Smith will be one of six female contestants on the 12-player cast of "Big Break Ireland."

In her second season on the Futures Tour, the former Riverside King and Tennessee standout currently is 21st on the money list through 11 events with $15,873 earned. The top 10 will earn their LPGA cards.

Smith, 24, hopes to "follow in the footsteps of 'Big Break Sandals' competitor Ryann O'Toole, her close friend and travel companion," the Golf Channel said in a release.

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

The Dodgers' prompt answer came in the bottom of the first, when Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp scored on a single by Aaron Miles. Kemp came all the way around from first base, diving head-first into safely into home past Nationals catcher Jesus Flores, who bobbled the throw.

The play put the Dodgers in front, 2-1, and drew a roar from the crowd, who begun to grow impatient with Billingsley in the first inning, offering some boos when the starter allowed those first four batters to get on.

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

Mattingly said it was the result of slide in the series at St. Louis more than two weeks ago.

"We're keeping an eye on it," Mattingly said. "I'd rather give up the day or two days and keep him long term."

With Ethier out, Russ Mitchell got his first start at third base.

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

Behind her tied for second are former Rancho Cucamonga resident Jane Park, who carded a second-round 70 and first-round co-leader Brittany Lincicome, who shot 72 at Mission Hills Country Club, where temperatures have climbed to 98 degrees.

Park, who trained for a time at Mira Loma's Goose Creek Golf Club (one of her golf bags is displayed in the pro shop), relied on her putting en route to four birdies on sleek, hot greens Friday.

"My putting definitely feels great right now," Park said. "I love putting on fast greens. And if you dive the ball in the fairway on this course, it's really not that difficult."

It's just hot.

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

RANCHO MIRAGE -- Stacy Lewis and Brittany Lincicome put some major heat on the field Thursday at the 40th Kraft Nabisco Championship, where first-round temperatures reached 101 degrees.

Lewis and Lincicome got cooking Thursday afternoon at Mission Hills Country Club, carding matching 6-under-par 66s to open play at the LPGA's first major championship of the season.

"I don't mind the heat at all," said Lewis, who with Lincicome holds a 1-shot lead over Mika Miyazato and Sunday's Kia Classic winner Sandra Gal. "I grew up in Texas in summer, so I say: Bring it because the ball goes a mile."

"Luckily, I'm from Florida, so it wasn't too bad," said Lincicome, who includes her 2009 Kraft Nabisco title among her three LPGA Tour wins. "But there were definitely times when I was like, 'All right, I gotta find the shade.' "

Former Rancho Cucamonga resident Jane Park and Chie Arimura are 2 shots behind and three others, including two-time Kraft Nabisco champion Karrie Webb, are 3 strokes back.

Lincicome spread out six birdies in an easy-does-it round that featured no bogeys and only a single "scary" par-save - from all of 6 feet.

Otherwise, it was "one of those days where I didn't have to think too hard," said Lincicome, who also has a second-place finish at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

Lewis, in search of her first LPGA victory, hit the afterburners with three consecutive birdies - none from farther than 10 feet - following her only bogey, a key 6-foot save on her second hole.

Three additional birdies on her final nine holes put the former Arkansas Razorback star in front.

- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

Last week's Kia Classic champion holed out a shot and buried many more putts as she shot a seven-birdie 5-under-par 67 to earn a share of the lead. Japan's Mika Miyazato is tied for first, after posting a pleasing bogey-free 67 on the Dinah Shore Tournament course that only grew tougher as the day continued.

Gal was paired with defending champion and former Beaumont resident Yani Tseng. The world's top-ranked player said she struggled with the speed of her putts en route to a first-round 70.

Tseng was impressed with Gal.

"When I see Sandra Gal make every putt, every hole, I was like, 'Geez, I need to get some balls to drop in the hole!' " Tseng said. "She's a good player and I was very happy to see her first win last week. And she seems really confident today. She's really making lots of putts. So I really need to putt like her!"

The second wave of players are on the course or soon to tee off at Mission Hills Country Club.

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

Under grey skies, he enjoyed a picture-perfect bogey-free round that included three consecutive birdies and was kick-started by a 95-foot eagle putt on his first hole.

"It's a great week however you play here," said Couples, whose 5-under-par 66 put him 2 shot ahead of three players. "You always want to play well, but I do love the course. Riviera is a special spot for me."

J.B. Holmes and John Senden, who finished their rounds, are 6-under, as is Spencer Levin, who has four holes left.

Six others are 3 shots off the pace, including former Rancho Cucamonga resident Kevin Na, who also is a big fan of the Riviera layout. Na hasn't missed a cut here in five tries and he nabbed a share of 10th last year. He shot 66 on Friday.

Murrieta Valley High graduate Rickie Fowler isn't nearly as comfortable on the stately old course tucked off Sunset Boulevard, but he seems primed to sneak into weekend play anyway.

After he began the second round with consecutive birdies Friday, he fumbled his momentum, fighting to finish an up-and-down round even-par.

That left him at 3-over for the event and smack-dab on top of the cut line when play was suspended on account of darkness at 5:30 p.m. with 30 players set to return at 7 this morning to finish their second rounds.

Idyllwild native Brendan Steele had a tough time of it and will miss his second consecutive cut. His 7-over 78 on Friday was capped by a disastrous 7-putt quintuple bogey on the closing 18th and left him 12-over for the tournament.

He wasn't the only one whom the tournament delivered an unhappy ending.

Chris DiMarco was disqualified Friday after signing an incorrect scorecard and broadcaster Jim Gray was removed from Golf Channel's coverage team this week for approaching Dustin Johnson during the first round to ask him about having nearly missed his tee time.

Afterward, Gray and Johnson's caddie, Bobby Brown, got into a confrontation about it.

"Our aim is to provide the best possible golf coverage for our viewers. Anything else is a disservice," Golf Channel spokesman Dan Higgins said in a statement. "In order not to provide further distraction, we've decided to remove Jim from this particular assignment."

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

The lean, long-driving left-hander used a final-round 5-under-par 67 to surge past Phil Mickelson while fending off Dustin Johnson and Jhonattan Vegas.

With his buddy Rickie Fowler standing near the green rooting for him, Watson's 12-foot putt slowly crawled into the cup on the 18th green of Torrey Pines' South Course.

That birdie, set up by a chip from a bunker behind the green, brought Watson's tournament total to 16-under and made him a two-time PGA Tour winner.

"All I thought about was keeping my head odwn and playing my game," said Watson, who edged Ryder Cup teammate Mickelson by 1shot, denying the hometown favorite and co-leader entering Sunday his fourth victory at the event.

A fourth-round 66 boosted Johnson into third with Vegas, the rookie who won the Bob Hope Classic last week. They finished 2 shots back.

Fowler, dressed in his Sunday best: head-to-toe orange, shot his worst score of the tournament, carding a 74 that left him tied for 20th, 11 shots off the pace. But Watson's win gave the former Murrieta Valley High star something to smile about.

"It's definitely big for him, especially at a venue like this," said Fowler, who played in the U.S. Open when it was held here in 2008. "It's a tough place, it's long, it's hard, it's a golf course. So, pulling this off means a lot."

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

His playing partner Tiger Woods, meantime, shot a final-round 75 to finish 1-under.

Steele enjoyed playing with Woods, who made conversation early and often with the Hemet High grad.

"Feel really good about it," said Steele, when asked about his round. "It was awesome, couldn't have gone any better from my perspective. (Woods) was really good to play with and really friendly to me - which he didn't have to be. He had really no reason to be, but he was and I really appreciate that. That was really nice."

They didn't have deep conversation, but the "little stories back and forth, little things about college and college golf," was good, Steele said. "We talked actually quite a bit, so it was nice."

And it helped Steele get over the heightened early round jitters.

"(Yesterday) same amount of people and same everything and I hit it about 340 off the first tee off the middle of the fairway," Steele said. "And today I hit it off the shaft over there in the bunker, so it was a little bit different.

"Got the first couple holes out of the way and felt good, and then the putt going in on 3 for par was really big, and I got settled in after that. And (then) a little bit of a chat with Tiger, so I knew I wasn't too much in his way at least.

"That was the thing I was kind of worried about, you don't want him staring you down because you did something wrong or anything like that. It was really good.

"I would've liked to have seen him at his best because I wasn't trying to win the golf tournament I just wanted to play a good round today. If that's the last group on Sunday, then I don't want him to play his best, and obviously he's not playing his best today, but I think he's close. He's trying to get ready for Augusta.

"And you can tell it's just a little bit off, and I don't think he gave it everything he had today coming from 18th place once he sa\w it wasn't going the right way, it didn't have his full attention. Just some loose shots, some things I haven't seen him do before - but you know, I haven't been around him that much. Loose shots and loose chips and he actually rolled it really well and the ball just didn't go in the hole. He could've easily made 4, 5 6 more putts that would've made his round OK, but some days they go and some days they don't, even for him."

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com

"I'm really excited about it," said Steele, who got a kick out of playing in the group IN FRONT of Woods on Saturday.

"I know it presents a lot of challenges outside of what I'm used to, but I feel like it will be a great learning experience, it will prepare me for anything else I see the rest of the year."

Steele entered the third round tied with Woods, a 71-time winner on the PGA Tour and six-time victor at this tournament. Both shot 2-over on Saturday to put themselves into a tie for 24th with 13 other players.

Australian Greg Chalmers will fill out the sure-to-be-scrutinized group.

"I'll have to stick with my game and (caddie) Nick (Wilkins) will have to be on his game keeping everybody still and quiet," Steele said. "But you have to be prepared for all the madness that goes on around it.

"I'm really excited. It's what you want. If you're playing with Tiger Woods on a Sunday, you're doing something right."

"The stuff he's done is unbelievable, and you can't even realize it until you really take into account how hard it is to win ONE golf tournament. And then see him and the dominance that he's had, it's really special. It's really amazing."

Before Sunday's pairings were released, Steele was basking in just having played in the group directly in front of Tigers, and having experienced the energy of the big crowd.

"Totally new experience today. And it was a lot of fun - even though it was a hard day," Steele said. "It's just different, this is what we've always dreamed about and always wanted. To be right in front of Tiger, with all the people and all the chaos that that brings with it, I knew that was going to be an interesting kind of challenge for the day, but it was a lot of fun, I liked it a lot."

-- Mirjam Swanson
mswanson@PE.com