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WORLD
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
APRIL 19TH, 2019 – APRIL 26TH, 2019
SPORTS
Woods wins Masters to claim first major in 11 years
Tiger Woods completed one of 18th green to put the finishing touches sport’s greatest comebacks to end an 11- on a milestone victory. year major title drought at the Masters When his final tap in bogey on Sunday by claiming a fifth Green putt disappeared into the cup, Woods Jacket. delivered one of his trademark fist A gritty two-under 70 clinched pumps and then raised both arms in the a one-shot victory over Dustin Johnson, air while screaming in absolute delight as Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele the crowd chanted, “Tiger, Tiger, Tiger”. and earned the 43-year-old a 15th major He then quickly spotted his title that many thought would never family and raced over to hug his children come and instantly sparked talk of before making his way to the scorers Woods making a run at Jack Nicklaus’s room while being congratulated by his record of 18 majors. fellow golfers who lined the way. Not since the 2008 U.S. Open “I was just trying to plod my had Woods hoisted a major trophy and way along the golf course all day,” said the last of his four Augusta titles came in Woods. “When I tapped the putt in, I 2005. don’t know what I did but I know I Tiger Woods of the U.S. celebrates on the 18th hole But after a beaming Woods screamed. after winning the 2019 Masters slipped on his fifth Green Jacket, he will “To have my kids there – it’s “A truly Great Champion!” be aware that Sunday’s win has brought come full circle. My dad was here in 97 Nicklaus, 23-times tennis grand him tantalizingly close to another (when he won his first Masters) and now slam winner Serena Williams, Super Bowl Nicklaus record - that of six Augusta I’m the dad with two kids there.” champion Tom Brady also applauded titles. Along with coping with a the victory on Twitter while swimmer The victory also marked the first number of injuries over the past decade, Michael Phelps, the winner of a record time Woods had reached the winner’s Woods also had to deal with the damage 23 Olympic gold medals, was at Augusta circle at major without leading after 54 done from a very public and scandalous National to cheer Woods on. holes and broke Gary Player’s record divorce and an embarrassing DUI arrest. Written off as too old and too (13 years) for the longest gap between Woods’s return to the top beaten up from four back surgeries Masters wins. garnered praise from world leaders and multiple knee operations, Woods It also gave him 81 PGA Tour and sporting greats alike, with United underwent a back fusion procedure in titles, one away from the career record States president Donald Trump and his 2017 and slowly returned to form. held by Sam Snead. predecessor Barack Obama both offering He ended last season by winning Woods’s girlfriend Erica Herman, congratulations via social media. the Tour Championship and showed mother Kultida and two children Sam ` “Congratulations to @ signs of a breakthrough at the majors and Charlie watched while a massive TigerWoods,” tweeted Trump, who by being a title contender at last year’s gallery roared as he marched up to the earlier this year played golf with Woods.
African soccer whistleblower fired after accusing boss of corruption African soccer’s ruling body has fired a senior official after he made corruption accusations against the organization’s president in a potential blow to FIFA’s efforts to clean up the game after a raft of scandals worldwide. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) sacked general secretary Amr Fahmy after the Egyptian accused his boss Ahmad Ahmad of bribes and misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to officials and an internal document. The document, sent on March 31 by Fahmy to a FIFA body that investigates alleged ethics breaches and seen by Reuters, accuses Ahmad of ordering his secretary-general to pay $20,000 bribes into accounts of African soccer association presidents. They included Cape Verde and Tanzania. The document also accused Ahmad of costing CAF an extra $830,000 by ordering equipment via a French intermediary company called Tactical Steel. Furthermore, it accuses him of harassing four female CAF staff, whom it did not name; violating statutes to increase Moroccan representation within the organization; and overspending more than $400,000 of CAF money on cars in Egypt and Madagascar, where a satellite office has been set up for him. Senior CAF officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Fahmy was fired after compiling the document with the allegations against Ahmad, from Madagascar, who took the top African soccer post two years ago. CAF confirmed to Reuters that Fahmy lost his job at an executive committee meeting in Cairo on Thursday, prior to the draw for the Africa Cup of Nations finals. It declined to give more details about the reason for his dismissal. “There’s no explanation. It’s the Executive Committee decision,” communications director Nathalie Rabe said in an email exchange with Reuters on Sunday. Ahmad, who is also a vice-president of world governing body FIFA, did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations against him.
British Open, where he led in the final round, and PGA Championship, where he finished runner-up. All those moments built to Sunday, when Woods was once again his old familiar dominating self. “I had serious doubts after what transpired a couple years ago,” said Woods. “I could barely walk. I couldn’t sit. Couldn’t lay down. I really couldn’t do much of anything. “Luckily I had the procedure on my back, which gave me a chance at having a normal life. “To have the opportunity to come back like this it is probably one of the biggest wins I’ve ever had for sure because of it.” All eyes were on overnight leader Francesco Molinari, who led by two shots, Woods and the weather when play began on Sunday as the race for the Green Jacket turned into a final sprint with the forecast predicting rain and thunderstorms. In a desperate attempt to get the season’s first major across the finish line before the storm hit, officials pushed up start times and sent golfers off in threesomes from both the first and 10th tees. Paired together in the final round of last year’s British Open, won by the Italian at Carnoustie, Molinari and Woods found themselves in the last group again battling for a major title.
Magic Johnson: The Real Reason He Quit The Lakers & LeBron James’ Role In His Departure Magic Johnson had a ‘legacy’ to look out for, and not just a desire to return to his ‘beautiful life,’ when he decided to step down as the Los Angeles Lakers’ president. Here’s how this will affect LeBron James’ career. The Los Angeles Lakers‘ wins to losses ratio for the 20182019 NBA season was 37-45 and the team’s former president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson, couldn’t ignore the numbers. “Magic was not having any fun in his role with the team because the Lakers were not winning and weren’t going to be good anytime soon,” a source close to Magic, 59, EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. The Lakers haven’t come out with more wins than losses since the 2012-2013 season, and so our source continues, “Magic is only familiar with winning. It was a really rough year where things didn’t work out so much in so many ways, that he just wanted to get away and have fun again.” “[Magic] has so many things on his plate that leaving the Lakers was an easy decision for Magic,” our source continues. “Though it upset a lot of people, he feels that it was the right decision. He wants to be the Magic [that] Lakers fans remember from the ‘Showtime Era.’ And he didn’t want to taint his legacy with the team being so bad because the blame would all fall on him, so leaving now was what needed to happen in his eyes.” Magic’s legacy includes winning the NBA’s MVP award three times during his 13 years playing as a point guard for the Lakers. Naturally, all eyes turned to LeBron James, 34, after Magic
Magic Johnson takes the mic at a Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2018 stepped down as the Lakers’ push him out is as far from the president on April 9. Magic was the truth as possible,” the insider says, one who signed the NBA legend and further explains, “LeBron is onto the Lakers in 2018, and upset that Magic quit because this we’ve learned if LeBron — who summer for the Lakers is going had a winning streak with the to be very interesting and very Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 trying. The team might have to to 2018 — “pushed” Magic out of look for a new coach along with his leadership role. “Absolutely replacing Magic’s job as president of not! LeBron didn’t have any basketball operations. Plus they will clue that Magic was making this be bringing in many new players, decision,” a source close to LeBron so next season is going to have lots EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. of changes. So that will be a worry Our source even notes that their but there was no bad blood.” relationship was “pretty great” and But could Magic’s they “were both in the mindset resignation result in a promotion that they wanted the Lakers to be for LeBron — specifically, as both better and were working on getting general manager and player? there,” so LeBron can’t help but feel “There has been zero talk with a little abandoned, according to the the team and LeBron about this second source. happening,” a source close to the “LeBron respects Magic but Lakers and LeBron EXCLUSIVELY he was blindsided by his quitting tells HollywoodLife. “LeBron would and is upset that Magic took this be interested in owning a team way to leave and put it on LeBron’s after he retires, but as his career shoulders to worry about this off- continues in the NBA, he will only season. He will forgive Magic in a be a player and that is what the short time from now, but saying Lakers want as well.” that he had any connection to