From Beacon Journal wire services

Sergio Garcia birdied all the par 5s and picked up a bonus birdie with a 50-foot putt on the 14th hole to finish with a 6-under-par 66 for a 2-shot lead after the first round of The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

It was a good step toward ending an 0-for-53 victory drought on the PGA Tour, the longest of his career.

''At the end of the day, the only thing I can do is keep working on it, keep giving myself chances, and it's going to happen,'' Garcia said. ''I feel like I'm getting closer and closer.

''At least now, I feel like I can do it, and it's just a matter of being able to do it.''

Kenny Perry and Paul Goydos each had a 68 in the mild, morning breeze on a perfectly conditioned golf course. Sawgrass turned tricky, if not downright difficult, in the afternoon, and Ernie Els was among those who paid dearly.

Els was at 2 under until his wedge came up 20 feet short of the island green on the 17th, and he barely kept his third shot on land. He wound up with a triple bogey, and a 12-foot birdie on the final hole that gave him a 70 didn't improve his spirits.

''I think they should blow it up,'' Els said. ''Everything you worked for in 41/2 hours, in one shot it's all gone.''

Former Ohio State and Walsh Jesuit player Ryan Armour shot an 81 and withdrew from the event.

More golf: McKay in Michelob lead

• Scotland's Mhairi McKay shot a course-record tying 63 to take a 1-shot lead after the first round of the Michelob Ultra Open in Williamsburg, Va. Annika Sorenstam and Sun Young Yoo each shot 64 to share second. Lorena Ochoa and Diana D'Alessio were next with 65s.

• John Daly shot a 5-under 67 to trail co-leaders Ross McGowan and Marco Ruiz by 3 strokes after the first round of the Italian Open in Milan. The 609th-ranked Daly, who hasn't finished in the top 10 of a tournament in three years, had seven birdies and two bogeys.

NFL: Final year for Browns' McGinest

• Browns linebacker Willie McGinest says the 2008 season will be his last. McGinest told SI.com for a story that he wants to finish his career on one last playoff run. ''This will be it,'' he said. ''This will be my 15th season. I've worked hard; I think I've done everything I set out to accomplish.'' McGinest, who played 12 seasons and won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Browns in 2006.

• Michael Vick must pay the Royal Bank of Canada about $2.4 million after a U.S. judge found the former quarterback broke a loan agreement when the National Football League suspended him for running a dogfighting ring. The U.S. District Court in Newport News, Virginia, found that the bank can recover principal, interest and court fees from Vick, who borrowed $2.5 million in January 2007 shortly before losing his job with the Atlanta Falcons and being sent to federal prison.

Tennis: No. 1 Henin out in third round

• Top-ranked Justine Henin was upset by Dinara Safina 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 in the third round of the German Open in Berlin. Serena Williams breezed to her 17th straight win, ousting Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Defending-champion Ana Ivanovic struggled past Sybille Bammer 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 and third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova lost to Alona Bondarenko 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

• Andy Roddick and James Blake advanced to the quarterfinals of the clay-court Rome Masters, marking the first time in six years two Americans reached the final eight. Roddick silenced a partisan crowd with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Simone Bolelli of Italy, and Blake rallied past Fernando Verdasco of Spain 5-7, 7-5, 6-2.

Boxing: Mosley-Judah fight off

• Sugar Shane Mosley's (44-5, 38 KOs) fight with Zab Judah (36-5, 25 KOs) on May 31 was canceled after Judah seriously injured his arm in an accidental fall. The former undisputed welterweight champion severely cut his right forearm and needed 50 stitches to close the wounds.

• The heavyweight title fight between WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev (24 wins, one draw) of Uzbekistan and Nikolai Valuev (48-1) of Russia will be in Hannover, Germany, on July 5. The fight was scheduled for May 31 in Oberhausen, but postponed because Chagaev has a viral infection.

College: Huggins hits head

• West Virginia University officials say basketball coach Bob Huggins was taken to a hospital in Charlotte, N.C., for precautionary reasons after tripping on an airport tarmac and hitting his head on the pavement. Athletic Director Ed Pastilong says Huggins had a bump on his head, and never lost consciousness. After Huggins got off the plane, he was checking his cell-phone messages when he tripped over a cone.