Mickelson Stays Close to Goosen

Retief Goosen shot a four-under-par 68 in the second round of the Ford Championship at Doral on Friday, moving him to nine-under 135 and one shot ahead of Phil Mickelson (68), Craig Parry (65) and Todd Hamilton (68) at Miami.

Goosen had six birdies and two bogeys. Mickelson would be leading if not for a few missed putts and the par-four No. 18. He bogeyed the 467-yard hole for the second consecutive day.

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Tiger Woods is playing just well enough to stay in contention at the Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates. He shot a three-under 69 in the second round and was six strokes behind leader Paul McGinley, who shot a 65. McGinley is one stroke ahead of Mark O’Meara (64).... Andy Bean shot a five-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over Jim Colbert and Stewart Ginn after the first round of the Champions Tour MasterCard Classic at Huixquilucan, Mexico.

Tennis

Unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova handed top-seeded Justine Henin-Hardenne her first loss in 17 matches the year, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, in the semifinals of the Qatar Open at Doha. Kuznetsova plays third-seeded Anastasia Myskina today in an all-Russian final. Myskina beat second-seeded Jennifer Capriati, 6-2, 6-2.... Top-seeded Roger Federer defeated Andrei Pavel, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals of the Dubai Open in the United Arab Emirates.... Top-seeded Andy Roddick beat Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-4, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The five top-ranked women’s players -- Henin-Hardenne, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati -- along with three-time champion Venus Williams, have all committed to play in the Acura Classic, July 26-August 1 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.

Pro Football

Cornerback Antoine Winfield, a free agent who spent his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills, agreed to a $35-million, six-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings, less than a day after backing out of a deal with the New York Jets.... The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms on a one-year contract with four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Armstead, who was released by the Washington Redskins.

Miscellany

UCLA appears ready to add a quarterback for the 2005 season in former Venice High standout Eddie Miller, who was granted his scholarship release from Louisville in December. He plans to begin taking classes April 5 and take part in the start of spring practice April 7.

A record 87 teams will hit the trail today for the longest sled dog race in the world. Thousands of mushing fans were expected to descend on downtown Anchorage to watch the ceremonial start to the 1,100-mile Iditarod race to Nome, Alaska.

Australia’s Chad Reed overcame a late-race crash to win the Daytona Supercross 250cc title at Daytona Beach, Fla. James “Bubba” Stewart won the 125cc title.

Passings

A memorial service will take place today at 12:30 p.m. for Ray Ortiz at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive.

Ortiz died at Veterans Hospital in Westwood on Feb. 20 of pancreatic cancer. He was 72. Ortiz owned the Stardust Lounge in Downey, which was frequented by some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.