Mickelson holds two-shot lead at CA Championship
Phil Mickelson chipped in for another birdie and wound up with a 6-under-par 66 on Friday to build a two-shot lead in the CA Championship at Doral, Fla., putting him in the last group at Doral for the first time in three years.
The only difference this time will be the company he keeps.
Tiger Woods, his nemesis on the Blue Monster, was 10 shots behind.
“It kind of (stinks),” Mickelson said. “I hope he comes out tomorrow and plays a great round and makes a move. I would love to get him back from ’05. I came close in ’05 and got beat, and I would love the opportunity to play head-to-head.”
Mickelson was at 13-under 131 and will have to settle today for Buick Invitational winner Nick Watney, who shot a 67 and will join Lefty in the final group.
Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland who is trying to become the youngest PGA Tour winner in history, finished with an eagle and a birdie on two dangerous holes for a 66 and was two shots behind. He was tied with 48-year-old Kenny Perry, who has three children older than McIlroy.
Woods beat Mickelson in an electric final round four years ago at Doral that came down to the last shot. They were paired again in the last group in the third round in 2006, and Woods got the best of him again.
This time, however, Woods looks like just another player in the field.
He again struggled with his distance control, the frustration growing with every shot too long or too short, leaving him few birdie chances. He made some progress, though – a 70, one shot better than the day before.
But he was at 3-under 141 and in a tie for 35th in the 80-man field at this World Golf Championship. Woods returned from knee surgery two weeks ago in match play, but this is first stroke-play event since he won the U.S. Open last June, and it showed. It was the first time in his 19 starts at a WGC event that he has failed to break 70 the first two rounds.
•Sindelar leads Champions Classic: Joey Sindelar shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over two-time winner Tom Purtzer in the AT&T Champions Classic at Santa Clarita, Calif.
Sindelar, winless in 22 starts on the Champions Tour after winning seven times on the PGA Tour, hasn’t had a bogey in 38 holes.
•Jones leads in Puerto Rico: Matt Jones shot a 30 on his back nine and finished with an 8-under 64 to match the course record, giving him a share of the 36-hole lead with fellow Australian Jason Day in the PGA’s Puerto Rico Open at Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
•Local product Prugh in mix at New Zealand: American Martin Piller shot a 4-under 68 today to top the crowded third-round leaderboard in the New Zealand Open at Queenstown, New Zealand.
New Zealand’s Grant Waite (66) and Josh Geary (68) were a stroke back along with Alex Prugh (69), a Ferris High School graduate.
Football
Rams cut Holt
The St. Louis Rams released wide receiver Torry Holt, parting ways with one of the last remaining holdovers from their “Greatest Show on Turf” glory days.
The move came three days after the Rams released offensive tackle Orlando Pace, another mainstay from the era when the Rams won their only Super Bowl and lost another on the game’s final play.
•Rolle likely out of Baltimore: The Baltimore Ravens are expected to release former Pro Bowl cornerback Samari Rolle in the next few days, the player’s agent said.
After Baltimore signed free agent Domonique Foxworth, Rolle figured his playing time with the Ravens would be limited. So he asked the team to grant him his release, and the Ravens are expected to comply.
•Chiefs make coordinator hire: Clancy Pendergast, the defensive coordinator for Arizona’s run to last season’s Super Bowl, was hired as defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.
NBA
Knicks make push
Wilson Chandler scored 24 points to spark the New York Knicks to a third straight victory on their critical road trip, 102-94 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis.
With six not-quite-average teams pushing for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have strengthened their chance with this week’s surge. They lifted their road record to 10-22 and made sure they’d stay no more than 1 1/2 games out of eighth place.
•Pistons hold off Raptors: Richard Hamilton had 24 points and 16 assists, Antonio McDyess added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the Raptors 99-95 in overtime at Toronto.
Rodney Stuckey scored 17 points and Jason Maxiell matched a season high with 16 for Detroit.
•Pistons owner dies: Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson, who was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame last year, died at Bloomfield Hills, Mich. He was 86.
Winter sports
Mackey leads Iditarod
Two-time defending champion Lance Mackey reached the Yukon River first in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, earning a gourmet meal and a pile of cash at Anvik, Alaska.
The winner in this year’s race will receive $69,000 and a new truck. The $610,000 purse is paid to the top 30 finishers. Sixty-seven teams began the race. Three have scratched.
•American wins speedskating event: Trevor Marsicano of the United States won the 1,000 meters and teammate Shani Davis was third at the world single distances championships in Richmond, British Columbia.
Marsicano finished in 1 minute, 8.96 seconds, beating Canada’s Denny Morrison by 0.04 seconds.
•Vonn’s streak ends: Sandrine Aubert of France won the last World Cup slalom of the season, while Lindsey Vonn’s streak ended as she finished 18th at Are, Sweden.
Vonn finished out of the points. But the American had a stellar week, winning the downhill Wednesday, the super-G Thursday and setting a U.S. women’s record by clinching her second overall title.
Boxing
Bute retains title
Undefeated Montreal fighter Lucian Bute successfully defended his IBF super-middleweight title, stopping Fulgencio Zuniga in the fourth round in front of 12,153 fans at the Bell Centre in Montreal.