team of the 2002 World Cup by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

NHL

Chicago signs defenseman

Chicago The Blackhawks signed defenseman Phil Housely to a new contract Friday, making him the third veteran to be re-signed in as many days. Housley, 38, and forwards Steve Thomas, 38, and Bob Probert, 37, all have signed deals with the Blackhawks this week.

Leafs forward sidelined

Toronto Gary Roberts, the offensive catalyst of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL playoffs, could be sidelined until early next February after surgery on both shoulders.

Duchesne declines option

Detroit Defenseman Steve Duchesne decided not to exercise a contract option that would have kept him with the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. If Duchesne and the Red Wings do not reach an agreement by Sunday night, the 16-year veteran would become a free agent Monday.