Page 16 - aruba-today-20201021

A16 sports
Wednesday 21 OctOber 2020
Limited in play, Tiger returns to a course he ruled

By DOUG FERGUSON through 2009, Woods won
AP Golf Writer six out of 12 times at Tor-
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. rey Pines, including a U.S.
(AP) — Along with his five Open, and he never was
victories and five-runner-up out of the top 10. At Fires-
finishes, Tiger Woods only tone, he won seven out of
once in 12 appearances 10 times and never finished
at Sherwood Country Club out of the top 5.
has finished worse than a (Woods also is an eight-
tie for fourth. time winner at Bay Hill, but
That one time is a re- he had some stinkers amid
minder how much time his dominance).
and circumstances have The record at Torrey Pines
changed. might be better because
It was at the end of 2005, Woods had to face a 156-
and Woods was compet- man field. Firestone was a
ing for the sixth time in six World Golf Championship
weeks. His itinerary took where the field was loaded
him from Atlanta to China with the world's best play-
to Japan to Hawaii to the ers but invariably featured
California desert before players from smaller tours
wrapping up his worldwide, around the world who were
whirlwind tour at Sherwood out of their league.
in his Target World Chal- Woods has 26 victories on
lenge. He tied for 14th the PGA Tour against small-
against a 16-man field. er fields with no cuts. It's an
Imagine that. Six events in In this Oct. 28, 2019, file photo, Tiger Woods celebrates after winning the Zozo Championship golf interesting argument which
six weeks, even if two of tournament at the Accordia Golf Narashino country club in Inzai, east of Tokyo, Japan. are tougher to win. Those
them were 36 holes (PGA Associated Press no-cut fields have the best
Grand Slam and Skins players in the world, the ul-
Games). FedEx Cup playoffs. Every- shot at setting the record months and had gone six timate measure. Full fields
Now he hardly plays at all. thing is geared toward the for career victories? Or the tournaments without con- increase the chance of
The Zozo Championship at majors. 44-year-old who doesn't tending. Not many could somebody — these guys
Sherwood is his sixth tour- Go back to 2005 to find a know how his body will have seen that coming, ex- are all good — having a ca-
nament in the last eight 29-year-old Woods who react until he wakes up, cept that he's Tiger Woods. reer week (think Bob May
months. True, the COVID-19 was three years removed sometimes even later than And then the pandemic at the PGA Championship,
pandemic wiped out three from knee surgery to re- that? He can win any caused upheaval, espe- Grant Waite in Canada).
months from the schedule. move fluid and a few be- week, and evidence of cially with travel. The CJ One thing is clear. Woods
Even so, Woods waited a nign cysts. Now he is 44 that comes from the Mas- Cup in South Korea opted has his favorite courses,
month after the shutdown with seven additional sur- ters he won in April 2019, to move this year to Shad- which is why he keeps go-
ended in June before mak- geries — three more on his even if it seems longer than ow Creek in Las Vegas, ing back. Sherwood is
ing his first appearance. He knee, four on his back. He 18 months ago. He isn't the and the Zozo Champion- among 11 courses where
tied for 40th at the Memo- has a teenage daughter longest off the tee — that's ship followed by agreeing he has won at least three
rial. He hasn't played in a and 11-year-old son who is been the case for years — to move to Sherwood. times, including a Euro-
month since missing the playing junior golf events in and doesn't always putt That can only help Woods. pean Tour event in Heidel-
cut in the U.S. Open. And Florida. Woods sometimes the way he did. He remains Sherwood doesn't quite fall berg, Germany.
he likely only has one more serves as his caddie. a master shot-maker, the into the category of Fires- This will be the shortest year
tournament — the Masters Priorities change. His health hallmark of his game. tone or Torrey Pines, where for Woods when he wasn't
— the rest of the year. has changed. The game is What might help this week he won eight times at each. forced out by injury. His per-
Golf should be used to this changing. is the course. While he has five wins and formances have not been
by now. Woods has made All of which makes Woods Woods tied the PGA Tour five seconds at Sherwood, inspiring. Father Time, he
it clear that less is more in a more unpredictable than record last year when he most of them were against often says, remains unde-
bid to get as much out of ever at this stage in his ca- won the Zozo Champion- 16-man fields. feated. But he's still Tiger
his aging body. He rarely reer. ship in Japan that finished Firestone and Torrey Pines Woods. And this might be
plays two weeks in a row Who shows up at Sher- on a Monday on a rain- were different. one of his better chances.
unless the circumstances wood? The 82-time PGA soaked course. He had In the first stage of his in- If not, the Masters is three
force his hand, such as the Tour winner with his next not played in just over two comparable career, weeks away.q

MLS announces programs to combat racism, promote diversity

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Soccer an- aimed at confronting racial inequality. opportunity and social justice.
nounced a series of initiatives Monday to MLS Commissioner Don Garber will sit on a “Major League Soccer is committed to uti-
combat racism, advocate for social justice new diversity committee consisting of mem- lizing our wide-ranging platforms to create
and increase diversity in the sport. bers of the MLS board of governors, repre- meaningful programs to address racism and
MLS says the programs came after several sentatives of Black Players For Change, club social injustice in society and in the sport of
months of discussions with key league stake- executives, coaches, former MLS players and soccer,” Garber said in a statement.
holders, including a recent meeting be- members of Pitch Black, a resource group of The league also plans to address issues involv-
tween the MLS board and the Black Players Black employees from the MLS office. ing marginalized communities and promote
For Change, an independent organization of The committee will work with the league to voting initiatives.q
more than 170 MLS players coaches and staff develop a strategy toward diversity, inclusion,