Rickie Fowler routs Phil Mickelson at Match Play Championship

Hotter than his matching pink shirt and shoes, Rickie Fowler led a dynamic charge of golf’s next generation Thursday in the Match Play Championship at Marana, Ariz. Fowler brought Dove Mountain to life as much with his game as his attire, making two eagles in a span of three holes to send Phil Mickelson to his worst loss, six and five, in this event.

Equally impressive was Italy’s teen sensation, 17-year-old Matteo Manassero, who hit a six-iron to four feet on the 17th hole and closed out Charl Schwartzel of South Africa to advance. Of the 16 players remaining, eight are younger than 30.

That includes Nick Watney, who steadied his emotions over the last three holes to knock out top-ranked Lee Westwood — the third year in a row the No. 1-seeded player did not make it out of the second round. The highest-seeded player left was Martin Kaymer, who needed 20 holes to beat Justin Rose.

David Toms got off to a good start in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory in more than five years, shooting five-under-par 66 for a share of the first-round lead in the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Andres Gonzales, Mark Hensby and Kyle Stanley also opened with 66s.

Japan’s Chie Arimura overcame strong winds and shot a four-under 68, taking a one-stroke lead after the first round of the LPGA Tour’s HSBC Women’s Champions at Singapore.

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USC hires receivers coach

With the start of spring football practice less than a month away, USC Coach Lane Kiffin filled a vacancy on his staff by hiring Ted Gilmore as receivers coach, the school announced. Gilmore replaces John Morton, who left USC to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff with the San Francisco 49ers.

Gilmore, 43, coached the last six seasons at Nebraska. He also was the Cornhuskers’ recruiting coordinator from 2007 to 2010.

— Gary Klein

St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright is to have ligament-replacement surgery on his right elbow and will sit out the 2011 season. Wainwright won 20 games last year and was runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Alex Kovalev from the Ottawa Senators for a conditional draft pick. The trade was announced shortly after Coach Dan Bylsma announced defenseman Brooks Orpik is expected to sit out between four and six weeks because of a broken finger on his right hand.

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Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones was sentenced to probation and 200 hours of community service under a plea deal for his role in a 2007 strip club melee in Las Vegas.

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Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, winners of six of the previous eight Dubai Championships, remained on course to meet in the final with straight-sets quarterfinal wins.

Vera Zvonareva rallied from 5-3 down in the deciding set to defeat Daniela Hantuchova, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Ladies Open at Doha. Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy, 6-2, 6-0.

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UC Irvine and teams from three historically black colleges — Bethune-Cookman, Grambling State and Southern — will play in the Urban Invitational, a round-robin baseball tournament, at the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton from Friday through Sunday. Reggie Jackson, Maury Wills, Reggie Smith, Tommy Davis, Dave Stewart and Al Downing are scheduled to appear in ceremonies Saturday. Information: (310) 763-3479.

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The Lakers’ second consecutive NBA championship was named the top sports moment of 2010 at the L.A. Sports Awards banquet at the Beverly Hilton. The awards are presented annually by the Los Angeles Sports Council. The top 10 moments are on The Times’ Fabulous Forum blog at latimes.com/sports

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