Daly Loses His $30-Million Deal

John Daly, who withdrew from the PGA Tour last month because of personal problems, lost his 10-year, $30-million sponsorship Wednesday with Wilson Sporting Goods Co.

The company said it has suspended its contract with Daly, one of golf’s most popular players.

Wilson said it will resume its relationship with him under a “restructured agreement” once the company is satisfied Daly has met “specific behavioral and performance objectives.” Wilson did not elaborate on those requirements.

“Wilson has been very supportive of me during my career, so I understand and support the company’s decision,” Daly said.

Reebok suspended its contract with Daly earlier this year.

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Headed by Tiger Woods of Cypress, the U.S. team is favored in the World Men’s Amateur Golf Championship, which begins today on two courses west of Paris.

Woods, an 18-year-old Stanford freshman, is the newly crowned U.S. Amateur champion.

Jurisprudence

The jury in the civil trial of five Los Angeles Police Dept. officers being sued by Olympian Al Joyner heard testimony from Joyner’s coach, who said the 1984 gold medalist in the triple jump was on pace to make the 1992 U.S. Olympic team.

Tommie Lee White testified that Joyner was certain to qualify for the U.S. team in the 110-meter hurdles and would have done well in the Barcelona Olympics. White said that after the police incident Joyner lost his focus, became “hyper-vigilant” to noises and was unable to train properly.

Joyner is seeking monetary damages for a traffic stop on May 8, 1992 in which Joyner was ordered from his car at gunpoint and handcuffed after police had mistakenly read his car’s license plates. His attorneys are arguing that the incident caused emotional stress that prevented Joyner from qualifying for the Olympic team.

Tennis

Top-seeded Martina Navratilova advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Indoor tournament at Zurich, Switzerland, with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 victory over fellow American Meredith McGrath.

Navratilova has never won at the Zurich tournament but hopes to record her 168th tour victory this week thanks in part to the absence of injured Steffi Graf, a six-time winner at Zurich.

Second-seeded Boris Becker of Germany survived a second-set loss and defeated American Steve Bryan, 6-4, 1-6, 6-0, to move to the quarterfinals in the Australian Indoor championships at Sydney.

Miscellany

The Nevada Supreme Court dismissed a legal effort to prevent the Michael Moorer-George Foreman heavyweight title fight scheduled for Nov. 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The court let stand an earlier ruling in district court that ordered the World Boxing Assn. to sanction the bout.

Ernie Irvan returned to a racetrack for the first time since an Aug. 21 crash left him with severe head and chest injuries. He appeared relaxed and cheerful as he spent about three hours in the garage area at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch came strongly to the defense of China’s athletes, saying they did not take drugs and also that sport in China was “very clean.”

Speaking one day after China’s female weightlifters set 14 world records at the Asian Games at Hiroshima, Japan, Samaranch told Reuters he was not surprised a nation with a 1.3 billion population would reach the top ranks of international sport.

Names in the News

The Portland Trail Blazers signed first-round draft pick Aaron McKie of Temple to a six-year, $7-million contract, two days before the start of training camp. . . . The New York Knicks announced the signing of first-round draft choice Monty Williams of Notre Dame to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed. . . . Daniel T. Flynn has been named chief administrative officer of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Flynn was the venue executive director in Chicago for the 1994 World Cup. . . . Rookie Ward Burton’s record-setting lap of 185.759 m.p.h. at Charlotte Motor Speedway earned him the top starting spot for Sunday’s Mello Yello 500 Winston Cup race. Burton’s time beat the qualifying record, a 179.027 m.p.h. lap by the late Alan Kulwicki in 1992, and the track mark, Jeff Gordon’s 181.439 m.p.h run in May. . . . Bowler John Mazza defeated Parker Bohn III, 216-183, in the title match to win the inaugural $250,000 AMF Dick Weber Classic in Richmond, Va.