Ginepri earned just his third ATP Tour match win since that unfortunate crash about 17 months ago, easily beating Xavier Malisse 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday night in the opening round of the SAP Open.

“I’m more motivated now than I have been for a long time,” he said. “I see that tennis isn’t such a bad thing after all. It put a lot of things in perspective the nine months I sat. I’m pretty hungry to play.”

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Ginepri played that way against Malisse, using an effective serve and strong two-handed backhand to win the match in just 56 minutes.

Ginepri was once a rising star in American tennis, winning three titles and making it to No. 15 in the rankings in 2005 when he reached the U.S. Open semifinals. But he has fallen on hard times in recent years, dropping to 235^th in the world after the accident.  He crashed while traveling 30 mph and trying to avoid a squirrel.

He played just six matches all last season and then had to undergo another operation after the U.S. Open. He lost in qualifying for the Australian Open last month. He played two Challenger tournaments after that, reaching the final in Honolulu.

He still can’t completely straighten his left arm but has regained most of the strength he had lost and hopes to make it back into the top 50.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be 100 percent,” he said. “That’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m just happy to be playing again, working extremely hard to get back to this level. I’m pleased with how I played tonight and hopefully I can play like this the rest of the week and the rest of the year and take it a step at a time.”

Malisse looked out of sorts from the start Tuesday night as he double faulted to get broken in the opening game of the match and then complained about the ball boys. He hit an overhead into the net to get broken again in the fourth game and double faulted on set point.

Ginepri won 15 of the final 16 points, starting with an ace at break point when it was 2-all in the second set. He sealed it when Malisse hit a forehand into the net on match point.

“I’m just happy to play some tennis again and get into a little bit of a rhythm,” Ginepri said. “Playing a whole circuit again is going to be nice. Hopefully I can stay healthy for the whole year.”

The first full day of action featured a heavy dose of Americans with seven others joining Ginepri to play their first matches of the tournament. Only two of the other Americans advanced to the second round as Denis Kudla beat countryman Jack Sock in a matchup of 19-year-old up-and-comers and Michael Russell beat seventh-seeded Donald Young 6-1, 7-6 (6) in the late match.

Sock beat Kudla in the U.S. Open junior final in three sets in 2010 and twice on clay in Futures events the past two years, but fell 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in this match.

Sock, who teamed with John McEnroe to win a doubles exhibition on Monday night, had a short stay in the singles draw. He had his serve broken in the opening game of the match for the only break in the first set. Neither player lost serve in the second set before Sock rallied from 5-2 down in the tiebreaker to force a third set.

Sock got up an early break in the third set before losing four straight games, committing two double faults in the crucial sixth game that included seven deuces. Sock lost that game with a double fault to fall behind 4-2 and failed to convert a break opportunity in the seventh game.

Reigning NCAA champion Steve Johnson later lost his first-round match to Steve Darcis of Belgium, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5). Johnson, who also lost his three previous ATP Tour matches, battled hard against the more experienced Darcis but fell just short in both tiebreakers.

Johnson, 22, won the NCAA title last year at Southern California and is looking to lead the Trojans to their fourth straight team title in his senior season. He has won 43 straight college matches.

In the first match of the day, American Dennis Lajola lost his ATP Tour debut to fellow qualifier Dimitar Kutrovsky of Bulgaria, 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (3). Kutrovsky next plays top-seeded Gael Monfils in the second round on Thursday.

Tim Smyczek, who made it to the quarterfinals here last year, was knocked out in the first round by Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Jeremy Lin made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with less than a second to play to cap his finishing flurry of six straight points, and the New York Knicks rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 90-87 Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to six games.

The NBA’s first American-Taiwanese player, Lin had 27 points and a career-high 11 assists in his first game since being named Eastern Conference player of the week.

The season-high crowd of 20,092 roared as Lin drained a pull-up jumper from the top with half a second to play, giving the Knicks their first lead since the opening quarter.

Toronto’s Rasual Butler airballed his attempt at the buzzer as the Knicks swarmed their newest hero at center court.

Amare Stoudemire returned from a four-game absence with 21 points and Tyson Chandler had 13 for New York.

Jose Calderon scored 25 points, Linas Kleiza had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan scored 14 for the Raptors.

Up 75-66 to start the fourth, Toronto widened its lead with a three-point play by Barbosa before the Knicks stormed back with a 10-0 run, cutting it to 78-76 and forcing the Raptors to call timeout with 6:22 remaining.

Kleiza stopped the run with a driving layup, Amir Johnson added a hook shot and, after Lin made one of two from the line, Barbosa’s layup made it 84-77 with 4:49 to go.

Toronto led 87-82 with less than two minutes to go when Iman Shumpert stole the ball from Calderon and drove in for an uncontested dunk. After a missed shot, Lin completed a three-point play, tying it at 87 with 1:05 left.

Barbosa missed a 3 for Toronto and, at the other end, Shumpert missed a jumper but Chandler grabbed the rebound. Lin took the ball near midcourt and let the clock run down to 5 seconds before driving and pulling up against Calderon to launch the decisive shot, touching off the latest instance of Linsanity.

The Raptors had a photo of Lin on their team website in the hours before the game, and his visit generated major interest among Toronto’s Asian community, estimated at over 280,000 people, or more than 11 percent of the local population. The Chinese Canadian Youth Athletics Association and the Taiwanese Canadian Association of Toronto both sent groups of almost 300 fans as Toronto sold out for the second time in 13 home games. One group of fans in the upper deck wore white T-shirts spelling out his name.

Not all the fans were so positive: Lin was booed several times throughout the game.

Local media also took note; some 75 reporters and 16 cameras packed a Tuesday morning press conference to hear Lin speak, with dozens more turned away to prevent overcrowding. More than 25 Chinese Canadian journalists were due to cover the game, including one who presented Lin with a book of “Year of the Dragon” stamps from Canada Post and asked him to record a message in Mandarin, which he did.

Even Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni was shocked by the size of the throng upon walking in for his turn at the microphone.

“Are we in the playoffs now?” D’Antoni joked as he made his way to the front of the room.

It was Calderon, coming off a career-high 30 points in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers, who was hot early, scoring 12 points in the first as the Raptors led 28-21 after one. Lin missed his first shot and didn’t score until a driving layup with 3:46 left in the first. He had four points and four assists in the opening quarter.

Lin turned the ball over on three straight possessions early in the second and Toronto took advantage with a 6-0 run, widening its lead to 13 points. He also missed a running bank shot as the half ended as the Raptors took a 47-36 lead into the break.

Stoudemire scored seven points and Lin had six points and four assists as the Knicks scored 30 points in the third, but still trailed 75-66 heading into the fourth.

NOTES: Lin matched a career high with eight turnovers. … Stoudemire returned after missing the past four games the death of his older brother, Hazell, who was killed in a car crash. … Raptors G Jerryd Bayless (left ankle) missed his third straight game. Coach Dwane Casey said Bayless could be available for Wednesday’s game against San Antonio. … Before the game, Chandler presented Casey with his NBA championship ring. Both were with Dallas last season when they beat Miami. … Musician and actor Steven Van Zandt watched from a courtside seat.

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The Raiders also announced Tuesday the hiring of five other assistants: receivers coach Ted Gilmore, tight ends coach Mark Hutson, defensive line coach Terrell Williams and defensive backs coaches Clayton Lopez and Johnnie Lynn.

DeFilippo was quarterbacks coach in Oakland in 2007-08 before leaving for a job with the New York Jets. He spent the past two seasons at San Jose State before new Raiders coach Dennis Allen brought him back.

Lopez also is back for a second stint with the Raiders, having been here in 2004-05. He was in St. Louis the past three seasons.

Lynn has 17 years of NFL experience, most recently in Philadelphia. Williams, Hutson and Gilmore are career college coaches.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

PEBBLE BEACH (CBS 5) – We spent four days at the AT&T Pro-Am and I scribbled down a few notes.

Favorite moment: Waiting for players off the 18^th, watching the waves crash against the rocks. I get paid for this?

Worst moment: Watching Aaron Oberholzer grab his wrist in pain. (He withdrew shortly thereafter)

Best New Friend: Charlie Wi.  I interviewed after rounds two and three.  I told him we’d have to stop meeting like this. He asked if we could meet one more time. It didn’t happen.

Come again? Padraig Harrington, who climbed into contention on Sunday, told me he was more interested in winning the pro-am. And as crazy as it sounds, he seemed sincere.    He didn’t win that either.

Worst Interview: Hoodie. Anyone surprised? 

Underated Interview: John Abendroth

Biggest Regret: I didn’t make it into the Tap Room.

Thank God!: I didn’t make it into the Tap Room.

Shocker: Phil posts 64, Tiger a 75. Maybe the beller putter ain’t such a bad idea.

What a hole! Del Monte Pines Inn, the CBS5 low-budget special.

Best Celeb: George Lopez.  More one-liners than Dangerfield.

Who’s got it Better than Harbaugh? 25 other amateurs

Ran out of holes: Ricky Barnes

Wi on 1^st hole: FOUR!

See you on TV!

Solomon lived in Florida and had battled cancer over the past year. The 49ers announced his death on Monday.

“You know, he could do anything,” said Madden. “He was a college quarterback before he changed to wide receiver, and every once in awhile I remember Bill would put him in, as some teams do. I remember Pittsburgh did it with Slash, Bill Walsh was doing that with Freddie Solomon.”

Madden said that Solomon would be on the field as a receiver when Joe Montana was the quarterback, then Montana would run out and come back as the receiver while Solomon played quarterback.

KCBS’ John Madden:

Another wide receiver on Madden’s mind was former Cal receiver and kick returner DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles, who is eligible for free agency – as are several other top NFL receivers – all of whom may be of considerable interest to the 49ers, who need help at the position.

”You have to have a budget, and then you have to go out and recruit these guys like you do college players. And then the big thing is that they have to fit in under your salary cap,” said Madden. “You have to budget how many players you can get, and then you have to put your own in there too.”

Madden said that that’s one of the first things teams try to do is keep their core group of players by signing their own men first.

Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Rookie Klay Thompson added 10 points and fellow reserve Ekpe Udoh had nine points, including a layup with 35.9 seconds remaining that extended Golden State’s lead to five and capped a comeback from 12 points down in the second half.

Marcin Gortat had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Steve Nash handed out 14 assists for Phoenix, playing the first of three games in three nights. The Suns face Denver on Tuesday before returning home against Atlanta on Wednesday.

The suddenly surging Warriors are building momentum in unfamiliar fashion.

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Jackson gambled with smaller lineups—reminiscent of NBA wins leader and former Warriors coach Don Nelson—for long stretches in the second half against the Suns’ longer and lankier front line.  The move forced Phoenix to run big men Gortat and Channing Frye out on shooters, and Golden State shot its way back despite giving away size on defense.

Jackson also leaned on his bench in the fourth quarter, and his substitutes—nicknamed the Dubstitutes for their recent contributions late—again rewarded his risk.

Thompson hit a 3-pointer in the corner and fellow reserve Nate Robinson followed with another from beyond the arc to give Golden State a 94-84 lead with 5:43 remaining. Robinson finished with 11 points, but the Warriors went scoreless for more the next 5 minutes.

The Suns sliced the deficit to three after a 3-pointer from Markieff Morris, a layup by Gortat and a jumper by Grant Hill.  Phoenix wasted several opportunities to tie or take the lead, and Golden State took advantage.

Udoh blocked a layup attempt by Morris and came up even bigger on offense. Udoh, whose minutes eclipsed struggling starter Andris Biedrins again, finished a hard-driving layup through a crowd of defenders with 35.9 seconds to play.

After a missed shot by Jared Dudley, Stephen Curry made two free throws to give Golden State a seven-point lead and finish off the franchise’s first winning streak of the season.

The Suns had sprinted out to a fast start ahead of a grueling stretch of games, but couldn’t keep up the pace.

Nash knifed his way through the middle and dinked and dunked passes in every direction, dishing out five assists in the first 6 minutes. Gortat benefited most with easy looks around the rim, and his short jumper gave Phoenix a 24-14 lead in the first quarter.

The Warriors never lost control in a matchup of teams that typically pile up points.

Ellis and Curry both made 3-pointers and Lee had a put-back to cap a 14-4 run by Golden State in the second quarter that evened the score at 41. The Suns led 46-43 at halftime behind Nash’s nine assists.

After Phoenix extended its lead to 12 points in the third quarter, the Warriors came charging back. Lee converted a three-point play and followed with a dunk on a bounce pass by Curry as Golden State scored 10 straight to go ahead 70-69 — the first time it led since the opening minutes.

Note: The Warriors gave away a bobblehead doll of former PG Tim Hardaway to the first 10,000 fans as part of the franchise’s tribute to the “Run TMC” trio of the early 1990s. The team will hand out bobbleheads of Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin at games later this season. … Suns coach Alvin Gentry joked before the game that watching budding sensation and Knicks PG Jeremy Lin, who was cut by the Warriors in December, is “like the American Idol of the NBA.” … After Wednesday’s home game against Portland, the Warriors play eight of their next nine on the road.

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McEnroe made a brief return to play an exhibition doubles match Monday on the opening night of the SAP Open, teaming with young American Jack Sock to beat Gael Monfils and Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 in a lighthearted match.

McEnroe showed the deft skill at the net that made him one of the game’s best doubles players ever in a match that included three players young enough to be his children.

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“If you know some of the tricks of the trade, I don’t care,” he said. “I’m covering half the court. This is beautiful for me.  I’m not saying I could go out and win things but I’d be comfortable going against anybody right now playing doubles.”

McEnroe hit crisp volleys all match long, bringing back memories of his touring days when he won seven Grand Slam singles titles and 10 major doubles titles from 1977-92.

Even though he lacks the power of the younger, modern players, McEnroe was able to get his serve up as high as 125 mph—a feat he credited to a friendly radar gun operator rather than some newfound strength.

“I hit one 125 (mph),” he said. “I’ve never hit it that hard in my life. I owe that guy a dinner.”

Perhaps the biggest difference besides the gray hair was the lack of temper tantrums that were such a regular part of his matches when he was on the tour. With the Hawk-Eye replay system in place, McEnroe had little to argue with the umpire or linespeople.

He challenged three calls in the match, winning one of them, and even got down on his belly to closely inspect a mark before challenging a call in the second set that he eventually lost. His only argument came when Monfils won a challenge on a shot that just clipped the back line.

“It’s a conspiracy,” McEnroe shouted after losing the point.

McEnroe said he would have loved to have had the replay system

during his playing career, when he was known perhaps as much for his demonstrative arguments as his sterling play.

“I would have won a lot more majors—in my opinion,” McEnroe said. “Forty percent of the energy I wasted in losing it would have allowed me to sort of focus on playing.”

The other players had little personal experience with McEnroe’s brilliance during his hey-day starting in the late 1970s. Sock, 19, wasn’t even born the last time McEnroe played in a major singles tournament and Monfils and Johnson were not born when McEnroe won his last major singles title in 1984.

But they still enjoyed the spectacle as much as the crowd of 5,157 did. Sock even joked after the match that he might drop partner Sam Querrey for the main doubles draw to play with McEnroe instead.

“To get a chance to play with a legend like that is always fun,” Sock said. “I let him do all the work. His volleys and hands are incredible.”

McEnroe was originally scheduled to play with defending champion Milos Raonic, who pulled out with a knee injury. Sock ended up teaming with McEnroe, and Johnson, the reigning NCAA champion at Southern California, played with Monfils.

Raonic is still expected to compete in the singles draw, starting with his second-round match Wednesday against Tobias Kamke. Kamke won the first match of the tournament earlier Monday when he beat Izak Van der Merwe 6-3, 6-3.

Sixth-seeded Kevin Anderson took on Grigor Dimitrov later in the only other singles match of the day.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Patrick Marleau added two goals, and Brent Burns also scored on Braden Holtby, who was brought up from Hershey of the American Hockey League earlier Monday to make a surprise start for Washington—something he hadn’t done since last March. Washington’s No. 1 goalie, Tomas Vokoun, was ill, and No. 2 Michal Neuvirth played Sunday in a loss at the New York Rangers.

Joe Thornton collected three assists for the Pacific Division-leading Sharks, and Thomas Greiss made 39 saves.

San Jose had lost three of its previous four games.

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Washington has won only three of its last 11, a stretch of futility that not only dropped the Capitals out of first place in the Southeast Division but also pushed them below the top eight spots in the Eastern Conference.

The first goal Greiss gave up came on rookie defenseman Dmitry Orlov’s slap shot from just inside the blue line in the final second of the second period. Both teams stayed on their benches while video was reviewed to confirm that the puck crossed the line before time ran out.

By then, though, San Jose already led 3-0, thanks mainly to Pavelski.

The Sharks went ahead 12:12 into the game on a bit of a fluky score after going about eight minutes without even registering a single shot on goal. Indeed, they were coming off a power play during which the best chance—and only official shot—for either team came when Capitals forward Brooks Laich bore down 1-on-1 during a short-handed breakaway but Greiss made the save.

A little more than 1 ½ minutes later, defenseman Dan Boyle struck a shot from beyond the red line. The puck deflected off Pavelski’s stick, bounced off the ice, then trickled off Holtby’s glove and into the net to make it 1-0 for the visitors. Pavelski was credited with his 21st goal of the season.

He got No. 22 in the second period on a far-more-usual goal, this time on the power play. With Laich in the penalty box for cross-checking, Logan Couture centered the puck right in front of the net for Pavelski, who lifted a shot over Holtby’s glove and into the upper corner at the 3:26 mark of the second, making it 2-0.

Pavelski was credited with an assist when his shot was redirected by Marleau at the 16:11 mark of the second period, when the puck appeared to hit Holtby in the right shoulder on its way past him.

Third-period goals by Burns and Marleau put San Jose ahead 5-1, before defensemen Roman Hamrlik and Jeff Schultz scored for Washington in the last 9 ½ minutes.

NOTES: Capitals F Mike Knuble was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game. … In addition to Holtby, the Capitals also recalled F Joel Rechlicz from Hershey. He played and drew a 10-minute misconduct penalty in the second period. … Sharks C Tommy Wingels returned to action. He had been on injured reserve with an upper body injury and hadn’t played since Jan. 19. “We’ll expect him to give us some fresh legs and some enthusiasm and a little bit of a spark, if you will,” San Jose coach Todd McLellan said.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The 49ers announced the passing of Solomon, who lived in Florida and had battled cancer over the past year. He played on the first of the franchise’s four Super Bowl championship teams in the 1980s during an 11-year NFL career.

“The 49ers lost a member of our family today. We’ll miss you, Freddie Solomon,” 49ers CEO Jed York posted on his Twitter account.

The Dolphins selected Solomon in the second round of the 1975 draft out of the University of Tampa. He spent his first three NFL seasons with Miami and his final eight in San Francisco, finishing with 371 receptions for 5,846 yards and 48 touchdowns in 371 games.

During his stint in San Francisco, Solomon also ran for 329 yards and three TDs as an important member of late Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh’s West Coast offense.

“Freddie was very influential to me and my career, and taught me about work ethic and professionalism. He inspired me to go out there every day and emulate him,” Hall of Fame wideout Jerry Rice said.

After his football career ended, Solomon worked for two decades in community relations with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, where he mentored youth and taught vital life lessons through football fundamentals.

“Freddie Solomon was a dear friend and a great teammate,” Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana said. “There was no one who gave more on and off the field than Freddie. The kindness he demonstrated was inspirational to all that knew him, and a joy to be around. The warmth of his smile will be forever imbedded in my mind and heart.”

Solomon was born on Jan. 11, 1953, in Sumter, S.C. He is survived by wife, Dee; mother, Bessie Ruth Solomon; brothers Richard, Oneal and Roger; and mother-in-law Mae Jeffers.

“Besides his accomplishments as a player, Freddie truly cared about his community, whether it was here in South Florida or in the Tampa Bay area where he had his roots,” Dolphins vice president Nat Moore said in a statement. “He was a kind and generous person, as exemplified by all of his charitable and civic deeds. It’s a shame he passed away so young, and the Miami Dolphin organization extends its condolences to his family.”

Funeral services were scheduled for Friday at Saint Lawrence Church in Tampa, Fla.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Agent Adam Katz confirmed Monday the outfielder had reached agreement on a deal, with details still to be finalized. This is a significant move for Oakland, which wanted to add a steady hitter.

Cespedes will earn $6.5 million this year, $8.5 million in 2013 and $10.5 million in each of the final two seasons. He can become a free agent at the end of the contract.

The A’s expect him to secure his P1 visa in the next couple of weeks, travel to the team’s Arizona spring training site to take his physical and be ready to start training shortly thereafter.

The team also has expressed interest in slugger Manny Ramirez. The A’s, hoping to be given clearance from Major League Baseball to relocate to San Jose and construct a new ballpark, have been in rebuilding mode this offseason. Oakland traded starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill and also All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.

Cespedes toured the Miami Marlins’ new downtown ballpark last Wednesday, and appeared to have other suitors, as well. In a surprising move, it was the A’s who made a splash and outbid some big-spending clubs.

“You don’t land everybody you want to land. But I think we’ve been aggressive,” Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. “We’re really happy with the way the club looks. You always have a sense of disappointment when you’re trying to either trade for or sign a player. It’s not the first time and won’t be the last. We would certainly wish him well.”

Cespedes played for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and is projected to be ready for the majors. Cespedes said six teams were interested in signing him: the Marlins, Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland and the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.

Major League Baseball said Monday it has been told by Cespedes’ agent that he has obtained an unblocking license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control – another key step to him signing.

In January, Cespedes’ representatives announced he had established legal residency in the Dominican Republic, the final hurdle to him becoming a free agent. MLB then had to receive proof of residency before clubs were notified of his status as a free agent.

Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

“We provide awesome programming. We provide programs to the community, too. We give food to about 200 families once a month. We partner with the food banks and, once a month. We distribute bags of food, and people outside of this community don’t know that we’re here,” said East Oakland Boxing Association executive director Sarah Chavez.
KCBS’ Bob Melrose Reports:

The Association operates as a nonprofit and has only raised approximately one-third of its annual budget, which is $360,000.

“There’s not a lot of stuff in this neighborhood. It’s not the safest neighborhood,” Chavez said in an appeal to the community for support. “All the kids are from the neighborhood so this definitely gives them somewhere to go and somewhere that’s safe.”

For information on how to contribute, visit the EOBA website.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

“The thing that was really good about it is the way Phil Mickelson played,” John Madden told the KCBS morning crew. “You kind of started rooting for him, and it was kind of a feel good type of deal. I think he’s a good guy.”

Tiger Woods started his final round just four strokes behind, but putted poorly and shot a 75 to finish 15th.

“I kind of bought into that thing that this was his coming back party,” Madden said. “And then it starts going the other way.”

Woods said he didn’t feel comfortable. Madden said Woods didn’t look confident.

“The word comfortable may be the right word, may be the wrong word,” Madden said. “You don’t feel confident about anything you’re doing. You don’t feel confident about your read. You don’t feel confident about your stroke. You don’t feel confident about anything, and putting is probably 90 percent of that.” (7:30)

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Jaroslav Halak earned his sixth shutout in just 10 starts, one more than All-Star teammate Brian Elliott has, as the Blues extended a franchise record by earning at least one point in 19 consecutive home games. They’re 16-0-3 at home since a 5-2 loss to Chicago on Dec. 3 and an NHL-best 24-3-4 overall, topping their total of 23 wins last season.

Antti Niemi made 25 saves for the Pacific Division-leading Sharks, who came up empty in the opener of a season-long, nine-game trip. San Jose, which next plays at home Feb. 28 against the Flyers, has lost three of four overall.

The Sharks were 0 for 4 on the power play after going 7 for 14 in the previous four games.

Halak was yanked from his previous start, a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils. But he is 13-2-3 in his last 19 starts since Nov. 29 and his 1.66 goals-against average during that time and prior to Sunday was the NHL’s best.

Perron has six goals in the last four games, the last three on the power play, and 10 goals in 30 games overall. He returned in early December from a concussion sustained on a mid-ice hit by the Sharks’ Joe Thornton that knocked him out for more than a year.

The Blues immediately plugged McDonald into the regular rotation plus power-play duty, and he added an element of speed to the lineup. McDonald earned the second assist on Pietrangelo’s goal.

The Blues have four power-play goals in the last two games after entering the weekend in a 2-for-35 slump.

St. Louis is 3-0 against the Sharks this season, outscoring them 7-2 including a 1-0 shutout by Elliott on Dec. 10 in St. Louis. It’s the Sharks’ first three-game losing streak against the Blues since dropping five in a row Jan. 9 to Dec. 18, 2003.

The Sharks were whistled for three penalties in a span of 3 minutes and Pietrangelo capitalized with his ninth goal on a two-man advantage at 15:03 of the first. San Jose was outshot 10-7 in the period, managing just three shots in the last 15 minutes.

Ryan Clowe and Brad Winchester drew tripping and elbowing penalties in the second period, respectively, and it cost the Sharks again. Perron whiffed on a rebound attempt from the side of the net but got a second chance when the puck deflected off Niemmi’s back, and he slipped in a backhander.

Pietrangelo added an empty-net goal with 5.9 seconds to go, shooting from in front of the St. Louis net.

Notes: Pietrangelo scored for the first time in nine games, although he had four assists during that time. … Niemmi has lost four straight to the Blues. … Logan Couture’s career-best, eight-game point streak ended. He totaled five goals and seven assists. … The Blues are 22-1-1 when leading after two periods.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Photo Gallery: 2012 Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Six shots out of the lead going into the final round, Mickelson made putts from all over the place in closing with an 8-under 64 to win the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and become only the ninth player with 40 career PGA Tour wins.

Playing alongside Woods, his old nemesis, Mickelson beat him by 11 shots.

>>See the Leaderboard for final scores and standings.

Woods couldn’t make a birdie in the easy opening stretch, ran off three straight bogeys at the turn and three-putted for par on the 18th hole for a 75 to tie for 15th.

Charlie Wi, who began with a three-shot lead, four-putted for double bogey on the opening hole and never recovered.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Turnovers at key times. Lane violations during free throw attempts. Not closing out on defense.

The Broncos managed to do a bit of all three against No. 16 Saint Mary’s and couldn’t sustain their momentum after erasing most of a 14-point lead in the second half, losing to the Gaels 82-67 on Saturday night.

“When you’re sans the leadership that you need to make sure those things don’t happen, you’re going to learn the hard way and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating said. “Hopefully these guys that are going through that process can become the guys that make sure it doesn’t happen in the future.”

It didn’t help that the Broncos played their seventh straight game without guard Kevin Foster. The WCC’s leading scorer at 17.8 points a game, Foster has not played since being arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Jan. 21.

Even he might not have been able to prevent Santa Clara from getting swept by the Gaels for a third straight year.

The Broncos (8-17, 0-12) trailed 64-61 in the second half but went nearly five minutes without a basket down the stretch, allowing the Gaels to pull away.

Denzel Johnson scored 17 points and Niyi Harrison added 12 points for Santa Clara (8-17, 0-12), which hasn’t beat Saint Mary’s since the 2008-09 season.

“We dealt with a lot of adversity in the very beginning, and certainly in the last three weeks it’s changed and been even more adverse,” Keating said. “That’s hard for some of these guys to understand, so we have to play through it and when the dust settles hopefully we’ll be able to gather ourselves and get ready for the last push.”

Rob Jones had 25 points and 12 rebounds, Matthew Dellavedova added 16 points and 10 assists, and Stephen Holt scored 11 points to help Saint Mary’s (23-3, 12-1) overcome a slow start and pull away in the second half. The Gaels improved to 16-0 at home with only two games left at McKeon Pavilion this season.

Patrons packed in the aisles and up to the rafters at standing-room-only McKeon Pavilion. With a 73-59 loss at Gonzaga two nights earlier still fresh, the program’s rival tried to make it sting even worse.

Harrison provided an immediate burst, finishing with a three-point play over Jordan Page that gave the Broncos a 19-16 lead. Santa Clara withstood every momentum swing — keeping most brief — and never let the Gaels pull away.

At least for a half.

The Gaels galloped past the Broncos with a strong finish to the half and a stronger start to the second, bringing fans roaring to their feet after Brad Waldow’s put-back tip at the buzzer. Two big plays in the first minutes following the break sent Santa Clara home for good.

Holt converted a difficult layup while getting draped by Cowels and Rob Jones made a short jumper as Cowels fouled him moments later. Both missed the free throw that followed.

The 22-7 run between the first and second half put Saint Mary’s ahead 54-40, and all the Gaels had to do was hold on against an inferior opponent the rest of the way — something they’ve done plenty of this year.

Santa Clara chopped the deficit to three with 8:51 remaining with some surprisingly streaking shooting before Saint Mary’s took control again. Dellavedova had a layup and also fed Waldow for a dunk that helped put the Gaels back in front 71-61.

“Santa Clara is playing for (its) record,” Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said.

The victory kept Saint Mary’s in prime position to end Gonzaga’s streak of 11 straight seasons with at least a share of the WCC crown — and likely the high NCAA tournament seeding that comes with it.

But as last season showed, one loss can change plans quickly.

The Bulldogs beat Saint Mary’s in the last year’s regular-season finale to split the title and again won in the league championship game. The two losses kept the Gaels out of the NCAA tournament.

Saint Mary’s is one of eight teams in Division I — along with WCC rival Gonzaga and newcomer BYU — to win at least 25 games in each of the last four seasons. The ranking this week in the AP poll is the highest for Saint Mary’s since the 1958-59 season.

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Crook’s late offense accounted for all of the Trojans’ points in the extra period and enabled them to rally from a seven-point deficit. She finished with 21 points.

Briana Gilbreath had 24 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks, and Christina Marinacci added 13 rebounds for USC (13-11, 7-6 Pac-12).

Crook, a freshman, culminated her scoring spree with a short jumper with five seconds remaining that gave the Trojans a 76-75 lead. The Golden Bears (18-7, 9-4), who led 72-65 with 1:50 left in OT, had the last shot, but Lindsay Sherbert’s 3-pointer missed.

Gennifer Brandon had 22 points and 17 rebounds and Layshia Clarendon 12 points for California. Clarendon’s 3-pointer with a second remaining in regulation tied the score at 65-all and forced overtime.

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In his fourth, his teammates returned the favor.

Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

Steve Novak scored 15 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play and Lin used his quickness to draw a foul and get to the line in the closing seconds. He finished with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Lin had just five points on 1-for-13 shooting and four turnovers in the second half. But Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert combined for 39 points on 17-for-26 shooting to keep an exhausted Lin in position for one final push.

“It was an ugly one, it was a gutsy one, it was a road win, everybody was tired,” Lin said. “That’s the beauty of basketball. That’s the beauty of our time. We never gave up.”

Kevin Love had 32 points and 21 rebounds for the Wolves, who missed two chances to win the game in the final five seconds.

The Knicks trailed by seven with 6:41 to play and it looked as if a week of Tebow-like hype was finally catching up to Lin. His shot selection was erratic, his ball-handling was sloppy and his jersey was drenched with sweat as fired-up Wolves fans chanted “Over-rated!”

But the Wolves scored a season-low 11 points and missed 16 of their 19 shots in the fourth quarter to let the Knicks hang around, and Lin managed to find the energy for one final drive to the basket.

Playing yet again without the injured Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, who was mourning the death of his brother, Fields scored 19 on 8-for-10 shooting and Shumpert added 20 points.

Fields hit a short jumper to make the score 94-93 with 2:10 to go and Shumpert added another for a 95-94 lead with 1:22 to go to give them their first lead since early in the second quarter.

But Love, who had 31 points and 31 rebounds in win over the Knicks last year, hit two free throws and Rubio drove to the rim for a left-handed layup for a three-point lead with 39 seconds to play.

Novak’s 3-pointer tied it at 98 on the next possession and Lin drew a foul from Luke Ridnour to get to the line. He missed the front end of a pair of free throws before sinking the go-ahead shot.

“Once I missed the first one, I was fine,” Lin said sheepishly. “I just needed to shoot that first one and get it out of the way. The first one’s always the tough one.”

Bill Walker added free throws to seal it for the Knicks, who scored 29 points on 23 Minnesota turnovers. Two of those came from Rubio in the final minute.

“I just made two huge mistakes,” Rubio said. “I have to learn from that.”

The matchup of two of the most dynamic young point guards in the league made this an extremely hot ticket. The Timberwolves sold standing-room only tickets to pack in an announced crowd of 20,232, the largest crowd here since 2004.

Lin and Rubio were the headliners, with each having energized dormant franchises in their own way.

Rubio’s unselfish play and flair for the dramatic have made the Wolves cool again, as evidenced by the fifth sellout this season.

The Knicks were lost at 8-15, with rumors of Mike D’Antoni’s job security swirling before the coach moved to Lin out of desperation.

All he’s done since is re-ignite a basketball-loving city’s enthusiasm for the game, help fill the league’s void in Asia after Yao Ming’s retirement and help the Knicks survive the losses of Anthony and Stoudemire.

He scored 89 points in his first three starts, including an incredible 38 to beat the Lakers in the Garden on Friday night. His 109 points are the most by a player in his first four starts since the ABA-NBA merger, surpassing Allen Iverson.

“It’s been unbelievable,” center Tyson Chandler said. “He’s really changed the mindset and mentality of this team.”

The first American-born NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent is already drawing the casual fan even in road games. He was cheered heartily in pregame introductions and gave the curious crowd exactly what it was looking for. His quickness gave Rubio fits on defense and he scored in every manner imaginable.

There was the crossover of Luke Ridnour and step-back jumper, a tear-drop drive into the lane and stutter-step blow-by for two, and that was just in a three-minute stretch of the first quarter.

“In the first half he killed us in the pick-and-rolls,” Rubio said. “He drives and scores and creates baskets, too.”

As he emerged from the shower long after the game was over and limped to his locker, Lin fell into his chair and let out a big sigh.

“I just feel like I’m in a dream right now,” Lin said. “Tomorrow is an off day. I can’t wait.”

NOTES: The Timberwolves wore Minnesota Muskies uniforms in tribute to the ABA team that spent one season here in 1967. “I’m still trying to figure out what a Muskie is,” F Anthony Tolliver said. … Timberwolves C Darko Milicic missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right ankle. Coach Rick Adelman said he hoped Milicic would be ready for the game Monday at Orlando. … The Wolves in-house DJ played Whitney Houston songs during halftime after news of the singer’s death at 48.

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Robinson had 11 rebounds to become the Big West Conference career leader with 1,119. He passed Cal State Fullerton’s Tony Neal, who set the record with 1,115 from 1981-85. Robinson also had 14 points Saturday.

Ware broke the all-time assists record at Long Beach State, passing Billy Walker (1984-88). Ware entered the game tied with Walker with 507 career assists, and finished with 16 points and two assists against UC Davis.

Eugene Phelps added 23 points and nine rebounds for the 49ers (19-6, 12-0 Big West), who won their 12th straight game and stretched their conference winning streak to 20 games dating back to last season. Larry Anderson added 15 points.

Josh Ritchart scored 24 points for UC Davis (2-22, 1-11), which was coming off a 79-71 victory over Cal State Northridge on Thursday that snapped an 18-game losing streak.

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Allen Crabbe added 14 and Jorge Gutierrez 13 for the Bears (20-6, 10-3), who shot 52 percent from the floor in completing their first season sweep of the Bruins since 1993-94. The Bears beat Southern California 75-49 on Thursday night and have won all four regular-season games against the LA schools for the first time since 1958-59.

The Bears had been tied for first in the league with Washington, which plays at Oregon State on Sunday. They earned their third 20-win season under coach Mike Montgomery.

Jerime Anderson scored 16 points, Lazeric Jones 15 and David Wear 11 for the Bruins (14-11, 7-6), who lost at home for the first time in six games.

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The ball caromed off a mound and onto the green and started rolling. And rolling. When it finally settled a foot below the hole, and the gallery’s cheers grew increasingly louder, Woods hung his head and smiled.

He went from possible bogey to unlikely birdie.

And with five birdies in a six-hole stretch, he went from the periphery of contention to the thick of it Saturday in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, another step toward showing his game is on the way back.

“Looked like I was having a tough time making par, and I was making birdie, and off we go,” Woods said. “Sometimes, we need those types of momentum swings in a round, and from there, I made some putts.”

If nothing else, he made it interesting going into the final round of his PGA Tour debut.

Charlie Wi played bogey-free at Spyglass Hill for a 3-under 69 to build a three-shot lead over Ken Duke, who had a 65 on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula.

Woods had a 5-under 67, his best Saturday score on the PGA Tour since the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and climbed within four shots of the lead. It’s the closest he has been to a 54-hole leader on the PGA Tour since the 2010 Masters.

Saturday at Pebble is all about the stars, as CBS Sports traditionally devotes its coverage to celebrities, from Ray Romano to Bill Murray dressed in camouflage while throwing a football to former San Francisco 49ers lineman Harris Barton.

Sunday will have some star power of its own.

Not only is Woods in the penultimate group — right in front of two players who have never won on the PGA Tour — he will be in the same group as longtime nemesis Phil Mickelson, who had a 70 at Pebble Beach despite playing the par 5s in 1 over.

Still in the mix is two-time Pebble Beach champion Dustin Johnson, former world No. 1 Vijay Singh and three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, who was two shots off the lead at one point until a sloppy finish at Spyglass for a 72.

Wi is 0-for-162 on the PGA Tour and now has to face his demons of self-doubt — along with a familiar force in golf.

Woods couldn’t convert a share of the third-round lead with Robert Rock two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, but he is showing an upward trend. He has given himself a chance to win on the back nine of his last four stroke-play tournaments.

With a new swing, it’s starting to look like the old Tiger.

“But the scenario doesn’t change,” Woods said. “The ultimate goal is to win a golf tournament.”

That’s something Wi has never done. He was at 15-under 199, and he has a 54-hole lead for only the second time on tour. He had a one-shot lead at Colonial last year and was runner-up to David Toms.

This time, Wi will be in the last group with someone in a familiar spot. Duke is winless in 142 starts.

The last two weeks haven’t been too kind to 54-hole leaders, either. Kyle Stanley lost a five-shot lead at Torrey Pines, and Spencer Levin blew a six-shot lead the following week in the Phoenix Open. Both were going for their first PGA Tour win.

Your turn, Charlie.

“I haven’t really thought about that,” Wi said, when asked if it were a blessing or a burden to be in front. “But I enjoy being in the lead. It’s a lot more fun than trying to come from behind. I know that tonight is going to be very exciting, and I’m sure I won’t sleep as well as if I’m in 50th place. But that’s what we play for, and I’m really excited.”

Woods was at 11-under 203, having lost some momentum on the front nine at Pebble by missing a few fairways and hitting some ordinary wedge shots. He closed with seven pars.

Mickelson was at 9-under 205, along with Johnson and Hunter Mahan. Harrington was at 206, while another stroke back were Singh and Geoff Ogilvy.

Wi is No. 175 in the world, while Duke is at No. 258. They have combined for 304 starts without a win. Right behind them are Woods and Mickelson, who have combined for 18 majors and 110 PGA Tour wins.

“It’s really fun, especially when the big guys are up there,” Duke said. “That’s when everyone is out there watching. If you do perform well and play well, they will be watching you, as well. It’s going to be fun.”

With a short burst of birdies, it looked as though Woods was having a blast.

He rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the 14th, and then had a 25-foot putt up the slope on the 15th. One of the amateurs in his group had a similar putt, so Woods was able to look at the break. He learned well, extending his left arm as he often does before the putt drops. And it did.

Woods made good birdie putts from 20 feet on the 17th and 8 feet on the 18th, where he also got a small break. Not wanting to hit driver in the first place because he couldn’t reach in two, he came out of the shot. It looked like it might go out-of-bounds until it hit a CBS spotter and settled behind the bunkers.

Woods made an easy birdie on the par-5 second, but that was hit. He had to save par on the short par-4 fourth from a bunker, and didn’t give himself enough good looks the rest of the way.

No matter. He moved up the leaderboard, higher than he has been in some time on this tour.

Woods played in the final group two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi, tied for the lead with Rock, and he had his poorest day striking the ball and finished in a tie for third. Woods played in the final group at his Chevron World Challenge at the end of last year and birdied the last two holes to beat Zach Johnson.

Woods doesn’t distinguish between tours, or even official events. Winning is winning. Losing is losing. All he sees at the moment is progress, and it’s hard to deny it.

“My bad days and bad shots are not as bad as they used to be,” Woods said.

Wi is making his own brand of progress, getting more comfortable with his swing and being in contention. He talks often about the demons in his head, which is typical of most any golfer.

“I’m sure I’ll be fighting my demons all day tomorrow and it’s how I handle myself tomorrow,” Wi said. “It’s not what other players are doing. How I handle myself tomorrow is going to be the outcome of the tournament.”

DIVOTS: Joseph Bramlett, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, made an albatross on the 11th hole at Spyglass when he holed out from 187 yards with a 6-iron. He negated that with two double bogeys and shot 73. … Among the amateurs to make the cut were Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who is playing Pebble Beach for the first time.

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Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, Justin Braun and Jamie McGinn also scored to help the Sharks avoid losing three straight games in regulation for the first time since October. Brent Burns added three assists.

Antti Niemi made 30 saves to win for the fifth time in eight starts against Chicago since leaving the Blackhawks for San Jose before last season.

Marcus Kruger scored two goals and Bryan Bickell also scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost seven straight games, including the first five on a nine-game trip. Chicago also has lost nine straight road games.

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While the Blackhawks are struggling on their longest trip in 18 years, the Sharks are about embark on a long trip of their own. With a tennis tournament and Disney on Ice coming to San Jose, the Sharks head out on a nine-game trip that begins Sunday in St. Louis.

Ferriero made sure they left town on a winning note when he tipped in a pass from Brad Winchester behind the net for his seventh goal of the season. It’s the fifth time Ferriero has scored to give the Sharks the lead, including three in the third period.

McGinn added a power-play goal with 5:56 remaining, San Jose’s third tally with the man advantage against Corey Crawford.

Chicago had overcome a lackluster start to tie the game earlier in the third when Dave Bolland fed Bickell from behind the net to make it 3-3 just over 2 minutes into the third. But the Blackhawks couldn’t close it out and remained winless on the road since Dec. 14 at Minnesota.

Chicago dominated the second period but still trailed after 40 minutes because of an unfortunate bounce. The Sharks were outshot 17-3 in the period but got the go-ahead goal after nearly botching a 2-on-1 chance. Joe Pavelski missed Patrick Marleau on a pass on the odd-man rush but Thornton came up with the puck. His centering pass to Pavelski hit off rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen’s stick and past Crawford to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead with 4:17 left in the second.

Kruger had tied the game with two goals off rebounds earlier in the period, ending a 15-game goal-scoring drought with his first career multigoal game.

The Sharks got off to a fast start after playing sloppily in losing the previous two games by killing three first-period power plays and converting on two of three chances of their own.

The first came early in the period after Michael Frolik was called for a double-minor high-sticking penalty. Braun quickly converted on his 25th birthday. He rushed in from the point and took a backhand pass from Logan Couture behind the net to score his second goal of the season. The pass extended Couture’s point streak to a career-best eight games.

The Blackhawks were short-handed again later in the period after five players were sent off for roughing following a hit from Thornton on Jonathan Toews near the benches. Boyle, who missed Wednesday’s game with an illness, looked just fine as he knocked in a rebound of Couture’s point shot to make it 2-0.

Notes: The Blackhawks were without two starting defenseman as Steve Montador was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and Niklas Hjalmarsson sat out with an upper-body injury. Olsen was recalled from the AHL and Sami Lepisto played for the first time since Jan. 2. … Two of Braun’s four career goals have come against Chicago.

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Wi escaped most of the rain at Pebble Beach, where he holed a wedge from the 13^th fairway for eagle and limited the damage to a bogey on his final hole for a 3-under 69 that allowed him to open a three-shot lead.

Dustin Johnson was caught off guard by the rain in the worst way. He stood in the fourth fairway at Spyglass with a short-sleeve shirt, hands thrust in his pocket, as his caddie sent a friend running up the hill to the parking lot to retrieve his rain gear.  His short game let him down, and the two-time Pebble champion had to settle for a 72 that put him three back.

Padraig Harrington had a 66 at Pebble Beach and was among those tied for third. Harrington had five birdies in a six-hole stretch early in his round, the exception coming at the par-5 sixth.

Related Coverage:
Pebble Beach Leaderboard
Photo Gallery: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Woods, meanwhile, again looked poised to make a move over at Monterey Peninsula. He missed a 5-foot birdie putt on No. 9 and failed to make birdie on the par-5 10^th when he pulled his second shot into the gallery. He had to settle for a 2-under 68, leaving him six behind.

Along the way, he stung his wrist hitting out of a divot and said he had to pop it back into the joint.

“No big deal,” he said.

The bigger deal was putting. Woods took 33 putts on the Shore Course, which he attributed to leaving the ball in the wrong spot— mostly above the hole—and struggling with greens he felt were getting slightly more bumpy as a mist turned into a light rain.

“It’s very close,” said Woods, playing this event for the first time in 10 years. “I got my ball-striking to where I feel very comfortable hitting the shots. I just need to make a couple of putts to get on a roll.”

Phil Mickelson struggled in sunshine. In rain, he ran off five birdies for a 65 at Monterey Peninsula that put him five shots behind.

“I don’t know what happened, but I started to play a lot better and make some birdies,” said Mickelson, a three-time winner at Pebble. “In the perfect conditions, I struggled. But to play these golf courses in such great condition either way has been a lot of fun.”

Wi was at 12-under 130 and now heads to Spyglass Hill, which has played slightly tougher than the other two courses.

In these shifting conditions, Spyglass played about two shots harder than it did Thursday, while Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula were about one shot more difficult than the day before.

Only 56 players broke par, compared with 87 in the opening round.

That would explain what was going through Wi’s mind when he set off at Pebble Beach, knowing the course gave up a pair of 63s in the opening round. It sure didn’t feel that easy.

“I thought Pebble played really difficult today,” Wi said.  “The greens were very firm, and the guys that shot 8 or 9 under out there, I was very surprised how well they played. Some of the pins were really tricky. I said, ‘Gosh, how did they shoot 9 under out there?’ And for me to shoot 3 under today, I was very pleased.”

Wi figured it out toward the end of the way, as the light rain swept over the peninsula. During the practice round, he hit a driver and a 9-iron on the ninth hole. It was his final hole Friday, and he hit a driver and a hybrid.

That didn’t work out so well. He pulled his approach into a crevice of thick rough, chopped out over the green and only a good pitch to tap-in range helped him avoid something worse than a bogey.

Vijay Singh had a 68 at Spyglass Hill and Brian Gay had a 65 at Monterey Peninsula to join Harrington among those at 8-under par.  Hunter Mahan, fresh off his one-week journey to the Middle East for the Qatar Masters, had a 70 at Pebble Beach and was in the group at 7-under par, along with Mickelson.

Woods looked sharp at times, drilling a 5-iron to 7 feet for birdie on the opening hole, narrowly missing an 8-foot eagle attempt at No. 6 and making a second straight birdie on the par-3 seventh from about 15 feet.

But he didn’t make up any ground, losing one shot to par compared with the leaders. Next up for Woods is Pebble Beach, where he usually plays his best. Woods still remembers the 63-64 weekend in 1997, when he finished one shot behind Mark O’Meara. Woods also had a 64 in the final round of 2000 to rally from five shots behind.

He has three rounds of 64 or better on the fabled course during the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The last time he played Pebble Beach was the U.S. Open in 2010, where he bogeyed five of his opening 10 holes to fall out of contention. His game was in disrepair at the time. It now is on an upward swing, and the putting is all that controls how quickly he gets back.

“I’m hitting good putts,” Woods said. “I’m not displeased with my putting at all. I just didn’t hit the ball in the right spots to give myself the right looks. If we were putting smooth greens, it would be a totally different deal.”

Johnson was tied for the lead with back-to-back birdies to close out the back nine at Spyglass. He bogeyed the par-3 third from about 12 feet away just behind the green, then three-putted for bogey at the par-3 fifth.

“I played really well yesterday. I played good today,” Johnson said. “I just (threw) away some shots. I hit some poor pitch shots, just really bad. They weren’t even pitch shots. They were dink chips, ones that you’re trying to hole. And I just hit them terrible.”

Johnson will have a chance to make up ground Saturday at Monterey Peninsula, which has produced the lowest scores this week.

Woods, meanwhile, settles in at Pebble Beach with the celebrity rotation, the day that CBS Sports typically spends as much time on the antics of actors and comedians as the golfers.

That shouldn’t be a big distraction, though. Woods tees off early on the back nine, away from all the action.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Lin had the most astounding performance of his remarkable week, scoring a career-high 38 points and outdueling Bryant as the New York Knicks held off the Los Angeles Lakers 92-85.

Buried deep on the bench a little more than a week ago, Lin led the Knicks to their fourth straight win, tying their longest streak of the season. His two free throws with 52 seconds left and some booming “MVP! MVP!” chants stopped the Lakers’ final rally and allowed the undrafted Harvard product to pass Carmelo Anthony for the highest-scoring game by a Knicks player this season.

Iman Shumpert added 12 points for the Knicks, who are still without Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. But they have Lin, the point guard that two other teams gave up on in December and didn’t get his chance in New York until three other players couldn’t do the job.

Bryant finished with 34 points, but he got off to a horrendous start and finished only 11 of 29 from the field. Pau Gasol had 16 points and 10 rebounds, but All-Star Andrew Bynum was only 1 of 8 for three points with 13 rebounds as the Lakers’ nine-game winning streak against the Knicks was snapped.

Five of those wins had come at Madison Square Garden, where fans used to roar for Bryant.

They’ve got a new favorite now, and who could have ever predicted it’d be Lin? The most surprising story in the NBA came back into the game with 9:25 left after the Knicks’ lead had been trimmed to three. Shumpert hit a jumper and blew by Bryant for a dunk before Lin knocked down a jumper to push the lead to 76-69 with about 8 minutes left.

The lead was still eight before Lin nailed a long jumper, then was wide open after an offensive rebound for a 3-pointer from the wing, making it 84-71 as fans stood and screamed throughout the Lakers’ timeout.

Lin followed his 28-point, eight-assist outing Monday in his first career start by scoring 23 points and handing out 10 assists Wednesday against Washington, becoming the first player since LeBron James in 2003 and just the sixth since 1970 to have at least 20 points and eight assists in his first two starts, according to research from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the Knicks.

He became an instant star in New York just as fans were ready to check out basketball after the Giants’ Super Bowl run was over, and just when it appeared the Knicks might fall too far behind in the standings to salvage the season.

Some Lin shirts were scattered throughout Madison Square Garden–though Spike Lee was still wearing Landry Fields’ No. 2 in his courtside seat. Ratings on MSG network are up since Lin joined the lineup, and the NBA said some of its Asian TV partners have added Knicks games to their broadcast schedules so fans can see the league’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

Already drawing comparisons to Tim Tebow for his impact on teammates and the way he speaks of his faith afterward, the hype around him will only grow now after beating one of the league’s marquee franchises in his first nationally televised game.

A night after needing overtime to win at Boston, the Lakers had nothing to start the game, and Lin quickly jumped on them. He started 4 of 5 as the Knicks raced to a 13-4 lead, and it grew to 19-8 as Los Angeles missed 12 of its first 13 shots.

Lin’s four field goals in the first quarter matched the Lakers’ total in 18 attempts (22 percent).

The Lakers cut a 14-point deficit to five late in the half before Lin put the Knicks back in control. He had a turnaround jumper then spun around to leave Derek Fisher behind on his way to a layup, pushing it to 47-38 with 2:44 remaining. It was 49-41 at halftime.

Bryant started 1 of 11 before hitting five of his next six shots. The record holder at the current arena with 61 points, he also grabbed 10 rebounds but got going far too late.

Notes: The Knicks had two points taken off the board in the third quarter when the referees ruled a foul earlier in the period on Metta World Peace shouldn’t have counted against the Lakers’ team foul total, so the Knicks shouldn’t have been in the bonus and shot free throws yet on a later foul. … Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said Anthony told him he was feeling better and walking without pain. The All-Star forward is expected to be re-evaluated Sunday, but D’Antoni said he doubted Anthony would play Tuesday at Toronto. The Knicks said Anthony was expected to miss a week or two after he was hurt Monday. … Stoudemire, whose brother died in Florida on Monday, is expected to rejoin the team at practice Monday. … Fisher made his 400th consecutive start. He has played in 522 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. … Celebrities on hand included actor Ben Stiller, wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Giants Justin Tuck, Brandon Jacobs, Hakeem Nicks and Antrel Rolle.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

The general manager on Friday received a three-year contract extension through the 2016 season. CEO Jed York tweeted that negotiations were finalized over a recent dinner.

“Contentious contract negotiation w/Trent over dinner. Didn’t finalize terms until after we finished the chips & salsa,” York tweeted.

York also formally announced Friday the addition of Gideon Yu as president and co-owner after tweeting it last week, when NFL owners at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis approved a $200 million loan to help the 49ers build a stadium near their current training site.

NFC West champion San Francisco went 13-3 in 2011 and advanced to the NFC title game before losing in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

Not only did Baalke hire away NFL Coach of the Year Jim Harbaugh from nearby Stanford in January 2011, in perhaps his best signing of all, he also acquired All-Pro placekicker David Akers and brought in two Pro Bowl defensive backs—safety Dashon Goldson and cornerback Carlos Rogers. Not to mention safety Donte Whitner, who dealt his share of blows in a victory against the favored Saints in the NFC divisional round.

They all made key impacts during a turnaround season as the 49ers ended an eight-year drought without a playoff berth or winning record.

“Trent has distinguished himself as the man to direct our football operations for years to come,” York said. “Since taking over as general manager last January, we have made great strides on the football field under Trent’s leadership. It gives me great pleasure to watch Trent and Jim work arm-in-arm with the common goal of leading the 49ers to championships.”

The 49ers earned the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye and went 6-2 on the road, with four of those victories coming in comeback fashion.

All that after Baalke drew criticism over whether he had made enough splashy moves in free agency to improve his roster after the lockout.

Baalke has been with the team in various jobs since 2005, when he was hired as a regional scout. He moved up to director of player personnel in 2008, to vice president in the same capacity in 2010 and to general manager last year.

The private, behind-the-scenes Baalke expressed his gratitude to the York family, Harbaugh, the other coaches and football operations staff as well as the players.

“The success we experienced on the field was a direct result of their efforts,” Baalke said. “It is a privilege to work for the 49ers organization, alongside this group, as we continue our pursuit of championships.”

When York began looking for a GM, he vowed to open an exhaustive national search, then ultimately decided to go with the familiar face who had shown plenty of leadership and reliable decision-making. York took heat for it, too, as some believed he had settled for Baalke over a bigger name.

Yet it was Baalke who orchestrated the contract extensions for two key 49ers before the 2010 season: five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis and tight end Vernon Davis. Running back Frank Gore got his coveted new deal before the 2011 season.

Baalke, a former college coach who also worked four years in the scouting department for the Washington Redskins before coming to San Francisco, made two first-round picks in 2010 — offensive linemen Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati—and both became instant starters. Last season’s rookies also shined: Aldon Smith with 14 sacks, Kendall Hunter as Gore’s reliable backup, and Bruce Miller as a defensive end turned fullback.

Akers’ 44 field goals set an NFL record—Baalke scooped him up when the Eagles decided he was expendable.

“He had a plan, and he stuck with it,” Goldson said late in the year. “And look where we’re at now.”

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)