Feeling rusty but ready to play again, Tiger Woods said Friday he would return to competition next week at Congressional in the Quicken Loans National.
[b]Serge Aurier Jersey[/b] . Woods last played on March 9 at Doral, where he dealt with pain in his lower back and closed with a 78 for his highest final-round score on the PGA Tour. He had back surgery March 31, forcing him to miss the Masters for the first time. He also missed the U.S. Open last week at Pinehurst No. 2. The announcement on his Facebook page delivered a jolt of good news to golf. Woods has been the games biggest draw since he turned pro in 1996, and with limited information about his recovery, speculation was starting to build that he might not make it to any majors this year. "After a lot of therapy, I have recovered well and will be supporting my foundation next week at the Quicken Loans National," Woods said on Facebook. "Ive just started to hit full shots, but its time to take the next step. I will be a bit rusty, but I want to play myself back into competitive shape. Excited for the challenge ahead." This is the first year for a new title sponsor at the PGA Tour event that donates its charity money to the Tiger Woods Foundation, and the tournament earlier this year secured an agreement to return to Congressional every other year through 2020. Woods on Thursday announced that he signed a new endorsement deal with MusclePharm, which will display its logo on his golf bag. "He has been the face of golf for the last 15, 20 years, and golf is a better sport and a better place with Tiger Woods in it," two-time major champion Rory McIlroy said last week at the U.S. Open. "So hopefully, he has a speedy recovery and he gets back on the course soon, because any tournament where Tiger Woods is a factor, he creates a big buzz." This is the second-longest break Woods has taken from golf because of injury. He missed the second half of the 2008 season when he had reconstructive surgery on his left knee just a week after winning the U.S. Open for his 14th major. Even though he spent the off-season working on his body, there were signs early that something might be wrong. He missed the 54-hole cut at Torrey Pines, where he was the defending champion and an eight-time winner at one of his favourite courses. He had his worst finish ever at Dubai when he tied for 41st. Then, he withdrew in the final round of the Honda Classic because of back spasms, and despite being in the penultimate group at Doral, he struggled badly with his back on the final day after taking a swing from an awkward stance outside a bunker. Woods had microdiscectomy surgery a week before the Masters, and he has said in rare appearances that he did not know how long it would take to properly heal. His agent, Mark Steinberg at Excel Sports Management, said earlier this week that Woods was making enough progress to extend his swing. Even so, playing the Quicken Loans National was thought to be too soon. It couldnt come soon enough for the tournament. "Were thrilled, obviously," said Mike Antolini, the tournament director and vice-president of championships for the Tiger Woods Foundation. "Anytime you get that call and Tiger is in your field, its really the best news you can get. The fact hes a two-time champion and the tournament hosts, were very excited for the fans." He said he expected a spike in ticket sales with Fridays announcement. The strength of Quicken Loans National field has suffered in recent years as more Europeans moved into the top 20 in the world, and they headed across the Atlantic Ocean as the European Tour headed places like Ireland, France and Scotland leading up to the British Open. Adam Scott, who has replaced Woods at No. 1 in the world while he has been out, is not planning to return to Congressional this year. "To be honest, we were prepared regardless for a good event," Antolini said. "Our ticket sales, we think theyre going to be increased on this news now." Three years ago, Woods withdrew after nine holes at The Players Championship because of an Achilles tendon injury and missed more than two months. He said then he had learned from past mistakes and would not try to return before he was in full health. Assuming he is at full strength now, he likely will be at the British Open at Royal Liverpool and the PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he won majors the last time they were held on those courses. Woods been stuck on 14 majors since that 08 U.S. Open victory. Woods is at No. 207 in the FedEx Cup -- having played only three events -- and could have as many as five events to reach the top 125. He also is at No. 67 in the Ryder Cup standings. U.S. captain Tom Watson has said he would use a wild-card pick on Woods, though he had eased off that position in recent weeks when the status of Woods recovery was unknown.
[b]Davinson Sanchez Jersey[/b] . "I had a pretty good year," the soft-spoken Granberg told TSN.ca with a grin from the teams annual rookie tournament in London. A fourth-round selection in 2010, Granberg is worth keeping an eye on with NHL training camps rolling around in less than a week. The six-foot-two, 200-pound defender may not possess the wow-inspiring theatrics of fellow prospect Morgan Rielly, but nonetheless has a chance to contribute with the Leafs when all is said and done this season.
[b]Kieran Trippier Hotspur Jersey[/b] . This week, they discuss the NCAAs revenue sharing, Don Zimmer, soccer language and Super Bowl 50. LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Forward Renaldas Seibutis scored 15 points and Lithuania shut down Tony Parker to beat France 76-62 at the start of the second round of the European basketball championships. Serbia beat Belgium 76-69 and Latvia routed Ukraine 85-51 in earlier matches on Wednesday. France, although loaded with NBA players, could not cope with Lithuanias speed and fell behind by 10 midway through the third quarter. Centre Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors added 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds. He had a dunk, then grabbed an offensive rebound and put in the tip-in to give Lithuania a 14-point lead with less than three minutes to go. Seibutis made four straight free throws and France could not come back. Nando de Colo, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs with Parker, led France with 12 points, including five late in the game. Parker struggled in finishing with 11 points, including just three after half time. "The plan was to do everything to stop him. Not only his scoring but his ability to create movement," Valanciunas said. France finished the first round as the tournaments top scoring team but was held well below its 80.6 points-per-game average. Lithuania played tough perimeter defence, holding France to just 24 per cent shooting from three-point range. "We tried to get the ball inside but they closed down everything and when you dont make shots from the perimeter it gets to be difficult," France forward Boris Diaw said. Guard Stefan Markovic scored five straight points to secure Serbia an unexpectedly tough victory over Belgium. With Serbia up by two, Markovic nailed a 3-pointer and then sank two free throws to give his team a seven-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. Serbia held on to win over a teamm considered an underdog and took a big step toward securing a slot in the quarterfinals.
[b]Son Heung-min Jersey[/b]. "Maybe we were a little relaxed going into the match because we knew that we already had four points (in the standings)," said Serbias captain Nenad Krstic, who led Serbia with 17 points. Belgium opened the game with an 8-0 run and the Serbs had to work hard to catch up. "Maybe we didnt expect them to start in such a way," Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic said. Markovic finished with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 12 points, including a 3-pointer that made it 73-67. Serbia, the youngest team in the tournament with nine players making a debut at a major event, is now 3-0. Results against other teams which progress from the group stage are carried over, and Serbia already had wins over Latvia and Lithuania. Belgium is 0-3. "We gave a statement tonight why we are in the second round. I hope people appreciate our effort," Belgium coach Eddy Casteels said. Wen Mukubu, who led Belgium with 16 points, said: "They made the big shots at the end and that made the difference." The Latvians made 15 of 29 3-point attempts, while Ukraine hit only 3 of 16. Latvias shooting percentage for the game was 58.6 per cent, while Ukraine shot 29.5 per cent. "They dominated every facet of the game," Ukraine coach Mike Fratello said. "To lose by 34 is an embarrassment for everyone in the locker room." Kristaps Janicenoks led Latvia with 14 points, and Martins Meiers had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sergii Gladyr was the only Ukrainian player to score in double figures with 12. Ukraine won four of its five group games but came up short against Latvias speed. Latvia and Ukraine both have 1-2 records, while France and Lithuania are 2-1. ' ' '
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