Phil Mickelson to join Tiger Woods in N.C.

Phil Mickelson will be right there when Tiger Woods tees it up again.

This time, the two will square off at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, N.C.

A day after Woods announced that the event will be his second tournament since his return from a sex scandal, Masters champion Mickelson committed to play on Friday. The tournament begins April 29 at Quail Hollow Club. Mickelson edged Woods and the rest of the field on Sunday to win his third title at Augusta National.

Woods finished tied for fourth at the Masters in his first competition since a shocking scandal over his infidelity.

A grueling Masters finally caught up to K.J. Choi at the Verizon Heritage, and Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III and Greg Owen took advantage to top the second-round leaderboard at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Furyk (68), Howell (67) and Owen (69) were tied at seven-under-par 135, a stroke ahead of a group that included two-time Verizon champion Boo Weekley and Stuart Appleby.

Choi opened with a 64 on Thursday. However, he couldn’t maintain that pace and fell three shots off the lead after a 74.

Mark O’Meara shot a six-under 65, taking a one-stroke lead over Mike Reid and defending champion Nick Price in the first round of the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am at Lutz, Fla.

Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice shot a five-over 76 — seven strokes better than his opening 83 — in the Fresh Express Classic at Hayward, Calif., to miss the cut in his Nationwide Tour debut.

TENNIS

Nadal, Djokovic win

Rafael Nadal moved into the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic of Serbia advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over David Nalbandian.

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the semifinals of the Family Circle Cup with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Nadia Petrova at Charleston, S.C.

Second-seeded Jelena Jankovic was upset by Daniela Hantuchova, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.

ETC.

Dodgers edge Kings

Thursday night’s Game 1 between the Kings and Vancouver Canucks on Fox Sports West had a 1.5 household rating, averaging 128,000 viewers in Southern California, while the Dodgers on Prime Ticket had a 1.9 household rating or 145,000 viewers, according to the Nielsen Co.

— Diane Pucin

UCLA has signed junior college transfer Lazeric Jones to a national basketball letter of intent.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound guard will be a junior next season after transferring from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill. He previously attended Simeon High in Chicago.

Longtime racing writer Bob Mieszerski has been named director of publicity at Hollywood Park, succeeding the retiring Mike Mooney.