Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Friday 28 June 2019
Nate Lashley shoots 63 to take Rocket Mortgage Classic lead

By LARRY LAGE to, but that's no excuse," Four shots later, Johnson
AP Sports Writer Woodland said. had his first of two double
DETROIT (AP) — Nate Lash- Lashley made the most of bogeys. He was 2 over at
ley tried and failed to qual- the opportunity with a bo- No. 11 before rallying with
ify for a spot in the Rocket gey-free round, taking ad- three birdies over the last
Mortgage Classic earlier vantage of scoring oppor- five holes.
this week. tunities during a day with "I think come out (Friday)
He chose to stay in Detroit, little wind on a short course morning and shooting a
hoping to slip into the field with receptive greens. He good score, I'll be back in
as an alternate. opened with a birdie and the tournament," he said
Good call. had three more on the after finishing the first round
Lashley birdied the final front nine before the clos- tied for 101st.
three holes and five of the ing spree. Woodland was strong late
last six for a 9-under 63 and Lashley, who is from Ne- in the first round after fail-
the first-round lead Thurs- braska, had a knee injury ing to maintain any mo-
day at the PGA Tour's first last year that stunted his mentum from winning the
event in Detroit. rookie season on the PGA first major of his career. He
The 36-year-old Lashley Tour after 17 events. tied a U.S. Open record by
had the lowest score in his "I'm just trying to play re- making just four bogeys
PGA Tour career, a day laxed and confident golf," over four rounds at Peb-
after finding out he would he said. ble Beach and had that
have a chance to com- There's no chance Lashley many bogeys in a four-hole
pete at Detroit Golf Club. can afford to be comfort- stretch at Detroit Golf Club
Ranked 353rd in the world able with the early lead. and a total of six. After fall-
and No. 132 in the FedEx Johnson provided proof ing to 5 over through 11
Cup standings, Lashley's the Donald Ross-designed holes, he had four birdies
only top-10 finish in his two- course can present a chal- over the last six to finish with
year PGA Tour career is a lenge. The only top-10 play- a 73.
tie for eighth in the Puerto er in the field ranked in the Reavie, meanwhile, picked
Rico Open in February. middle of the pack off the up where he left off after
"Hopefully, can play well tee, missing five of 14 fair- winning for his first win in 11
this week and continue to ways. He was among the years. He had a 4-under 32
play well and lock up my worst on approach shots, on the front nine and was 3
card," he said. leaving him 33-plus feet under on the back, includ-
Ryan Armour and Nick Wat- away from the pin on aver- ing an eagle on the 582-
ney were at stroke back at age. yard, par-5 17th.
64. Chez Reavie , the Trav- Nate Lashley eyes his putt on the 18th green during the first round Johnson missed the green "I'm entering the week as
elers Championship winner of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament, Thursday, June to the left on the 175-yard, if I didn't win last week,"
last week in Connecticut, 27, 2019, in Detroit. par-3 fifth and his ball Reavie said. "I'm out here
and Charles Howell III and Associated Press bounced into a bunker, grinding as I do every week
Stewart Cink topped the forcing him to stand in the and looking forward to the
group of seven players at world, opened with a 71. plishment that altered his rough while squatting to challenge. I like old-school
65. Gary Woodland had a 73 career and schedule. get the ball out of the sand. golf courses. I like being
Dustin Johnson, the sec- in his first start since winning "I definitely didn't get pre- "It ended up in a terrible able to work it off slopes on
ond-ranked player in the the U.S. Open, an accom- pared as much as I like spot," he said. the greens."q

Trump orders new policy about military academies, pro sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- fense secretary 120 days to Jim Mattis, in an April 2017
dent Donald Trump has develop a plan. memo, said that the service
signed a presidential mem- Trump had said in May that academies "exist to devel-
orandum ordering the Pen- he was considering the op future officers," and that
tagon to develop a new change while presenting graduates would serve as
policy to allow athletes at- the Commander-in-Chief's "full-fledged military officers
tending the nation's military Trophy to the U.S. Military carrying out the normal
academies to play profes- Academy football team. work and career expec-
sional sports immediately Trump's own Defense De- tations" of someone who
after graduating. partment in 2017 rescinded received an education at
The memo says student a policy that allowed the the taxpayers' expense
athletes graduating from best athletes from the mili- Several Navy football play-
the academies and Re- tary's service academies to ers have gone on to have
serve Officers' Training go straight to the pros upon success in the NFL, most no-
Corps should be able to graduation instead of hav- tably 1963 Heisman Trophy
defer their military service ing to first serve on active winner Roger Staubach, a
obligations due to the duty. quarterback for the Mid-
"short window of time" they That meant they had to shipmen from 1962-64. Af-
have to "take advantage serve two years of active President Donald Trump gestures as he walks to Marine One ter serving a tour of duty in
of their athletic talents dur- duty before applying for re- across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Vietnam, he joined the Dal-
Wednesday, June 26, 2019, for the short trip to Andrews Air Force
ing which playing profes- serve status to pursue a ca- Base en route to Japan for the G-20 summit. las Cowboys in 1969 and
sional sports is realistically reer in professional sports. Associated Press guided the team to a pair
possible." It gives the de- Then-Defense Secretary of Super Bowl victories.q