Other sports - Boston.com

Golf

Stricker up to No. 2

Even with a big lead, Steve Stricker expected a tough day. Everyone else expected him to win. (Associated Press, 12 a.m.)

Stricker begins to pull away at Northern Trust

Steve Stricker hit enough crisp irons and made his usual share of putts to pull away from the field at Riviera yesterday, taking a five-shot lead into the final day of the rain-delayed Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles. (Associated Press, 2/7/10)

Golf clubs try to get out of financial rough

Sterling National Country Club’s closing came suddenly, with managers notified just a few days before the club and its 18-hole golf course shut its doors Monday. (Globe Correspondent, 2/6/10)

Johnson still shining

Dustin Johnson made a hole-in-one and Steve Stricker had seven birdies to brighten an otherwise dreary day at rainy Riviera and finish atop the leaderboard yesterday at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles. (Associated Press, 2/6/10)

Walk in the park for Johnson

Dustin Johnson was determined to get off to a good start in the Northern Trust Open, so for the first time, he decided against trying to drive the 10th green at Riviera and instead laid up. (Associated Press, 2/5/10)

Mickelson opts to not use club

Phil Mickelson won’t be using the Ping Eye2 wedge that led a fellow player to accuse him of “cheating,’’ even though he hopes others will use the controversial club to keep attention on what he calls a ridiculous rule. (Associated Press, 2/4/10)

Crane has finishing touch at Torrey Pines

Ben Crane made two birdie putts longer than 45 feet to build a big enough cushion that missing a few short putts down the stretch didn’t cost him yesterday in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. (Associated Press, 2/1/10)

Lacrosse

Blazers clip Philadelphia’s Wings

Dan Dawson and Daryl Veltman each scored four times, and the Blazers never trailed in an edgy 11-9 NLL victory against the Philadelphia Wings yesterday at TD Garden. (Boston Globe, 1/31/10)

Blazers lose opener

Dan Dawson scored three goals and chipped in two assists, but the reigning National Lacrosse League MVP couldn’t offset a Rock offense led by rookie forwards Garrett Billings (five goals) and Stephen Leblanc (three) as the Blazers fell to Toronto, 17-7, last night at TD Garden in their season opener (From Staff Reports, 1/10/10)

Olympics

Auto racing

latest race

Martin captures Daytona 500 pole

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Still spry and still fast, 51-year-old Mark Martin yesterday became the oldest driver to capture the Daytona 500 pole position. Next Sunday will mark the first time in 26 career starts at Daytona that Martin will start NASCAR’s season-opening event No. 1 in the 43-car field. (Globe Staff, 2/7/10)

Win in Bud Shootout cures all of Harvick’s ills

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Looking no worse for the wear after falling ill with flu-like symptoms Thursday, Kevin Harvick was back in the saddle and back in Victory Lane last night after winning the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. (Globe Staff, 2/7/10)

Patrick sixth in stock car debut

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The record will show that Danica Patrick finished sixth in her stock car racing debut at yesterday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, won by Bobby Gerhart. But that doesn’t begin to describe all that Patrick endured to achieve that result in the ARCA Racing Series opener at Daytona International Speedway. (Globe Staff, 2/7/10)

Can Patrick make switch to stock cars?

Sam Hornish Jr. knows exactly what’s in store for Danica Patrick as she attempts to make her jump from IndyCar to stock cars. (Boston Globe, 2/6/10)

Danica secures starring role

Well, she’s in the show. Danica Patrick left little doubt about that after she qualified 12th-fastest for today’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Patrick, who toured the high-banked 2.5-mile tri-oval yesterday with a lap of 179.788 miles per hour, also left little doubt she will be the main attraction of this 80-lap ... (Globe Staff, 2/6/10)

Patrick revved up for stock car debut

Danica Patrick had finally arrived at Daytona. Though she was 10 minutes late for her 8:20 a.m. press conference yesterday, she seemed prepared to handle the swarm of media. (Globe Staff, 2/5/10)

Patrick to make pit stop at Loudon in late June

When IndyCar driver Danica Patrick announced last month she had partnered with Dale Earnhardt Jr. to drive for his JR Motorsports race team on the NASCAR Nationwide Series, track promoters around the country began a gold rush in the hopes of landing a date on Patrick’s undecided 12-race Nationwide schedule. (Globe Staff, 1/29/10)

Horse racing

Thoroughbred racing:

Suffolk Downs
Harness racing:

Plainridge Race Course

Rockingham Park
Greyhound racing:

Wonderland Park

Raynham Park

Tennis

Federer retrieves a crown, beats Murray for 4th Australian title

MELBOURNE - “This is going to be the greatest Scottish victory since we beat the English at Bannockburn,’’ a Scotsman was telling me before the Australian Open final. (Boston Globe, 2/1/10)

Williams just too much for Henin

MELBOURNE - Crazy. Crazier and crazier it got. If this was a preview of major title bouts this year in tennis, get ready for high wackiness - beautiful, bizarre, and bumbling. But that may keep it as exciting and exasperating as the female end of the Australian Open yesterday. (Boston Globe, 1/31/10)

Federer sends Tsonga packing

So much for all the pretournament talk about how Roger Federer was distracted, aging, and vulnerable at the Australian Open, and how eight to 10 players were ready to knock him from his throne. After filleting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in straight sets, now there is only one: Andy Murray, the scrambling Scot. (New York Times, 1/30/10)

Boxing

Pacquiao ready to focus on Clottey

Manny Pacquiao has moved on. New challenger Joshua Clottey smiled for photographs, hugged two Cowboys cheerleaders, then stood behind a podium yesterday and thanked Pacquiao for the opportunity to fight him March 13 at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Clottey, a former titleholder coming off a narrow loss to Miguel Cotto last June, will vie for Pacquiao’s version ... (Boston Globe, 1/21/10)

Outdoors

Schlierenzauer takes 8th WCup ski jump win

Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer captured his eighth World Cup ski jumping victory of the season Saturday, winning the final individual event before the Vancouver Olympics. (AP, 2/6/10)

Human Dogsled Competition at Lowell Winterfest

We’re not sure how or why this event came about, but Lowell is where the National Human Dogsled Competition started. Take one rider, one musher, and four human sled dogs, and you have the most popular event at the annual Lowell Winterfest . The challenger round is tonight from 6:45 to 10 p.m., and the finals are tomorrow from 2:30 ... (Globe Staff, 2/4/10)

Ice climbing heats up following January thaw

Only an ice climber can smile during a torrential winter deluge. (Globe Correspondent, 2/4/10)

Once again, Bode Miller set to compete in 5 Olympic events

Few need to be reminded of the contretemps Bode Miller had with the press at the Turin Olympics four years ago. (Globe Correspondent, 2/4/10)

Tour peaks at Mount Snow

Slopestyle and superpipe take center stage as the three-stop Winter Dew Tour wraps up this weekend at Mount Snow in West Dover, Vt. In its second year, the tour features top-flight freeskiers and snowboarders competing in the halfpipe and on a course loaded with rails and features that make it like taking a long run through a terrain park. (Globe Correspondents, 2/4/10)

Revising the Marshall plan

With the Green Mountains as their backyard playground and professional ski instructors for parents, the four home-schooled Marshall children grew up as the fastest kids in town, easygoing and friendly while inwardly focused and driven. To many in this tight-knit town of 427, the Marshalls’ berths on the US Ski Team seemed a predestined rite of passage, ... (Globe Correspondent, 2/4/10)

Swiss Ammann wins 5th World Cup event of season

Ski jumping World Cup leader Simon Ammann of Switzerland has won his fifth event of the season. (AP, 2/3/10)

Stecher wins Nordic Combined World Cup event

Mario Stecher of Austria won a Nordic Combined World Cup event Sunday for his first victory of the season and 10th overall. (AP, 1/31/10)

Italian skier Fanchini ruled out of Olympics

Italian skier Nadia Fanchini has been ruled out of the Vancouver Olympics after crashing in the final World Cup race before the games. (AP, 1/31/10)

Austria's Herbst wins World Cup slalom

Reinfried Herbst led an Austrian 1-2 finish at a men's World Cup slalom Sunday for his second win in six days. (Associated Press Writer, 1/31/10)

Happy, healthy Lindsey Vonn is ready for Olympics

Lindsey Vonn heads to the Vancouver Olympics happy and healthy after enjoying a perfect Sunday. (AP Sports Writer, 1/31/10)

Vonn wins World Cup super-G race, season title

Lindsey Vonn won a World Cup super-G race to clinch the season title in the discipline with two races left. (AP, 1/31/10)

Running

Lagat roars to record in 5,000

Two-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion Bernard Lagat raced to an American record in the marquee event at the Reebok Indoor Games last night at the Reggie Lewis Center, surging past Galen Rupp of Oregon and Ethiopians Dejen Gebremeskel and Bekana Daba with 1 1/2 laps to go in the 5,000-meter run. (Globe Correspondent, 2/7/10)

Lagat in running for his first indoor 5,000 meters

Runners call this a down year, because there are no Olympic Games and no World Championships around which to build a season. But a down year does not mean a quiet year; athletes have the time to take risks in their training and reach for new distances or faster times. (Globe Correspondent, 2/6/10)

A's get CF Willy Taveras from Reds

A trade that saved some money made the Cincinnati Reds' next shortstop affordable. The Reds sent center fielder Willy Taveras to the Oakland Athletics on Monday as part of a four-player deal, then agreed to a $3.02 million, one-year deal with Orlando Cabrera to become their starting shortstop. Both teams made a series of moves that changed the looks of ... (AP Sports Writer, 2/1/10)

Severino kicks into high gear

Just a few short months ago, track was alien to Lawrence’s Kelvin Severino. Yesterday, in just the second big meet of his career, he tore through the competition at the Reggie Lewis Center. (Globe Correspondent, 1/31/10)

NASCAR giving tracks some relief in tough economy

NASCAR has alleviated some of the financial strain on racetracks during the rough economic climate. (AP, 1/29/10)