AP - Top-ranked Jiyai Shin and Julie Inkster took the early clubhouse lead at the Women's British Open after shooting 1-under 71 in the first round at Royal Birkdale.
AFP - Former Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is set to be appointed as Fulham boss within the next 48 hours, according to reports in England on Thursday.
AP - The Oakland Raiders signed first-round pick Rolando McClain to a contract late Wednesday night, hours before the start of their first training camp practice.
AP - Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury has agreed to three more years with a Chinese basketball team, whose owners will set up a company to produce and sell his line of athletic apparel and shoes, the team said Thursday.
AP - Relatives and friends of Lorenzen Wright gathered Wednesday and grieved for the former NBA player who has been missing for 10 days, as police investigated the discovery of a man's body outside of Memphis.
Reuters - St Louis squandered a 6-0 lead against the New York Mets but Albert Pujols produced the knockout blow in the 13th inning to seal an 8-7 win for the Cards on Wednesday, putting them back into a tie for the NL Central lead.
Reuters - Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum is expected to play a limited role in pre-season training after having successful arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday.
AFP - US cyclist Taylor Phinney will make his debut for the RadioShack team of Lance Armstrong at the Tour of Denmark from August 4-8, the team confirmed on Thursday.
AFP - Australian top seed Samantha Stosur and Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska advanced to the quarter-finals of the WTA Bank of the West Classic on Wednesday by ousting qualifiers.
AP - About the time Shane Carwin's 40th consecutive punch hit him in the face, Brock Lesnar realized he couldn't argue if the referee stopped their fight and took away his UFC heavyweight title.
Reuters - Seven-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao made a vow to improve life in his poor southern hometown and to help the Philippines win a first Olympic gold medal in his maiden speech as a lawmaker in Congress.
AP - NASCAR team owner Jack Roush remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition Wednesday, one day after he walked away from a plane crash in Wisconsin.
AP - Procter & Gamble, the U.S.-based consumer products giant, signed on as a global Olympic sponsor through 2020 on Wednesday in the second 10-year multi-million-dollar marketing deal this month for the International Olympic Committee.
