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Woods leads pack at Doral Tiger, Mickelson in position to relive last year’s final-round duel Doug Ferguson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MIAMI — 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 12 th hole in two shots and ran off a string of birdies along the back nine of the Blue Monster for an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Mickelson and four others in the Ford Championship at Doral. i his guy I lger 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 two of golf’s biggest personalities, with Woods pulling ahead with 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 Thursday 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 and 116 players were at par or better. “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.” Woods got off to a hot start on a tropical afternoon with birdies on three of his first four holes, including a tee shot within a foot on the 222-yard fourth hole. Mickelson made three straight birdies around the turn, and while his gallery was about one fourth the size of those watching Woods, they were as passionate as ever. 1 here were throaty cheers when Lefty made a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 5, and one man yelled, “Yeah! He’s letting Tiger know that he’s coming!” At that point, Woods was only about 250 yards away as he walked down the 14th fairway. He -hit 9-iron into 10 feet, the start of three straight birdies that shot him to the top of the leaderboard. His 64 was his best score in the first round on the PGA Tour since a 63 in the 2003 Western Open, which he went on to win by five. It was sizzling stuff, even though it was only Thursday. There are still three days left, and loads of other players capable of denying fans an encore. Camilb Villegas, one of several promising rookies who hit the ball a mile, birdied four straight holes until settling for a two putt par from about 8 feet on the 18th. That put him at 65, along with former PGA champion Rich Beem, Ryan Palmer and Mark Wilson, one of five players who got into this elite field with a top 10 finish in Tucson last week. At times, it seemed like a replay from last year. Woods had 282 yards to the hole on the monster 12 th hole, and he hammered a 3-wood that floated enough in the air to clear the bunker and reach the green. This time, he had to settle for a two-putt birdie, bouncing on his feet as the ball trickled to a stop inches from the front of the cup. 1 hen there was Mickelson, facing a 30 foot birdie chip after having to lay up on the par-5 eighth. The ball ran hot toward the hole, spun out of the cup, and Lefty threw his head back in disbelief. The good news for Mickelson? It’s only Thursday. And with a mild breeze in the afternoon and soft conditions, no one could afford to take their foot off the gas if they wanted to keep their positions. “If you shoot even par, you’re going to get run over here,” Woods said. * ' 1 1 " ' I Gamecocks ^Connection! Your source for Gamecocks news alerts right on your wireless pnone! Get up-to-the-minute news about the Gamecocks, from the Gamecocks, on your wireless phone. Log on to www.vtext.com and select "Coaches Corner!" Subject to Customer Agreement and Calling Plan. $35 activation fee may apply. $175 early termination fee applies. Requires credit approval. Subject to taxes, charges and other restrictions. See verizonwireless.com/bestnetwork for network claim details. Digital phone required. Verizon Wireless post pay customers charged 2? per message received and 10? per message sent. Verizon . Wireless prepay custopners charged 5? for messages received and sent. Network not available in all arjeas. ©2004 Verizon Wireless TOURRflfllERT • COnilRUCD PROITl 8 champion. It’s hard to see how teams such as Italy, the Netherlands, China and South Africa can compete. Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the players’ association, persuaded Mike Piazza to play for Italy. He tried to get Mike Mussina, too. “I told him I’m not Italian and nobody in my family is Italian,” Mussina said. The tournament starts with Group A, which runs from Friday to Sunday at the Tokyo Dome. Other players report to their national teams Friday, and the three other groups start play Tuesday after a bunch of exhibition games. Group B, based in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz., includes the United States, Canada, Mexico and South Africa. Group C is in San Juan and has Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama and the Netherlands. Group D games are at Kissimmee, Fla., and involve the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Australia and Italy. After each team plays three games, the top two teams in each group advance to second-round groups in Anaheim, Calif., and San Juan. The semifinals on March 18 and the final on March 20 are in San Diego. Some players have backed out. Mets closer Billy Wagner and Cleveland pitcher C.C. Sabathia dropped off the U.S. team Wednesday and were replaced by Washington right-hander Gary Majewski and Yankees left-hander A1 Leiter. Boston’s Manny Ramirez, . who just got to spring training Wednesday, quit the Dominican team as did Angels star Vladimir Guerrero, who cited the death of his three cousins last weekend in a car .. accident. “If a player is on the fence, whether he’s going to make a team or not, I would prefer he stays,” said Los Angeles Dodgers manager Grady Little, who is losing outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to the Puerto Rican team. “It’s different if you’re Derek Jeter or someone of that caliber.” Yankees center field Johnny Damon, a member of the U.S. team, predicted play would be close to postseason intensity. “The last thing we want to do is embarrass our country,” he said. Ortiz, citing the pitch limits that will be used, predicts a lower level of play. “I see *it like pretty much spring training games,” he said. “I don’t think any one of the players is ready to play a full game yet, so it’s going to be' interesting.” Baltimore is among the teams losing many players to the tournament — 11, including four-fifths of its starting rotation — Rodrigo Lopez (Mexico), Erik Bedard (Canada), Bruce Chen (Panama) and Daniel Cabrera (Dominican Republic). - raul Archey, senior vice president of Major League Baseball International, projects the tournament will sell at least 800,000 tickets and said only standing room remains for the semifinals and final. Sales also have gone briskly in Puerto Rico and in Tokyo for the games involving Japan. It appears second round games in Anaheim have moved the slowest. “I feel confident the event will make money and there will be profits to. distribute,” he said. BdSCBRLL • COnTinUCD PRQfll 8 junior lefthander Forrest Beverly. “He’s gonna stifle a lot of people if he’s 100 percent.” USC leads Clemson in batting average thus far. The Gamecocks are batting .291 to Clemson’s .277. Lately, USC’s hot bats have been senior third basemen Neil Giesler, batting .462 on the season, and freshman first basemen Justin Smoak, who had five RBI last Sunday against Duquesne. vve were picKing rne ball up, we were pitching it pretty well, but we weren’t hitting it on a consistent basis,” Tanner said. “And the last couple of weekends have been a little bit better, especially last weekend against Duquesne. You feel better about that balance.” Smoak, freshman shortstop Reese Havens and junior college transfer Cheyne Hurst are batting over .325 collectively, a sign of quick maturation in the starting lineup. USC will greatly benefit if this group can perform well in its first Clemson series and neutralize Berken. “The most important thing for me this weekend is to see how grounded our guys are,” Tanner said. Despite all the numbers though, the weekend’s outcome will probably be determined by the intensity of its rivalry. As is the case in many sports, Clemson also recruited most of USC’s younger players. On whether he visited the Tigers, Smoak said, “I did once. But I’m here now, and that’s all that matters.” iresnman Mike i^isco elaborated about how the process' took place for him. “Clemson and South Carolina were my two,” said Cisco, who has been to Carolina-Clemson games in the past. “I took visits to Carolina and Clemson. And it turned out I liked the staff and the program better here,” Cisco said. The rivalry began in 1899 and has -resulted in 271 total contests. Clemson leads the series 159-110 2. USC’s veterans have explained the importance of the rivalry to their younger teammates. “We’ve got a bunch of older guys that tell us and let us know how things are going to be,” Smoak said. This week, people outside of baseball have reminded players of the rivalry’s importance. They’ve been called for tickets by rarely seen acquaintances and have heard rumors of the sold-out atmosphere; Freshmen like Havens, Smoak and Cisco are all South Carolinians, however, and understand the series’’ significance for the most part. v^isco saia: 1 was sitting right above the third base dugout thinking ‘Wow, it must be amazing to play in front of this many fans.’ I couldn’t even hear myself talk in the stands.” Tanner elaborated on the competition’s intensity: “I think we have the best rivalry in college baseball. You talk about the Florida Florida State’s, and all the other big ones around the country, and I think this one’s the best.” The series will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Sarge Frye Field and will conclude at Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium on Sunday at 2 p.m. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@givm. sc. edu GRCCI1 • C0nTinUCDPR0fll8 roughly six-and-a-half hours north of Tampa. As you enter the Peach State, the Field Mob/Ludacris song “Georgia” should be playing on the stereo. The Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors, of the NBA, battle Tuesday in what may be a game where neither team has a single player that an average fan can identify. vviicii uic game ovci you head to Buckhead for a bit of relaxation. Wednesday, also in Atlanta, the Thrashers take on the New York Islanders. NHL games are a fun experience, far better than trying to watch them on TV. The rule changes put into effect after the league was on strike make the pace of play more exciting. After the hockey game Wednesday, you get a strange feeling. So far, you have had a lot of fun, covered a lot of miles and seen some great events, but something seems missing. “Vegas baby, Vegas.” That old quote from the movie “Swingers” keeps rolling through your mind. You decide to make this little trip a cross-country one, and head out West. Alter 28 hours or driving, you reach Las Vegas. Friday night, the Las Vegas Gladiators take on the Grand Rapid Rampage in an Arena Football League matchup. You just can’t accept the fact that football ends with the Super Bowl, and this is your fix. Saturday is to relax and recover from all the driving. Sitting poolside at a casino hotel, sipping on daiquiris, in between a few sessions at the blackjack table, you get a great idea — Bon Jovi. Saturday night, Bon Jovi will perform at the MGM Grand, and this is a concert that must not be missed. NASCAR is in Vegas on Sunday for the running of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. This is a fitting way to end the week, watching cars race each other for hundreds of miles, because you have been racing all over the country as well. It is also the moment you realize that spring break is going to have to be extended for a few more days because getting all the way back to Columbia will take quite some time. Might as well skip Monday and Tuesday, but it’s worth it. AME COCK Nobody covers USC better. Nobody. * » \