Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Friday 16 august 2019
Thomas turns it around and shares lead at Medinah

By DOUG FERGUSON shot from the rough — and
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — On made only one bogey.
the range, Justin Thomas Kokrak, who has never won
had no idea where the ball in 207 starts as a pro on the
was going. Some five hours PGA Tour, is No. 32 in the
later, he had a share of the FedEx Cup. The top 30 after
course record at Medinah. this week advance to the
Ultimately, all that mattered Tour Championship, where
Thursday in the BMW Cham- there will be a staggered
pionship was taking a good start based on par for the
step toward an important final event.
goal. Thomas already is set The leader will start at 10
for the Tour Championship under. The 30th player will
next week and the chase start at even par.
for FedEx Cup and its $15 The goal for Kokrak is to get
million prize. That's not what there.
interests him."I don't give "I thought about doing
a crap about the money," Justin Thomas hits from the bunker on the 18th green during the first round of the BMW Champion- some number-crunching
he said. "It's about winning ship golf tournament at Medinah Country Club, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in Medinah, Ill. and seeing what I had to
tournaments." Associated Press finish, but I think putting
He made his first birdie after myself in a good position
hitting a tree on the fourth strain at Liberty National, He says he didn't feel any thing that would allow him to win a golf tournament is
hole, leaving him a 5-iron Woods could only man- tightness in his oblique. to get around without do- going to get the job done,"
he hit to 2 feet. His last bird- age a 71 that felt feeble "I just need to clean up my ing too much damage. he said. "I don't think I need
ie was a putt from about compared with everyone rounds and get going," he "I've had that happen plen- to worry about where I
60 feet on the fringe from else. All but two players in said. "Seems like the whole ty of times, just not quite need to finish in the tourna-
the back of the 16th green. the 69-man field were at field is under par." that extreme," Thomas said. ment. I'd rather go out and
He did enough right in be- par or better on a Medinah That starts with Thomas, "I'm usually pretty good try to win."
tween for a 7-under 65 and course that was soft from who has not won since the at finding my way around They had a one-shot lead
a share of the lead with Ja- bursts of rain earlier in the World Golf Championship a golf course and finding over 49-year-old Jim Furyk,
son Kokrak. week. at Firestone a year ago. something, but definitely a former FedEx Cup cham-
The others to post 65 at Me- Woods is projected to need He wouldn't have thought didn't expect that today." pion who hasn't been back
dinah were Tiger Woods, a top 10 this week to ad- such an opportunity might Kokrak does have the Tour to East Lake in five years.
Mike Weir and Skip Kendall vance to East Lake, where exist the way he warmed Championship on his mind. Patrick Cantlay, Joel Dah-
at the PGA Championship he is defending champion. up on the range Thursday Along with a chase for the men, Lucas Glover and
in 1999 and 2006. After one round, he was morning. $15 million, just getting to Brandt Snedeker also were
Woods won both those ma- tied for 50th. "I probably would say that East Lake includes an invi- at 66, while the large group
jors. Winning the second "It's just not sharp," Woods I had the worst warmup tation to the Masters, and at 67 included Adam Scott,
FedEx Cup playoff event said. "I'm trying to make I've ever had in my life this he's never been. He played Xander Schauffele and
might be a lot tougher. changes in my swing, and morning," he said. the par 5s in 5 under — in- Collin Morikawa.
One week after he with- it's just not quite there yet." The goal heading to the cluding an eagle on No. 10 Dahmen and Morikawa
drew with a mild oblique The good news for Woods? first tee was to find some- when he holed a 30-yard have a different outlook.q

Sister: Earnhardt Jr. safe after plane crash in Tennessee

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (AP) was aboard but said he a rib and a collarbone
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. is wasn't one of the pilots. while on a small jet that
safe and in a hospital for Earnhardt retired as a full- lost its brakes and crash
evaluation after his plane time driver in 2017 and has landed in an airport at Key
crashed in east Tennessee, been working as an ana- West, Florida. Hendrick's
the NASCAR television ana- lyst for NBC. He is part of son, brother and twin niec-
lyst and retired driver's sister the scheduled broadcast es were among 10 people
tweeted. team for Saturday night's killed in a 2004 crash of a
Earnhardt's sister, Kelley Cup Series event in Bristol, plane traveling to a race in
Earnhardt Miller, tweeted Tennessee. Virginia.
that the driver's wife, Amy, This incident comes 26 This isn't the first fiery crash
and 15-month-old daugh- years after former driver for Earnhardt. He still has a
ter, Isla, also were on the and 1992 Cup champion burn scar on his neck from
plane along with two pilots. Alan Kulwicki died in a a crash at Sonoma in 2004
"Everyone is safe and has The burned remains of a plane that was carrying NASCAR televi- plane crash while on his during warmups for an
sion analyst and former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. lie near a run-
been taken to the hospital way Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in Elizabethton, Tenn. way to the spring race at American Le Mans Series
for further evaluation," she Associated Press Bristol from a promotional race that left him with sec-
tweeted. "We will have no appearance in Knoxville, ond-degree burns.
further information at this Elizabethton Municipal Air- Safety Board tweeted that Tennessee. That crash at Earnhardt has a history of
time." port at 3:40 p.m. Thursday. it's sending two representa- Tri-City Regional Airport concussions that plagued
Federal Aviation Admin- FAA officials said the pre- tives to Elizabethton to be- in Blountville, Tennessee, him over his final years as
istration officials said a liminary indication is that gin investigating the crash. killed a total of four people. a driver. He won NASCAR's
Cessna Citation rolled off two pilots and three pas- Carter County Sheriff's Of- Earnhardt was part of Rick most popular driver award
the end of a runway and sengers were aboard. fice spokesman Thomas Hendrick's racing team in a record 15 times with 26
caught fire after landing at The National Transportation Gray confirmed Earnhardt 2011 when Hendrick broke career Cup victories.q