Billy Gillispie thought winning at Kentucky would be enough, that adding a Final Four banner to the rafters at Rupp Arena would endear him to one of college basketball's most ardent fan bases more than any handshake, autograph or toothy grin ever could.

He won, but not enough. He shook hands, but not enough.

After just two years, Kentucky had had enough.

The school fired Gillispie yesterday, citing philosophical differences between the hard-scrabble coach and an administration that views its head coaching position as more than just another job.

"There is a clear gap in how the rules and responsibilities overseeing the program are viewed," said athletic director Mitch Barnhart. "It is a gap I do not believe can be solved by just winning games."

Losing too many games during Gillispie's brief two-year tenure certainly didn't help.

The Wildcats went 40-27 under Gillispie, including a 22-14 mark this year that tied for the second-most in the program's 106-year history and forced them to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991.

GOLF

O'HAIR LEADS PALMER BY 3; TIGER LURKS

Bay Hill was so penal yesterday that most players figured it would be difficult for anyone to shoot a low number and separate themselves from the pack. Sean O'Hair apparently didn't get the memo.

O'Hair opened with three straight birdies and didn't drop a shot until his final hole, which gave him a 5-under 65 for a three-shot lead over Jason Gore heading into the weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla.

Tiger Woods remained in the mix for a sixth title at Bay Hill, courtesy of a short game that turned a mediocre round into a 69.

EGER'S 67 TOPS CHAMPION'S CAP CANA

David Eger shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to top the crowded first-round leaderboard in the Champions Tour's Cap Cana Championship at Cap Cana, Dominican Republic.

Eger, a two-time winner on the 50-and-over tour, had a one-stroke lead over Nick Price, Eduardo Romero, Keith Fergus, Tim Simpson and Tom Jenkins.

Greg Norman, making his first start in a regular-season event on the Champions Tour, opened with a 73 on the Punta Espada course.

FIGURE SKATING

SOUTH KOREA'S KIM LEADS AFTER SHORTS

Kim Yu-na practically sprinted through the short program and away from a strong field yesterday at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles.

With coach Brian Orser mimicking her every move by the sideboards, the two-time Grand Prix champion from South Korea built a stunning 8.2-point lead over Canada's Joannie Rochette. Her 76.12 score was the best in history for a woman, and it had Orser doing his own sort of triple jump — three leaps in the air, arms held high — when she finished.

Defending champion Mao Asada of Japan was third heading into today's free skate, and her countrywoman, 2007 world champion Miki Ando, was fourth.

And the Americans almost certainly have too far to go to secure three spots in the Vancouver Olympics field. They need a combination finish equaling 13 or lower, but Rachael Flatt came in seventh yesterday, and U.S. champion Alissa Czisny was 14th.

TENNIS

FEDERER CRUISES IN KEY BISCAYNE

Roger Federer began his bid for a third Key Biscayne title by beating American Kevin Kim, 6-3, 6-2, yesterday at Key Biscayne, Fla.

The No. 2-seeded Federer moved into the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open. Seeded players had first-round byes.

Federer hopes to end a slump that has left him without a title in his last 12 Masters tournaments, the ATP Tour's most prestigious events aside from the Grand Slams.

No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who won the Key Biscayne title in 2007, beat Frank Dancevic, 6-3, 6-2. No. 13 James Blake broke serve in the final game of each set to defeat Julien Benneteau, 6-4, 6-4.

In women's play, Olympic gold medalist and fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva took advantage of shaky serves by Anastasia Pivovarova to win, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3.

AND WHAT'S MORE ...

Anthony Grant, 42, has been hired as Alabama's new basketball coach after three successful years with Virginia Commonwealth, replacing Mark Gottfried, who resigned under pressure from his alma mater in midseason. ... Points leader Jeff Gordon will start from the pole position, followed by Kurt Busch and Clint Bowyer, for tomorrow's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., after steady rain washed out yesterday's qualifying. ... Adam Krikorian, who led UCLA to seven water polo national championships in the past 10 years, replaced Guy Baker as the U.S. women's national team coach yesterday. ... The San Francisco 49ers finally released offensive tackle Jonas Jennings yesterday after four injury-filled seasons where he played in just 23 of the 64 games, finishing three seasons on injured reserve.