Phil Mickelson chipped in for another birdie and wound up with a 6-under 66 yesterday to build a two-shot lead in the CA Championship, putting him in the last group at Doral, Fla., for the first time in three years.

The only difference this time will be the company he keeps.

Tiger Woods, his nemesis on the Blue Monster, was 10 shots behind.

"It kind of (stinks)," Mickelson said. "I hope he comes out tomorrow and plays a great round and makes a move. I would love to get him back from '05. I came close in '05 and got beat, and I would love the opportunity to play head-to-head."

Mickelson was at 13-under 131.

Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland who is trying to become the youngest PGA Tour winner in history, is two shots behind. He was tied with 48-year-old Kenny Perry, who has three children older than McIlroy.

Woods shot 70, one shot better than the day before.

He was at 3-under 141 and in a tie for 35th in the 80-man field.

NFL

RAMS RELEASE HOLT

The St. Louis Rams released wide receiver Torry Holt yesterday, parting ways with one of the last remaining holdovers from their "Greatest Show on Turf" glory days.

The move came three days after the Rams released offensive tackle Orlando Pace, another mainstay from the era when the Rams won their only Super Bowl and lost another on the game's final play. Both Holt and Pace are seven-time Pro Bowl selections.

Holt, 32, was due a $1.25 million roster bonus Tuesday.

Only defensive end Leonard Little and quarterback Marc Bulger remain from the team that lost the 2002 Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.

Holt ranks 11th in league history with 869 receptions and 14th with 12,660 receiving yards.

ELSEWHERE

Golf: Joey Sindelar shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead over two-time winner Tom Purtzer in the AT&T Champions Classic at Santa Clarita, Calif. Jay Haas and David Edwards opened with 67s on the Valencia Country Club course.

American Martin Piller shot a 4-under 68 today to top the crowded third-round leaderboard in the New Zealand Open in Queenstown. Piller had a 12-under 204 total on The Hills course. Five golfers are tied for second, one stroke back.

College football: Mike Bellotti is stepping down as Oregon's football coach to become the school's athletic director, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly will be promoted to head coach. Bellotti, who has coached the Ducks for the past 14 seasons, takes over his new position July 1, replacing athletic director Pat Kilkenny. Kelly becomes coach March 30.

Tennis: Top-seeded Dinara Safina fought off three set points in a first-set tiebreaker and beat Tina Pironkova of Bulgaria, 7-6 (8), 6-2, in a second-round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. Safina can replace Serena Williams atop the WTA Tour rankings by reaching the final of this 12-day event.

Boxing: Undefeated Montreal fighter Lucian Bute retained his IBF super-middleweight title last night, stopping Fulgencio Zuniga in the fourth round in front of 12,153 fans at the Bell Centre. Bute (24-0) knocked down Zuniga (22-4-1) early in the fourth, then battered the Colombian around the ring until referee Lindsey Page Jr. stopped the fight 2:25 into the round.

NFL: Clancy Pendergast, the defensive coordinator for Arizona's run to the Super Bowl, is now in charge of defense for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs finished 2-14 last year with one of the worst defenses in the league.