Off the wire

GOLF Lincicome in big hole

Brittany Lincicome has a huge hole to climb out of if she hopes to make golf history. Lincicome shot a 6-over 78 in the first round of the Barbasol Championship on Thursday, leaving the LPGA Tour pro’s goal of making the cut likely out of reach. Lincicome was hoping to become the second woman to make the cut in a men’s event and the first since Babe Zaharias in 1945. She’s the first woman to get a PGA Tour start since Michelle Wie a decade ago. Troy Merritt surged to the first-round lead with a 10-under 62, equaling the course record on the Champion Trace course at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky., which is hosting the event for the first time. Andres Romero, Billy Horschel and Joel Dahmen shot 65s and were three shots back. Hunter Mahan was one of eight players to shoot 66, including Matt Atkins (Henderson State). The golf course was firm on Thursday, but that may change with thunderstorms in the forecast today. Ethan Tracy (Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a 2-under 70. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had a 2-over 74.

Im leads by 1

Sungjae Im shot a 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the Web.com Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship at Omaha, Neb. Derek Ernst, William Kropp, Dawie van der Walt and Andre Metzger were tied for second at 5 under. Patrick Sullivan (Maumelle, UALR) shot a 1-over 72. Sebastian Cappelen (Arkansas Razorbacks) had a 2-over 73. Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) had a 7-over 78.

FOOTBALL No renegotiation

A person familiar with the situation says the Atlanta Falcons won’t renegotiate Julio Jones’ contract this season, casting doubts on whether the star receiver will be in training camp next week. The Falcons informed Jones several weeks ago that they didn’t have

room under the salary cap to offer him a new deal for this season, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the contract talks have not been made public. Jones dipped on the NFL’s list of highest-paid receivers during the offseason when several players received huge new contracts, including Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans and Cleveland’s Jarvis Landry. Jones is set to make $10.5 million this season, $12.5 million in 2019 and $11.4 million in the final season of a six-year, $71.3 million contract he signed in 2015. The current deal includes $47 million in guaranteed money.

N.C. players sold shoes

North Carolina Athletic Director

Bubba Cunningham said Thursday morning the school self-reported an NCAA violation because it found that football players were selling shoes. That is against NCAA rules. The news of the violation was first reported after UNC appeared at the ACC’s annual football media day in Charlotte. Cunningham said he didn’t know offhand how many players were selling shoes. UNC’s season starts on Sept. 1 at California. The news of the violation also comes less than a year after the NCAA wrapped up a multiyear investigation into whether many of UNC’s athletes benefited from African-American Studies courses that never met and required little work. UNC was not penalized after the conclusion of that investigation. The most recent violation was deemed “a secondary violation,” which is considered minor. But Cunningham said it was possible that players could be facing suspension.

OLYMPICS Skating medalist dead

Denis Ten, an Olympic bronze medalist in men’s figure skating in 2014, died Thursday at age 25 after being stabbed in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Ten was taken to the hospital after the attack and died a few hours later. Russian news media reported that two men had been trying to steal mirrors from Ten’s car. Born in Almaty, Ten was part of Kazakhstan’s Korean minority. He moved to Moscow to train at a higher level at age 10, then to Southern California to work with top American coach Frank Carroll. He won a surprise silver medal at the world championships in 2013, then a bronze at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. This year he had hoped to do well in the Olympics in South Korea, his ancestral home. But hampered by ankle, back and hip injuries, he placed 27th.

MOTOR SPORTS Hamilton signs contract

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has finally signed a new contract with Mercedes. After months of deliberation and stalling, the four-time F1 champion penned a new deal with Mercedes until 2020. No figures were given in a Mercedes statement on Thursday, but it is reportedly estimated at 40 million pounds ($52 million) per year. Mercedes has won the past four drivers’ and constructors’ championships — with Hamilton clinching three of them — but this season is testing the Silver Arrows team. Hamilton trails Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel by eight points, and Mercedes is 20 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. Hamilton, 33, has won 65 races — 44 of those with Mercedes — and secured 124 career podiums. He is the F1 record holder with 76 pole positions.