Woods shoots 64, leads Mickelson by one
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson resumed their duel at opposite ends of Doral on Thursday, and the outcome didn’t change.
Woods was still one shot better.
In a balmy start to the Florida swing, Woods again reached the 603-yard 12th hole in two shots and ran off a string of birdies along the back nine of the Blue Monster for an 8-under-par 64 and a one-shot lead over Mickelson and four others in the Ford Championship at Doral in Miami.
“This guy Tiger seems to play well every day, every week,” Mickelson said. “I’m just trying to keep pace. I’m trying to maybe have another shot at dueling out with him on Sunday, and I’m glad that he’s playing well. I’ve got to do my part and stay with him.”
Woods won last year in a scintillating showdown between golf’s two biggest personalities, with Woods pulling ahead on a 30-foot birdie putt at No. 17 and Mickelson lipping out a birdie chip on the last hole.
They teed off at the same time but on opposite nines.
They were together only on the leaderboard, although both had some catching up to do on a day when 60 players broke 70.
“The times I looked at the board, neither one of us were up there,” Woods said. “We weren’t leading. I knew 7 (under) was leading, so try to get up there somehow.”
College basketball
Hairston vows to stay with Oregon
Oregon sophomore guard Malik Hairston, who is averaging 14.1 points and 4.2 rebounds, plans to return to the men’s team next season rather than enter the NBA draft.
The Ducks are 13-16 this season but should return nine top players.
Boxing
Ex-boxer files lawsuit against Gatti
A former boxer who said he sustained permanent brain damage in a 2000 bout against Arturo Gatti has filed a lawsuit in New York, saying Gatti weighed too much for the fight.
Joey Gamache, 39, and his wife filed a lawsuit in federal court Feb. 21 alleging breach of contract over the Feb. 26, 2000, bout at Madison Square Garden. Gatti won the fight.
Horse racing
Brother Derek heads nine-horse field
On a day when two Kentucky Derby winners are running, dozens of promising 3-year-olds will try to earn a chance to run for the roses.
Top Derby prospect Brother Derek heads a nine-horse field for today’s Santa Catalina Stakes at Santa Anita, a few races before last year’s Derby winner Giacomo goes against eight rivals in the Santa Anita Handicap at Arcadia, Calif.
Funny Cide, the 2003 Derby and Preakness winner, faces seven challengers in the Gulfstream Park Handicap before favorite First Samurai takes on nine rivals in the Fountain of Youth Stakes.
Auto racing
Second race in Mexico set for Sunday
This time around, the cry “Caballeros arranquen sus motores,” Spanish for “Gentlemen start your engines,” might not sound so foreign.
A year after it held the first NASCAR race in Mexico, the Busch Series is south of the border again, preparing for Sunday’s second installment of the Telcel-Motorola 200 at Mexico City without many of the concerns about security and logistics some teams raised before taking on the 2.518-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course here in 2005.
Last year’s winner in Mexico City, Martin Truex Jr., isn’t coming back, but 29 Busch Series regulars are expected to run, as are nine Mexican drivers, all of whom are familiar with Hermanos Rodriguez.