Page 18 - aruba-today-20170505

A18 SPORTS
Friday 5 May 2017
Well Fargo a fourth straight PGA Tour son was on his way home

victory, which would be the from day care.
Continued from page 17 longest streak since Tiger He slipped at the bottom of
Woods won five in a row at the stairs, crashing onto his
“Since I hadn’t played in the end of the 2007 season back and left elbow, and
so long, I’m happy with and the start of 2008. Johnson couldn’t swing
the way I played,” Johnson “I played a lot better than well enough to compete at
said. “I didn’t score that my score,” Johnson said. the Masters.
great, didn’t really hole He didn’t miss a green un- Whatever rust he showed
that many putts, but other til a gust knocked down his in the pro-am Wednesday
than that, I played really tee shot on the par-3 sec- was gone, at least on the
well. I think I hit 16 greens ond hole (his 11th of the back nine when he started.
and I hit the ball great.” round) and sent it down a He hit a sand wedge to
No one was sure what slope short of the green. He the back tier on the par-5
to expect at Eagle Point, chipped weakly up the hill 12th to 4 feet for birdie. He
where the Wells Fargo to 12 feet and made his first holed a putt just inside 10
Championship moved this bogey. feet for birdie on the par-
year because its traditional He closed out his round by 5 15th, smashed another
venue, Quail Hollow Club pulling a drive on the par-4 drive down the 16th and hit
in Charlotte, is hosting the ninth hole, punching under a wedge to 2 feet.
PGA Championship in Au- tree limbs to short of the That put him at 3 under
gust. green and again pitching through eight holes, at the
On greens that were slight- it short. He started walking time tied for the lead, and
ly softer and as pure as as soon as he hit his 10-foot he hammered another
can be, Molinari ran off par putt, knowing it was off drive on the par-5 18th.
five birdies in a seven-hole to the right. With the wind in his face
stretch on the front nine Alex Noren tees off on the fifth hole during the first round “All in all, I’m very pleased and water on the right,
and closed out his round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Eagle with the day,” Johnson Johnson elected to lay up.
with a 20-foot birdie putt Point Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C., Thursday, May 4, 2017. said. His lob wedge was 20 feet
on the par-5 18th. Associated Press There were no issues with right of the pin, and there
That gave him a one- left bunker on the par-5 nothing has happened the deep bruise he suffered were other short irons that a
shot lead over Alex Noren ninth and failed to get up- since he last played March in his lower left back, which month ago he would have
of Sweden, J.B. Holmes, and-down. 26 at the Dell Technologies ranks among the top freak expected to get within 10
Grayson Murray and Brian Holmes birdied his last three Match Play, his third straight accidents in golf under the feet.
Campbell. holes for a 67. He played victory, which strength- circumstances. Johnson The few times he did, John-
Murray was the only player with Phil Mickelson, who ened his hold at No. 1 in the was playing the best golf of son missed the putts.
to reach 7 under until he shot 71 in his first time out world. his life — those three victo- “I knew I wasn’t going to
finished with back-to-back since the Masters. He was rarely in trouble, ries were against the three play as good,” Johnson
bogeys. Just over half the 156-man made only one putt longer strongest fields of the year said. “I maybe played a lit-
Campbell, playing with field was at par or better. than 10 feet and still shot — when he hustled down- tle more conservatively. But
Murray, also was tied for Johnson started well 70. It was a reasonable start stairs to move his car in the anything under par was go-
the lead until he found the enough to act as though in resuming his quest for rain because his 2-year-old ing to be a good score.”q
Sharapova to learn Wimbledon wild card fate on June 20

LONDON (AP) — Maria of the tournament’s ten- al Tennis Federation follow-
Sharapova may have to nis sub-committee on June ing his comments about the
wait until June 20 to see if 20, when it will be clear skin color of the baby that
she will be welcomed back which players have been Serena Williams is expect-
to this year’s tournament accepted into the main ing and his foul-mouthed
at Wimbledon.Sharapova, draw. Wimbledon begins outbursts during a recent
the 2004 champion at the July 3, its latest start since Fed Cup match between
All England Club, returned 1895. Andy Murray, the Romania and Britain.
to the WTA Tour last week af- world’s top-ranked men’s “What he did, we have to
ter serving a 15-month ban player, said he expects say, his actions were not
for doping and reached Sharapova to be granted a very good and we con-
the semifinals in Stuttgart, wild card if she needs one. demn them,” Brook said.
leaving her ranked No. 262. “But I’m sure they are hop- There will be a 12.5 per-
Sharapova is set to play ing they don’t have to cent increase in total prize
two more tournaments, in make the decision,” Murray money, up to 31.6 million
Madrid and Rome, before said Tuesday at the launch pounds ($40.80 million).
the deadline for direct en- of the Queen’s Club tour- Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova returns the ball to Kristina The winners of the singles
try to Wimbledon qualify- nament, a warm-up event Mladenovic from France during the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in titles will each win 2.2 mil-
Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 29, 2017.
ing. Deep runs at those for Wimbledon. “There’s a Associated Press lion pounds ($2.85 million),
events could earn her good chance that she can a 10 percent increase from
enough points to make the get in by right, which I’m action on one of the courts chairman Philip Brook said 2016.
main draw, while she will sure is what she’s hoping for will be broadcast live. He two-time Wimbledon final- First-round losers will receive
also find out on May 16 if and that’s what Wimble- said this was not linked to ist Ilie Nastase will not be 35,000 pounds ($45,000), a
she gets a wild card for the don would be hoping for.” the possible appearance invited to the Royal Box on 16.7 percent increase from
French Open. Lewis said qualifying at of Sharapova, but because Centre Court. 2016, as Wimbledon offi-
Wimbledon chief executive nearby Roehampton of the upsurge in interest in The 70-year-old Romanian cials say they are placing a
Richard Lewis said Wednes- would be a ticketed event qualifying matches. has been provisionally sus- greater emphasis on help-
day there will be a meeting for the first time, and that Also, All England Club pended by the Internation- ing lower-ranked players.q