Letzig leads at New Zealand Open
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Michael Letzig owned the clubhouse lead but many players had their second rounds cut short Friday by rain at the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Letzig turned in a four-under-par 68 and is at seven-under 137. Peter Senior, Chez Reavie and Ryan Howison are also seven-under but were unable to complete their rounds Friday and are to return to the course early Saturday.
Play was stopped twice Friday at the Nationwide Tour event because of storms, the second time ending play for the day with some players -- including Howison -- only 10 holes into their rounds, That mean they'll have to play about 26 holes Saturday.
Letzig, a 26-year-old tour rookie, battled the weather and early problems -- bogeys on two of his first three holes -- to move to the lead. He answered each bogey with birdies and shot three-under 33 on his second nine to move into the lead.
Henin, Mauresmo in Dubai final
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Defending champion Justine Henin dropped her first set Friday but rebounded to earn a slot in the finals of the $1.5 million Dubai Tennis Championships.
Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova had Henin on the defensive from the opening volley and allowed Henin just one game in winning the first set. But Henin, this week's top seed, found her footing and jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set.
While Kuznetsova was able to pull even at 4-4 in the second, Henin took the next eight games to finish off the 1-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.
She will face second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, who advanced to the tournament finals when Jelena Jankovic retired with a left ankle sprain. Mauresmo had won the first set 6-2 when Jankovic was unable to continue.
Saturday's final pits the Nos. 2 -- Henin -- and 3 -- Mauresmo -- women players in the world against each other. They have split their 12 career meetings, with Henin taking the finals of the 2006 Tour Championships and Mauresmo taking the Wimbledon title in recent meetings.
Coin toss gives Browns No. 3 slot in draft
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Browns won a coin flip for the right to select third in this year's NFL draft, while regulating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the fourth spot.
The Browns and Buccaneers had tied for the third-worst regular-season record -- 4-12 -- and their opponents had identical winning percentages, leading the NFL to the coin flip tiebreaker.
Tampa Bay General Manager Bruce Allen called heads but the toss Friday came up tails.
The 2007 NFL draft is scheduled for April 28-29. The Oakland Raiders, who finished 2006 2-14, have the first selection followed by the Detroit Lions, who were 3-13.
Carter moves NHL's Hurricanes
RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Forward Anson Carter was traded Friday from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2008 fifth-round draft selection.
Carolina needed help on the front line after Erik Cole was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury that is expected to sideline Cole for several weeks.
Carter, 32, had 10 goals and 17 assists in 54 games for Columbus this season. Over 10 years and 664 games in the NHL, Carter has 201 goals and 219 games. He previously played with Washington, Boston, Edmonton, the New York Rangers, Vancouver and Columbus.
The Hurricanes on Friday also reassigned forward Ryan Bayda to Albany of
