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Thursday 15 February 2018
Woods back at Riviera, a course that never treated him well

By DOUG FERGUSON The next morning, Woods Woods is an eight-time win-
AP Golf Writer withdrew with the flu and ner at Torrey Pines. He is 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even never returned. for 10 at Riviera, which in-
when Tiger Woods hardly He's not the same player cludes appearances as an
ever lost, he never could he was then. His father died amateur in 1992 and 1993.
win at Riviera. a few months after that The opposite of that would
Woods resumes his come- 2006 tournament, and after be Dustin Johnson, the de-
back from a fourth back Woods missed the cut for fending champion, who
surgery at the Genesis the first time in a major at considers Riviera the best
Open, marking his return the U.S. Open, he went on course he plays all year.
to the course where he to win his final six PGA Tour That's why it was so mean-
made his PGA Tour debut events of the year, includ- ingful for Johnson to finally
as a 16-year-old amateur, ing the last two majors. win last year, and win big.
and the course where he There was one stretch at Even playing conserva-
walked away in the mid- the end of 1999 and early tively over the back nine
dle of the tournament and in 2000 when Woods won because the tournament
never returned. or was runner-up in 10 out effectively was over, John-
He has played Riviera eight of 11 starts on the PGA Tour. son still won by five. The
times as a pro, the most of The exception? He finished only thing he lost was a
any PGA Tour course where seven shots behind in a tie Tiger Woods greets a wellwisher after a news conference where shot at the oldest tourna-
he hasn't won. for 18th at Riviera. he talked about his charitable works off the course and his re- ment scoring record on the
turn to competitive golf in the Genesis Open at Riviera Country
"I love the golf course. I love The dynamics are different Club after an absence of 12 years, at the course in the Pacific PGA Tour — 264 by Lanny
the layout. It fits my eye," now. Palisades area of Los Angeles Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. Wadkins in 1985. Johnson
Woods said. "And I play aw- Woods is 42 and has Associated Press finished at 267.
ful. It's very simple. It's just played just 17 times on the “I’ll get it this year,” he said
one of those weird things. A PGA Tour over the last four weeks ago. ing of that," Woods said. with a smile as he played
lot of the holes, you hit nice, years dating to his first back "I'd eventually like to win "But also, I don't want to the pro-am.
soft cuts. And I used to love surgery a week before the tournaments," Woods said. play too much. This is still all Johnson can struggle with
to hit nice, soft cuts. And 2014 Masters. He hasn't "I'm trying to get to that new to me, and I just want numbers on occasion. He
for some reason, I just didn't won in nearly five years. He point." to be real smart about it." doesn’t quite understand
play well." is No. 550 in the world. He flew out from Florida Woods has until Friday how the world ranking
Woods is playing this year While the goal is to win — with Justin Thomas, the PGA to commit to the Honda works, only that his name
against the strongest and that hasn't changed — the Tour player of the year, and Classic not far from his has been on top every
deepest field of the year, expectations have tem- said he told him that he is Florida home. He has said week for the last year.
primarily because his foun- pered through time and still making subtle chang- he wants to play back-to- Asked to rate how close
dation runs the tourna- reality that he is learning es in his posture and in his back weeks, though that his game was to this point
ment. He has not been a new swing after fusion swing because he is learn- sounds as though it might a year ago, when he won
back to Riviera since 2006, surgery on his lower back. ing what he can do with a have to happen later. three straight tournaments
when he was caught in the His speed and power are stronger, healthier back. Asked what was sore after against the strongest fields,
rain without an umbrella, back. His putting and chip- "The more tournaments I a week at Torrey Pines, he Johnson suggest 0.5.
shot 74 and made the cut ping are better. He tied for play in, the more I'll be able said it was his feet from five That’s what Woods would
on the number. 23rd at Torrey Pines three to get a better understand- days of walking 18 holes. like eventually. q
Bill Haas drops out of golf tournament after fatal car crash

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER leased from the hospital, he club getting the Walker
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pro- is understandably shaken Cup last year and the U.S.
fessional golfer Bill Haas up and — more importantly Open in 2023. Haas played
escaped serious injuries — his deepest condolenc- at the club on Sunday.
as a passenger in a Fer- es go out to the host family "Mark was one of my best
rari involved in a rollover during this tragic and diffi- friends," Harmon said. "It's a
crash in Los Angeles that cult time," Hobbs said in a great loss for me. I'm happy
killed his driver, officials said statement. The 35-year-old that Bill is fine. It's just a very,
Wednesday. Haas will withdraw from the very sad story."
The driver of a BMW in- Genesis Open and return He said he was more con-
volved in the collision was home to South Carolina to cerned for Haas emotion-
injured and actor Luke Wil- recuperate, he said. ally than physically.
son, driving a third vehicle Jay Haas, the golfer's fa- "Even at the hospital, a
clipped by the Ferrari, was ther, told Golf Channel that friend of mine met him
not hurt. his son has pain and swell- and said he was very dis-
The accident happened ing in one of his legs. traught," Harmon said.
on a residential block in the In this Feb. 2, 2018, file photo, Bill Haas watches his ball from the "Bill was very fortunate," he Police were investigating
wealthy Pacific Palisades third tee box during the second round of the Waste Manage- said. whether speed was a fac-
neighborhood around 6:30 ment Phoenix Open golf tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz. Bill Harmon, the swing tor in the crash. "It was a
p.m. Tuesday, according to Associated Press coach for Haas and a close huge bang sound, just one
Los Angeles police Officer friend of Gibello, said the huge crash," Linda Smith,
James Stoughton. lo, 71, a resident of Pacific at nearby Riviera Country two only met last Thursday. who lives across the street,
The Ferrari's driver, who Palisades. Haas was stay- Club, the golfer's manager Harmon said Gibello was told KABC-TV. "There was no
died at the scene, was ing with Gibello's family as Allen Hobbs said. a member at Los Angeles screeching that I heard of,
identified by coroner's offi- he prepared to play this "While Bill escaped serious Country Club and was in- or anything of that sort. It all
cials as Mark William Gibel- week in the Genesis Open injuries and has been re- strumental in the private happened very quickly."q