Briefly

GOLF

Suzy Whaley considered all of the negative aspects of playing inthe Greater Hartford Open, and decided it was too important anopportunity to pass up.

The 36-year-old golf pro and mother of two accepted an invitationto play in next year's tournament, a move that will make her thefirst woman to play in a PGA Tour event.

* Augusta National Golf Club showed no signs of bowing to pressureto allow women to join, even after a former CBS chief executiveThomas H. Wyman became the first member to defect from the club overthe issue.

FOOTBALL

* Tommy Maddox is the Steelers' starting quarterback again, andthat means Kordell Stewart is headed back to the bench.

* Star rookie defensive end Julius Peppers of the CarolinaPanthers was suspended for the final four games of the season forviolating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

* Chicago Bears tight end Dustin Lyman will miss the rest of theseason because of a torn ligament in his left knee.

* A knee injury that was first thought to be minor will sidelineSteelers tight end Mark Bruener for the rest of the season.

* The Minnesota Vikings asked a judge to dismiss counts whichrelate to their relationship with the club's physicians and otherdoctors, workers' compensation and Korey Stringer's contract, in a$100 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by Sringer's widow.

BASKETBALL

* Dikembe Mutombo will undergo surgery Thursday to repair a tornligament in his right wrist, sidelining the New Jersey Nets centerfor at least two months.

* Cavalier Coach John Lucas called his two-game suspension ofleading scorer Ricky Davis "a necessary evil" and part of the youngteam's growing process.

Lucas suspended Davis for yelling at teammate Tyrone Hill duringthe third quarter of Friday's loss against Philadelphia.

* Felony domestic abuse charges won't be filed against TrailBlazers forward Ruben Patterson after his wife asked prosecutors todrop the case.

Patterson was arrested at his home Nov. 25 after his wife,Shannon, called 911 and reported that her husband had assaulted her.

BASEBALL

* Jim Thome, fighting back tears, said the desire to win causedhim to leave Cleveland and sign with the Philadelphia Phillies for an$85 million, six-year contract, a deal that gives him the 15th-highest average salary in baseball at $14,166,667.

* Dumping yet another big salary, the Oakland Athletics tradedcloser Billy Koch to the Chicago White Sox in a six-player trade.

In exchange for Koch and two minor leaguers, the Athletics willget White Sox closer Keith Foulke, catcher Mark Johnson, minor leagueright-hander Joe Valentine and cash.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers reached a tentative agreement with theCubs to trade first baseman Eric Karros and second baseman MarkGrudzielanek to Chicago for catcher Todd Hundley.

* Former Texas manager Jerry Narron was hired as bench coach ofthe Boston Red Sox.

TRACK AND FIELD

* Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones, his training partner andgirlfriend, were honored with the 2002 Jesse Owens Awards, presentedannually to the outstanding U.S. male and female track and fieldathletes.