Christa Johnson teamed with Nancy Scranton to win the BJ's Charity Classic for the second straight year.

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Completing a remarkable week in which he finished second at the U.S. Amateur, Rincon/University High School grad Michael Thompson returned overnight to Alabama, caught up on sleep and began classwork for his senior season.

Friday, Thompson accompanied his Crimson Tide teammates to Japan for the Topy Cup, a college golf competition. He won't return until Saturday. So much for catching one's breath.

His longtime golf teacher, Susie Berdoy Meyers of the Oro Valley Country Club, put Thompson's rise to golf prominence in perspective.

"I started teaching Michael when he was 14, so this isn't a big surprise to me,'' said Meyers, who played at the UA in the early '80s and spent several years on the LPGA Tour. "When I got my first look at him, I told his dad (Mike), 'Hold on here; this young man has got something.' I knew right away he had the goods."

After finishing fourth in the NCAA championships in June, Thompson probably enters the season as college golf's No. 1 player. He will play at the 2008 Masters and U.S. Open. He has asked Meyers to be his caddie at Augusta National, just as she was at his U.S. Amateur debut three years ago at Winged Foot.

Meyers, who is married to 1994 Arizona Amateur champion Dan Meyers, said that Thompson won't be unfamiliar with Augusta National when he arrives for the Masters.

"Once you are invited, as is Michael, you can play at Augusta any time you want,'' she said. "He is a five-hour drive from Augusta, and the parents of his coach at Alabama happen to live in Augusta, which will give him a place to stay. Pretty nice.''

Jack Darlington, a Salpointe Catholic High School receiver who was the Star's Southern Arizona player of the year in 2004, has been forced to retire from football.

Rather than travel to Nebraska on Saturday and be part of Nevada's starting receiver rotation, Darlington remained in Reno. He is recovering from a second concussion since he joined the Wolf Pack, starting four games as a true freshman in 2005.

"I was messed up pretty good after I got hit in training camp,'' he said. "The doctors told me I would be susceptible to more concussions and that football was no longer an option for me. It's very disappointing.''

An honor student at Salpointe, Darlington twice made the WAC's All-Academic first team. His top game was against Hawaii last year; he caught eight passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.

"In the long run, obviously, it's best that I don't play again, but I'm really going to miss it,'' he said. "I'll stay in school here and get my (business management) degree. My family was all set to fly up to the Nebraska game. I guess I just took one hit too many.''

Tucsonan Christa Johnson, who won LPGA titles at the Tucson Open in 1984 and 1991, won again last month. She earned a split of $100,000 for successfully defending her championship at BJ's Charity Classic in Boston, an LPGA Legends Tour event. She teamed with Nancy Scranton. In addition to the $50,000, Johnson has earned $10,145 in 13 starts on the LPGA Tour this season. … Amy Skieresz-Wilson, the greatest female distance runner in UA history, with seven NCAA championships, has resigned as Arizona's women's cross country coach. Skieresz-Wilson has moved to Prescott with her husband, former Arkansas distance running All-American Ryan Wilson, who accepted a regional management position there with Chase bank. Thus, with UA men's cross country coach James Li in Japan for the World Championships, the Cats opened the season sans a full-time coach on hand. … Syndric Steptoe, who was a remarkable kick returner and receiver at Arizona last season, lost in his bid to win the Cleveland Browns punt-returning job last week. Joshua Cribbs, who was Steptoe's competition, returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown (and another for 24 yards) in Cleveland's final preseason game. Now Steptoe hopes to cling to a final roster spot as a backup receiver or, barring that, a role on the practice squad.

Salpointe Catholic grad Kris O'Dowd's impressive move into USC's starting lineup, No. 1 center, in the first game of his true freshman season, is also a terrific career harbinger. The only other Trojans to start on the USC offensive line in the first game of their true freshmen season were first-round NFL draft pick Brad Budde,1976, and second-round pick Travis Claridge, 1996. Not that the pressure at USC ever relents; the Trojans already have a commitment from Orange County prep center Matt Kalil, possibly the top center prospect in the West this year. Matt is the son of former Arizona starting guard Frank Kalil, who completed his eligibility under Larry Smith in 1982. … Tucson High School grad Tremaine Cox had a productive freshman season as an Arizona tailback in 2001. That's a long time ago in college years. But Cox is still playing. He is the backup tailback at Western New Mexico, which was beaten in its season opener Thursday at NAU. Cox gained 13 yards in five carries; after losing his academic eligibility at Arizona, Cox has played for Arizona Western and Southern Utah. … After completing eligibility for Sahuaro High School in May, left-hander Pat McCoy signed a $100,000 contract with the Washington Nationals. Last week, he completed his first pro season in Florida's Gulf Coast Rookie League where he was tried as a starter (five starts) and reliever (five appearances) over 28 innings. He had a 3.81 ERA.

One of the cornerstones of Andy Lopez's UA baseball program, and the school's 2004 College World Series team, catcher Nick Hundley, was selected last week to the Class AA Texas League All-League team. Playing for San Antonio (a San Diego affiliate), Hundley hit 20 home runs in just 99 games. He will join the Padres' other top prospects in the Arizona Fall League, playing for the Peoria Saguaros. … Tucsonan Abdi Abdirahman finished second in the 10,000 meters at the World Championships in Japan last week. He now will make a notable career change: he will become a permanent marathon runner after making U.S. Olympic teams in 2000 and 2004 as America's leading 10K runner. "The Olympic trials for the marathon are November in New York's Central Park, and Abdi will begin training immediately for that,'' said Dave Murray, Abdirahman's coach at the UA and as a pro. "He's in the best shape of his life and has a chance to medal in the Olympics as a marathoner.'' Murray will join Abdirahman for some September training in Flagstaff. … Luis Lanz, a soccer standout at Salpointe Catholic last year, has scored two goals in his first three college games at Hawaii-Hilo. His teammate at Hilo, Clay Campbell, a former Catalina Foothills player, also has started as a true freshman for Hilo.

Marana's Joe Parsons is making a move as one of the top performers on the ProRodeo circuit. He won a title at the Caldwell (Idaho) rodeo last month in the tie-down roping competition, earning $8,245, which boosted his season total to $51,362, or 12th among PRCA tie-down competitors. At the same rodeo in Caldwell, Tucsonans Colter Todd and Cesar de la Cruz won the team roping title, worth $10,936. You can watch Parsons, Todd and de la Cruz at various times through Sept. 15 on Fox Sports Net Arizona. Highlights of the Caldwell Rodeo will be replayed for one hour every day. … Recuperating in Tucson from a left wrist injury, ex-Wildcat and CDO outfielder Brian Anderson's season is over; he will not be recalled by the White Sox this month. He instead is scheduled to play in the Mexican Winter League. Anderson last played July 6 for Class AAA Charlotte. White Sox GM Ken Williams told Chicago reporters that Anderson's future is tricky. "Brian is a talent,'' Williams said. "He should not be just another player. He can be a special major-league player for a long time. But only if he's committed and focused. He's always been a hard worker, but sometimes you take a step back to take two steps forward.'' Anderson hit .118 in 17 at-bats for the White Sox this year. … Tucsonan Jamie Vermilyea, who spent two terms with the Blue Jays this season, was not recalled when they expanded their roster for September. Instead, Vermilyea, who has been injured this year, will be sent to the Arizona Fall League and pitch for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The Sabino High School grad is completing the Class AAA season at Syracuse.

Hidden among the ESPN superlatives given last week to UA point guard recruit Brandon Jennings — ranked as ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2008 — was this gem about fellow UA recruit Emmanuel Negedu:

"He's a good defender who plays like Ben Wallace, tough and productive,'' wrote Bob Gibbons, a recruiting analyst who ranks Negedu the No. 13 overall prospect of all high school players.

Ben Wallace? Have you seen him play? He's a beast. He is exactly what Arizona hasn't had for two blah seasons. If indeed the 6-foot-7-inch New Hampshire prep school prospect is anything close in style of play to Ben Wallace — or even ex-UA all-conference stud Ben Davis — Lute Olson will have a season-long smile.