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Stenson leads Shanghai golf event

SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Henrik Stenson shot 7-under-par 65 for a one-stroke lead after Thursday's first round of the European Golf Tour's HSBC Champions golf tournament.

The event, being played at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, starts the tour's 2009 season with 77 of the world's top golfers.

Also, it kicked off the circuit's Race to Dubai, the season-long money scramble which replaces the Order of Merit earnings title and ends with the $10 million Dubai World Championship.

"I'm very pleased with that," the Gothenburg, Sweden, native responded when asked a question about whether he was satisfied with his round.

Defending champion and world No. 2 Phil Mickelson, world No. 3 Sergio Garcia, No. 8 Anthony Kim and No. 16 Adam Scott all shot 6-under 66 and are tied for second place.

Robert Karlsson of Sweden, the 2008 Order of Merit champion, shot 3-under 69 and shares 14th place with nine others.

Roethlisberger tops NFL salaries

NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is No. 1 on the NFL money-making list this year at more than $27.4 million, a survey shows.

The Steeler star, a No. 1 pick in 2004, is one of two quarterbacks among the top four in the annual USA Today pro football payroll review. Oakland's JaMarcus Russell, the overall No. 1 selection in the 2007 draft, ranks fourth at nearly $16.9 million.

Minnesota's defensive end Jared Allen is second on the list at more than $ 21.119 million and Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald third at more than $17.103.

Atlanta running back Michael Turner is No. 5 at more than $16 million.

Successful surgery for Martin Brodeur

NEWARK, N.J., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Doctors have confirmed that New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur will miss 3-4 months following left elbow surgery Thursday morning.

The four-time Vezina Trophy winner suffered the injury last Saturday during New Jersey's 6-1 victory against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Team officials said a biceps tendon was torn completely from the bone in his left elbow and had to be reattached.

"According to doctors, his surgery was 100 percent successful," Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said in a statement.

Brodeur, who with 544 career victories, is seven shy of Patrick Roy's all-time mark of 551, is expected to make a full recovery and return in time for the end of the regular season.

His streak of consecutive regular-season starts (a career-high 51 games dating back to Jan. 8, 2007) ended.

He had made 56 straight starts, including the playoffs.

In his absence, Kevin Weekes will be the Devils' primary goalie.

Man credited with 5 holes-in-one in week

EL PASO, Ill., Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A 22-year-old man from El Paso, Ill., made five holes-in-one at an area golf course in a six-day period, witnesses say.

Unidentified witnesses said Curt Hocker was able to place his first golf shot directly in the hole at the El Paso Golf Club on five occasions in less than a week's time, the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star said Thursday.

Hocker said he is still in shock from his successful six-day golfing span, which began on Oct. 29 and ended Tuesday.

"If somebody told me they made five holes-in-one in a week, even on a par-3 course, I'd say 'No way,'" the former Illinois State University student said. "It's unbelievable. I'm just stunned."

Francis Scheid, a retired Boston University math department chairman, said the chance a golfer with a low handicap would make a hole-in-one on a routine par-3 hole is 5,000-to-1.

Scheid said those odds increase dramatically when considering holes with a higher par count and greater length such as those Hocker apparently conquered, the newspaper reported.