Sports briefs

GOLFWatson, 65, shoots 66

Tom Watson, 65, took advantage of cooler morning conditions yesterday to shoot a 4-under 66, grabbing a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the U.S. Senior Open. With the temperature soaring over 100 degrees in the afternoon in Sacramento, Watson, the eight-time major champion, overcame a double bogey early in his round at the Del Paso Country Club and had four birdies in a six-hole stretch. Michael Allen, Lee Janzen, Jeff Hart, Jim Carter, P.H. Horgan and Woody Austin shot 67.

Bubba leads with a 62

Bubba Watson hit it stiff on the final hole for the last of his nine birdies in an 8-under 62 in the first round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. Keegan Bradley, with a 64, tied for second with Jason Gore, Seung-Yul Noh, Brian Stuard and Harris English.

SOCCER

Dempsey punished again

Seattle forward Clint Dempsey has been given a minimum two-year suspension from the U.S. Open Cup and a second fine for his conduct toward a match official during a game last week. The penalty announced by a U.S. Soccer Federation panel was in addition to a three-game league ban and fine announced last week by Major League Soccer. Dempsey was punished for a confrontation with a referee June 16 in the Sounders' loss to rival Portland, when he grabbed a notebook from the official and tore it after a teammate was given a red card. -- APMMA

No MMA approval by NY

A New York legislative official confirmed a bill to legalize mixed martial arts would not make it to the floor yesterday, the final day of the 2015 legislative session. New York remains the only state -- and the only North American entity -- with a ban on professional MMA, a law enacted in 1997 when the sport was unregulated by state athletic commissions and had far fewer rules than it does now.