GOLF

Henrik Stenson played arguably the greatest single round, a nine-under 63, in the 28 years of the Nedbank Golf Challenge to take a five-shot lead after the first round of the 2008 tournament at Sun City on Thursday. The tall Swede’s amazing round, one of only three which were under par, will stand as a new record following extensive alterations made to the Gary Player CC course three years ago.

RUGBY 7’s

Springboks Sevens coach Paul Treu has been waiting for years for his charges to secure a home win in the IRB Sevens World Series in George - and for the third time they come off a Dubai win to try and achieve what seems to have become a mental block for them. However, this could well be the Sringboks' weekend. Sevens kings New Zealand are struggling to get to terms with the loss of some stars and the integration of newcomers; Fiji's discipline and handling cost them dearly in Dubai, and Samoa are beatable. England, if the past is anything to go by, lack consistency.

CRICKET

England captain Kevin Pietersen said on Thursday he was confident that his team would travel to India for next week's first test in Chennai despite the recent atrocities in the country. England's squad were flying to Abu Dhabi on Thursday to practise while England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) security experts evaluate the situation in Chennai where the first test is scheduled to start next Thursday.

SOCCER

Roy Keane walked away from Sunderland on Thursday after a run of five defeats in six matches convinced him he was no longer the man to take the relegation-threatened club forward. Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn, who brought Keane to the Stadium of Light in August 2006, said the parting of the ways had been amicable, and backed his former Ireland team-mate to return to management once he has had a break from the game.

SOCCER

The offices of the South African Football Association (Safa) -- a mere five minutes from Soccer City's 2010 World Cup headquarters at the OmniPark Office Complex -- were raided by a gang of five robbers on Wednesday night and a member of the staff was seriously injured. Wellington Ngcobo, a member of Safa's Competitions Department, was attacked and roughed up by the gang, who demanded information about valuables in the offices and robbed him of his personal belongings.