Pro golf

WATNEY LEADS IN SHANGHAI: Making the first of two trips to China this month, Nick Watney made an immediate impression Thursday in the HSBC Champions by tying the course record with an 8-under 64 to build a two-shot lead.

As hundreds of cameras inside and outside the ropes tagged along to see Tiger Woods open with a 67, Watney quietly went about his business on a sunny afternoon at Sheshan International Golf Club with an accidental eagle and four straight birdies.

He was 9 under through 13 holes until settling into a string of pars and ending his round with a three-putt bogey from the fringe.

"The greens are so good that if you hit a putt on line, it's definitely going to go in," Watney said. "I was putting very well. Just tried to give myself as many chances as possible, and I was able to make a few."

Pro football

NOW WANTS CABLE SUSPENDED: The National Organization for Women called on the Oakland Raiders to suspend coach Tom Cable while the team investigates allegations he has a history of violent behavior toward women.

NOW president Terry O'Neill praised the Raiders in a statement for undertaking a "serious evaluation" of charges made by Cable's first wife, Sandy Cable, and former girlfriend, Marie Lutz, that the coach physically abused them at various times during their relationships.

But she said that Cable should be suspended while that investigation proceeds. The Raiders had no comment.

"This is the National Football League. Boys and girls around the country, as well as many women, look to the leaders of the NFL as our role models," O'Neill said in a phone interview. "Why would the NFL tolerate having a man who admits to having battered his wife."

College football

VU'S RUNDH EARNS ACADEMIC HONOR: Valparaiso University defensive lineman Adam Rundh was named to ESPN The Magazine's First Team Academic All-District V First Team for the third straight season.

Rundh has made 21 tackles in just five games while battling injury. The senior has 1.5 quarterback sacks and two other hurries to his credit on the year. He has 109 career total tackles, 30 for loss, and 12 sacks. He has blocked three kicks, forced a fumble, and recovered another.

In the classroom, Rundh carries a 3.94 cumulative grade point average as an international business and finance double major.

Men's basketball

NCAA CLEARS IU'S MUNIRU: Indiana freshman Bawa Muniru has been cleared by the NCAA to play college basketball this season.

The Hoosiers had been waiting for the NCAA's eligibility center to make its ruling on Muniru, a 6-foot-11, 260-pound center from Tumu, Ghana. Muniru played high school ball the last two seasons in the U.S. The decision takes immediate effect.

Coach Tom Crean said he understood it would take the NCAA time to do a thorough review and appreciated the work done both by the eligibility center and compliance officials at Indiana.

The Hoosiers host Saint Joseph's College in their final exhibition Monday night, then open the season at home against Howard on Nov. 13.

PURDUE SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE: A limited number of season tickets remain for the upcoming season.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Purdue athletic ticket office reported that 92 season tickets remain available.

Tickets can be purchased at the Purdue ticket office, located on the ground floor of the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Region time, Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available online at purduesports.com, or by calling the athletic ticket office at (800) 49-SPORT.

College softball

MARIAN'S GRAY COMMITS: Marian Catholic junior Rebecca Gray, a Crete resident, verbally committed to SIUE-Edwardsville on Thursday.

She is the program's all-time leader in batting average (.469), and Gray's 31 wins are seventh-best in school history.

Local golf

FIRST TEE HOLIDAY GALA: The First Tee of Hammond will present a holiday gala on Dec. 11 at The Dynasty Banquets in Hammond to honor the top 20 2009 participants. Arlen Sims will be the Keynote Speaker. Tickets are $40 and must be purchased by Nov. 25. For more information, call (219) 228-2528 or e-mail info@thefirstteehammond.org.

Around the horn

Race registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Sunday with a 9 a.m. start for Purdue Calumet's annual Fall Frolic 4-mile run/1.5-mile walk, located in the Fitness & Recreation Center at the south end of campus, south of 173rd Street. Part of the Gold Cup series, the run offers a flat, fast track through neighborhood streets adjacent to Purdue Calumet's Hammond campus. The registration fee is $20 for runners and $15 for walkers. All participants will receive a long-sleeved race T-shirt. ... Calumet College men's soccer player Ryan Fentress (Griffith) was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 1.