Cold weather causes more delays at Phoenix Open

Tommy Gainey and Mark Wilson topped the leaderboard at the PGA Tour’s Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz., reaching 11 under par before second-round play was suspended Friday because of darkness in the frost-delayed tournament, which will finish Monday.

Wilson played 14 holes in the second round, and Gainey finished nine.

Frost delayed play until just after 11 a.m. — 94 minutes after the scheduled start, which was nearly two hours later than normal. Only half the field finished the first round Thursday after a four-hour delay.

The delays — costing a total of 7 hours 24 minutes of playing time — pushed more than half of the second round to Saturday. In announcing the Monday finish, tour officials said the cut will remain at the top 70 and ties.

Only six players finished the second round and 64 — the entire early wave from the first round — did not get on the course Friday.

Gainey birdied six of the final eight holes and take the first-round lead at eight-under 63, then had four birdies and a bogey on the first nine holes in the second round. Wilson opened with a 65 and was five under for 14 holes in the second round.

Phil Mickelson, on the leaderboard Thursday after a 67, did not start the second round.

Lee Westwood shot a three-over 75 and missed the cut at the Qatar Masters at Doha, opening the door for Martin Kaymer to replace him at the top of the world rankings. Austria’s Markus Brier shot a 66 and took a one-shot lead over South Africa’s Darren Fichardt (68) after the second round. Kaymer could advance to No. 1 with a second-place finish. He shot a 70 and is 10 shots back.

BASEBALL

Pettitte lost ‘hunger’ to play

Andy Pettitte announced his retirement at Yankee Stadium, saying he no longer has the “hunger” to pitch another season. With his wife, Laura, sitting at his side, Pettitte said he had conflicting feelings about leaving the game. He said “it was an easy decision, but it wasn’t an easy decision.” As recently as two weeks ago, he thought he would return for another season.

The 38-year-old said at a news conference that his body was in shape to pitch but “my heart’s not where it needs to be.”

Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion, went 240-138 with a 3.88 earned-run average in 16 major league seasons, 13 of them with the Yankees. He set a major league record for postseason wins, going 19-10 with a 3.83 ERA.

The St. Louis Cardinals and outfielder Jim Edmonds, 40, agreed to a minor league contract. Edmonds was a key component of the Cardinals’ 2006 World Series title team and five others that made it to the postseason from 2000 to 2007. He hit 241 home runs with St. Louis, fourth on the franchise’s career list, and is the team’s postseason leader in games and runs batted in.

Free-agent slugger Vladimir Guerrero agreed to a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal will not be completed until Guerrero passes a physical. A second person with knowledge of the deal said the agreement is worth $8 million.

HORSE RACING

Two big days at Santa Anita

Santa Anita will follow its popular Sunshine Millions weekend with another lucrative thoroughbred card Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday offers the traditional Strub Stakes, a $200,000 race at a mile and an eighth for 4-year olds and up. Indian Firewater and once-beaten Twirling Candy will each carry 123 pounds, five more than the six other entries, and are expected to be the betting favorites.

Also Saturday, 3-0 Turbulent Descent, already with winnings of $328,350, will lead the betting in the $250,000 Las Virgenes, a mile race for 3-year-old fillies. The program will also include the $100,000 Thunder Road, a mile on the turf that will include 37-1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Dakota Phone.

Also on Saturday, Zenyatta connections Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs will receive the first Secretariat Vox Populi Award, which was established to honor the horse that annually brings the top recognition to the sport. Secretariat owner Penny Chenery will make the presentation.

Sunday’s feature will be the $150,000 San Antonio, a 11/8-mile race for 4-year-olds and up.

— Bill Dwyre

ETC.

Swimmer Peirsol retires

Aaron Peirsol, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, said he has retired from competitive swimming. Peirsol, who still holds world records in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke, told his hometown newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman, he no longer had sufficient motivation.

“Retiring is such a strange word. I’m 27 years old. I’ve still got stuff to do,” Peirsol said. “But to do this right, you’ve got to give it 110%. I can’t give it 110% any more.”

Peirsol, who attended USC, won five gold and two silver medals at the Olympics as well as 10 gold medals at the world championships and was the world’s premier backstroker for almost a decade.

New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro is out again, this time for four to six weeks because of broken bones in his face caused by a punch from Pittsburgh Penguins counterpart Brent Johnson. The oft-injured Islanders goalie was felled by a left hook above his right eye Wednesday night in New York’s 3-0 loss at Pittsburgh. The Islanders said Friday that the punch caused broken facial bones. That and swelling in his knee are expected to keep DiPietro out of action for at least a month.

Daniel Paille of the Boston Bruins was suspended for four games by the NHL for an illegal check to the head of the Dallas Stars’ Raymond Sawada. Paille is the fifth player suspended this season under a new rule aimed at cracking down on dangerous hits.

Marlies Schild of Austria won a World Cup slalom at Zwiesel, Germany, for her fifth victory of the season, and American Lindsey Vonn sat out the race because of a concussion. Schild posted a two-run time of 1 minute, 55.19 seconds in foggy conditions. Veronika Zuzulova of Slovakia was second in 1:55.87, and Tanja Poutiainen of Finland was third. Overall leader Maria Riesch of Germany fell in the first heat.

Supercross returns to Angel Stadium on Saturday night with two-time champion James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto each having won two of the first four races of the season.

Villopoto won the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series’ season opener Jan. 8 in Anaheim, and Stewart followed with a victory in Phoenix. After Villopoto bounced back with a win in the first supercross race ever held at Dodger Stadium, Stewart won again last weekend in Oakland.

— Jim Peltz