THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- No wonder they call this the silly season.
In a topsy-turvy day at the Target World Challenge, Padraig Harrington made four birdies from off the green on the final six holes for a 5-under 67 that gave him a one-stroke lead Friday over Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Chris DiMarco.
Harrington, the defending champion, figured a round like that would at least get him in reasonable position heading into the weekend.
Imagine his surprise when he tapped in for par on the 18th hole and saw his name atop the leaderboard at 3-under 141.
"There's a lot of ups and downs out there," Harrington said.
They weren't hard to find.
It was below freezing when Woods woke up. Not long after the sun thawed Sherwood Country Club, he proceeded to make a "snowman" -- golf vernacular for an 8 -- on the par-5 second hole, in part because of a snap decision to drop in an unfavorable spot.
He recovered with six birdies the rest of the day, the last coming from 15 feet on the final hole for a 1-under 71.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Pitt women's basketball coach Agnus Berenato has suspended 6-foot-4 sophomore center Bridget Larkin for breaking team rules. Larkin has played in all four games this season for the 1-3 Panthers and averaged 4.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. She won't make the trip to No. 7 Penn State, where Pitt plays Sunday. She is the second player to be held out of game for breaking team rules. Sophomore forward Cheron Taylor was suspended from the home opener against Coppin State.
Georgia Tech guard Will Bynum becomes eligible today when the No. 10 Yellow Jackets Tech face Saint Louis in the opener of the Peach Bowl Classic doubleheader. Bynum hasn't been on the court for a game since Dec. 30, 2002, in a victory over Boston University. After transferring to Georgia Tech, he sat out the required two semesters while practicing with the Yellow Jackets (7-0). Georgia Tech's ranking is its highest since Jan. 11, 1993.
Kansas forward Jeff Graves was indefinitely suspended from the basketball team for undisclosed reasons. Graves, 6-foot-9, has played in all five games this year, averaging 15 minutes, 3.8 points and four rebounds. Graves played in all 38 Kansas games last season, when the Jayhawks lost to Syracuse for the NCAA title. He transferred to Kansas after two years at Iowa Western Community College.
SOCCER
The United States was eliminated at soccer's World Youth Championship, losing 2-1 to Argentina in overtime in the quarterfinals. Argentina, the defending champion, advanced to Monday's semifinals against Brazil in the under-20 tournament. Spain plays Colombia in the other game. Argentina escaped defeat when Javier Mascherano scored on a header in the fourth minute of injury time to force overtime. Fernando Cavenaghi then scored on a penalty kick in the 98th minute after Franco Cangele was taken down by Drew Moor in the penalty area. TRACK AND FIELD
The Los Angeles Invitational, the second-oldest indoor track meet in the United States, is shutting down this winter because it was unable to get enough sponsorship backing. The meet had been scheduled for Feb. 8 at Los Angeles Sports Arena. Among those who have taken part are Wilma Rudolph, Parry OBrien, Kip Keino, Jim Ryun, John Walker, Eamonn Coghlan, Bob Hayes, Billy Mills, Marion Jones, Maurice Greene, Bob Beamon, Bob Seagren, Ralph Boston, Dwight Stones, Renaldo Nehemiah and Mary Decker Slaney.
