04062018 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018

MASTERS

Golf, Page 8

Evans 12th overall in 200m free, doesn’t make final MCPHEEBy BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — Joanna Evans liked the feeling of being the flag bearer for the Bahamas during the opening ceremonies of the XXI Commonwealth Games on Wednesday night. What she wasn’t pleased with was her opening performance in the women’s 200 metre freestyle on day one of the competition yesterday.

“Last night (Wednesday) was fun. It’s always good to put on a good show for the Bahamians and try to get things going,” said Evans about holding the distinction of being the flag bearer for the biggest games in the world outside of the Olympic Games. “But I see how the meet goes.”

JOANNA EVANS carries the flag in the march pass With less than 12 during the opening ceremony on Wednesday night. hours to get over the excitement that think it was good for all of us to go filled the Carrara Stadium as the to get that kind of feel,” she stated. games officially got started, Evans As the new senior member of said the thrill of the ceremony sig- the swim team competing here, nifies that it’s time to get into high Evans said she wanted to get a gear and start competing. good showing in her initial event.

“I feel like that always gets But her time of two minutes and everyone going for the meet, so I 01.75 seconds in the first of three

heats of the women’s 200m was good enough for fourth place.

However, she ended up in 12th place overall, four spots short of advancing to the final. The eighth and final spot went to Lucy Hope of Scotland in 1:59.18.

The fastest qualifying time was done by Ariarne Titmus of Australia in 1:57.02.

“It was a start, so we will see,” said Evans, who was a little bit disappointed with her performance.

She came through the first 50m in third place in a split of 28.45.

By the time she got to the 100m, the Grand Bahamian dropped to fourth in a 30.38 split for a time of 58.83. She remained in that position, even though the split was 31.30 for 1:30.13 through 150.

SEE PAGE 3

Roach 33rd overall in historic triathlon feat

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — Cameron Roach will take a lot away from his historic debut here in the men’s triathlon at the XXI Commonwealth Games.

As the first Bahamian to compete in the swim, bike and run combined event, Roach was 33rd overall out of a field of 36 competitors yesterday at the Southport Broadwater Parklands. He said the trip here was more about getting the exposure to inspire others at home to take the sport to the next level.

“It was really an amazing feeling to be able to line up against some of the best competitors in the world,” said Roach, who spent a lot of time in the Games Village rubbing shoulders with some of the elite competitors. “It was amazing to see the level of competition. I didn’t have my best day, but I didn’t have my worst day.

“The level of professional versus the level of amateur is just amazing. I have a lot of admiration for those guys.

“Hopefully in the next couple years I can step up my game and be a little more competitive. But it was a great experience. I’m really happy to be here, I’m really happy I did this event. I learned so much. I can go home and share my knowledge with some of the kids and adults that I coach. It was great.”

The gruelling race started in the pouring rain. But by the time it finished, Roach knew that he was taking on more than just mother

SEE PAGE 3

BOTH championship matchups in the New Providence Basketball Association are all set and the quest for the 2018 title is down to its final series.

The Commonwealth Bank Giants and Aliv Bucket Team advanced with wins on Wednesday

Page 5

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net YOLETT McPheeMcCuin continues to achieve new milestones and make history for Bahamian basketball.

Ross Bjork, Ole Miss Rebels vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics, officially announced McPhee-McCuin’s addition as the head coach of the women’s basketball programme for the 2017-18 season.

“I am extremely humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be the women’s basketball coach at the University of Mississippi,” McPhee-McCuin said.

“Once I stepped on campus, there was no doubt in my mind that Ole Miss had the potential to be a force to be reckoned with -- not only in the SEC, but nationally as well. I’d like to thank Chancellor Vitter and Ross for their complete vote of confidence in me, and I look forward to getting started.”

The Rebels ended last season with a 12-19 record and a second round loss in the SEC Tournament.

The daughter of legendary Bahamian coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and educator Daisy McPhee, she became the ninth head coach in Rebels history.

McPhee-McCuin will be publicly introduced during a press conference at Ole Miss on Friday.

SEE PAGE 4

SWIMMERS CLOSE OUT CARIFTA WITH OPEN WATER 5K

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BUCKET TEAM - 99 RESISTANCE – 84 An 18-point turnaround in the third quarter boosted the Bucket

THE Bahamas closed out its history-making appearance at the 2018 CARIFTA Aquatic Championships with its final event in Kingston, Jamaica.

The Open Water 5K Swim was the final segment of the event and six Bahamian swimmers took to the course at James Bond Beach in Kingston.

The top finishers for Team Bahamas came in the Girls’ 14-15 division.

Salene Gibson finished sixth among the field of 16 athletes with a time of 1:10:09.95 seconds.

Giovanna Eneas finished one spot behind in seventh place with 1:10:18.75.

In the Girls’ 16-18, Anya MacPhail finished ninth in 1:09:29.78 and Kaliyah Albury was 12th in 1:13:22.26.

In the Boys’ 16-18, Darren Laing finished 10th in the field in 1:06:04.04, however, Tristan Thompson did not finish.

Taye Fountain was the Bahamas’ lone competitor in the Boys 14-15, clocking 1:10:56.18.

The Bahamas began the CARIFTA Aquatics Championship last month in the Water Polo segment of the event with an historic finish of three gold medals.

The Bahamas defeated the host country in the U-14, U-16 and U-19 boys’ finals at Kingston’s National

SEE PAGE 4

SEE PAGE 4

MAKING HISTORY: Cameron Roach competes in the triathlon yesterday.

NPBA: Giants vs Rockets, Bucket vs High Flyers in Championships

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

MCCUIN ‘HUMBLED’ AS OLE MISS HEAD COACH

night to conclude the semi-finals and set the stage for the finals, which tip off this weekend.

In Division I, the Giants completed a three-game sweep over the PJ Stingers in dominant fashion and will advance to face the Rockets in the championship.

In Division II, the Bucket Team closed out the Caro Contractors to clinch the series 3-1. They advance to face the defending champion Breezes High Flyers.

Both best-of-seven series begin on Saturday beginning with the Division II matchup at 7:30pm.

GIANTS – 110 STINGERS – 70 D’Shon Taylor led three Giants in double figures with 29 points and six rebounds in just over 24 minutes. Darstyn Baker had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Tehran Cox scored 11 while Michael Bain Jr filled the stat sheet with nine points, six rebounds and eight assists. Salathiel Dean led the Stingers with 17 points and eight

rebounds, Devon Ferguson scored 15, Horris McKenzie scored 11 and Mark Hanna chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Giants shot 51 per cent from the field and 46 per cent from beyond the arch. With 13 three-point makes, they outscored the Stingers by 33 from beyond the arch. Taylor shot 6-10 from three, Knowles was 3-6 and Cox was a perfect 2-2. They also outrebounded the Stingers 59-45, leading to a 16-point advantage with points in the paint. The Giants assisted on 27 of their 42 made field goals and scored 21 points off turnovers.

A back and forth opening quarter featured several ties and lead changes. The games was tied at seven and then again at nine before the Stingers went on a 7-0 run.

The Giants responded with a run of their own capped by a Taylor three to take a 17-16 lead.

The game was tied again at 17, 20 and 22 all at the end of the first.

The Giants broke the game open in the second quarter and went ahead by double figures for the first time on a Karon Pratt jumper for a 34-24 lead at the 7:48 mark.

The run continued and the lead reached 18 on another Taylor three late in the period. They would go on to outscore the Stingers 36-19 in the quarter and take a 58-41 lead into the half.

Cox’s three-pointer early in the third gave the Giants a 63-41 lead and Gamaliel Rose’s dunk with six minutes left in the quarter pushed the lead over 30 (77-46). The Giants took an 89-63 lead into the fourth and limited the Stingers to just seven points in the final frame.

The top seeded Giants head into the finals with an undefeated record.

PAGE 2, Friday, April 6, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Aussies trim England’s Day 1 lead with 2 late world records

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — World records on the cycling track and in the pool gave host Australia a late boost on the opening day of competition at the Commonwealth Games after the setback of losing hometown hero Sally Pearson.

The Australian swimmers have a tradition of setting the tone for the rest of the team at the Commonwealth Games, but the English made a faster start before the home team rallied with a big statement in the last event of the night.

Sisters Bronte and Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon and Shayna Jack set a world record 3 minutes, 30.05 seconds in the 4x100metre women’s freestyle relay, lowing the mark the Australians set at the 2016 Olympics.

“It was beyond my wildest dreams,” Cate Campbell said. “My coach said ‘The atmosphere out there is electric, go out, soak it up.’

I think that is what we’ve done.”

England finished Thursday with six gold and 12 medals overall, and Australia had five gold and 15 in total.

Malaysia had two golds in weightlifting for third spot, and Canada was fourth in the standings with one gold and seven overall.

Olympic champion Mack Horton won Australia’s first gold of the meet in the 400-metre freestyle, while Canada’s Taylor Ruck (200-metre freestyle) and England’s Aimee Willmott (400 individual medley) and James Wilby (200 breaststroke) also claimed gold in the pool.

England lost the chance at another gold medal

world champion swimmer Ben Proud was disqualified after winning his first heat in the 50-metre butterfly.

The Aussies picked up three gold medals further north in Brisbane at the Anna Meares Velodrome, winning the men’s 4,000 team pursuit in a world-record time and also capturing the women’s team pursuit and team sprint.

In the first-of categories: two-time world champion Flora Duffy won the women’s sprint triathlon to secure the first gold medal of the games for Bermuda, and Malaysian weightlifter Muhammad Izhar Ahmad won the first of the men’s titles on offer at the Gold Coast. The first team title went to the English men in gymnastics.

• Some highlights on Day 1 of the Games: SO LONG SALLY: The morning after a prominent role in the opening ceremonies, world and former Olympic champion hurdler Pearson announced her withdrawal from the athletics competition because a long-standing Achilles injury had flared in training this week.

Pearson, who was promoted as the face of the games, knew the day before

Alex Porter and Sam Welsford beat England in a world record three minutes, 49.804 seconds, lowering the mark set by the British at the 2016 Olympics.

The Australian women’s pursuit team overtook New Zealand on the last lap to win in a games-record time, and also won the women’s team sprint.

The New Zealanders picked up their first gold medal on the track with a victory over England in the men’s team sprint.

HENRI SCHOEMAN, of South Africa, right, high-fives his teammate Richard Murray yesterday as Schoeman runs to the finish line to win the men’s triathlon at Southport Broadwater Parklands.

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) the opening ceremony that she wouldn’t be able to compete, but kept it pretty much secret.

“The timing was not great and she certainly didn’t want it to detract from the games or the opening ceremony or anyone else’s journey here,” coach Craig Hilliard said.

“I think that’s important to realise. So today was the most convenient,” to make it public.

FIRST GOLD: Competing in the bright morning sun, Duffy cruised to victory by 43 seconds over Jessica Learmonth and had time to grab a Bermuda flag as she completed the sprint distance.

“Pretty cool that I won the first gold medal of these games,” she said.

The men’s race was far less

predictable. South Africa’s Henri Schoeman broke away early in the run leg to finish in 52 minutes, 31 seconds and beat Jacob Birtwhistle of Australia by seven seconds. Marc Austin of Scotland took the bronze.

Two-time Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee and his brother Jonathan finished 1-2 in Glasgow four years ago but were well out of the medals this time.

Alistair, who had surgery on his hip last August, placed 10th in an afternoon race hit by rain.

“It was pretty terrible today,” said Jonathan Brownlee, who was seventh. “From start to finish I didn’t feel great.”

WEIGHT LIFTED: Izhar Ahmad lifted a games record total of 261

kilograms in the 56-kilogram category a day after his birthday.

His 144 in the clean and jerk secured the record and an unbeatable lead, and he celebrated with a jig and a jog around the lifting area with the Malaysian flag.

Gururaja Poojary picked up silver for India, missing two attempts before a successful last lift that relegated Sri Lanka’s Chaturanga Lakmal into third spot.

India collected its first gold medal when Chanu Saikhom Mirabai won the women’s 48-kilogram competition in a games record.

RECORD CYCLES: Australia won both the men’s and women’s 4,000metre team pursuits in record times.

Kelland O’Brien, Leigh Howard,

ELEVEN YEARS YOUNG: Anna Hursey made her Commonwealth Games debut at the age of 11, and drew plenty of attention as the youngest athlete competing at the Gold Coast.

With Wales needing a win to stay alive in its opening round against India, Hursey partnered Charlotte Carey and produced some big forehands to help in 3-2 victory.

The game was part of the table tennis team event, a best-of-five series, which Wales lost 3-1 against one of the medal favorites.

PROUD OUT: World champion Proud was disqualified from the 50-metre butterfly after winning his morning swim in the preliminaries.

He touched first in first place but a referee ruled that he’d moved on the blocks before the start.

“I am in the shape of my life and am gutted to miss out on the opportunity to show what I can do,” said Proud, who lost an appeal against the disqualification.

“I really wanted to come into the competition to retain both my titles and to have that opportunity taken away in the first heat is heartbreaking.”

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Friday, April 6, 2018, PAGE 3

Boxers Hield and Williams eliminated in Round of 32

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — Carl Hield’s bid for a second medal at the XXI Commonwealth Games was ruined when he faced hometown favourite Terry Nickolas in the Round of 32 in the men’s 69 kilo gram category yesterday at the Oxenford Studies.

Hield, 31, lost 5-0 to Nicholas as he felt female referee Nelka Shiromala from Sri Lanka didn’t really allow him to display his skills in the three rounds.

All three judges scored it 10-9 in favour of Nickolas.

“First of all, I want to give God thanks for giving me the strength to get here and represent my country the second, but as everyone saw, the fight was already a buyout fight,” he said.

“From the first round, the referee warned me about 20 times in the fight and I never get warned that much in no type of competition I was in - World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Pan

Am Games,CAC Championships. “It’s just that I couldn’t get focused in the fight. If he ducks down and I throw a punch and he was ducking, she was telling me I was slapping. If I throw a shot to the body, she stopped me and say low blow. I was left hand and he right hand and if I trapped over him a little bit, she stopped me, saying I throwing a knee.

“Everyone after the fight told me that it wasn’t in my favour because the guy was home. He’s a favourite and it was their first fight for them, so everything what happen happened. I just have to get back to the drawing board and get prepared for the CAC games (in July in Barranquilla, Colombia).”

As a competitor, Hield said whenever he steps into the ring, he knows he has to accept whatever challenge that is ahead of him. But he felt it’s not right when all of the attention is given to his opponent because he is at home. The referee wasn’t on my side. Out of the 20 warnings that I got, he had

WILLIAMS: ‘BUT I ONLY HAD TWO WEEKS TO TRAIN FOR THIS FIGHT’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

none. Everything was blue, blue, blue (the colour that Hield wore).”

Despite the loss, Hield said he still went out there and performed as best as he could. It just wasn’t enough to get to either match or surpass the bronze medal that he collected in 2010 in New Delhi, India. This was his third Commonwealth Games, having participated in 2006 in Melbourne, Australia, where he also lost out in the Round of 32.

“I was very disappointed,” he insisted. “I didn’t get to do what I had to do. She kept jumping in

BOXER CARL HIELD enjoys some down time at the XXI Commonwealth Games. warning me. I had my plan and my plan was going right. But she stepped in and warned me. I just need to get back to the drawing board. There’s nothing new that I have to add on or nothing new that I have to change. I just need to get back in training camp and train. I hope I can get one or two more fights before the competition and I will be ready.”

Coach Valentino Knowles said the referee

took him out of his game plan.

“He lost the fight fighting against the referee and the crowd,” he said.

“He got about 30 warnings in one fight. I think that was a distraction for him. He came back into the corner in the second round frustrated. I tried to warn him and told him not to concentrate on the referee, but work on his fight. But it was hard for him to do that.”

Roach 33rd overall in historic triathlon feat FROM PAGE 1 nature. He came out of the 750 metres or onelap race in 31st position in a time of 11:19 minutes and completed the transition on his bike at 12:07.

On the 20.0 kilometre four-lap race, Roach pedalled 47.42 mins to drop one spot to 32nd with his transition time to the run at 48:12. That left just the 5.0 km two-lap race that saw Roach fall behind as Jamaica’s Philip McCatty passed him to take the 32nd position.

“It was an amazing experience. It was a long journey here. I think that had a little to do with my performance,” Roach lamented.

“But it’s over. there’s no regrets, I enjoyed it. I hope I get to go on another trip like this soon.”

As he dissected his performance in the race, Roach said the swim was good, “at least the first half I felt really good and my tempo was strong,” he said. “Then as we got into it in the first 350m at the first buoy, I felt my body. I think some lactic acid was building up. I don’t think I went out too hard. I just don’t think my body is adjusted to be here.

“But it felt good. I felt strong. I thought I was going to be able to keep up with the first or second pack, unfortunately, I wasn’t. I didn’t have my best swim. The water was pretty choppy, but that’s no excuse because I’m a pretty strong swimmer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the best start in the swim, so in transiting to the bike, I was on the course solo and I had to work really hard and that took a lot out of you. On the run, I was just holding, but I didn’t have enough left in the tank at the end.”

When he returns home, Roach said if he wants to compete with the elite

competitors, he has a lot more work to do, but he would really like to pass on as much of his knowledge to the younger competitors so that he can help to groom the next Bahamian to compete in the triathlon in a global competition now that the barrier has been broken.

His older brother and coach Dorian Roach said his younger sibling did the best that he could under the circumstances.

“He was a little tired for sure because I don’t think he was fully recovered from the trip here,” said Roach, referring to the jet lag after the two-day journey from the Bahamas. “I could tell right away from the swim.

His swim was a little slower than usual and after that he couldn’t get into the pack on the bike, so he was basically riding the bike by himself, which is definitely a disadvantage.

“But you know, I’m proud of him. I think we could have timed the travel a little better, but he did a good job.”

Having broken the ice in representing the Bahamas in its first triathlon at the games, the elder Roach said the younger Roach will have to concentrate a little more on the swim because it showed that if he wasn’t in the pack at the start, it was too late for him to come back on the bike and in the run.

“Cameron is a strong swimmer, but it shows that obviously he still has ways to go,” he pointed out. “If you cannot keep up with the swim, then your race is done. So we need to concentrate more on swim and look at the timing of our travel. He wanted to do this, he worked hard for it.

Hopefully this will provide a path way for the younger guys to follow him.”

Once he recuperates from the race, the younger Roach said he will now use

MAKING HISTORY: Cameron Roach competes in the triathlon yesterday at the XXI Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia. his time here until April 10 to take in some of the sights of Australia and go out and cheer on the other Bahamians in action.

On the sidelines watching was physiotherapist Cordero Bonamy. As a former track and field athlete, he said it’s not easy to compete

in any stage of competition.

“The conditions wasn’t the best, but they persevered,” said Bonamy, who is a part of Team Bahamas’ medical staff.

“I think Cameron went out there and he gave it his all. That’s all we could ask for. When I saw that, I had

N’Nhyn Fernander 28th overall in 50m butterfly

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net GOLD COAST, Australia — N’Nhyn Fernander will use his splash on Thursday in the men’s 50 metres butterfly as a learning experience in his debut at the XXI Commonwealth Games.

Following on the opening performance from flag bearer Joanna Evans at the Optus Aquatic Centre, Fernander swum to a eighth place finish in the sixth of seven heats in 25.39 seconds. In the final tally he

sat in 28th place overall.

The 6-foot, 6-inch rising competitor, who adds the games to his appearance at the FINA World Championships in 2017, admitted that it was “not the best,” but he’s not going to “complain.”

He still has the 100m free to compete in on Saturday and the 100m fly on Sunday.

“It’s a start. I just have to get back and do better in my other events,” he said.

The 19-year-old freshman at Keiser University said competing at the games is a lot different from competing in just a major swim

meet like the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last year where he was 51st in both the 50m breaststroke and the 50m butterfly in personal best times of 29.75 and 25.20 respectively.

He said it was quite an experience for him going out into the Carrara Stadium with some of the other athletes representing Team Bahamas in the other sporting discipline. “It was very unique, very fun and a lot of love from the crowd,” he said. “But I hope to do something like that again, so I want to come back.”

In the meantime, Fernander said it was so encouraging to watch as his swimming team-mate Evans was given the opportunity to carry the flag.

“It was good and it shows motivation,” Fernander said. “With the guys doing so well at CARIFTA, winning for the last few years, it’s good to see swimming coming out on top.”

As for the remainder of the games, Fernander said once he can put his performance in the 50m fly behind him and concentrate on what he came here to do, he will be okay.

to commend him for a job well done. No matter what you placed, he finished it off.”

And, in the process, Roach survived without any major injury that neither Bonamy or Dr Rickey Davis or Cottrice Robinson had to work on.

EVANS 12TH OVERALL FROM PAGE 1

The University of Texas at Austin junior’s final 50 was 31.62. Evans, whose mother Lynn was on the stands supporting her, will now have two days to relax and recuperate before she gets back into the pool on Sunday for the 100m free.

Her final event will be two days later in the 400m free on Tuesday’s final day of competition for swimming.

When asked what to expect from her, Evans was right to the point.

“I can’t tell you,” she quipped. “You will have to find out.”

GOLD COAST, Australia — On the defensive from the start of the fight, Rashield Williams tried to come back in the final two rounds. But it was a little too late for him to avoid the early elimination in his debut at the XXI Commonwealth Games.

He lost a 5-0 decision to the more aggressive Jonas Jonas from Namibia, who took advantage of his height to prevail in their Round of 32 in the men’s 64 kilogram class yesterday at the Oxenford Studios.

“The guy was faster and much taller, but I only had two weeks to train for this fight,” he said. “I put my all in it out there, but he came out with the win. There’s nothing I can do about that.

The best man won. That’s him.”

If he had a chance to do it all again, Williams said he would have definitely tried to get in more than two weeks of training in Cuba.

He said if he had a month or two to train there, it would have been a different story. As Jonas lunged in with his jab, Williams found himself holding up his two hands to defend his face.

Then he tried to counter punch by going to Jonas’ body.

“The association didn’t have the funds to send me off to train, so this is what I had,” Williams said.

Based on what he saw, coach Valentino Knowles said Jonas was a great fighter, but he still felt Williams won the fight.

“Rashield gave up the first round, but I think he did enough tonight to win the second and third rounds,” Williams stated. “I don’t feel like the final decision was what it was. I felt he did enough to come back and win the fight. Then on the other hand, bringing Rashield here with only two weeks in the Cuban training camp wasn’t enough.”

Williams, 31, said he may now have to contemplate turning professional if he can’t get the support for him to continue as an amateur.

“Something has to happen. I need my training, more help,” he insisted. “I can’t be home all by myself.

There’s no help there. No one is helping me. So with only two weeks before a competition like this, it’s not good.”

Knowles said he agrees that Williams needs a lot more support because he didn’t fight up to his potential.

“To bring a fighter of Rashield’s calibre, I was expecting great things coming into this games, but his preparation wasn’t there,” Williams said. “He was ready mentally, but physically he was not. Being home in the Bahamas training where he’s the only boxer with Carl training in Cuba, we don’t have anybody that can give him the workout that he needs.”

Nor have they gotten the funds to push their amateur programme further than where it is now.

This is Evans’ second appearance at the fouryearly Commonwealth Games, having made her debut in Glasgow, Scotland in 2014 when she was 12th in the 800m free, 16th in the 400m free and 19th in the 200m. She has already improved on at least one of those positions, even though it wasn’t quite what she anticipated.

Two years ago, Evans also participated in her first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she was 37th in the 200m, 13th in the 400m and 23th in the 800m. She currently holds the national record in all three events - 2:01.62 in the 200m; 4:17.37 in the 400m and 8:32.19 in the 800m.

PAGE 4, Friday, April 6, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

NPBA: Giants vs Rockets, Bucket Team to face High Flyers in Championships FROM PAGE 1 Team to a series-clinching win and a berth to the championship series.

They trailed 61-57 at the half but outscored the Resistance 24-6 in the third quarter to take control of the game for good.

Of the eight players to receive playing time for Aliv, five reached double figures and three scored at least 20 and posted double doubles.

Kieran Mortimer had a near triple double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, Rashad Ingraham had 22 points and 10

rebounds and Akeil Bullard had 20 points and 15 rebounds.

James Rolle scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Anwar Neilly scored 14.

Carmado Seymour had 17 points and a game high 21 rebounds, Qymeh Gibson had 19 points and

10 rebounds and Kamal Murphy scored 18.

The Resistance opened the game on a 9-0 run and led by 12 on several occasions through the first quarter. They took a 10-point lead on a Seymour layup and led by 12 for the first time when Marcian Higgins made a three to

go up 23-11. The Bucket team closed the quarter on a 5-0 run but trailed 29-22 headed into the second.

The Resistance regained their double digit advantage midway through the period when Shannen Phillips made a jumper for a 48-37 lead and they led 61-57 into the half. The

Bucket team opened the third on an 8-2 run and took their first lead of the game on an Ingraham three pointer to take a 65-63 lead at the 6:13 mark in the quarter. After the dominant third they took an 81-67 lead into the fourth, where the Resistance never came within nine points.

Yolett McPhee McCuin ‘humbled’ as Ole Miss head coach FROM PAGE 1 She completed an historic tenure with the Jacksonville Dolphins where the programme accomplished several new feats.

In her final game at JU, the Dolphins saw their season come to an end in the opening round of the WNIT when they were eliminated with a first round loss to the University of Central Florida Knights.

It was the second consecutive season the Jaguars came up just short in a bid for the NCAA Tournament but earned a berth to the WNIT.

It capped a season where the Dolphins set a new single season programme record with 24 wins. In the 2016-17 season, the Dolphins tied the previous record of 23 which tied the old school mark for most wins in a season set back in the 2007-08 season. In the 2015-16 campaign, McPheeMcCuin led the Dolphins to a 22-11 record, the A-Sun tournament title and their first NCAA Tournament championship berth in school history.

McPhee-McCuin made the Dolphins a dominant team in the Atlantic Sun Conference and finished

AN HISTORIC MILESTONE: Yolett McPhee-McCuin has been named head coach of the Ole Miss women’s basketball programme for the 2017-18 season. with a 94-63 record (50-24 in ASUN play) and three postseason appearances.

She became the first Bahamian head coach in an NCAA Division I basketball programme when she was announced as the Dolphins head coach in April 2013.

Prior to her time at Jacksonville, McPhee-McCuin was an assistant at Clemson from 2011-13, where

she was recognised as one of the top assistants in the nation by National Women’s Basketball Insider.

While with the Tigers, McPhee-McCuin solidified her reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country, spearheading the No. 16 class in the nation in her final year at Clemson, which included five McDonalds All-America nominees.

Before her stint at Clemson, McPhee-McCuin was on staff at Pittsburgh for two seasons in 2009 and 2010. She was part of a pair of postseason appearances with the Panthers, who rose to No. 14 in the national rankings and advanced to a Sweet 16.

Her coaching career also includes stops at Portland, Frank Phillips College and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where she earned her master’s degree in physical education with a perfect 4.0 GPA. McPhee-McCuin received her bachelor’s in business management and administration from Rhode Island in 2004, playing in 56 games over her junior and

senior years at URI and helping the Rams advance to the 2003 A-10 title game.

She played her first two seasons at Miami-Dade Community College.

She achieved another first in 2013 when she was named the Bahamas’ women’s national basketball team head coach, and McPhee-McCuin immediately set out on her path to seek Olympic qualification for the country at the Tokyo games in 2020.

Most recently, the team turned in a fifth place finish at the 2017 Women’s Centrobasket Championships.

Under McPhee-McCuin’s leadership, the Bahamas finished with the gold medal at the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship and automatically qualified for the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Columbia.

When the Bahamas Basketball Federation chose to revamp its national team programme and its coaching staff, its intention was to bring greater focus and organisation in the sport

for the island nation on the international stage.

“Yolett McPhee-McCuin was born to teach and coach,” Bjork said. “As the daughter of legendary Bahamian basketball coach Gladstone “Moon” McPhee and her mother a teacher, “Coach Yo” has coaching and leadership running through her DNA. Throughout our search process, it became clear to us: coach McCuin is a star in the making, and we better secure her leadership before another programme does.

“With her perspective as a collegiate point guard, we know she sees the big picture of what it takes to be successful in the SEC and on the national stage.

Coach McCuin’s leadership, style of play, recruiting prowess, energy and passion is exactly what we need right now in order to reestablish Ole Miss Women’s Basketball back to competing for and winning championships. We want to welcome Yolett, Kelly, Yasmine and Yuri to the Ole Miss family.”

SWIMMERS CLOSE OUT CARIFTA GAMES WITH OPEN WATER 5K FROM PAGE 1

Stadium. The U-14 team began the morning with a dominant 16-2 win over

Jamaica. The U-16 Boys successfully defended their CARIFTA title with a 17-3 win over Jamaica. The U-19 Boys team capped the competition and exacted revenge on Jamaica for last year’s loss with a 13-10 win.

The Bahamas followed this week and again claimed the top spot among elite junior swimming programmes in the region.

The 36-member team won back-to-back CARIFTA Swimming Championships and their fourth title in five years.

The team completed the four-day meet with a total of 789 points. They finished 181 points ahead of second place finisher and 2016 champion Guadeloupe, who scored 608.

Jamaica finished third with 607.5 points, Trinidad and Tobago scored 576 and the Cayman Islands rounded out the top five with 502.5 points.

The Bahamas won a total of 56 medals – 23 gold, 22 silver and 11 bronze.

The high-point scorer for Team Bahamas among girls was Lilly Higgs with 51 points in the 15-17 division while Zaylie-Elizabeth Thompson posted 37 points in the 13-14 division.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, April 6, 2018, PAGE 5

LeBron James scores 33, keys Cavaliers’ big rally CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James scored 13 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and brought Cleveland Cavaliers back from a 17-point deficit to stun the Washington Wizards 119115 last night and maintain the No. 3 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs trailed 104-87 with 7:35 left before storming back behind James, who added 14 assists, nine rebounds to give coach Tyronn Lue a win in his return after missing nine games due to health reasons.

Jeff Green added 21 points and Kevin Love had 16 for the Cavs, who are 10-1 since March 17, when Lue was forced to leave a game in Chicago with “piercing” chest pains.

It took another of those patented James’ comebacks to down the Wizards, who have dropped seven of nine and are in a three-way battle with Milwaukee and Miami for playoff positioning.

Washington’s John Wall looked more like his speedy All-Star self in his third game back from knee surgery, scoring 28 points with 14 assists. But he had a costly turnover in the closing seconds and the Wizards couldn’t put away the Cavs down the stretch.

A basket by Markieff Morris gave the Wizards a 110-100 lead with 3:16 left, but James scored six straight, fed Green for layup, and Rodney Hood made two free throws to complete a 10-0 run by the Cavs.

Green’s two free throws — on a tough call against Washington — gave the Cavs a 116-115 lead, but after Walls missed a short jumper, James split a pair of three throws, giving Washington one last chance.

Wall drove the lane but his twisting pass back outside was stolen by rookie Cedi Osman, who made two free throws to close it out.

ROCKETS 96, TRAIL BLAZERS 94 HOUSTON (AP) — Chris Paul hit an off-balance layup with 0.8 seconds left to lift Houston past Portland.

Paul scored 27 points to help Houston get its second straight victory since a loss to San Antonio. The Rockets swept their four-game season series with Portland.

Portland’s Damian Lillard sat out after spraining

his left ankle Tuesday against Dallas.

The Rockets led by 24 in the second quarter and still had a big lead with about five minutes left before the Trail Blazers went on a 19-2 run to tie it at 94-all with 6.1 seconds left.

James Harden, who finished with 24 points, missed two free throws with 13.3 seconds left before Pat Connaughton tied it with a short basket.

Paul made the winner before crashing to the court.

It gave Houston its first points since Harden made a basket with just less than four minutes left. Portland had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but C.J. McCollum’s 3-point attempt was off.

PACERS 126, WARRIORS 106 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic had 28 points, Victor Oladipo scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half and the playoff-bound Indiana beat Golden State.

The Pacers have won six of seven, including twice against the short-handed defending NBA champions.

It’s their first season sweep over the Warriors since 2011-12.

Kevin Durant had 27 points, five rebounds and seven assists, but Golden State’s three-game winning streak ended. Klay Thompson had 16 points before being shut out in the second half. The Warriors were swept by an Eastern Conference team for the first time since Charlotte did it in 2013-14.

NETS 119, BUCKS 111 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Allen Crabbe scored 25 points and hit two 3-pointers in the closing minutes of a tight game, and Brooklyn Nets shot 48 per cent from behind the arc to beat Milwaukee.

The sharpshooting Nets were 19 of 39 from 3-point range, dealing a blow to the Bucks’ hopes of moving up from the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Crabbe was clutch by hitting two of his five 3s over the final three minutes, the second coming with 1:18 left to give the Nets a sixpoint lead that sent Bucks fans to the exits.

Khris Middleton scored 31 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Milwaukee.

CAVALIERS’ LEBRON JAMES, left, drives to the basket against Washington Wizards’ Kelly Oubre Jr in the first half last night.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

RAPTORS BEAT CELTICS TO CLOSE IN ON TOP SEED IN EAST TORONTO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 16 points, Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka each had 15 and the Toronto Raptors moved closer to clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Boston Celtics 96-78 on Wednesday night.

Toronto increased its lead over second-place Boston to three games. Both teams have four games left.

Kyle Lowry scored 13 points for the Raptors, who earned a split in the season series with the Celtics and clinched the tiebreaker over Boston, based on each team’s record in conference play.

Toronto is 37-11 against the East, while Boston is 31-17.

With its 56th win of the season, Toronto matched the franchise record set in 2015-16.

Marcus Morris scored 21 points for Boston in its lowest-scoring game of the season.

The Celtics shot 3 for 22 from 3-point range.

76ERS 115, PISTONS 108 DETROIT (AP) — JJ Redick scored 25 points, and Philadelphia won its 12th straight game, eliminating Detroit from playoff contention.

The Pistons had their five-game winning streak snapped, and their defeat clinched a postseason spot for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Anthony Tolliver scored 25 points for the Pistons and went 7 of 8 from 3-point range. Detroit was without star forward Blake Griffin (bruised right ankle) and

19 points, and Justise Winslow had 18 for Miami.

Taurean Prince led Atlanta with 20 points.

RAPTORS centre Jonas Valanciunas and Celtics guard Terry Rozier watch the ball get away during the second half on Wednesday night in Toronto. (AP) the 76ers were missing centre Joel Embiid (concussion, orbital fracture).

LAKERS 122, SPURS 112, OT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Kuzma scored six of his 30 points in overtime and Los Angeles swept the three-game season series against San Antonio.

Kuzma is the first rookie in NBA history with 1,200 points, 450 rebounds and 150 3-pointers in a season.

He made a 3-pointer and a sky hook to start overtime and give the Lakers a lead they would not relinquish.

Los Angeles outscored the Spurs 14-4 in the period.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points for the Spurs, who lost on back-to-back nights at Staples Center and are tied with Oklahoma City for fifth place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Utah. The Spurs and Thunder both have three games remaining.

HEAT 115, HAWKS 86 ATLANTA (AP) — Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points, including 15 on five 3-pointers when Miami took the lead for good in the second period, and the Heat beat Atlanta, capping a sweep of back-to-back games between Southeast Division rivals.

Miami rested Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and James Johnson one day after clinching a playoff berth by beating the Hawks in Miami. Josh Richardson also had

PELICANS 123, GRIZZLIES 95 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — E’Twaun Moore scored 30 points, and Anthony Davis had 28 points and 12 rebounds in a return to form to help New Orleans rout Memphis.

Davis struggled in the previous two games after twisting an ankle in a loss to Portland on March 27.

He made 8 of 13 field goals, 11 of 13 free throws and had three blocks and two steals.

The eighth-place Pelicans ended a season-worst four-game losing streak and increased their lead over idle Denver to a full game for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

MarShon Brooks scored 25 points for the Grizzlies.

MAGIC 105, MAVERICKS 100 ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — Rookie Jamel Artis had 18 points for his second straight career high for Orlando.

Artis was coming off a 16-point game Tuesday night in a victory at New York. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 20 points without playing in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Jones led Dallas with 15 points. The Mavericks listed seven players out with injuries including Dirk Nowitzki, the 19-year veteran who missed only his second game of the season.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, April 6, 2018, PAGE 7

Arsenal eyes Europa League semi-finals after 4-1 victory

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal took a huge step toward securing a place in the last four of the Europa League by beating CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the first leg of the quarter-finals yesterday.

All the goals were scored in the first half, with midfielder Aaron Ramsey and returning striker Alexandre Lacazette netting twice for the Gunners.

“It was a spectacular first half played at a high pace but, as well, an uncomfortable one for me because they looked dangerous as well,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal, which has now won five games in a row in all competitions, goes into next Thursday’s second leg in the Russian capital in a commanding position.

Wenger said failing to extend the lead in the second half may help the team keep its concentration.

“We know it’s not over and we have to go there with the right focus and try to win the game,” he said.

In a disappointing season that sees the team occupying sixth place in the English Premier League, way behind in the race for one of the four Champions League berths, the Europa League is the club’s last chance of a trophy.

Winning European football’s second-tier competition would give Arsenal a route back into the Champions League.

Wenger said it was “too early” to talk about winning the trophy but believed the team had recovered its confidence after a difficult spell this year which included a 3-0 defeat to championselect Manchester City in the League Cup final.

Arsenal took a deserved lead in the ninth minute when Ramsey fired in from close range after crisp interplay in and around the CSKA penalty area.

Against the run of play, Aleksandr Golovin levelled in the 15th minute with a dipping, curling free-kick that flew into the top corner beyond the dive of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Lacazette, in his first start since late January, restored Arsenal’s lead in the 23rd minute from the penalty spot after Mesut Ozil was clumsily brought down by Georgi Schennikov.

Arsenal went 3-1 ahead in the 28th minute with probably the best goal of the match.

Ozil floated a ball over the CSKA defence to a leaping Ramsey who volleyed it past goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev from eight metres with the heel of his right boot.

Lacazette made it 4-1 in the 35th minute, again after a series of swift passes.

Ozil provided the assist once again with a cutback from the touchline to the France striker, who drilled it into the net with

ARSENAL’s Alexandre Lacazette celebrates after scoring a goal yesterday during the Europa League quarter-final, first leg soccer match against CSKA Moscow at the Emirates stadium.

(AP Photo/Tim Ireland) career hat trick following his previous one in February, when he struck the post in the 78th minute.

“He’s a much better finisher

a left-footed drive. Arsenal had several chances to extend its lead in the second half and Ramsey went close to his second

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 64° F/18° C

TAMPA

TONIGHT

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

Partly sunny with a shower in spots

Mainly clear

Partly sunny

Partly sunny

Partly sunny

Partly sunny

High: 83°

Low: 71°

High: 85° Low: 72°

High: 86° Low: 71°

High: 85° Low: 71°

High: 86° Low: 69°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

93° F

76° F

92°-77° F

103°-79° F

99°-77° F

99°-81° F

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 69° F/21° C

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 72° F/22° C

7-14 knots

S

WEST PALM BEACH High: 82° F/28° C Low: 68° F/20° C

7-14 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE E

W

FREEPORT

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

S

E

W

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 69° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 73° F/23° C

6-12 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 79° F/26° C Low .................................................... 69° F/21° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 68° F/20° C Last year’s high ................................. 90° F/32° C Last year’s low ................................... 77° F/25° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 6.79” Normal year to date ..................................... 4.75”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High Today

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

12:37 a.m.

12:57 p.m.

2.6 2.0

7:05 a.m.

7:03 p.m.

0.3 0.3

Saturday

1:27 a.m.

1:50 p.m.

2.5 1.9

7:58 a.m.

7:56 p.m.

0.5 0.5

Sunday

2:21 a.m.

2:48 p.m.

2.4 1.9

8:55 a.m.

8:54 p.m.

0.6 0.6

Monday

3:19 a.m.

3:48 p.m.

2.3 2.0

9:52 a.m.

9:54 p.m.

0.6 0.6

Tuesday

4:16 a.m.

4:44 p.m.

2.4 2.1

10:46 a.m. 0.5 10:51 p.m. 0.5

Wednesday 5:08 a.m.

5:35 p.m.

2.4 2.2

11:34 a.m. 0.4 11:44 p.m. 0.3

Thursday

2.5 2.5

12:17 p.m. 0.2 ---------

5:56 a.m.

6:20 p.m.

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

S

E

W

6-12 knots

S

4-8 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

tiDes For nassau

6:57 a.m.

7:28 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

12:22 a.m.

11:26 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

Apr. 8

Apr. 15

Apr. 22

Apr. 29

CAT ISLAND

E

W

uV inDex toDay

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

nowadays, he’s calmer, the way he finishes, you see he’s composed,” Wenger said.

“Before he rushed a bit,” he added.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 73° F/23° C

N

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 73° F/23° C

4-8 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 79° F/26° C Low: 75° F/24° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 79° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

6-12 knots

6-12 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday: Today: Saturday:

WINDS NE at 7-14 Knots SSW at 8-16 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots S at 8-16 Knots ENE at 4-8 Knots S at 6-12 Knots ENE at 4-8 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots E at 4-8 Knots S at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots SSW at 10-20 Knots E at 4-8 Knots S at 7-14 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots E at 4-8 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 4-8 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots ENE at 4-8 Knots S at 4-8 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots E at 4-8 Knots S at 7-14 Knots

WAVES 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 0-1 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet

VISIBILITY 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 75° F 75° F 79° F 79° F 77° F 77° F 79° F 79° F 76° F 76° F 77° F 77° F 78° F 78° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 80° F 80° F 77° F 77° F

Covering The Bahamas for over 40 years.

NEW PROVIDENCE | GRAND BAHAMA | ABACO | ELEUTHERA | EXUMA

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PAGE 8, Friday, April 6, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

TIGER Woods in action yesterday during the first round of the Masters golf tournament.

(AP Photos)

Woods back at Masters, playing with early leader Leishman

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) — Tiger Woods gave galleries at Augusta National something to cheer for in his first round at the Masters in three years.

Playing partner Marc Leishman provided even more highlights.

Leishman birdied three of his first seven holes and was 3 under at the turn while playing alongside the main attraction at the first major of 2018. He took advantage of solid tee shots and even better approach shots while making consecutive birdies at the second and third holes.

Leishman’s wedge shot at the par-5 second bounced onto the back fringe and spun back to within a few feet of the flag. He nearly drove the green at the par-4 third and chipped past the hole.

But he drained a sweeping, super-fast, downhill putt for another birdie. His approach shot at No. 7 checked up, spun left and landed a few feet away for another short birdie.

Even when Leishman wasn’t getting close for birdies, he was doing enough to save par. He came up just a few revolutions short for another birdie at the par-5 eighth. He and 66-year-old

Vijay Singh were tied atop the leaderboard at 3 under.

Woods wasn’t nearly as dialed in. But that’s normal for him early at the Masters. Woods has only shot under once (a 68 in 2010) in the opening round at Augusta.

Still, Woods had some moments on the front side.

Woods nearly drove the green at the par-4 No. 3, pitched to about 10 feet and made the putt to set off a huge “Tiger Roar.”

It was Woods’ first competitive birdie at the famed course since April 12, 2015, when he carded a 4 at No. 15 in the final round of the Masters. He finished tied for 17th that year.

Woods gave strokes back on the next two holes and was 1 over at the turn. He had 17 putts through nine holes, not the start he was looking for at a course he knows that putting is at premium.

Woods found a greenside bunker at the par-3 fourth.

He chipped out and missed a 20-footer. He drove into a bunker at the par-4 fifth and left the sand shot well short of the flag. He putted past the hole and left the comebacker on the left edge.

Woods turned 42 at the end of last year. He has been away from golf for much of the last few years because of his four back surgeries. The Masters will be the first

major he plays since the PGA Championship in August 2015.

Only last year, Woods said he had trouble just sitting through the dinner at the Masters Club of past champions because of pain from his lower back shooting down his legs. That hurt about as much as being at Augusta National without his clubs for the second straight year, not knowing when or even if he would return.

The low point came last summer when he was arrested on a DUI charge in Florida after police found him asleep behind the wheel, his car parked awkwardly on the side of the road with the engine still running.

Woods was found to have a mix of prescription pills to help with pain and sleep.

He sought treatment, and then perhaps the best therapy was being among players as an assistant captain at the Presidents Cup. He returned this season and has played in six events.

He was in contention at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida, and again the following week at Bay Hill in Orlando.

He drove the ball well to open Thursday’s first round, but needed 11 puts through the first six holes.

MARC LEISHMAN, of Australia, reacts after his putt on the sixth hole yesterday in the first round of the Masters golf tourney.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)