In Indian Wells, Calif., K.J. Choi (right) overcame the nerves of playing in his first LG Skins Game by using a precise short game and key putts to take the first-day lead in the 26th annual event yesterday.
* In Singapore, Annika Sorenstam, playing her second-to-last event before retiring, holed a 45-foot pitch for eagle on the par-5 18th hole to give herself and Suzann Pettersen a 1-up victory over Inbee Park and Eun Hee Ji in the Lexus Cup.
* In Shenzen, China, Brendan Jones made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole, giving Australia a 9-under 63 and a share of the lead with Spain after the third round of the World Cup of Golf.
* In Melbourne, Australia, Robert Allenby holed a 3-wood shot for a double eagle on the par-5 seventh and finished with a 5-under 67 for a share of the third-round lead in the Australian Masters with Michael Sim.
The Bears placed Nathan Vasher on injured reserve with a broken right hand, ending the defensive back’s season.
* Dolphins defensive tackle Paul Soliai was suspended for the second time this season for an unspecified violation of team rules. . . . Former Patriots player Tebucky Jones was granted probation on charges stemming from a fight at a Connecticut casino.
In London, U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel set a record with his 167th consecutive Premier League appearance in Aston Villa’s 0-0 tie with Fulham.
Friedel twice denied former American teammate Clint Dempsey and earned a third straight shutout.
Magic guard Mickael Pietrus will be out three to five weeks because of a torn ligament in his right thumb.
Pietrus averages nearly 13 points and is one of the Magic’s main 3-point shooters.
COLLEGE: Croom out at Mississippi St.
Sylvester Croom resigned from Mississippi State on Saturday, five years after becoming the SEC’s first black head football coach.
Croom, who took over the team while it was under NCAA sanctions, won 2007 SEC coach of the year honors after leading the Bulldogs to an 8-5 finish and the Liberty Bowl. He signed a contract extension in the offseason that paid him $1.7 million this year. His resignation means half of the six Division-I black football coaches who started the season won’t be back next season.
* Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody is out indefinitely with pneumonia.
Harangody, the Big East player of the year last season, became ill after scoring 29 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in No. 8 Notre Dame’s 81-80 victory over No. 6 Texas on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.