Tigers

SAN DIEGO - Tiger Woods made it look easy on a dreary day at Torrey Pines and wound up in a place he hasn't been in five years. He had the 36-hole lead by himself at one of his favorite PGA Tour stops. Woods didn't miss a shot during a four-hole stretch around the turn on the North Course that included a 5-iron to five feet for eagle and a wedge that one-hopped off the pin to set up birdie. It carried him to a 7-under 65 on Friday and gave him a 2-shot lead in the Farmers Insurance Open.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday, a woeful start to the season for the world's top two golfers. Woods missed it after he was penalized 2 shots for wrongly taking a free drop, while top-ranked McIlroy was frustrated trying to adjust to his new Nike clubs, even though he used his old Titleist putter in the second round. Both finished with 3-over 75s. Justin Rose played solid, mistake-free golf. Away from the large galleries, the Englishman shot a 69 for a 136 total and a 1-shot lead at the halfway point over Jamie Donaldson (70)

JaKarr Sampson scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half and St. John's handed the No. 20 Notre Dame men's basketball team its second straight loss, 67-63, at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The Red Storm (10-7, 2-3 Big East), who had lost two straight and four of five, had a 12-point lead midway through the second half and despite giving it all up, they managed to score the game's final six points for the win, their third straight over the Fighting Irish. Eric Atkins had a season-high 21 points for Notre Dame (14-3, 2-2)

R ORY McILROY and Tiger Woods are on the same team now - at least when it comes to sponsorship. McIlroy officially made the switch to the swoosh on Monday as Nike announced it had signed a multiyear deal with the top-ranked Northern Irishman. The deal means Nike now has golf's two biggest names representing its brand, as Woods has been with the sportswear company since turning pro in 1996. Nike did not disclose any financial details of the deal, but industry observers have estimated that McIlroy will be paid up to $20 million a year to use the company's equipment and apparel.

PRINCETON - The start of the Ivy League season Saturday night gave Penn the chance to wipe the slate clean on a nonconference schedule that is better left forgotten. Getting that opportunity in Princeton at the home of its greatest rival and preseason Ivy favorite certainly didn't do the young Quakers any favors. Taking advantage of sharp three-point shooting and a slew of Penn turnovers, the Tigers sent the Quakers to their eighth straight loss with a 65-53 victory at Jadwin Gymnasium.

Every new year in golf is shrouded in mystery like the clouds over Molokai across the channel from Kapalua, Hawaii, where the PGA Tour gets under way with the Tournament of Champions on Friday. Here's what to look for in the new season: European captain. The Americans went back in time by picking Tom Watson as Ryder Cup captain. Does that mean Europe needs to answer with a larger-than-life figure for its captain? There have been suggestions that Colin Montgomerie would return over Darren Clarke or Paul McGinley.

THIS TIME next winter, if all goes according to plan, Jamie Betancourt's teeth will not chatter like crazy each time he walks down the street. To borrow and slightly alter a famous saying, it pays to have friends in warm places. Betancourt, a 6-1, 160-pound senior, is a promising combo guard for Kensington High's basketball team, and one of his best buddies is Daiquan Walker, who last year helped Constitution win the overall Public League title and the PIAA Class A state championship, and now is making early headway for the University of Central Florida.

NEW YORK - R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays agreed to a new contract Monday, clearing the way for the New York Mets to trade the NL Cy Young winner to a Toronto team that's spending a lot of money trying to join baseball's elite. A person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press the trade could be completed once the 38-year-old knuckleballer passes a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither team made an announcement. The Mets would receive top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud as the centerpiece of the multiplayer swap.

The Detroit Tigers on Friday agreed to a five-year, $80 million deal with righthanded pitcher Anibal Sanchez , according to agent Gene Mato . The Tigers, who typically will not announce a signing until the player has passed a physical, declined to comment. If the numbers are true, Sanchez's contract is bigger than that of ace Justin Verlander , who signed a five-year, $79.5 million contract three years ago. Sanchez was considered the No. 2 pitcher available on the market, behind Zack Greinke , who recently agreed to a six-year, $147 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Caroline Coyer scored 12 points off the bench and Laura Sweeney (Cherokee) had 11 points and nine rebounds as Villanova's women's team defeated visiting Princeton, 61-54, at the Pavilion. The win was the seventh straight for the Cats (8-1). The Villanova bench scored 29 points. Niveen Rasheed had 15 points for the Tigers (6-4). Penn State 60, Virginia Tech 41 - Maggie Lucas (Germantown Academy) scored 17 points, Mia Nickson added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Coquese Washington collected her 100th career coaching win as the No. 11 Nittany Lions (8-2)