Hard-Luck Estes Takes Lead at 62

Bob Estes, yet to win in seven seasons on the PGA Tour, birdied the last hole for a nine-under 62 Thursday and one-stroke lead after one round of the $1-million Texas Open in San Antonio.

Estes hit a five-iron to within three feet for the closing birdie that broke a tie with Bob Tway.

At 65 were J.L. Lewis, Bob Burns, rookie Steve Rintoul, Steve Stricker and Brian Kamm.

Paul Azinger, however, withdrew after his back problems failed to respond to treatment.

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A rejuvenated Seve Ballesteros avenged a first-round rout last year by collecting 13 birdies and beating David Frost, 8 and 7, in the first round of the World Match Play Championship in Virginia Water, England. . . . Britain’s Laura Davies was four under par in the LPGA’s World Championship of Women’s Golf when play was suspended by a third rain delay with each of the 16 players still on the course in Naples, Fla.

Tennis

Martina Navratilova avoided an early exit in her last European tournament by staving off a match point before rallying to beat Lori McNeil, 5-7, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, at the Porsche Grand Prix in Filderstadt, Germany. Martina Hingis of Switzerland also advanced into the quarterfinals by rolling past Christina Singer of Germany, 6-1, 6-4. The 14-year-old prodigy is playing in her second tournament as a pro.

Top-seeded Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Chang, Stefan Edberg and Todd Martin won third-round matches at the $1-million Super Seiko tournament in Tokyo.

Names in the News

Pittsburgh Penguin assistant coach Bryan Trottier, the sixth leading scorer in NHL history, has filed for Chapter 7 protection under the federal bankruptcy code. In court documents in Pittsburgh, Trottier, who played on six Stanley Cup championship teams with the Penguins and New York Islanders, listed assets of $141,629 and debts of $9,498,897 to 23 creditors. . . . In an amended complaint, recent therapy was cited as the reason for a lawsuit by Rickey Henderson’s half-sister, charging the Oakland Athletic outfielder raped her when they were children, according to court filings in Oakland. Paula Henderson, 31, didn’t understand until February after the therapy that her half-brother’s repeated assaults were wrong, according to the complained filed by attorney Daniel Horowitz in response to a ruling last week by Judge James Lambden, who said the statute of limitations may have expired in the lawsuit.

The St. Louis Cardinals are expected to name front-office executive Walt Jocketty of the Colorado Rockies as the club’s new general manager today. . . . First baseman Todd Benzinger and pitcher Bud Black have refused outright assignment by the San Francisco Giants and become free agents. . . . New York Jet quarterback Boomer Esiason sued a hospital for unspecified damages for allegedly failing to diagnose that his son had cystic fibrosis. St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood, Ky., performed an outdated test in 1992 to determine whether Gunnar Esiason, now 3, had the sometimes-fatal lung disease, according to the lawsuit.

Miscellany

Champion older mare Sound Dash, Avison and Refrigerator head a strong six-horse field in tonight’s Los Alamitos Championship race at Los Alamitos race course.