Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 3 March 2018

Sergio Garcia of Spain gestures after teeing off on the15th hole during the second round of the
Mexico Championship at the Chapultepec Golf Club in Mexico City, Friday, March 2, 2018.
Associated Press
Sharma

Continued from Page 17 Tour this season who leads and Tour Championship.
In this Feb. 25, 2018, file photo, Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the Race to Dubai, is No. 75 He at least knows a little
the fourth hole during the final round of the Honda Classic Masters champion Sergio in the world. Still in his sights about the rising star from
golf tournament,in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Garcia had a 65 and was is a chance to move into India.
Associated Press two shots behind, along the top 64 after next week “He’s 21 years old, and he
Woods adds Valspar with Xander Schauffele to get into the Dell Match just won a tournament and
Play in Texas, and he has has a locker right next to
(66) and Rafa Cabrera Bel-
tourney near Tampa lo (67). an outside chance of get- mine,” Schauffele said.
Sharma’s greatest asset is ting into the Masters.
Ten players were within four
stable mind, and he has And to think that just three shots of the lead going into
to his road to Masters not shown any moments of months ago, he had yet to the weekend, a group that
being overwhelmed.
win anywhere in the world. includes defending cham-
Even so, there has been a Then, he shot 61 in the sec- pion Dustin Johnson, who
By DOUG FERGUSON few surreal moments, such ond round on his way to holed a wedge from 112
AP Golf Writer as warming up the range winning the Joburg Open. yards for eagle on the ninth
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tiger Woods is adding another before the second round. Last month, he closed with hole and shot a 66. He was
tournament to his schedule on his road to the Mas- Jordan Spieth, the British a 62 to win the Malaysian in the large group at 7-un-
ters. Woods decided Friday to play in the Valspar Open champion and for- Open. der 135.
Championship next week at Innisbrook, along with mer No. 1 in the world, was Now he’s 36 holes away “My favorite thing about
the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill the following hitting balls behind him. from a World Golf Champi- that is I didn’t have to putt,”
week. It was another strong signal about the health And then when Spieth left, onship. Johnson said.
of his surgically fused lower back, giving him four tour- world No. 1 Dustin Johnson “Everything has happened What made him smile was
naments in five weeks. took his place. It was hard so fast for me,” Sharma said. something he found Thurs-
Woods tweeted that he committed to play both for Sharma not to glance at “In the past four months, day night on YouTube, of
tournaments after a “good recovery week.” over his shoulder. my life has totally change. all places. Johnson saw a
He has never played the Valspar Championship in “I couldn’t ask for anything Obviously, the final destina- video of someone analyz-
Palm Harbor, Florida, though Woods has played In- better,” he said. tion for me is the PGA Tour. ing his swing, and it made
nisbrook. Three months after he turned pro in 1996, And then it got better. That’s always been my him realize his right arm was
Woods paired with Kelli Kuehne in the now-defunct Sharma had such control dream. Just playing well not in the right position. He
JC Penney Mixed-Team Classic. They finished third. over his game that he putt- here this week will get my tried in on the range with his
Innisbrook became part of the PGA Tour schedule in ed for birdie on every hole closer to my dream.” first shot and suddenly felt
2000. The Copperhead course is regarded by some except the par-4 eighth, And yet he still has a long everything fall into place.
players as one of the best tournament layouts in Flor- where he escaped from way to go. “I have a lot of confidence
ida because of the hilly terrain, tree-lined fairways the trees into a bunker, Schauffele, a two-time win- going into the weekend,”
and water that comes into play only on seven of the blasted out to 12 feet and ner as a rookie last year on Johnson said.
18 holes. It is the only PGA Tour stop in Florida that saved par. He shot 31 on the PGA Tour, has man- Sharma just wants to be
does not feature water on the 18th hole. the back, finishing with a aged to go bogey-free keep in rolling. He missed
From the time Woods returned — first at his unofficial gap wedge he hammered at Chapultepec over two the cut each of the last
Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last Decem- to 10 feet for a final bird- rounds, remarkable be- two weeks in Oman and
ber and then when he resumed a PGA Tour schedule ie, and he walked off the cause the poa greens fol- Qatar, and then flew 10
— he has said he was trying to ready his game for green to a big ovation. lowing a week of rain have time zones to Mexico City.
Augusta National. Russell Knox is the only other been bouncing more than He leaves Sunday night for
Woods has missed the Masters three of the last four player to win a World Golf rolling, especially in the af- New York and then to New
years because of four back operations, the most Championship in his debut, ternoon. Delhi, where he plays the
recent a fusion surgery last April. His latest return as at the 2015 HSBC Champi- Hardly anyone knew much Hero Indian Open on his
been promising with a tie for 23rd at Torrey Pines (sev- ons in Shanghai. about Schauffele last year home course.
en shots behind) and 12th place at the Honda Clas- So much more is at stake. before he played well at He wasn’t surprised to be
sic (eight shots behind). He missed the cut at Riviera, Sharma, the only two-time the U.S. Open, and then playing well. He wasn’t ex-
where he never won even at his best.q winner on the European won the Greenbrier Classic pecting much.q