BRIEFLY.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Reports

Mother's wish comes true

Dakoda Dowd opened play Thursday with a birdie in the LPGA Ginn Open in Reunion, Fla., doing so while her terminally ill mother looked on, surrounded by friends and family.

Wearing a pink shirt and black skirt, the 13-year old teed off at 9:32 a.m., her first ball sailing down the left-center of the fairway. Dowd finished the day with a 2-over 74.

Kelly Jo Dowd is fighting cancer for the second time in four years. When Ginn officials learned Kelly Jo's wish was to see her daughter, who has won dozens of amateur tournaments, play against the LPGA's best, they made it possible with an exemption into the field.

Cristie Kerr finished atop the leaderboard with a 7-under 65 after the first round.

--Simi Valley's Hidi Haginomori shot a 5-under-211 to finish tied for seventh in the A.G. Spanor Tour's Sacramento Open.

FOOTBALL: Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has contacted the San Diego Chargers this week about the possibility of starting talks of relocating.

Team officials responded that their lease with San Diego bars them from talking with other cities until Jan. 1.

BOXING: The rematch between "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Fernando Vargas is a done deal and it will take place July 15 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The junior middleweight fight will be available on HBO pay-per-view for $49.95.

- Robert Morales

AUTO RACING: Dale Earnhardt,the seven-time NASCAR champion, who died in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500, was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega, Ala.