PGA Tour to begin drug testing in July

The PGA Tour plans to start its drug-testing program as early as July, with penalties for a positive test that could range from a one-year suspension for a first offense to a lifetime ban if a player is caught three times. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said players will receive a manual containing a list of prohibited substances that fall under 10 categories, ranging from anabolic steroids to human growth hormones to narcotics to beta blockers as part of an education program that will extend through June. Finchem said the tour can test players without limit to time, location, or frequency. Finchem said violations for recreational drugs, such as marijuana or cocaine, could be treated differently from steroids, and that the tour would disclose violations and report the penalty . . . The PGA Tour playoffs will take a two-week break next year to give players a chance to be fresh for the Ryder Cup. The first three playoff events for the FedEx Cup - the Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship, and BMW Championship - will be played consecutive weeks starting Aug. 21. After the BMW Championship in St. Louis, the tour will have a week off before the Ryder Cup Sept. 19-21 at Valhalla in Kentucky . . . The winner of next year's FedEx Cup title will receive $10 million immediately, instead of a deferred payment.

The Dallas Stars fired general manager Doug Armstrong after a disappointing 7-7 start following a third straight exit in the first round of the playoffs. Armstrong, who had been with the Stars for 17 years and their GM since 2002, will be replaced on an interim basis by Brett Hull and Les Jackson. Hull, who won the Stanley Cup for the Stars with a controversial goal in Game 6 of the 1999 finals against Buffalo, has worked in the Dallas front office since last season. Jackson was the assistant GM . . . The Rangers' Sean Avery denied making cancer-related comments to Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake before a pregame altercation between the clubs Saturday. Avery exchanged words and shoves with Blake, who was recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia, and Darcy Tucker during warmups before New York's 3-2 shootout victory . . . The NHL fined Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky $10,000 and suspended Phoenix defenseman Nick Boynton for a game as a result of a third-period altercation in Monday's 5-0 loss to San Jose. The suspension is automatic for a player who instigates a fight in the final five minutes of regulation or in overtime. The fine also is automatic . . . Defenseman Maxim Kondratiev, 24, refused assignment to Anaheim's AHL affiliate in Portland and was suspended by the minor league team. Kondratiev has returned to Russia and intends to play for St. Petersburg of the Russian Superleague.

Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was fined a Big 12-record $10,000 for his harsh criticism of game officials following Saturday's 59-43 loss to Texas. Leach was reprimanded and put on notice that "any future such behavior will result in a more serious penalty, including a possible suspension," the conference said in a release. After Texas beat Texas Tech, Leach condemned the officiating crew in Austin, calling their work "a complete travesty." . . . The University of South Carolina said it will not hold its traditional "Tigerburn" pep rally before its football game with archrival Clemson because of an Oct. 28 fire that killed seven of the schools' students last month. Clemson has canceled its own ceremony, where students hold a mock funeral and burn in effigy "Cocky," the University of South Carolina's gamecock mascot . . . Louisville freshman basketball forward George Goode has been ruled ineligible to play this season.

The Societe Nautique de Geneve, the Swiss yacht club that is home of America's Cup champion Alinghi, is asking an American rival to withdraw its lawsuit by Friday to ensure the 2009 competition will be raced on schedule. The group is being sued by BMW Oracle Racing's Golden Gate Yacht Club because the US syndicate claims that Spanish boat Desafio Espanol is an "invalid challenger." If Golden Gate continues with its lawsuit in New York state and wins, it would then be able to renegotiate the race format with Alinghi - likely pushing the event into 2010 . . . Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both lost to friends in the round-robin phase of the season-ending Masters Cup tennis tournament featuring the world's top eight players in Shanghai. Nadal lost to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, while a weary Djokovic lost to Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 6-2, and was eliminated from contention for the semifinals with one match left in the Gold Group. . . . Nikolay Davydenko won an appeal against a $2,000 fine imposed by the ATP Tour for "lack of best effort" during an upset loss to Marin Cilic at the St. Petersburg Open last month . . . Milwaukee Bucks forward Michael Ruffin will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken left wrist suffered Sunday in a 113-88 loss in San Antonio when he tried to block a shot . . . Prosecutors in Sacramento declined to file charges against Kings center Justin Williams over allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman . . . Chicago Fire captain Chris Armas retired following a 12-year career in Major League Soccer, including the last 10 years in Chicago . . . The US soccer team will play Mexico Feb. 6 in an exhibition game at Houston, with fans partitioned into sections depending on their rooting interest (US, Mexican, and "mixed/neutral") . . . An Internet-based collective of soccer fans from more than 70 countries, called MyFootballClub, agreed in principle to buy a 51 percent controlling interest in Ebbsfleet United, a lower-league English soccer club. The deal will give them a vote on everything from team lineup selections to which players should be transferred.