BRITISH OPEN
Scott ties course record with 64 at British Open
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (AP) — Adam Scott has tied a course record by shooting a 6-under 64 in the opening round of the British Open.
Taking advantage of perfect conditions at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, the Australian bounced back from a bogey at No. 3 with eight birdies over the next 13 holes. He went to the clubhouse having tied the 64 that Tom Lehman shot at Lytham in 1996.
Paul Lawrie and Zach Johnson are in the clubhouse at 5-under, while Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Bubba Watson and Graeme McDowell have completed their first rounds at 3-under.
World No. 1 Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy (MAK'-ihl-roy) are in the afternoon side of the draw.
MLB-SCHEDULE
Day games fill MLB schedule
UNDATED (AP) — It's a get-away day in the major leagues, with most of the day's games matinees.
The Tampa Bay Rays send their ace to the mound when they host the Indians. David Price brings a 12-4 record and a 2.80 ERA into the game, while Ubaldo Jimenez is a disappointing 8-8 for the Indians.
The rest of the American League schedule has the L.A. Angels in Detroit, Baltimore at Minnesota and Seattle visiting Kansas City this afternoon. Tonight, a pair of Sox teams finish their series at Fenway when Boston entertains Chicago's White Sox. The Yankees and A's have a late start in Oakland.
The National League schedule features a couple of strong pitching matchups. In Washington, 12-4 Gio Gonzalez gets the start for the East-leading Nationals and the Mets. New York sends its own 12-game winner to the mound in R.A. Dickey.
The Braves trail the Nationals in the East by 4 ½ games. They're home with a noontime start against the West-leading Giants. Lefty Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to start for San Francisco. He's 11-5 on the season with a 3.15 ERA. Tim Hudson gets the nod for Atlanta.
Elsewhere in the NL, the Reds and Diamondbacks meet in Cincinnati and the Cubs take on the Miami Marlins at Wrigley, while San Diego hosts Houston under the lights.
TOUR DE FRANCE
Wiggins facing final test in Pyrenees
BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, France (AP) — Yellow jersey holder Bradley Wiggins is facing a final test in the Pyrenees today as the peloton enters the 17th stage of the Tour de France, the last in the mountains this year.
The 89.2-mile trek between Bagneres-de-Luchon and the ski station of Peyragudes features three difficult climbs and an uphill finish at an average gradient of 10 percent.
Wiggins will try to keep intact his lead of 2 minutes, 5 seconds ahead of Saturday's time trial, his favorite discipline.
FLYERS-WEBER
AP Source: Flyers give Weber 14-year offer sheet
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers are going after one of the NHL's premier defensemen.
General manager Paul Holmgren confirms that the Flyers have signed Nashville's Shea Weber to an offer sheet. He would fill a void left by Chris Pronger, who has been battling concussion problems and missed most of last season.
A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Weber's deal is for 14 years and worth more than $100 million. Nashville has seven days to match the offer.
Weber's departure would create a huge hole in the Predators' defense. The team lost free-agent defenseman Ryan Suter to Minnesota earlier this summer.
SARATOGA-STEEPLECHASE DEATHS
3 hurt horses put down after Saratoga's open house
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Three horses have been euthanized after suffering injuries during non-betting steeplechase races held at Saratoga Race Course's annual open house.
Officials say the injuries occurred separately in each of the first three races during last weekend's 32nd-annual event. Two of the horses sustained injuries while on flat ground, while the third was injured during a hurdle.
Despite the three deaths, National Steeplechase Association Director of Racing Bill Gallo says fatalities among steeplechase horses are uncommon.
OLYMPICS-NEWS
Border guards, train drivers threaten strikes ahead of Olympics
LONDON (AP) — More potential problems are cropping up ahead of the London Olympics -- strikes.
The union representing immigration staff at British airports says its members will walk off the job on July 26, the day before the start of the Olympic Games. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union have voted for the 24-hour strike in a dispute over pay and job losses.
Heathrow Airport has been beset for months by long lines at passport control that the union blames on government spending cuts.
Meanwhile, some 400 train workers are threatening to strike for three days in central England. Drivers for East Midlands Trains are unhappy over pension reforms. They say a strike would take place from Aug. 6 to 8, right in the middle of the games, which end Aug. 12.
The train strikes could prove highly disruptive with Olympic soccer matches being held across the United Kingdom, many workers coming from outside of London and thousands of spectators likely to use trains to get to venues around the capital.
— Tensions are mounting ahead of the opening ceremony. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle has been forced to trim parts of next Friday's ceremony and is negotiating with Olympic Broadcasting Services about camera position in the Olympic Stadium. Seats have been removed to accommodate Boyle's additional cameras, although tickets for them hadn't been sold. The director of Olympic venues says Boyle wants to make sure the opening ceremony is not filmed from a sports perspective.
— London Olympic organizers are looking into whether Pippa Middleton and her family are breaking laws that prevent unofficial games merchandise from being sold. The Middleton family owns a mail-order company whose website features a "Celebrate The Games" section. Among the items offered is a ring toss game featuring five rings in the Olympic colors. Companies can be prosecuted under the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act for using sales pitches invoking the London Games.
— One London taxi driver has come up with a novel way of addressing any hotel shortage during the Olympics. He's offering to let visitors sleep in his cab for 50 pounds a night. That's about $78. Cabbie David Weekes says busy traffic during the Olympics will likely mean fewer fares and trying to work could end up "a total waste of time" because of the congestion. So he's converted his traditional black London taxi into a cozy single bed with a Union Jack blanket.
