IN BRIEF

GOLF

Love among survivors in U.S. Open qualifying

After playing four difficult days at the Memorial, Davis Love III made it through 36 holes Monday to qualify for his 18th consecutive trip to the U.S. Open.

Fred Couples and several other PGA Tour players weren't nearly so fortunate.

Love's streak of 70 consecutive majors ended when he failed to qualify for the Masters, but he followed a 72 at Brookside with a 5-under 66 at the tougher Ohio State Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, to become one of 23 players at the sectional qualifier to earn a trip to Torrey Pines.

Carl Pettersson won the Columbus qualifier with a 131 total.

With an 11-man playoff for the final seven spots, former UNLV star Chad Campbell and Rocco Mediate were among those who made it through before darkness. Oklahoma State freshman Rickie Fowler was among three players who had to return today for two spots.

The qualifier was one of 13 held Monday in the United States, with another one in Europe.

Also: Tiger Woods has started playing some holes, taking another step in his comeback from knee surgery.

With the U.S. Open just a week away, Woods said he is not worried about how he and his left leg will fare.

The world's No. 1 golfer had surgery on his left knee April 15 and plans to end his layoff June 12-15 at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

MISCELLANEOUS

Star sprinter Johnson to return tainted gold

Olympic great Michael Johnson says he was "shocked" by former teammate Antonio Pettigrew's doping admission and will return the gold medal the two of them helped the United States win in the 1,600-meter relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

"As difficult as it is, I will be returning it to the International Olympic Committee because I don't want it," Johnson wrote in a column in today's London Daily Telegraph. "I feel cheated, betrayed and let down."

Pettigrew testified on May 22 at the trial of disgraced coach Trevor Graham in San Francisco that he had used banned performance-enhancing drugs throughout his long career. The testimony had been described earlier in the trial.

Also: The Las Vegas 51s beat the Portland Beavers 4-3 in a Pacific Coast League game in Portland, Ore., snapping a five-game losing streak.

John-Ford Griffin went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs for the 51s (29-29), and Andy LaRoche went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

Jon Meloan (4-5) got the win, allowing one hit and one run in 5 2/3 innings, with five walks and seven strikeouts.

Fantasy baseball leagues can keep using the names and statistics of major league players without licensing agreements.

The Supreme Court refused to get involved in an ongoing dispute between a Missouri-based fantasy sports business and professional baseball. Without comment, the justices declined to hear the case involving the $1.5 billion industry in the United States.

Krista Donnenwirth homered and had two RBI singles to lead Arizona State past Texas A&M 3-0 in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series finals in Oklahoma City.

Game 2 in the best-of-3 series is today.

Texas Tech baseball coach Larry Hays is stepping down after 38 years. He is one of four Division I coaches with more than 1,500 wins.

Elena Gantcheva closed her UNLV tennis career ranked 35th in both singles and doubles in the final national rankings by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

UNLV junior Elliot Wronski ended the 2008 campaign at 85th in the men's rankings.

The Breeders' Cup will air nine hours of live coverage this year, including 21/2 hours on ABC for the first time.

The 25th annual event will be held Oct. 24-25 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.