Page 18 - aruba-today-20200307

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 7 March 2020
Continued from previous page Phil Mickelson, who opened it was halted by storms and
Kang birdied four of his last with a 77, drilled a 5-iron slipped on pine straw, in-
seven holes for a 68. from 239 yards away over juring his right wrist as he
Rory McIlroy made a mess the water to 7 feet for an braced for the fall. He tried
of No. 8 and felt he made eagle on the par-5 sixth to cortisone shots to buy time,
Bay Hill harder than it was get on the cut number with and he finally felt the only
— and it was plenty difficult three holes to play. He fin- option was surgery after
— for a 73 that still left him ished with a double bogey the European Tour ended
within two shots of the lead. and missed the cut for the its season last November.
Matt Every thought it was fourth time this year. The Englishman was out
awesome that his 65 in It's the first time in 25 years longer than he expected,
the opening round was 20 Mickelson has missed four but he returned in Mexico
shots better than his previ- cuts before the Masters. City by tying for sixth in the
ous round on the PGA Tour. "I thought it was a really World Golf Championships,
Not so awesome was be- hard golf course, and I en- and now he has a share of
ing 18 shots higher the next joyed the challenge of try- the 36-hole lead at Bay Hill.
day, an 83 that allowed ing to play on these type of McIlroy was happy to still
him to join the wrong list in conditions," Mickelson said. be in range.
PGA Tour annals by going "And I'm a little frustrated His round looked as though
from the 18-hole lead to that I haven't gotten off to it might come undone
the weekend off. the start his year I would when he got caught up in
He missed the cut by one like. I'm not discouraged. the trees to the right of the
shot. I don't feel like I'm that far eighth fairway and made
"I really didn't see this com- off." double bogey, this after a
ing, to be honest," said Ev- Henrik Stenson also opened three-putt bogey from long
ery, who is rarely anything with a 77. He also battled range on the par-3 seventh.
but honest. "But it happens. back to give himself a Tyrrell Hatton, of England, lines up a putt on the sixth green dur- He birdied his next hole,
It kind of happens to me chance to make the cut. ing the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tour- limited the mistakes to only
quite a bit." And he also took double nament Friday, March 6, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. one bogey on the back
His last three rounds on the bogey on his final hole to Associated Press nine and wound up in
PGA Tour dating to a week miss the cut for only the good shape.
ago at the Honda Classic: second time in 12 appear- highest score to lead at group that included Patrick "It was a grind. I think I made
85-65-83. He was he first ances at Bay Hill. Bay Hill in 10 years. Reed, who had another 70 it more of a grind than I
player since Camilo Ville- The average score was Danny Lee had the low in his bid to win his second needed to," McIlroy said.
gas in the 2013 Honda Clas- 74.08, the highest at Bay Hill round of the day, a 67, that straight tournament. "Conditions were tricky,
sic to go from the first-round since the opening round of left him one shot behind. Hatton is making up for lost greens are getting firm,
lead to a missed cut. 2011. McIlroy, Honda Classic time from an accident in wind was out of a differ-
Talor Gooch fared a little And it left a 69-man field winner Sungjae Im (69) the oddest of places. He ent direction today, so that
better. He followed a 67 for the weekend that is up and Harris English (70) two was walking in from the Par made things a little interest-
with an 80 and made the for grabs. Hatton and Kang strokes behind at 5 under. 3 Tournament at the Mas- ing, too. ... I'm still right there
cut on the number. were at 7-under 137, the Another shot back was a ters three years ago when in the golf tournament."q

Tiger still not ready, will miss The Players Championship

By DOUG FERGUSON for play next week. I'm sad ments in his left knee and a
AP Golf Writer to miss one of the best double stress fracture in his
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The events of the season, OUR leg.
strongest field of the year Championship." That limits the amount of
at The Players Champion- Woods has been saying all golf Woods will play lead-
ship will be without the big- year that he plans to play ing into his title defense at
gest draw in golf. fewer events, mainly so the the Masters, one of the big-
Tiger Woods isn't playing. 44-year-old with five knee gest moments in sports a
Woods will miss The Players surgeries and four back sur- year ago when he rallied to
Championship for the first geries can stay in golf lon- win a fifth green jacket and
time when not recovering ger. his first major in 11 years.
from any of his nine surger- He is a two-time winner on Next on the schedule after
ies. His agent, Mark Stein- the TPC Sawgrass, most re- The Players is the Valspar
berg at Excel Sports Man- cently in 2013. Woods had Championship at Innis-
agement, said in a text, the first of four back op- brook, where Woods tied
"Back just not ready. Not eratons the following year for second two years ago. It
long term concern." and was at The Players only was his first appearance at
Woods has played only Tiger Woods hits out of a greenside bunker on the 17th hole dur- once over the next four the Tampa Bay event, and
ing the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament
two times this year, a tie for at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, in the Pacific years, a tie for 69th in 2015. it attracted record crowds.
ninth at Torrey Pines and Palisades area of Los Angeles. He ended that season with After that is the Dell Match
last place at the Genesis In- Associated Press two more back surgeries. Play in Austin, Texas, where
vitational at Riviera, where Before that, Woods missed last year Woods reached
he serves as tournament in Mexico. He didn't play likely return, except that The Players in 2008 when it the quarterfinals. It turned
host. Woods shot 76-77 on the Honda Classic for the Woods isn't ready. was held in May. out to be a pivotal week
the weekend at Riviera in second straight year, and Woods later tweeted that it He had arthroscopic knee in his preparations for the
the Pacific chill and said his then he chose not play the wasn't an easy decision. surgery after the Masters Masters. That's followed by
back was a little stiff. Arnold Palmer Invitational "I have to listen to my body that year and didn't play the Valero Open in San An-
He decided at the last min- at Bay Hill, where he has and properly rest when again until the U.S. Open tonio, although Woods has
ute not to play the World won a record eight times. needed," Woods said. "My at Torrey Pines, which he never played the week be-
Golf Championships event The Players was seen as a back is simply just not ready won despite shredded liga- fore the Masters.q