GOLF

CHINA LAUNCHES NATIONAL GOLF ASSOCIATION

China launched its first professional golf tour yesterday to help create the country’s own star golfers. The tour, organized by the China Golf Association, is to hold four events this year – each with a $100,000 pool of prize money – and expand by two events each year so that there will be at least 10 events in 2008.The first event takes place August 17-19 at the Elephant Golf Club in Beijing, the association said.

China’s most prominent golf pro is Zhang Lianwei, who became the first Chinese winner of a European Tour event when he beat Ernie Els by one stroke at the 2003 Singapore Masters.

AMES TOPS NICKLAUS AT CANADIAN SKINS

Stephen Ames won the Canadian Skins Game, but the event was all about Jack Nicklaus. In what was billed as Canada’s farewell to the Golden Bear, the 65-year-old Nicklaus showed he could still compete with younger players. He finished second.

Ames collected five skins and $92,443 yesterday for a two-day total of $120,578. Nicklaus, who totaled six skins and $96,462, was followed by John Daly and Vijay Singh in the two-day competition in Whistler, British Columbia.

TENNIS

SPANIARDS STORM SECOND ROUND OF SWEDISH OPEN

French Open champions Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya, and Juan Carlos Ferrero moved into the second round of the Swedish Open yesterday, putting eight Spanish players in the final 16.

Top-seeded Nadal defeated doubles partner Juan Monaco 6-1, 6-1 at Bastad Tennis Stadion. Fifth-seeded Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, outlasted qualifier Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-1; fourth-seeded Moya, who won the Swedish Open in 2002,beat countryman Alex Calatrava 7-5, 6-2; and defending two-time champion Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina dropped the first set to Raemon Sluiter of the Netherlands, but came back to win 2-6, 6-1, 6-4.

BASEBALL

SCHILLING UNLIKELY TO MAKE WEEKEND RETURN

Injured Red Sox ace Curt Schilling will probably need at least one more rehab start before returning to the Boston rotation. Schilling struggled Monday night in what was supposed to be his final rehab outing before returning to the big league rotation, allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings for Boston’s Triple-A team in Pawtucket.

“I think he needs to come here and throw [on the] side, then pitch a couple more times,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said yesterday. “I think that’s more realistic than starting this weekend.”

– Associated Press