Durham, NC (Sports Network) - USA Basketball announced Thursday that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will return to guide the U.S. Men's National Team through 2016.

Since becoming the head coach of Team USA in 2005, Krzyzewski's teams have compiled a 62-1 record and claimed top honors in four of five FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions. Team USA also captured Olympic gold in both 2008 and 2012 under the winningest coach in Division I men's basketball.

The 66-year-old Krzyzewski owns a record of 957-297 in 38 years on the collegiate level, including four national championships in 33 years at Duke. He had previously indicated that the 2012 Olympics would be his last run as national coach.

"It is tough to give up something you've absolutely loved doing for seven years, the people you're doing it with, and most importantly, the country you're doing it for," said Krzyzewski. "As a result of my ongoing desire to coach, I've decided I'd like to continue as head coach of the Men's National Team especially since USA Basketball wanted me to do so. It just seems like the right thing to do."

Over the next four years, the Men's National Teams will conduct a team mini- camp in Las Vegas, Nev., July 22-25, 2013; compete in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup (formerly the FIBA World Championship) Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Spain; if necessary, participate in the 2015 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament (dates and site TBD); and if the USA qualifies, compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games (Aug. 5-21) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"There is no greater honor than to coach your country's team and to be afforded the unique opportunity to be the National Team coach three times is incredible," said Krzyzewski. "I do not take that responsibility lightly. Working with the people at USA Basketball, particularly (USA Basketball Chairman) Jerry Colangelo, has been remarkable."

Team USA is currently riding a 50-game winning streak under Coach K.

"We've seen the value of continuity and Coach K's return gives our national team program another four years of continuity," said Colangelo. "Together we have been able to build on the program's successes of each year and again establish the United States as the world's number one basketball country. Repeating our performances from the previous four years, which included winning gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 London Olympics, will be quite a challenge, but it is one we look forward to undertaking."

This past season at Duke, Krzyzewski's team went 30-6, the program's 13th 30- win season, and made its 18th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Advancing to the Elite Eight, it marked the 13th time in the last 16 seasons that Duke reached at least the Sweet 16.

New York, NY (Sports Network) - NBA MVP LeBron James and Kevin Durant headline the 2012-13 All-NBA First Team.

James was a unanimous selection, receiving all 119 first-team votes, to earn a First-Team selection for the sixth consecutive year and seventh time overall. The Miami Heat superstar was named the league MVP for a fourth time this year.

Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder star, was a First-Team choice for the fourth time and picked up 102 first-team votes.

San Antonio center Tim Duncan and guards Chris Paul of the Clippers and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers rounded out the First Team. Duncan earned his 10th First- Team selection and first since 2006-07, while Paul was selected to the First Team for the third time.

Bryant, meanwhile, was a First-Team choice for the eighth straight year and his 11th selection overall matched the record set by Karl Malone.

The Second Team consists of forwards Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks and Blake Griffin of the Clippers, center Marc Gasol of Memphis and guards Tony Parker of San Antonio and Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City.

Selected for the Third Team were forwards Paul George of Indiana and David Lee of Golden State, center Dwight Howard of the Lakers and guards Dwyane Wade of Miami and James Harden of Houston.

Ashburn, VA (Sports Network) - Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is still recovering from knee surgery and said Thursday his goal is to be ready for training camp in July.

Griffin underwent surgery in January to repair both the lateral collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee. He suffered the LCL injury in a Week 14 win over Baltimore and missed one game, then was hurt again during Washington's wild card playoff loss to Seattle.

Reports throughout the winter and spring indicated that Griffin was progressing well and he was throwing Thursday during Redskins' OTAs.

"We're hoping he's ready for training camp," said Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. "He's working really hard. He's been throwing, his arm's in good shape."

It's Griffin's knee, though, that needs to be healthy.

The former Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick of the 2012 draft said doctors are monitoring his rehab activities. He has yet to sprint and cut on the injured knee.

"Explosive sprinting is in the next couple weeks and cutting is a few weeks after that," Griffin said Thursday. "Goal is to be ready for training camp."

Griffin was named the NFL's top offensive rookie last year when he led the Redskins to the NFC East title. He completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 3,200 yards with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions in 15 games while also rushing for 815 yards and seven scores.

Tempe, AZ (Sports Network) - The Arizona Cardinals signed defensive back Tyrann Mathieu to a four-year contract on Thursday.

Details of the contract were not released, but NFL.com says it's a $3.052 million deal that comes with an initial signing bonus of $265,000. The balance of the $662,500 bonus is spread over years 2-4.

The only way Mathieu doesn't get the full payment is if he's dismissed from the team for drug use.

The former LSU standout was kicked off the school's football team prior to the 2012 season due to drug-related issues, but the Cardinals selected the talented defensive back in the third round of last month's draft.

In two seasons at LSU, Mathieu had eight fumble recoveries, 11 forced fumbles, four interceptions, 133 tackles, 16 passes defensed and six sacks. He also returned 27 punts for 421 yards and two touchdowns.

As a sophomore in 2011, Mathieu started all 13 games and collected 76 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks and two interceptions. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist, recipient of the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and unanimous first-team All-American.

The 21-year-old Mathieu becomes the sixth member of Arizona's nine-player 2013 draft class to sign.

East Rutherford, NY (Sports Network) - New York Giants fullback Henry Hynoski will undergo surgery on Friday to repair an injured medial collateral ligament and a chip fracture to the lateral plateau in his left knee.

Hynoski suffered the injury earlier this week during the team's OTAs.

A timetable for his return was not announced, but Hynoski is optimistic about being ready for the Giants' opener in September.

"I am going to set my mind to being ready for the first game of the regular season," said Hynoski. "They said that is not an unrealistic goal, and I will do everything in my power to be ready for the start of the season."

Hynoski, entering his third season, played in all 16 games and started 11 last year for New York. Over two seasons, he has rushed for just 20 yards, but has 23 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in 27 games -- all with the Giants.

East Rutherford, NY (Sports Network) - The New York Giants re-signed wide receiver Ramses Barden on Thursday.

Barden caught 14 passes for 220 yards in 12 games last season. He made his only career start in a victory at Carolina on Sept. 20, making nine catches for 138 yards.

Originally a third-round draft pick in 2009, Barden has caught 29 passes for 394 yards in 29 career games with the Giants.

Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - The Carolina Panthers have signed defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, the club's first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Lotulelei was selected with the 14th overall pick of last month's draft after a stellar career at Utah. He was a first-team All-America as a senior in 2012 after posting a team-high 11 tackles for loss to go along with five sacks.

In 38 career games, including 28 starts, at Utah, he finished with 107 tackles, 22 1/2 tackles for loss and seven sacks with four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

The Panthers also signed their fourth-round pick, guard Edmund Kugbila.

"Star gives us an impactful three-down defensive lineman and Edmund has a lot of natural ability and upside that we will work to develop," said Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman. "We look forward to seeing both players contribute to the team."

Kugbila played in 45 games with 32 starts at Division II Valdosta State.

The Panthers also waived/injured tight end Logan Brock and claimed linebacker Ryan Rau off waivers from Cleveland on Wednesday.

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed their second- round pick, cornerback Johnthan Banks to a four-year contract on Thursday.

Tampa Bay chose Banks with its first selection at pick No. 43 in the 2013 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-2 cornerback out of Mississippi State University posted impressive numbers over his four-year collegiate career, recording 16 interceptions -- three for touchdowns -- 221 tackles and four sacks while starting 45-of-51 games for the Bulldogs.

Banks collected the Jim Thorpe Award his senior season, which recognizes the top defensive back in college football, and was also named first-team All- America.

Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to terms with running back and second-round draft choice Giovani Bernard on Thursday.

The Bengals used the 37th overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft to take Bernard out of North Carolina, where he scored 31 touchdowns and totaled 2,481 rushing yards over two seasons. He also accumulated 852 yards as a receiver during his time at school.

"Giovani is a dynamic guy, both running the football and catching it," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "And he was one of North Carolina's hardest- working guys on the team, so he fits the mold of guys we like -- not only good, but extremely hard-working."

Cincinnati has agreed to terms with eight of its 10 draft picks. Only first- round selection Tyler Eifert and third-round pick Shawn Williams remain unsigned.

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed third- round pick, wide receiver Markus Wheaton to a four-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Wheaton, the 79th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, played collegiately at Oregon State University. The 5-foot-11, 182-pounder, appeared in 49 games and started the final 30 to record a school-record 227 receptions. He ended his collegiate career ranking third on the school's all-time receiving yards list with 2,994 and sixth on the school's all-time receiving touchdowns list with 16.

Wheaton earned first-team All-Pac 12 Conference honors for his senior season efforts.

The Steelers also signed fifth-round pick, cornerback Terry Hawthorne, to a four-year deal.

The Steelers have now have four of their nine draft selections under contract.

Foxboro, MA (Sports Network) - The New England Patriots have claimed offensive tackle Kevin Haslam off waivers from the San Diego Chargers.

Haslam played the 2012 campaign in San Diego after spending his first two NFL seasons with Jacksonville. He has appeared in 10 career games and last year made three starts at left tackle for the Chargers.

The Patriots released offensive lineman R.J. Mattes, who signed as a rookie free agent earlier this month.

Owings Mills, MD (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Ravens signed linebacker Arthur Brown to a four-year contract on Thursday.

The Ravens selected Brown in the second round of last month's draft.

On Wednesday, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said that Brown had sports hernia surgery earlier this month.

"It's a four-to-six week deal, and he should be fine soon enough," Harbaugh said.

The middle linebacker out of Kansas State is expected to compete for one of the two starting inside linebacker spots that opened up with the departures of Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe this offseason.

First-round safety Matt Elam and third-round defensive tackle Brandon Williams are the only ones left unsigned for the Ravens.

Santa Clara, CA (Sports Network) - The San Francisco 49ers signed defensive tackle Tank Carradine and tight end Vance McDonald to four-year contracts on Thursday.

The 49ers selected Carradine (40th overall) and McDonald (55th overall) in the second round of last month's draft.

Carradine is coming off a torn ACL last November at Florida State. As a senior in 2012, he recorded 80 tackles and 11 sacks while earning First-Team All-ACC honors.

The 6-foot-4, 276-pounder played in 25 career games (11 starts) for the Seminoles, tallying 118 tackles and 16 1/2 sacks. He began his collegiate career at Butler Community College in Kansas.

McDonald played in 42 career games (28 starts) for Rice. A two-time First-Team All-Conference USA selection, McDonald finished his career ranked seventh in school history with 119 receptions, sixth in receiving yards (1,504) and tied for fifth in touchdown receptions (15).

Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - The Texas Rangers placed pitcher Derek Lowe on waivers on Thursday with the purpose of granting him his unconditional release.

Lowe was designated for assignment on Monday, a day after giving up two runs in two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen in an 11-8 win over Detroit. He had surrendered eight runs over his last 2 2/3 innings of work.

The 39-year-old made nine relief appearances for Texas after signing a minor league contract with the club on March 9. He allowed 13 runs over 13 innings.

In other roster related news, the Rangers agreed to terms on a minor league deal with infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen. The 31-year-old will report to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Teahen was released from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. He never played for the major league club, producing a .211 batting average with five RBI in 22 games with Triple-A Reno.

A lifetime .264 hitter, Teahen has recorded 67 homers and knocked in 332 runs in 831 career games over seven seasons.

Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - The Seattle Mariners are hoping a demotion to Triple-A Tacoma can straighten out struggling catcher Jesus Montero.

The Mariners made the move on Thursday, with Montero putting forth a measly .208 batting average through 101 at-bats this season.

The 23-year-old and one time highly regarded prospect was looking to build on a successful first full season in 2012, but hasn't been nearly as productive so far and at times has struggled to get off the bench.

Montero hit 15 homers and knocked in 62 runs over 135 games last year after the Mariners acquired him from the New York Yankees, but has produced just three homers and nine RBI while appearing in only 29 of the Mariners' 47 games this season.

A corresponding roster move will be made on Friday. The Mariners will likely call up Jesus Sucre from Tacoma. He will serve as the backup catcher to Kelly Shoppach.

Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Oakland Athletics activated shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima from the 15-day disabled list Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento.

Nakajima, who was signed to a two-year, $6.5 million deal in the offseason to serve as the everyday shortstop, has been sidelined since spring training with a hamstring injury.

With Jed Lowrie performing well at short for the A's, Nakajima will remain in Triple-A, where he has been on a rehab stint since early May.

Lowrie enters Thursday's action batting .301 with three homers, 21 RBI and 19 runs scored in 45 games. Meanwhile, Nakajima is batting just .265 with five RBI in 13 games during his rehab stint with Sacramento.

The 30-year-old Nakajima had a lengthy career with the Seibu Lions of Japan's Pacific League, where he was a three-time Gold Glove winner and an eight-time All-Star with a .302 lifetime batting average over 11 seasons.

Last year, Nakajima hit .311 with 13 homers and 74 RBI in 136 games for the Lions.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies have placed second baseman Chase Utley on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right oblique.

Utley is expected to miss between 2-to-4 weeks with what the team is calling a "mild grade 1" strain.

The club selected the contract of utility man Michael Martinez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace Utley.

Utley is batting .272 with seven homers and 25 RBI through 44 games this season.

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - The Baltimore Orioles selected the contract of pitcher Kevin Gausman from Double-A Bowie, optioned pitcher Jake Arrieta to Triple-A Norfolk and designating pitcher Alex Burnett for assignment.

Gausman, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, will make his major league debut in Toronto on Thursday.

The 22-year-old right-hander is 2-4 with a 3.11 ERA in eight starts with Bowie this season. He has 49 strikeouts and just five walks over 46 1/3 innings.

Arrieta is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA in four starts with the Orioles. He was optioned to Norfolk on April 22 and was recalled on May 18, but has not pitched since.

Burnett made two appearances with Baltimore this season. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks over 1 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays on April 12 and was recalled twice before being sent down to Norfolk on May 18.

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians have designated pitcher David Huff for assignment and recalled pitcher Scott Barnes from Triple-A Columbus.

Huff was called up from Columbus on May 13. In three appearances this season, he allowed five runs over three innings.

Barnes, 25, has allowed two runs in four innings of relief for the Indians this season. The left-hander was 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA in 12 appearances with Columbus.

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - The Colorado Avalanche on Thursday agreed in principle to name Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy the club's new head coach and vice president of hockey operations.

"This is a very exciting day for our fans and a significant moment in our organization's history," said Avalanche team president Josh Kroenke. "Patrick's passion for the game of hockey both as a player and as a coach defines who he is as a person. He is a winner and is coming back to Denver where he created numerous special moments on and off the ice while helping lead us to two Stanley Cup championships."

The 47-year-old Roy starred for the Avalanche from 1995 through 2003 and backstopped the team to a pair of Stanley Cup titles. He also won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986 and 1993.

"This is an unbelievable day for me," said Roy. "It's a new and exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to. I would like to thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity as well as Joe Sakic for the trust they are putting in me. Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am."

After retiring following a disappointing first-round exit in the spring of 2003, Roy took a break from the game before becoming the GM, coach and co- owner of his hometown Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2005, leading the franchise to a Memorial Cup title in his first season at the helm.

Roy made his NHL debut during the 1984-85 season, then led Montreal to the Stanley Cup as a rookie the following year. He remained with the Canadiens until demanding a trade following an ugly spat with head coach Mario Tremblay.

The Avalanche acquired Roy and forward Mike Keane in exchange for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault in a blockbuster deal in December of 1995, then went on to win their first Stanley Cup in June of '96. Colorado added a second title in 2001, when he was also named the Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP for a third time. His first two Conn Smythe wins came with the Canadiens.

Roy finished his brilliant career with a record of 551-315-160 with 66 shutouts and a 2.54 goals-against average. He was a three-time Vezina Trophy winner -- all with Montreal -- and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Sakic, a 2012 Hall inductee and the captain of the Avalanche championship teams, is the current Colorado executive vice president of hockey operations.

"All along, Patrick was our top candidate and we are thrilled that he has decided to accept this offer," said Sakic. "Patrick has a great hockey mind, is a tremendous coach and there is no one more passionate about this game. He will bring that winning attitude to our dressing room to help this young team grow."

The Avalanche needed a new coach after Joe Sacco was fired at the conclusion of the shortened 2013 campaign. Colorado finished with a 16-25-7 record, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Only the Florida Panthers (36) had fewer points the Colorado's 39.

New York, NY (Sports Network) - New York Rangers center Brad Richards will be a healthy scratch for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston.

The Rangers face elimination on Thursday after dropping the first three games of the best-of-seven series.

Rangers coach John Tortorella informed the former Conn Smythe winner of the decision on Thursday morning.

Richards has just one goal -- which he scored in Game 4 of the first-round series against Washington with the goaltender well out of the crease after a misplay -- and a minus-3 rating in 10 games this postseason. He had been centering the Rangers' fourth line and played just over eight minutes in Game 3 on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old veteran had 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 46 games during the regular season, his second with the Rangers. He signed a nine-year contract, reportedly worth $58 million, as a free agent in July 2011.

Richards was the Smythe winner as playoff MVP during Tampa Bay's 2004 Stanley Cup championship when he notched 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 23 games.

Concord, NC (Sports Network) - Denny Hamlin easily broke the track qualifying record at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday night to earn the pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 -- the longest race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Hamlin, who was the 39th driver in the 44-car qualifying order, turned a lap at a blistering 195.624 mph. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver collected his second pole of the season and the 14th of his Sprint Cup career.

"I really just committed to running the best lap that I could, pushing every envelope," said Hamlin, who will start on the pole at Charlotte for the first time in 16 starts here. "Obviously, it paid off with a big reward. It's a good step to the weekend and hopefully a good sign of things to come for the 600 on Sunday."

Hamlin's first pole this season came on the last weekend in March at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. He suffered a compression fracture in his lower back during an accident on the final lap at Fontana and ended up missing the next four races -- Martinsville, Texas, Kansas and Richmond. Hamlin returned to competition on May 5 at Talladega, completing just 25 laps there before Brian Vickers relieved him in the No. 11 JGR Toyota. He then finished second to teammate Matt Kenseth in the Southern 500 at Darlington the following weekend.

With 15 races to go in the regular season, Hamlin is 61 points behind the 20th-place driver (Jeff Burton) and 118 points away from the 10th position (Kevin Harvick). The top 10 in points after the Sept. 7 race at Richmond will make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. The two wild card positions will go to those drivers between 11th-20th in points that have the most wins.

Hamlin has qualified for the Chase each year since his 2006 rookie season.

"Normally, I wouldn't commit myself to running a lap like that," he said. "I feel it's too dangerous, and I would rather just take a fifth or sixth qualifying effort and move on. We have a mission ahead to try to make the Chase. The best way to do that is to win races, and to win races, you need to have every advantage that you can. One of them is having the number-1 pit stall."

Hamlin finished second in both Cup races at Charlotte last year. He has yet to win a race at this 1.5-mile racetrack.

Kurt Busch continued his hot streak in qualifying by claiming the outside pole with a lap at 195.221 mph. Busch won the pole at Darlington and qualified second for last weekend's all-star race at Charlotte.

"It was an extremely fast car," said Busch, who is in his first full season as driver of the No. 78 Chevrolet for Furniture Row Racing. "Those guys (the team) keep delivering pole-winning type cars each and every week when we've been unloading. I just didn't quite hit my mark exactly right in (turns) 3 and 4. And I new that we might get beat by somebody. I was just hoping that I might get a gift. But Denny Hamlin laid it down. It was just incredible to watch. His car hugged the line in 3 and 4."

Kenseth, who leads the series with three wins this season, qualified third. His first career Cup win came in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600.

"I really like the way this car drives," Kenseth said. "I'm really encourage how it responded to all of our changes today (during practice). Last week (in the all-star race), the car we had wasn't really like that. So I feel good about that.

"Obviously, I never really qualified that good. As Kurt (Busch) reminded me before qualifying, if I can ever qualify better than 17th, that's usually a good thing. I'm encouraged about the speed in our car, and the changes (the No. 17 team) made and how it drove. That was a good lap, and I was pretty happy with that."

Mark Martin qualified fourth, followed by Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, who is the defending race winner, Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch.

The top-eight finishers in qualifying surpassed the previous track record of 193.708 mph, set by Biffle last October.

With this being the inaugural year of NASCAR's new Sprint Cup race car, the Gen-6, seven of the first 12 tracks on the schedule this season have featured new track qualifying records.

Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman were ninth and 10th, respectively, in qualifying.

Jimmie Johnson, who won the all-star race for a record fourth time, will start 12th in the 600-miler, one spot behind his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Danica Patrick qualified 24th.

Mike Bliss was the only driver who failed to qualify.

There is no track activity at Charlotte on Friday. Teams will practice again on Saturday morning and afternoon. Sunday's 600-mile race is scheduled to start just after 6 p.m. ET.

Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Ryan Palmer fired an 8-under 62 on Thursday and grabbed a 1-stroke lead through the opening round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Palmer, who has been a Colonial member since 2010, matched the lowest round of his career and the lowest opening round in tournament history.

"It helps, obviously, the experience I have had here," said the three-time PGA Tour winner.

John Rollins, also a Colonial member, is a shot off the pace after a first- round 63, which marks his best round at the course by four strokes.

"I think it's pretty cool," the three-time tour winner Rollins said of residing near the top of the leaderboard with a fellow member. "It would be fun if we could fast forward this to Sunday."

Morgan Hoffmann, David Hearn, Graham DeLaet and John Peterson are tied for third place at 6-under 64, while world No. 13 Matt Kuchar highlights a group of six knotted at 5-under.

Defending champion Zach Johnson carded a 1-under 71, as did last week's winner, Sang-Moon Bae.

"It's a fairly solid day," said Johnson. "A day I didn't shoot myself out of it."

Palmer, whose caddy James Edmondson is a three-time Colonial club champion, was the model of consistency with 31s on both his outward and inward nines.

Bogey-free on the day, Palmer started on the 10th tee and opened with four straight pars before catching fire with four consecutive birdies from the 14th.

A par at No. 18 preceded another gain around the turn, and after another stretch of pars, Palmer closed with three birdies in four holes for the outright lead.

"This is what I dream about when I play here every year," Palmer said. "This is the one tournament I gear up for the most."

Rollins recorded the low round of the afternoon wave.

He began the day with consecutive birdies and added another gain on the sixth for an outward 32.

Only a bogey on the 12th kept Rollins from a share of the top spot. He birdied Nos. 10, 11, 13 and 15 before turning the trick again with a 22-foot putt on the last to get within a single stroke of the lead.

"I know a lot of people know that Ryan is a member," he said. "A lot of people may not know that I'm a member here. Hopefully by the end of the week they will."

NOTES: Thirty-eight players are within five shots of the lead ... Palmer hit 12 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens ... No dues-paying member of Colonial has won this event since Ben Hogan in 1959 ... Rollins has missed the cut seven times in 10 previous starts at this tournament ... Kuchar has made 17 straight cuts on the PGA tour dating back to August of last year.

Leon, Mexico (Sports Network) - Michael Putnam carded an 8-under 64 on Thursday and snared a 2-stroke lead at the Mexico Championship before play was suspended due to darkness.

The first round was halted for over an hour due to lightning in the area and later was suspended due to darkness.

Putnam, whose best finish on the Web.com Tour this season is a tie for second at the South Georgia Classic, had a pair of eagles and four birdies during his bogey-free round at El Bosque Golf Club.

Clodomiro Carranza, James Nitties, Jeff Klauk and Mathew Goggin share second after opening-round 66s, while Wes Roach, Troy Merritt, Stephan Jaeger, Nick Rousey and Manuel Merizalde are in the clubhouse at 5-under 67.

Of the handful of players who have yet to finish their opening rounds, Zack Miller and Alex Aragon are the closest to the leaders at even par through 16 and 17 holes, respectively.

Putnam, seeking his second win on the circuit and first since the 2010 Utah Championship, was spurred forward by two eagles in his first eight holes.

He played El Bosque's opening par-5 in three deft shots, then picked up six consecutive pars before eagling the next par-5, No. 8.

Momentum in hand, Putnam birdied the ninth, then turned the trick again at the 10th.

After a par on the 11th, Putnam added birdies on Nos. 12 and 17 to reach 8- under. He parred the last to hit the clubhouse with the outright lead.

NOTES: Bhavik Patel recorded a double eagle on No. 8 ... Benjamin Alvarado, second on the Web.com Tour money list, is 2-under. He can surpass money leader Edward Loar, who is not in the field this week, with a first or second-place finish ... Last year, Lee Williams posted rounds of 69-67-68-70 and won by a single stroke over Paul Haley II. Williams, who won for the first time on the Web.com Tour, is not be on hand to defend his title, as he earned his PGA Tour card for 2013 by finishing 16th on the 2012 Web.com Tour money list.

St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Jay Haas and Duffy Waldorf each carded a 5- under 66 on Thursday to share the lead after one round of the Senior PGA Championship.

Kiyoshi Murota and PGA Club Professional Sonny Skinner shared third place at 4-under 67 at the Champions Tour's first major of the season.

"Just to be here is very special," said Skinner. "I'm very thankful the PGA of America has the eligibility requirement that they do that allows as many club pros to get into our tournament as they do."

Peter Senior and Chien-Soon Lu sit in a tie for fifth at Bellerive Country Club at 3-under, while 39-time PGA Tour winner Tom Watson is among a large group of players tied for seventh place at minus-2.

Defending champion Roger Chapman finished with a 1-over 72 to sit in a tie for 46th place.

Haas opened his round with five straight pars before picking up a pair of birdies at the sixth and eighth to hit the turn at 2-under.

The St. Louis native added back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th, and later rolled in another birdie at the 15th to reach 5-under.

He completed his bogey-free round with three straight pars to remain there.

"I'm certainly very excited about shooting 5-under here," said Haas. "It's probably my lowest score ever at Bellerive, no matter what age I was. I didn't expect it going out. I wasn't very sharp today, but managed to keep my misses in the correct spots and I took advantage of a few good iron shots and just kind of kept it between the ditches, I guess you would say. But very, very pleased with that."

Waldorf teed off with one of the last groups of the day and started on the back nine, picking up birdies at the 12th, 14th and 16th to make the turn at 3-under.

He poured in another birdie at the fourth to move within a stroke of the lead, but a bogey at the fifth dropped him two strokes behind Haas.

Waldorf bounced back with birdies at the seventh and eighth to meet Haas at 5- under and closed with a par at the ninth.

"All in all hit the ball really well tee to green. I really liked my iron play," Waldorf said. "I didn't make a ton of putts, but I had some real nice up and downs which really saved the round."

Murota quickly picked up a couple of shots with birdies at the second and fourth, but tripped to a five at the par-3 sixth to fall back to even par.

However, he quickly recovered with consecutive birdies at the seventh and eighth to get back to 2-under.

After recording another birdie at the 12th, he parred his next five holes before birdieing the last to finish at 4-under.

Skinner started on the back nine and bogeyed the 11th and 16th around a birdie at the 15th to sit at 1-over, but answered with a run of five birdies over his next six holes to move to 4-under.

He closed with five straight pars to stay a shot off the pace.

NOTES: Steve Elkington withdrew prior to the start of the first round due to a migraine ... Skinner was the low PGA Club Professional at the 2011 Senior PGA Championship. He is the club pro at River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, GA ... Haas' 66 was his lowest round in a Senior PGA Championship event.

Surrey, England (Sports Network) - James Kingston carded a 6-under 66 on Thursday to grab a 1-stroke lead at the PGA Championship before play was suspended due to darkness.

The first round at the Wentworth Club was delayed for an hour and a half earlier in the day due to threat of lightning.

Mikko Ilonen sits alone in second place at 5-under, while Martin Wiegele is one of 15 players still remaining on the course and owns a share of third at minus-4 through 13 holes.

Wiegele is joined by Scott Henry and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who have each completed their rounds.

"It wasn't an easy day," Fernandez-Castano said about the weather. "I think we've been quite lucky at the end. I've been expecting worse weather than we had at the end, and I played nicely."

Thirteen-time European Tour winner Thomas Bjorn is among six players sharing sixth place at 3-under.

Seven of the world's top 17 players are in the field for the European Tour's marquee event. The highest ranked participant is world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who carded a 2-over 74 to sit in a large group tied for 82nd place.

Kingston traded a birdie at the second with a bogey at the third to remain at even par, but he would not drop another shot the rest of the day.

After parring the next two holes, Kingston poured in back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh to hit the turn at 2-under.

He again recorded consecutive birdies at the 12th and 13th to move further up the leaderboard, and picked up two more strokes at the 15th and 17th to reach 6-under.

He closed with a par at the last to remain there.

"Getting an invite into this event, what a great feeling to be back here. I think I've made the most of it today," said Kingston, who is in the field on a sponsor's exemption because he lost his European Tour card at the end of last season.

Earlier, Ilonen parred his first three holes before collecting a trio of birdies at the fourth, sixth and ninth.

He later followed consecutive birdies at the 14th and 15th with a bogey at the 16th.

Ilonen, however, recovered with a birdie at the 18th to grab the clubhouse lead prior to Kingston's run.

Wiegele opened his first round with five straight pars before tripping to a bogey at the sixth.

He then caught fire with five birdies over his next six holes to reach 4- under.

After parring the 13th, his momentum was halted as play was called for the day.

NOTES: The first round will resume at 8:30 a.m. local time Friday and second-round tee times will not be affected ... Jason Levermore hit a hole-in- one at the second ... All but one of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup team from last year are in the field for this event ... Defending champion Luke Donald stumbled to a 6-over 78 in his first round.

Paradise Island, Bahamas (Sports Network) - With parts of the Ocean Club Golf Course flooded, tournament officials shortened Friday's first round of the inaugural Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic to 12 holes.

The event was already pushed back to a Friday start and reduced to 54 holes after severe thunderstorms hit the course on Tuesday. As of Thursday, water still covered parts of the ninth, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes, forcing officials to implement a rather drastic strategy.

All players will tee off on the 10th hole Friday and then play the rest of the course in the following order: Nos. 6-7-4-5-11-12-13-14-2-3-8. Officials aim to complete 36 holes by Sunday, with a minimum of 12 holes finished per day. They will continue to reevaluate playable holes as the tournament progresses.

"When you have a situation like this, you bring everyone together that you trust and you make the decision," said LPGA commissioner Michael Whan. "It's fair if someone doesn't like the decision we made, but I think this outcome is a lot better than any other alternative. Everybody who plays the next three days will play the same course."

There will be no cut this week, with the top 70 players and ties earning official money if 36 holes are completed.

Elon, NC (Sports Network) - Elon University announced on Thursday that it will move to a full-time member of the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in the 2014-15 season.

Elon, currently in the Southern Conference, sponsors 17 NCAA Division I varsity sports. Women's lacrosse is the only sport that competes outside of the Southern Conference, playing in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but they too will join the CAA.

"The Colonial Athletic Association will provide the next great challenge in the growth of Elon athletics," said Dave Blank, Elon's director of athletics. "By emphasizing continuous improvement with our student-athletes and coaches, Elon has risen to a position of strength in SoCon competition. We are equally proud of the leadership Elon has provided in academic excellence in the conference. The CAA is a great fit at an exciting time in sports at Elon."

The CAA has been actively seeking members after losing Georgia State, VCU, George Mason and Old Dominion in the last 13 months. It has added College of Charleston for all sports, and Albany and Stony Brook for football for next year.

"In a time of great change in the collegiate athletics landscape, the Colonial Athletic Association offers a great match with our strategic plans for Elon's future," said University President Leo M. Lambert. "The CAA will allow our student-athletes to compete with peers at many excellent universities on the Eastern seaboard. We will have the opportunity to continue competition with fine schools in the Carolinas and Virginia while raising Elon's profile in the large metropolitan areas of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast - areas where many of our students, alumni and prospective students call home."

Elon competed in the Big South Conference upon its move to Division I in 1999 and joined the Southern Conference in 2003. Prior to its Division I membership, Elon was an NCAA Division II member for eight years and was previously a member of the NAIA.

Duesseldorf, Germany (Sports Network) - Veteran German favorite Tommy Haas decided against playing his quarterfinal match Thursday at the $530,000 Power Horse Cup, a final French Open tune-up.

The second-seeded 35-year-old recent Munich champion Haas was scheduled to meet sixth-seeded Finnish fellow vet Jarkko Nieminen when the German pulled out due to a cold.

In round-of-eight action involving seeds, No. 3 Juan Monaco of Argentina handled German Tobias Kamke 6-3, 6-4 and upstart Argentine qualifier Guido Pella knocked out No. 7 Viktor Troicki of Serbia 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 on the red clay on a chilly day at Rochusclub, which used to play host to the ATP World Team tournament.

"It wasn't easy to play, as it was very cold," said Monaco. "I am happy to have reached the semifinals and I will have a difficult match against a baseliner tomorrow."

Monaco is now fifth among active ATP players with a 188-104 clay-court match win-loss record.

One other quarterfinal saw Dutchman Igor Sijsling drub Czech Jan Hajek 6-3, 6-1.

Friday's semifinals will pit Monaco against his 101st-ranked compatriot Pella and Nieminen versus Sijsling.

This week's winner will collect $95,000.

Nice, France (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon and American Sam Querrey both came up a quarterfinal losers, while French wild card Gael Monfils secured a semifinal berth at the $530,000 Nice Open, a final clay-court French Open tune-up.

Spaniard Pablo Andujar doused Simon 6-4, 7-5, while French wild card Edouard Roger-Vasselin saved nine-of-11 break points in coming from behind to bounce the third-seeded Querrey 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 at the Nice Lawn Tennis Club.

Meanwhile, the oft-injured former top-10 star Monfils drilled Dutchman Robin Haase 6-2, 6-3 to set-up a final-four meeting with Andujar.

Also on Day 5, Spaniard Albert Montanes took out France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-1 in 67 minutes to set-up a semifinal clash with Roger- Vasselin.

Friday's semifinals will not feature any seeded players.

The 2013 Nice champion will earn $95,000.

Brussels, Belgium (Sports Network) - Fourth-seeded American Sloane Stephens was a mild quarterfinal upset victim on a rainy Thursday at the $690,000 Brussels Open, a final clay-court French Open tune-up.

Eighth-seeded Chinese Peng Shuai ousted the 20-year-old Stephens 6-2, 6-3 at Royal Primerose Tennis Club. Stephens has struggled since reaching her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open in January.

Another quarterfinal result saw Swiss Romina Oprandi outlast Zheng Jie of China 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. Oprandi will face the 2011 Brussels runner-up Peng in a semifinal on Friday.

The second round wrapped up a day late on Thursday, as second-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci held off Kazakhstani qualifier Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 and American Jamie Hampton upended fifth-seeded Belgian favorite Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Rain has been a nuisance in Brussels this week and a pair of Thursday quarterfinals between Vinci and Hampton and seventh-seeded American Varvara Lepchenko and Estonian Kaia Kanepi had to be postponed until Friday.

The 2013 Brussels titlist will earn $120,000.

Strasbourg, France (Sports Network) - Last year's runner-up Alize Cornet pulled within a victory of reaching a second straight final at the $235,000 Strasbourg International tennis event, a final clay-court French Open tune-up.

The third-seeded French crowd favorite whipped seventh-seeded South African Chanelle Scheepers 6-3, 6-1 on another rainy day at Strasbourg Tennis Club.

Cornet, who lost to former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in last year's Strasbourg finale, will encounter 91st-ranked rising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in Friday's semifinals, as the 19-year-old Bouchard blitzed Georgian Anna Tatishvili 6-3, 6-2 in quarterfinal action.

Two other quarterfinals were postponed because of inclement weather. Italian qualifier Flavia Pennetta will face Japan's Misaki Doi and Czech Lucie Hradecka will battle Swede Johanna Larsson before the semis can be staged here on Friday. Hradecka was a Strasbourg runner-up in 2009.

The 2013 Strasbourg champion will collect $41,000.

Regina, SK (Sports Network) - The Saskatchewan Roughriders have acquired defensive lineman Jermaine McElveen from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for wide receiver Lyle Leong Jr.

McElveen is entering his sixth season in the Canadian Football League after playing four seasons with the Montreal Alouettes and one season in Hamilton. He led the Tiger-Cats with six sacks last year.

In 68 career games, McElveen has tallied 109 tackles and 24 sacks. He was a member of Montreal's Grey Cup champion teams in 2009 and 2010.

Leong Jr., who played collegiately at Texas Tech, is set to enter his first season in the CFL.