Sports Briefs: Woods hot, fires a 64 in Thailand

Friday, Feb. 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Tiger Woods, his game heating up as spectators sought relief from the stifling conditions, shot a course-record 8-under-par 64 today to take the second-round lead in the Asian Honda Classic at Bangna, Thailand.

Woods, whose mother Kultida is a native Thai, had four birdies on the front nine before a gallery of about 3,000 fans. While the tropical heat reduced that number to 1,000 at the turn, Woods rewarded the remaining fans with a a number of dazzling shots.

The American, who received a reported $480,000 appearance fee, birdied the 10th, just missed birdie putts on Nos. 11 and 12, and then holed a tricky wedge shot from just off the the green on the par-4 13th to catch the leaders. After bogeying the par-5 14th hole, Woods birdied the last three holes to take a two-stroke lead.

Suspended Alomar to be paid

The Baltimore Orioles will pay Roberto Alomar during his five-game suspension for spitting at an umpire. The American League suspended the star second baseman for five games at the beginning of the 1997 season for spitting in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck on Sept. 27 in Toronto. Orioles owner Peter Angelos has said in the past that while Alomar should be punished, Hirschbeck was also responsible for escalating the incident.

UNLV's Vallin upset

UNLV Senior Marianne Vallin was bounced from the singles portion in the first round of the 1997 Rolex National Indoors tennis tournament at Dallas. The fourth-ranked collegian was upset by Stanford's Sandra DeSilva 6-3, 6-4. The Lady Rebels also lost in the doubles as Vallin and Veronica Goude were defeated by Duke's Karen O'Sullivan and Luanne Spadea 6-2, 6-0.

Soccer clinic

A free soccer clinic for youngsters 4 to 10 who live in the Pennwood-Arville neighborhood in southwest Las Vegas will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Clark High School. UNLV soccer coach Barry Barto and Rebel players will lead the clinic.

Quickies

Bob Tway shot an 8-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Jay Don Blake, Olin Browne and Taylor Smith after the first round of the Buick Invitational in San Diego. ... Kelly Robbins shot a 6-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead over Kate Golden after the first round of the inaugural Diet Dr Pepper National Pro-Am at West Palm Beach, Fla. ... Jeff "Squeeky" Medlen, longtime caddy for Nick Price, was in satisfactory condition at Ohio State Medical Center in Columbus, two days after a bone marrow transplant. Medlen, who has leukemia, was expected to be hospitalized for four to six weeks. His mother, Jacqueline, was the donor. ... American League MVP Juan Gonzalez's left thumb injury might be more serious than first thought, according to tests. The Texas Rangers outfielder was injured Jan. 28 when he slipped on wet artificial in Puerto Rico. ... The Seattle Mariners and All-Star right fielder Jay Buhner agreed on a $13 million, two-year contract extension. ... The Oakland Athletics gave outfielder Geronimo Berroa a $3.3 million, one-year deal and the Chicago Cubs and pitcher Steve Trachsel agreed to a $2.1 million, one-year contract. ... Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning, sidelined by tendinitis in his right heel, pulled out of Sunday's NBA All-Star game at Cleveland. He'll be replaced by Detroit Pistons guard Joe Dumars. ... European soccer's governing body backed down today and said England could go ahead with its bid for the 2006 World Cup after all. After three hours of talks with English Football Association officials in London, UEFA general secretary Gerhard Aigner said the organization would listen to presentations from both England and Germany on their rival bids in April.