Sports briefs for May 21, 2004

Friday, May 21, 2004 | 11:16 a.m.

UNLV men in 19th after opening round

The 15th-ranked UNLV men's golf team shot a 12-over-par 300 and was tied for 19th place Thursday after the first round of the NCAA West Regional in Sunriver, Ore.

The Rebels must finish in the top 10 to advance to the national final. They are seven strokes out of 10th and trail leader UCLA by 17 shots.

UNLV was led by junior Ryan Moore, who carded a 3-under 69. He trails UCLA's Travis Johnson by three strokes.

Also scoring for UNLV were Sam Hunt, who shot 75, and Ryan Keeney and Andres Gonzales, who both added a 78. Travis Whisman's 82 was discarded.

Martina gets youngster

Martina Navratilova's return to the French Open will come against a woman born one year after Navratilova last won the tournament. Navratilova, playing singles at a Grand Slam event for the first time since 1994, was drawn today to face Gisela Dulko, a 19-year-old Argentine who has never won a match at a major. The tournament starts Monday.

Prior throws in minors

Chicago Cubs ace Mark Prior threw three hitless innings in his first minor league rehabilitation start of the season. Prior, on the disabled list all year with an inflamed Achilles' tendon and a sore elbow, said there was "room for improvement" after his outing for Class-A Lansing of the Midwest League. He struck out five and walked one, throwing 25 of 45 pitches for strikes.

Howard starts FA Cup

Tim Howard will become the first U.S. goalkeeper to start in an FA Cup final when his Manchester United team faces Millwall Saturday in the sport's oldest cup competition. Man U, a global powerhouse, is a huge favorite against Millwale, an unheralded division one team, in their match at 75,000-seat Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

Crouch files grievance

Quarterback Tim Couch today filed a grievance against the Cleveland Browns, who have banned him from working out with the Browns even though he is still under contract with them.

Surf's up -- officially

Riding the waves was unanimously made an official high school sport in Hawaii Thursday by the state Board of Education, convening on Maui. The decision whether to have a surfing team will be up to each school.