Els, Woods make hot starts at PGA
CHASKA, Minn., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods and Ernie Els waited out an almost three-hour rain delay in the opening round of the PGA Championship Thursday and then began a head-to-head battle for the final major title of the year.
Woods and Els both played the first four holes of the Hazletine Golf Club course in 2-under par to share the early lead with two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and Japan's Shingo Katayama.
The threesome of Woods, Els and defending PGA champion David Toms had just started their round when play was suspended because of a series of lightning-packed storms that swept through the area.
Action resumed after a delay of two hours, 43 minutes, meaning close to half the field would be unable to complete the first round Thursday.
Woods captured the first two major championships of the year in a bid to become the first player ever to win all four in the same season. But a third-round 81 in bad weather at Muirfield last month wiped out hopes for the Grand Slam and Els went on to win the British Open in a four-way playoff.
They resumed their battle Thursday with Els recording birdies at the first and second holes and Woods making birdie at the second and third.
Among those at 1-under in the early going were Players Championship winner Craig Perks through eight holes, former PGA champion Davis Love III through five and Pierre Fulke through 10.
American Ryder Cup captain Curtis Strange played the first five holes in 2-under, but then suffered a double bogey to fall back to even par. Included in the group at even as they played the front nine were Mark O'Meara, Tom Lehman, Paul Azinger, Colin Montgomerie and Paul Lawrie, who won his most recent appearance on the European Tour.
Those with late starting times included Phil Mickelson, Greg Norman, Justin Leonard, John Daly, Nick Faldo and David Duval.
Flu bug hits Va. Tech football team
BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The practice session for the football team at Virginia Tech was cancelled for Thursday afternoon because a recent outbreak of a flu-like virus continues to sideline several players.
The morning session was cancelled as well. Practice is scheduled to resume on Friday at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time.
"We're going to try and take 24 hours and stay away from each other," said Coach Frank Beamer. "We'll see if we can't clear this up. We're not going to get anything done with half our team missing and the other half feeling bad. I thought it's the right thing to do. This is the first time I've had to cancel a practice because of sickness. We've taken days off, but not for something like this."
Ernest Wilford came down with the virus Thursday afternoon, upping the total number of players to 19 to contract the virus on Thursday.
In all, 43 players have now come down with the virus since two players first became ill last Saturday.
While there is no treatment for the illness itself, described as being the Norwalk-like virus, the players are being treated for their symptoms, and being advised to drink plenty of fluids and get rest.
In addition, the players are being told to isolate themselves from the team until they recover, as the virus is easily spread.
"I think we're at the peak of the outbreak right now," said the team's trainer, Dr. Gunnar Brolinson. "The players should be getting well by this weekend."
UNI football team hit by virus
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- At least a dozen members of the football team at Northern Iowa University have been stricken with an unknown virus in the past few days.
The school's athletic trainer, Don Bishop, tells the Des Moines Register that 6-8 players still exhibit symptoms of the disease, a Norwalk-like virus, a food- and water-borne illness that is not life-threatening.
Bishop said the virus started showing up Sunday.
The paper reported Thursday that officials from the Iowa Department of Public Health in Blackhawk County toured the UNI campus Tuesday and Wednesday to determine the cause of the outbreak.
"They took samples of food, water, ice machines and things like that," Bishop told the Register.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Most players, including members of the school's volleyball team, who use the same training facility and cafeteria as the football squad, fought off the illness 24-to-48 hours after receiving medication.
"They took samples of food, water, ice machines and things like that," Bishop said.
UNI, which is a big favorite to win the 1-AA Gateway Conference race, opens its campaign Aug. 29 against Wayne State.
Pats bring back Hitchcock
SMITHFIELD, R.I., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The New England Patriots Thursday signed veteran defensive back Jimmy Hitchcock to a
one-year contract.
Financial terms were not made public, but Hitchcock likely received the minimum of $650,000 for players with 7-9 years of experience.
Hitchcock, 31, received little interest in the free agent market and will have to settle for trying to win a backup job in New England, where Ty Law and Otis Smith are the starters and Tom
Knight is the nickel back.
Hitchcock, originally selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 1995 draft, started 20 games in three seasons with the club before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings. He had a
career-high seven interceptions for the Vikings in 1998, and signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2000.
However, after two disappointing seasons with Carolina, he was waived for salary cap purposes in February.
Hitchcock had 46 tackles and three interceptions last year.
"I'm just going to fit into the system, play hard, play aggressive, try to tackle well, get in great football shape and learn the defense," he said. "I'm a rookie today. (I'm) a smarter guy. I've done some things out on the corner that gives you experience. I've been through everything, but I'm still the same Jimmy Hitchcock. Some things change, but not much."
Cota latches on with Niners
STOCKTON, Calif., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The San Francisco 49ers Thursday signed free agent strong safety Chad Cota, a starter for the
last five seasons, to a one-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but, like Jimmy Hitchcock with New England, Cota likely received the minimum of $650,000 for players with 7-9 years of experience.
Cota, 31, will serve as a backup to starting strong safety Tony Parrish, who was signed as a free agent to replace Lance Schulters, who signed with the Chicago Bears.
Cota, a solid run-support safety, spent the last three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, but was cut in February for salary cap purposes.
The seventh-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 draft became a starter in 1997 and recorded a career-high 153 tackles.
He signed as a restricted free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 1998 and ranked second on the team in tackles before joining the Colts as an unrestricted free agent in '99.
"It was a frustrating free agency," said Cota, who also visited Tennessee and St. Louis. "I kept waiting and waiting and nothing came up. That happens when teams just want to go with younger players, who cost less money."
Cota may have been in the right place, right time to find a new job.
Texas Tech rookie Kevin Curtis, a backup safety, underwent knee surgery earlier this week and may not play this season, while at least two others in San Francisco's secondary are injured.
Fleury signs with Blackhawks
CHICAGO, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- After losing free agent right wing Tony Amonte, the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday signed volatile Theo Fleury, who has been beset by personal
problems the last two years, including a stay at a drug rehabilitation center for the final two months of the 2000-01 campaign.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
"We think Theo is a top-level player in our game," said Blackhawks General Manager Mike Smith. "We've gone through the process with Theo with our eyes open and we know what his personal situation is. We believe Theo can help our team and we can help Theo."
"His off-ice issues have been much publicized," said Blackhawks President William Wirtz. "However, we feel that Theo has taken the necessary steps to addressing his issues."
The Blackhawks were in need of a goal scorer after the departure of Amonte, who signed last month with the Phoenix Coyotes.
Fleury, 34, reunites with Blackhawks Coach Brian Sutter, who coached Fleury in Calgary in 1997-98 and 1998-99.
A member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and a seven-time All-Star, Fleury spent the last three seasons with the New York Rangers, but was traded to the San Jose Sharks for a draft choice in the offseason, even though he was on the verge of becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Although just 5-6, Fleury is known for his feisty play and drew the ire of Rangers coaches with frequent outbursts and ill-timed penalties last season, resulting in a career-high 216 penalty minutes. He played in all 82 games and had 24 goals and 39 assists.
He spent his first 10-plus seasons with Calgary before he was traded to Colorado in February 1999, and signed a three-year contract with the Rangers in July 1999.
Fleury has 443 career goals and 612 assists for 1,055 points in 1,030 games. He reached the 30-goal plateau eight times, the 40-goal mark three times, and had a career-high 51 goals and 104
points in the 1990-91 campaign. Fleury was a member of the Flames' Stanley Cup-winning team in 1989 and the team's leading scorer six times between the 1990-91 and 1998-99 seasons.
Colorado acquired Fleury in a six-player deal in February 1999.
In 15 regular season games with the Avalanche, he had 10 goals and 14 assists and posted five goals and 12 assists in 18 postseason contests.
After scoring just 15 goals in 1999-2000, Fleury was the Rangers' best player with 30 goals and 44 assists in 62 games in 2000-01
before he voluntarily checked himself into a drug rehabilitation center.
Lightning gives Fedotenko longer deal
TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning, who scored the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference last season, Thursday re-signed restricted free agent right wing Ruslan Fedotenko to a two-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not made public.
Fedotenko was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers on June 21, the day before the NHL draft, along with the 34th and 52nd overall picks in the draft for the fourth overall pick. The
Flyers then selected Finnish defenseman Joni Pitkanen.
In Game One of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Fedotenko scored 7:47 into overtime to give the Flyers a 1-0 win over the
Ottawa Senators. Philadelphia was shut out the next three games before being eliminated with a 2-1 overtime loss in Game Five.
"Given the increased role he will have with our club we project him to be a 25-goal scorer this season, and we are confident he will help us continue the commitment we made last season to
defense," said Tampa Bay General Manager Jay Feaster. "Equally important, as our new director of player personnel, Bill Barber, has confirmed, Ruslan is a great team guy and will fit in well
with the excellent team chemistry we developed during the past season."
Barber, who was named as Director of Player Personnel on Wednesday, coached Fedotenko at Philadelphia the last two seasons. Fedotenko, 23, had 16 goals and 20 assists in 74 games with the Flyers in 2000-01, his rookie season.
The Lightning also signed restricted free agent left wing Gordie Dwyer to a one-year contract. Dwyer split last season between Tampa Bay and Springfield of the American Hockey League.
The 6-3, 215-pounder had two assists in 26 games with the Lightning, and has no goals, four assists and 291 penalty minutes in 78 career NHL games.
The Lightning went 27-40-11 last season. Only the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (175) and Columbus Blue Jackets (164) had fewer goals than Tampa Bay (178).
