Ochoa leads with 66; Wie drops out

Michelle Wie is gone, putting all the attention on Lorena Ochoa's player of the year fight with Jiyai Shin at the LPGA Tour Championship in Richmond, Texas.

Wie withdrew from the season-ending event Thursday because of a sprained left ankle, hours after Ochoa shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-shot lead over Reilley Rankin.

Wie, 20, fresh off her first LPGA Tour victory last week at Ochoa's tournament in Mexico, shot a 72 in the afternoon. She limped through her round on the gimpy ankle that she sprained during the Solheim Cup in August, went for treatment afterward and withdrew about an hour later.

"I wanted to do everything I could do to fight through the injury," Wie said in a statement. "It bothered me last week in Mexico, but I was able to play through the pain. I realized today that I wouldn't be able to continue to play through it."

Ochoa teed off in the morning, before the wind picked up across the Houstonian Golf and Country Club. She was four shots ahead of Shin (70) on the leaderboard, but the 21-year-old South Korean leads Ochoa by eight points (156-148) in the race to become the tour's player of the year. Ochoa must win this week or finish no worse than third and hope Shin places out of the top 10.

Allenby leads in Dubai

Robert Allenby of Australia shot a 7-under 65 Thursday for a one-shot lead after the first round of the Dubai World Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy vied for the European money title.

Allenby had eight birdies and one bogey on the Earth Course, which is hosting the $7.5 million European Tour season finale. He was one shot ahead of Westwood, Chris Wood and Camilo Villegas.

When the tournament ends Sunday, the top player on the European Tour's money list will win a $1.5 million bonus from the Race to Dubai.

Westwood, second in the race, was two shots ahead of money leader McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who shot a 68. Westwood produced three birdies in the final four holes.

Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational: Champions Tour players John Cook and Olin Browne shot 6-under 66s at Del Monte Golf Course to share the first-round lead at Pebble Beach, Calif.

Jim Thorpe, one of 11 Champions Tour players in the field of 75 pros, shot a 67, also at Del Monte. Matt Bettencourt and Champions Tour veteran Tom Purtzer also shot 67s at Del Monte.

The event includes players from the four major professional tours as well as mini-tour, club pros and amateur teams.

Gay, Richards honored

Sprinters Tyson Gay and Sanya Richards each won the Jesse Owens Award for a second time.

Gay also earned USA Track & Field's highest honor in 2007, and Richards won it in 2006. They will receive their awards on Dec. 5.

USATF CEO Doug Logan said in Indianapolis that Gay and Richards "rank among this country's all-time great track athletes."

Old cricket record falls

Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene have broken the 72-year-old world record for a sixth-wicket test partnership.

Mahela Jayawardene reverse swept Virender Sehwag for a single early in the second session of the fourth day of the first test against India at Ahmedabad, India, taking their partnership to 347 runs.

Australia's Don Bradman and Jack Fingleton set the record of 346 runs against England in 1937.

America's Cup ruling made

America's Cup challenger BMW Oracle Racing claimed a court victory on Thursday when a New York judge adopted the unanimous recommendations of three experts regarding technical issues for February's showdown against two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

In one of the five issues, the panel agreed that it will be safe to sail the best-of-three series in Valencia, Spain, in February. The Swiss had raised concerns that the weather in the Mediterranean port would be unpredictable.

The showdown in giant multihulls for the oldest trophy in international sports is to begin Feb. 8.

Rollergirls to help hungry

The Carolina Rollergirls flat-track roller-derby team will hold a charity doubleheader Saturday at Dorton Arena in Raleigh to raise money and awareness for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

Doors open at 5 p.m. Fans who bring two nonperishable food items for the Food Shuttle's BackPack Buddies program to receive a free league poster. A silent auction also will be held. For tickets, go to www.carolinarollergirls.com. Learn more at www.food shuttle.org or call 919-250-0043.

From organization news release

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