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A22 SPORTS
Wednesday 28 February 2018
Column: Tiger Woods casting a shadow larger than ever

By DOUG FERGUSON, Stewart Cink once told of
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tiger the time he played in the
Woods is bigger than ever Junior World Champion-
in golf, and he already was ship in San Diego. When his
plenty big when he was round was over, his mother
winning at a rate never would go back onto the
seen. The Honda Classic course and watch Woods.
broke its attendance re- Golf is in a different place
cord last week with a con- than when Woods picked
firmed 224,624 spectators up his 79th victory on the
over seven days. The tour- PGA Tour in August 2013, his
nament attributed the re- most recent victory. Thom-
cord increase to the return as had just turned pro. Jor-
of Woods and the drama dan Spieth had just earned
of a sudden-death playoff a full PGA Tour card. Jon
won by Justin Thomas. Rahm was going into his
It could have stopped after sophomore year at Arizona
Woods. Not even Thomas State. Since then, five play-
would argue with that. ers have taken turns at No.
Television ratings for the 1 in the world.
Honda Classic were up 43 During his longest stretch
percent from the previous out of golf with his bad
year, when Rickie Fowler Tiger Woods tees off on the fourth hole during the final round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, back, the refrain was that
won. Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. golf needed Tiger Woods.
No surprise there, either. Associated Press When he was on the verge
Woods no longer moves of returning at the end of
the needle in golf. He is the coverage of the Honda He also knows how to keep at No. 9, where Woods 2016, the talk was that golf
needle. Classic — video, digital and score. had just teed off. The gal- was in a good spot and
Even when he finishes 12th. print — touted results by And that might explain the lery with Woods — perhaps Woods could only make it
What made Woods so Woods that were impres- text message Woods sent four times the size that was that much better.
compelling at PGA Nation- sive, promising and every- to Thomas on Monday: following the last group For the first few tournaments
al was that he was only four thing in between, almost "Don't worry about it. You're — stretched all the way of his return, it has become
shots behind going into the to a point that Thomas win- still the one holding the tro- to the clubhouse. Thomas Woods and everyone else.
weekend, and that on the ning in clutch style was an phy." couldn't help but notice of The question leading to
toughest course of the sea- afterthought. Thomas was not the least bit his fans peel off to watch the Masters, and possibly
son — more than a full shot Woods was pleased with surprised, nor concerned, Woods. beyond, is whether the ris-
harder than the next one how he played, all things about such an intense fo- Why not? ing tide lifts all ships or sinks
— Woods never shot worse considered, and there is cus on Woods. He could “I’d do the same thing,” them. But it’s early. Woods
than 71. a lot to consider — three hear it from the third green he said. “I’d go watch Ti- finished seven shots be-
He still finished eight shots back surgeries in a span of Sunday when he was look- ger Woods. I was out there hind in a tie for 23th at Tor-
behind and was never 18 months, and not know- ing over a short birdie putt trying to win a golf tour- rey Pines. He finished eight
closer than four shots of the ing five months ago if he'd and a burst of cheers came nament. The fact people shots behind in 12th place
lead over the back nine. ever be able to compete through the trees from the want to go watch Tiger at PGA National. In be-
The possibilities were there, at a high level, and play- eighth green where Woods Woods doesn’t bother me. tween, he missed the cut at
just not the performance. ing against a full PGA Tour made birdie. I don’t blame them. He’s Riviera, a course that never
Not yet, anyway. field for only the third time The walk to the fourth tee earned that.” was kind to him even when
And perhaps that's why this year. goes across the tee box It’s really nothing new. he was at his best.q
Court: Nike logo of Michael Jordan didn't violate copyright

By SUDHIN THANAWALA tos are unmistakably differ- An email to a law firm repre- rangement of the elements
Associated Press ent in key elements. senting Rentmeester wasn't in his photograph, so too
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An Both show Jordan leaping immediately returned. Nike's photographer made
iconic Nike logo of a leap- with his legs extended out- While the poses in Nike his own distinct choices
ing Michael Jordan that ward toward a basketball and Rentmeester's pho- in that regard," Watford
the company has used to hoop with a ball above his tos are similar — Jordan in wrote.
market billions of dollars of head. a leaping motion inspired The ruling affirmed a lower
merchandise didn't violate Nike used its photo for the by a ballet move — Rent- court decision dismissing
the copyright of an earlier "Jumpman" logo — a sil- meester's copyright does Rentmeester's 2015 lawsuit
photograph of the basket- houetted image of Jordan not give him a monopoly against Nike.q
ball star, a federal appeals in the leaping pose in its on that concept, Judge
court ruled Tuesday. photograph. Paul Watford, writing for the
The logo was based on Rentmeester photo- majority, said.
a photograph taken by graphed Jordan while he Among the significant dif-
someone Nike hired. That In this Oct. 17, 2017 file pho- played at the University of ferences in the two photos
photo was "obviously in- to, a neon Michael Jordan North Carolina. His pho- are the position of Jordan's
"Jumpman" sign is reflected in
spired" by a 1984 photo by a mirror along with merchan- tograph appeared in Life legs, the background and
Jacobus Rentmeester, the dise for sale at the Charlotte Magazine in a photo essay lighting, Watford said.
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- Hornets' NBA basketball fan featuring U.S. athletes com- "Just as Rentmeester made
peals said. But the court in store in Charlotte, N.C. peting in the 1984 Summer a series of creative choices
a 2-1 decision said the pho- Associated Press Olympics. in the selection and ar-