BRIEFLY : PAK CONTINUES HER HOT SUMMER.

Byline: Daily News Wire Services

A message for the folks back home: Se Ri Pak is feeling fine and in the mood to win.

Her summertime resurgence on the LPGA Tour continued Thursday as she moved into the first-round lead of the JAL Big Apple Classic with a 5-under 66 at New Rochelle, N.Y.

``I want to get the trophy,'' she said. ``I want it. . . . Now I am working more hard than last year.

``My country people keep asking what happens to her, how long do we have to wait, is she not practicing?'' Pak said. ``I tell them I want to win more than anything, but it's not that easy.''

Pak broke out of a slump of sorts when she won at Atlantic City, N.J., in late June, and two weeks later won the Jamie Farr tournament at Toledo, Ohio.

On Thursday, she led Tina Barrett, Jane Geddes, Pearl Sinn, Rachel Hetherington and tour rookie Mi Hyun Kim, a Korean native like Pak, by one stroke.

Defending champion Annika Sorenstam, who set the tournament record last year with a 19-under 265, shot a 1-over 72.

TENNIS: Retirement took a literally different meaning for Steffi Graf in the A&P Tennis Classic at Mahwah, N.J.

Graf, who said earlier this week she would probably leave the women's tour at the end of the year, retired from her quarterfinal match with Jennifer Capriati after the first game of the third set.

Graf, who won the first set 7-5, had said in a telephone conference call Monday that she has been suffering from bronchitis. A Graf spokesman said she withdrew because of a reaction to medication, not because of bronchitis.

After Capriati won the second-set tiebreaker 7-3 and held serve, Graf, looking drained, walked over to the chair umpire, held up her hands and signaled she could not go on after 90 minutes of play.

HOCKEY:New York Rangers defenseman Jeff Beukeboom said he will be unable to resume his NHL career because of a series of concussions last season. Just a few hours later, the Rangers signed forward Tim Taylor, who played for the Boston Bruins last season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning fired assistant coaches Rick Paterson and Paulin Bordeleau, a day after the team dropped head coach Jacques Demers.

The Mighty Ducks have agreed to terms with defenseman Niclas Havelid, who played in the Swedish League last season.

SOCCER:Midfielder Cobi Jones and defender Robin Fraser were named to the 20-man roster that will represent the United States at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Mexico. Claudio Reyna, a key playmaker on the U.S. team, will miss the tournament to remain in Europe with the Glasgow Rangers for Champions Cup qualifiers.

BOXING: Undefeated David Reid, the only American to win a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics, defends his WBA junior middleweight championship against Kevin Kelly of Australia tonight in Atlantic City, N.J. A tape of the fight will be televised by FX at 10 p.m.

MOTOR SPORTS:Two-time world champion Michael Schumacher is probably finished for the Formula One season after breaking his leg in a crash at last week's British Grand Prix. Schumacher's manager said the Ferrari driver will need three months to recover. The season ends Oct. 31 in Japan.

WATER POLO: Steve Heaston, who coached California's men's water polo team to three straight national titles from 1990-92, died after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 51.

BASKETBALL: Ron Artest, the Chicago Bulls' second first-round pick and the 16th player taken overall in last month's NBA draft, signed a three-year contract with the team.