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Woods misses first major in 12 years

SOUTHPORT, England, July 16 (UPI) -- For the first time in a dozen years, a major golf championship will begin Thursday without Tiger Woods in the field.

The British Open, first played in the year prior to the start of the American Civil War, will be played at the Royal Birkdale course.

Woods, who is recuperating from knee surgery, has played in every major since the 1996 PGA Championship. He was not eligible for that tournament because he had yet to turn professional.

Also absent this week will be the hottest player in the game -- Kenny Perry. He has won three of the last five tournaments in which he has played and chose to compete this week in the Milwaukee Open.

Defending British Open champion Padraig Harrington is also questionable with an injured wrist.

There will be 23 major champions in the field, but only nine of them have won multiple major titles. And of those nine, four (Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle and Mark O'Meara) are eligible for the Champions Tour.

Among those entered this week, the only under-50 players with more than one major crown to their credit are Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and John Daly.

Canada keeps Olympic hoops hopes alive

ATHENS, Greece, July 16 (UPI) -- Jermaine Anderson's three-pointer with 34 seconds left Wednesday allowed Canada to keep its Olympic basketball hopes alive with a 79-77 win over South Korea.

The Canadians overcame a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes to earn a spot in the quarterfinals of the final Olympic qualifying tournament.

Three teams will advance from the tourney to join the other nine that have already earned an Olympic berth. Anderson's shot put the Canadians in front for good and Oh Sekeum missed a layup as time expired.

"This is a game I will remember until the day I die," said South Korean Coach Kim Nam-Gi.

The other seven quarterfinalists had already advanced past the group phase of the tournament before Wednesday's games, which included an 89-71 win for Germany over New Zealand, Croatia's 95-81 decision over Puerto Rico and an 89-69 victory for Greece over Brazil.

In Friday's quarterfinals, Canada will play Croatia, Slovenia will take on Puerto Rico, Germany will face Brazil and Greece will meet New Zealand.

The winners of Saturday's semifinals will clinch an Olympic spot. The semifinal losers will play Sunday to determine the final qualifying position.

American Olympic baseball team announced

NEW YORK, July 16 (UPI) -- Outfielder Matt LaPorta and pitcher Stephen Strasburg headed a list of 23 players named Wednesday to the United States Olympic baseball team.

The team will contains 14 Class AAA players, seven from Class AA and one each from Class A and the collegiate ranks.

It will be coached by Davey Johnson and will make its Olympic debut Aug. 13 against South Korea.

"We are proud of the club we have assembled," said USA Baseball Chief Executive Officer Paul Seiler. "The team is strong from top to bottom."

LaPorta is one of the top young sluggers in the minors and recently was traded to Cleveland in the deal that sent CC Sabathia to Milwaukee.

Strasburg struck out 23 in one game this spring for San Diego State.

Included in the Olympic baseball tournament will be Taiwan, China, Canada, Cuba, Japan and the Netherlands. The teams will play a seven-game, round-robin schedule. The top four teams will play in the semifinals with the gold medal game set for Aug. 23.

The United States won gold in Sydney eight years ago, but did not qualify for the 2004 tournament in Athens.

Notre Dame hires new athletic director

SOUTH BEND, Ind., July 16 (UPI) -- John B. Swarbrick Jr. was introduced Wednesday as the new athletic director at Notre Dame.

A Notre Dame graduate, Swarbrick was hired to replace Kevin White -- who became athletic director at Duke on June 1.

"We looked closely at some 30 potential candidates," said Rev. John Jenkins, president of the school. "I am confident that Jack Swarbrick will be a superb athletics director for Notre Dame. I am delighted that he has accepted our offer and look forward to working closely with him."

Swarbrick, partner in an Indianapolis law firm, has never worked in collegiate athletic administration. He was an active participant, however, in the successful attempts by the city of Indianapolis to land the NCAA national headquarters and the 2012 Super Bowl.