■ Basketball
Swift out for season
Seattle center Robert Swift is out for the entire NBA season after suffering a knee injury, his team said on Friday. Swift, who had only regained his place in the starting line-up at the expense of France's Johan Petro during the pre-season, injured his ligaments in a friendly against Sacramento on Wednesday. The 20-year-old will need to undergo an operation and will be out for around eight months. The injury leaves the SuperSonics with two relatively inexperienced centers in Petro, playing in only his second season, and Senegalese Mouhamed Sene, who is making his debut in the NBA. Both players are also just 20.
■ Golf
Canada lead in Eisenhower
Three-time Canadian Amateur champion Richard Scott birdied his final hole to help Canada take a one-stroke lead over the US after the second round of the Eisenhower Trophy on Friday. Scott finished with a 4-under 68 on the De Zalze course to share the individual lead at 7 under with the US' Chris Kirk, a former teammate at the University of Georgia. Kirk shot a 66 on the Stellenbosch course. Andrew Parr had a 71 and James Love added a 75. Only the top two scores count each day, leaving Canada with a 5-under 139 total and an overall score of 10-under 278. Mexico and the Netherlands were tied for third, three strokes back.
■ Golf
Tiger to skip Championship
Tiger Woods is skipping the US Tour Championship next week for the first time in his career, saying he was mentally and physically tired from a hectic stretch through the Ryder Cup. "I'm confident that this extended break will help me to recharge my batteries for the 2007 season," Woods said on his Web site. It was a huge blow to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake for the top 30 players on the US PGA Tour money list. Masters champion Phil Mickelson previously has said he was done playing for the year. And with Stephen Ames out with a back injury, the 27-man field will be the smallest since the Tour Championship began in 1987.
■ Baseball
Houston legend Niekro dies
Former major league pitcher Joe Niekro, Houston's career victory leader, died on Friday, Astros president Tal Smith said. He was 61. The two-time 20-game winner suffered a brain aneurysm on Thursday and was taken to hospital in nearby Plant City, where he lived. He later was transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died. Niekro, father of San Francisco Giants first baseman Lance Niekro, won 221 games in his career but never became as well known as his Hall of Fame brother, Phil. Like his older brother, who won 318 games, Joe Niekro found success after developing the knuckleball and pitched into his 40s. They had a combined 539 major league victories, a record for brothers.
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