Love leads as he pursues Masters

Davis Love III chipped in twice during a five-hole stretch that he played in 6 under early in his round, then finished strong with a 45-foot birdie and an 8-foot par putt for a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.

J.B. Holmes, among the early starters, played bogey-free in calm conditions and also had a 66.

Love has only two weeks left to win his way to the Masters, which he has not played the past two years. His only chance is to win at Bay Hill or next week in the Houston Open.

"It's always in the back of your mind -- or the front of your mind," Love said.

• Na On Min shot a bogey-free 6-under 66 and took a one-shot lead after the first round of the inaugural Kia Classic at La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif. Na Yeon Choi stood second.

Takahashi wins men's gold Olympic bronze medalist Daisuke Takahashi won the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday in Turin, Italy, giving Japan its first men's title.

Canada's Patrick Chan won the silver, and France's Brian Joubert took the bronze, both after disappointing Olympic results.

Takahashi's score for the free skate, 168.40, was his best of the Olympic season and gave him a total of 257.70, more than 10 points ahead of Chan.

Earlier Thursday, Olympic gold medalists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada extended their lead over Vancouver runner-ups Meryl Davis and Charlie White, winning the original dance. Virtue and Moir earned a season-best 70.27 points.

FIU player dies after stabbing Florida International running back Kendall Berry football player was stabbed to death in an on-campus incident late Thursday.

Berry, 22, was a reserve running back.

Police said the stabbing took place near the rec center on FIU's main campus. Multiple suspects were being sought.

International Bowl folds

The International Bowl is folding after failing to renew its contract with the Big East. The game, played in Toronto, had been the only bowl game played outside the U.S.

DUI details released for Brown A police report shows Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown had a blood alcohol level that was nearly twice the legal limit when he was arrested on a DUI charge in suburban Atlanta over the weekend.

The report, obtained by the Associated Press through an open records request, said Brown failed a field sobriety test and had a blood alcohol level of .158 when given a breath test. The limit to legally drive in Georgia is 0.08.

Former linebacker Alexander dies of cancer

Former NFL linebacker Elijah Alexander has died nearly five years after cancer was diagnosed. He was 39. Alexander, from Kansas State, died Wednesday night at a Dallas hospital. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, in 2005.

College athletics: Athletic director Joel Nielsen will leave South Dakota to replace retiring AD Laing Kennedy at Kent State. Nielsen, 47, spent the past seven years at South Dakota, where he led the school's transition to Division I.

Television: Pioneering sports broadcaster Chester R. Simmons, who served as president of ESPN during the company's launch in 1979 and also helped developed "Wide World of Sports" for ABC, has died in Atlanta. He was 81. The cause of his death was not revealed.

NEWS SERVICES